The 5 elements & Natural building: Designing & living in Harmony with Nature
At Dharmalaya, we see architecture not as a subject, but as a living conversation between the body, the earth, and the elements. A well-built home doesn’t just shelter you, it breathes with you, it warms you, it soothes and nourishes you. When you walk into a building, you can feel the space, sometimes it lifts you, sometimes it drains you. A house, a room, even a simple mud wall holds a pulse. That pulse is the same rhythm that moves in your own breath, in your blood, in the quiet turning of the seasons.
Interconnected Roots: A gathering for collective healing, Remembrance and Radical Belonging
In a world where many are sensing the multi-crisis—the collapse of familiar structures, whether social, ecological, or spiritual—this gathering invites us on an ancient yet urgently needed journey: to remember our deep interconnection with the web of life. Through ritual, dialogue, embodied practices, and nature-based learning, we will traverse the Spiral of The Work That Reconnects, transforming our pain, rekindling our vitality, and reigniting our sense of purpose in service of a more life-affirming future.
Earthen building workshop
One week residential workshop to provide introductory hands-on training in some of the foundational skills of earthen building in the neo-traditional Kangra style of esteemed eco-architect, Didi Contractor as practiced at Dharmalaya Institute. Learn to work with earth in an adobe bricks, including the process of making and laying adobe bricks, plastering as well as other interior work.
Contemplative Carpentry: Slate Roofing Workshop
A two-week residential carpentry workshop, aimed to explore the intersection of contemplative practice, craft and sustainability through hands-on work doing roofing with slate, a natural material used traditionally in this region of the Himalayas.
Natural Design & Contemplative Architecture
An immersive residential course conducting a deep exploration of natural design, the power of space and form, geometry, the creative process, and our relationship with these. The course will integrate theory and practice, supported by a rich syllabus structured to support the interdisciplinary breadth of the course.
Contemplative Carpentry 2: Slate Roofing Workshop
A two-week residential carpentry workshop, aimed to explore the intersection of contemplative practice, craft and sustainability through hands-on work doing roofing with slate, a natural material used traditionally in this region of the Himalayas.
Carpentry: A Contemplative Approach to Craft
A four-week residential carpentry workshop, aimed to explore the intersection of contemplative practice, craft and sustainability. The programme is structured as a two-week intensive period, followed by a two-week practicum, with an option to stay on longer to refine your skills.
Carpentry: A Contemplative Approach to Craft
A six-week residential carpentry workshop, aimed to explore the intersection of contemplative practice, craft and sustainability. The programme is structured as a three-week intensive period, followed by a three-week practicum, with an option to stay on longer to refine your skills.
Natural Design & Contemplative Architecture
A year-long residential course conducting a deep exploration of natural design, the power of space and form, geometry, the creative process, and our relationship with these. The course will integrate theory and practice, supported by a rich syllabus structured to support the interdisciplinary breadth of the course.
Training and Volunteer Work Period
Volunteer work period, beginning with a six-day residential workshop to provide introductory hands-on training in some of the foundational skills of compassionate living as practiced at Dharmalaya Institute, including …
Earthen Building Workshop
A ten-day workshop to provide introductory hands-on training in some of the foundational skills of earthen building in the neo-traditional Kangra style of esteemed eco-architect Didi Contractor as practiced at Dharmalaya Institute. Learn to work with earth in an adobe structure, including making and laying adobe bricks, as well as other interior work.
Building the Builders : A Deep-Dive Workshop for Interns & Residents
A twelve-day workshop exploring some of the finer points of earthen building and collaborative community living as practiced at Dharmalaya Institute, bridging skill development and personal development.
Earthen Interiors 3 : Features & Finishing
A twelve-day training workshop exploring a range of interior features and finishing processes of earthen building as practiced in the neo-traditional Kangra vernacular as pioneered by Didi Contractor.
Earthen Building Workshop
A workshop to provide introductory hands-on training in some of the foundational skills of earthen building in the neo-traditional Kangra style of esteemed eco-architect Didi Contractor as practiced at Dharmalaya Institute. Learn to work with earth in an adobe structure, including making and laying adobe bricks, as well as other interior work.