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ashram

/ˈɑʃrəm/
IPA guide

Other forms: ashrams

An ashram is a place where people go on spiritual or religious retreats. Yoga teachers sometimes visit ashrams in India to learn more about the practice.

For religious Hindus, an ashram is a place to meditate and be instructed in spiritual or artistic matters. Many Indian ashrams are located in remote places, and believers sometimes travel there on long pilgrimages. The Sanskrit root of ashram is srama, "giving the meaning of making an effort towards liberation," also "toll" or "fatigue."

Definitions of ashram
  1. noun
    (India) a place of religious retreat for Hindus
    see moresee less
    type of:
    retreat
    a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet
  2. noun
    a place of religious retreat modeled after the Indian ashram
    see moresee less
    type of:
    retreat
    a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet
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