ABOUT US
Skanda Vale Ashram was established by Guru Sri Subramanium in 1973 as a place of pilgrimage for people of different faiths to serve and worship together harmoniously.
The Ashram is run by the Community of the Many Names of God, a resident community of monks and nuns who take Saint Francis of Assisi’s vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Skanda Vale is about the practical application of spirituality in daily life. Whilst we celebrate a great diversity of spiritual paths, our approach focuses primarily on karma yoga and bhakti yoga.
KARMA YOGA
Karma yoga means selfless service, but it goes beyond the common understanding of ‘volunteering’ or ‘charity work’ for it is performed as an offering of love to the Divine.
When work is offered as worship it helps us to overcome patterns of selfishness and negativity. We learn to be present, mindful and quietly contented as we go about our duties.
Karma yoga purifies the heart and mind to realise the presence of God in everything we do. It takes place in the mundane activities of everyday life, yet it enables us to manifest the Chaitanya – Divine Consciousness – present both within and outside us.
“Be where you are.”
– Guru Sri Subramanium
BHAKTI YOGA
At Skanda Vale, we sing and chant the names of God throughout the day, learning to harmonise our words, thoughts and deeds into a steady expression of love.
Guru taught us to worship with concentration and devotion. Through pure devotion, we become completely identified with the focus of our worship and experience unity with God.
Genuine bhakti takes us far beyond doctrine and belief. It connects us to the very essence of life; offering us a vital, ecstatic and powerful glimpse of reality.
“Worship the Lord with all your strength!”
– Guru Sri Subramanium
Our History
Skanda Vale began in the summer of 1973 when Guru Sri Subramanium moved his small multi-faith temple from London to Wales.
SKANDA VALE HOSPICE
Guru established Skanda Vale Hospice in 1987 to provide expert care and support, free of charge, to families affected by life-limiting illnesses.
“Live with the love of God. Live lovingly, with all your fellow men. For there is one God and there is one way, and that is to serve God whenever the opportunity arises. Create that opportunity; build a temple in your heart. That is where the Lord should reside, nowhere else.”
Our Projects
Animal Sanctuary
We care for hundreds of animals and birds at Skanda Vale, many of whom have been rescued from abuse, neglect or slaughter.
Food Aid
We work alongside other charities to donate an average of 80 tonnes of food each year for redistribution to those in need.
Sustainability
The Skanda Vale Board of Trustees is committed to balancing our energy use and emissions with the needs of others and the natural world.
Over the next few years, we will decrease our use of non-renewable energy, working steadily towards greater independence from the central grid.
We have been transitioning to green energy for many years now, but there is a greater sense of urgency from both the unfolding climate emergency and the exponential cost of mains energy supplies.
Elephants
Living with us in Skanda Vale are three very beautiful Asian elephants called Valli, Lakshmi and Camela.
They live in a big purpose-built barn at the top of the ashram, close to the Shakti Temple. They have free roam of the fields near their barn and go for walks twice a day in our woodlands.
