This article describes the author's experiences at the Himalayan Institute, a New Age ashram located in Pennsylvania, from the dual perspectives of an ethnographer interested in understanding transplanted Indian traditions and as an individual engaged in a spiritual quest. The article reflects on the nature of the self in a meditative state, presents a brief ethnography of the ashram, discusses principles of yoga philosophy as applied to the author's own life situation, and ruminates on the relationship between the ethnographic self and the personal self.
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