Year in Review: Practice, Community & a Prayerful Life Together

Dear friends,

As this year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on how extraordinary it has been to walk this path with you. Veda Studies continues to be a space where sincere seekers gather to study, to chant, to contemplate — and, most importantly, to slowly cultivate a prayerful way of living. We are not a place for applying mantras as quick fixes to life’s challenges; rather, we are a study community committed to depth, continuity, lineage, and sustained practice — cultivating understanding and a truly prayerful way of living. And it is a joy that this community now stretches across continents, bringing together people from all walks of life who choose to learn, chant, and reflect together.

We began 2025 with a powerful Rudram sādhana — 40 days of practice together, with some extending to 121 days, and a few continuing still today. The depth of commitment from our group was deeply inspiring to me. We will begin 2026 once again with Rudram sādhana from Makara Saṅkrānti, and those wishing to join will need access to the Rudram bundle >>.

(There will be no live Rudram course in 2026; I hope to return with it in 2027.)

This year also brought a deeply personal transition for us as a family. After fifteen meaningful years in Belgium — from vibrant city living in Brussels to the quiet refuge of the countryside that nurtured the birth and growth of our online community — we moved to Lugano, Switzerland. Those years shaped us profoundly, and we carry the learning, grace, and gratitude with us as we begin anew. Today, our work continues from the serene lakes and mountains of Southern Switzerland, still grounded in the same purpose: to learn, chant, practice, and live prayerfully — together.

Soon after, the year blossomed into our Śiva Saṅkalpa Retreat, where practitioners from across the world gathered in silence, study, practice, companionship, and joy. The reflections from this sacred time speak louder than I can here:
https://www.vedastudies.com/resolved-in-silence-reflections-from-the-2025-veda-studies-retreat/

This year also saw the publication of two limited-edition works — Śiva Saṅkalpam and Nakṣatra Sūktam — both born from our shared journey of learning, reflection, and devotion. As limited-edition works, these books are not available in stores. They can only be purchased when you join us for retreats – the next one is in Lugano in October 2026.

We also continued strengthening our long-term learning pathways with two Teacher Trainings now in progress — equipping sincere students to become confident, grounded, lineage-aware teachers:

• Teacher Training 2025 (Level 1) — developing solid chanting foundations, pedagogy, precision, and teaching confidence.
   https://vedastudies.ac-page.com/teacher-training-2025
• Level 2 Teacher Training 2025 — for those ready to go deeper into advanced study, refined teaching, and integration into lived spiritual practice.
  https://vedastudies.ac-page.com/teacher-training-level-2-2025

We are deeply grateful to INDICA (https://indica.in/) for their meaningful collaboration, and we are honoured to now officially be recognised as an Associate Center. We look forward to sharing more soon on this exciting development.

This year also marked our second year of observing Śani vrata together — an introspective sādhana rooted in discipline, prayer, fasting, and self-reflection. It has quietly become a cherished rhythm in our community, and we look forward to gathering for it again in 2026.

And as if the year had not already offered enough, we closed with a luminous reflection on Agni, lineage, and living practice at the Mysuru Yoga Utsava:
https://www.vedastudies.com/agni-lineage-and-living-practice/

Through every gathering, every session, every shared practice, and every study — what inspires me most is you: this incredible global community whose sincerity, warmth, and dedication make Veda Studies what it is.

Looking ahead to 2026, my vision remains simple and strong:
To continue building a serious, practice-based study platform.
To support disciplined practice that can be lived meaningfully within the commitments of householder life.
To help bring prayerful awareness into every part of life.

I would love to hear from you — please share your highlight with Veda Studies this year in the comments below. Your journeys and reflections are what make this sangha lively!

My sincere thanks to the quiet-behind-the-scenes Veda Studies team — for standing with me, supporting this work with such steadiness, and helping nurture a space where practice, devotion for study, and community flourish. Much gratitude to all our well-wishers and we have so many who support our books, events and community!

With warmth, gratitude, and deep reverence,
Shantala

Click through these pictures to see the limited edition books if you are curious: