Vision Prospectus (1)

7/31/2019 Vision Prospectus (1)

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vis iona u s t r a l a s i a


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Swami Niranjanananda Saraswatiwas born in 1960 in central India and was

recognised as a balyogi, a yogi rom birth. Swami Niranjan began his ashram

training at the tender age o our and was initiated into Dashnami Sannyasa

in 1970. He travelled extensively throughout the world or the next 11 years,

which prepared him or the years ahead as a yoga master who would convey theancient wisdom and teachings o yoga across a broad spectrum o the global

community. In 1993 he was initiated into Paramahamsa 2 Sannyasa, and in

1983 was chosen as Swami Satyanandas spiritual successor, inheriting the role

o guiding the activities o Satyananda Yoga worldwide. Now retired rom

ashram administration and national and international travel, he has entered a

new stage o sadhana and service.

Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati was born in 1953 in West Bengal, India.

As a young woman o 22 years, she began to experience proound inner

awakenings, which lead her to meet her guru, Swami Satyananda. In 1982,

she was initiated into Dashnami Sannyasa and began a lie o dedication and

service to her guru and his work. An inspired teacher, speaker and gited writer,

she is the author o several major texts on yoga and tantra. Since 1989 she has

resided at Rikhiapeeth (the sadhana place o Swami Satyananda), where shehas succeeded through the expansion o Sivananda Math3 in transorming

the lives o the people in the surrounding areas. At the same time she has also

created a vibrant, dynamic centre o spirituality and education within the gates

o Rikhiapeeth.

Vast is the ocean of sacred words which enlightens

the universe with divine vision

Rigveda 1.3.12

Inspirers of our tradition

1 Dashnami Sannyasa is an ancient yogic and spiritual lineage devised by Adi Shankaracharya (788 CE 820 CE)

2 Paramahamsa literally means supreme swan one who has attained a higher, illumined state o consciousness3 Sivananda Math is a philanthropic organisation which aims to acilitate the growth and development o the underprivileged sections o society

Swami Sivananda Saraswati (18871963) was one o the great spiritual masters

o the 20th century. Born and educated in amil Nadu, he served in Malaya as

a medical doctor or several years beore he renounced worldly lie and settled in

Rishikesh, where he was initiated into Dashnami Sannyasa1. Swami Sivananda

practiced intense yoga sadhana and at the same time lived to serve humanity.

He oten spent more than twelve hours a day in meditation and then visited the

sick to oer medical aid. Passionately inspired to both see and serve the divine

aspect in everyone, he attracted thousands o disciples in India and around the

world, ounded medical, charitable and spiritual institutions and authored over

200 books on yoga and spirituality.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati(19232009) was born in the north Indian hill

station o Almora. In 1943 he travelled to Rishikesh where he met his guru,

Swami Sivananda. He took initiation into the Dashnami Sannyasa tradition and

spent the next twelve years ully immersed in ashram lie. Swami Satyananda

went on to ound Bihar School o Yoga in 1964 and over t he next 20 years

he developed his unique system o yoga and travelled the world to spread his

teachings. In 1988 Swami Satyananda retired rom public lie, moved to animpoverished rural area o northern India (Rikhia) where he perormed higher

sadhanas and entered a new phase o service to humanity to actively uplit the

local community. Swami Satyananda consciously let his body on December

5th 2009, entering the exalted state o mahasamadhi.


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Satyananda Yoga is a unique and integral system o yoga, created by the world

renowned master Swami Satyananda Saraswati, to make the healing andtransormative power o yoga available to all who seek it. Satyananda Yoga oersevery person a means to practise and live yoga, according to his or her level,interest and need. It is taught progressively and tailored to suit ones personal

needs and aims, ensuring a sae and positive experience o yoga.

Satyananda Yoga is ounded upon the ancient philosophies o antra, Vedantaand Samkhya. It has only been in the last ty years that visionaries, such as

Swami Satyananda elt that yoga was going to be the need o society in the

uture. Swami Satyananda gave yoga a dynamic twist, bringing it out romphilosophy and into practice.

Swami Satyananda taught the main branches o yoga: hatha yoga, rajayoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga and karma yoga. He also taught less widelyknown esoteric yogas, including kriya yoga, kundalini yoga, mantra yoga,every kind o yoga as ound in the texts. As a tribute to the work o Swami

Satyananda, we have called this combination o teachings Satyananda Yoga.

Satyananda Yoga does not highlight one branch o yoga, but incorporates allthe dierent yogas to achieve the experience o wholeness. Te synthesis o the

dierent yogas enables the practitioner to restructure all the aspects o his or herlie in a way which is conducive to spiritual growth.

Yoga is...

qunion between the individual and the cosmic sel.

qa universal science o sel discovery, which evolved rom the liestyle andpractices o the ancient seers.

qa comprehensive and practical system o transorming the human personality,which leads to a balanced development o physical health, mental harmony

and spiritual uplitment.

qa liestyle that can change the quality o body and mind, allowing us to

understand and ull our true potential.

qa positive way to enhance our creativity and expression in lie through theunolding o deeper dimensions o consciousness.

qa system that has a unique and universal appeal and may be practised bypeople rom all walks o lie, on all continents and o all religions.

qa practical philosophy which can create better human conditions andsituations around the globe.

The Vision ofSatyananda yoga

all lie. Kirtan (singing the many names o the divine) andsatsang (being in the presence o living truth) are importantpractices o this tradition.

Karma yoga is the path o awareness in action. Although

actions are perormed by all, very ew are able to act withawareness in daily lie. Tis yoga is imbibed during timespent in the residential centres, where all students andresidents work together on dierent tasks to maintain the

yogic community.

Jnana yogais the means to attain the highest state o innerknowledge. Trough continuous sel-study, sel-analysis and

meditative awareness o the sel, intellectual knowledge is

converted into practical wisdom.

When perormed in a balanced sequence and proportion,

Satyananda Yoga transorms the whole person, integratingthe dierent layers o the personality and providing physicaland mental relaxation, wellbeing and peace. However, yogadoes not end with the classroom experience. In order to

experience wholeness and completeness in lie, it is importantto realise the connection between your material expressionsand spiritual aspirations.

Satyananda Yoga is an authentic system o teachings

synthesising the branches o yoga to address dierent kinds opersonalities and temperaments. Whether you are devotional,intellectual, psychic or active by nature, Satyananda Yogaoers a path or you.

Hatha yogapromotes exibility and good health by awakeningand balancing the physical and mental energies that governones lie. It includes asanas (postures to promote physical

health, awareness and relaxation), pranayamas (breathingtechniques to expand vital energy), shatkarmas (physicaldetox techniques), and mudras and bandhas (physiologicalenergy releasing techniques).

Raja yoga is a comprehensive system o mental trainingthrough progressive techniques o relaxation, breathawareness, mindulness and concentration. Satyananda Yoga

oers many unique meditation practices to deal with mentalproblems, such as stress and anxiety, and to discover anddevelop the immense potential o the human mind.

Bhakti yogais the path o channelling the emotions towardsthe divine to realise the transcendental nature inherentwithin. Trough bhakti yoga you experience the unity o

Te awareness and skills developed through practice oSatyananda Yoga extend beyond the yoga mat into all levelsand conditions o lie. Te application o yoga helps you to

develop a more balanced and integral liestyle, and to standon your own two eet. Such a person is able to assumeresponsibility or him or hersel in all situations and to actin ways which are appropriate and constructive. As a parto yogic lie, you learn to take part in the relationships andevents o lie with an a ttitude o non-attachment, without

becoming entangled. Ultimately, yogic awareness allowsyou to understand the problems and difculties o othersand how to lend a helping hand. In this way yoga becomesthe means to uplit all beings, along with yoursel. When

yoga becomes part o your lie, each expression, eachthought, each sentiment conveys that quality o appliedwisdom. Tis is the vision o Satyananda Yoga beyondthe mat.

Branches ofSatyananda yoga

Yoga beyond the mat

learning how to do theheadstand is awesome

but learning how to standon your own two feet is the

highest yoga!


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In the 1930s Sri Swami Sivananda, the giant spiritual luminary

o the present age, came to the realization that the physical,

mental and spiritual needs o modern society would be

ullled by the wisdom and science o yoga. Aspiring to serve

and uplit humanity, Swami Sivananda prepared his disciples

to work or the propagation o yoga throughout the globe and

his teachings became the oundation or the development o

yoga in the 20th century.

Sri Swami Satyananda, ignited by the ame o his Gurus

inspiration, became a blazing sun bringing the light o yoga

rom door to door and shore to shore. Undoubtedly the major

exponent o yoga in this century, Sri Swamiji had a vision o

the uture o yoga and he proclaimed that yoga will become

the culture o tomorrow.

Although the subject matter o yoga is very ancient, dating

back many thousands o years, its place in modern history

is only about our or ve years old and our understanding

o yoga is similarly limited. Yoga is a spiritual science, which

allows us to explore the deeper layers o human nature and

consciousness, and denotes a process o training through

which one comes to the source o ones actions and then lives

and expresses that awareness. Te process o yoga begins by

making us aware; it allows us to explore how we unction in

lie and how we can develop the dormant, hidden potentials

within ourselves. But this is not achieved by a collection

o practices which one does or an hour a day. Real yoga is

achieved not by what you practise but by how you live.

Te third component is the cultivation o humility in lie.

Humility indicates absence o arrogance and ego. Humility

indicates a balanced sel-esteem, a positive sel-image that one

cultivates and corrects with the soter sentiments and emotions

o lie. Cultivation o humility represents the sattwic quality

o mind whereas arrogance is the tamasic quality o mind.

Humility is seen in actions and expressed in lie. Humility

means that you remain unaected by the ego maniestations.

No hatred, no jealousy can touch you. No arrogance can alter

your perception. You remain simple and pure. Simplicity and

purity constitute humility.

As we begin to live yoga, the world becomes a place where we

have the opportunity to express our creativity, and improve

ourselves and our environment through determination and

wisdom. Tereore the hallmark o Satyananda Yoga has

always been the ability to integrate the expressions o head,

heart and hands. When head, heart and hand unite, an

ordinary moment can become divine. By ollowing the yogic

process and liestyle, the yogic culture will be experienced

through creativity, positivity and excellence in our amily,

society and environment.

Swami Niranjanananda Saraswa

In yoga the eort is made to harmonize, regulate and balance

the body, mind, energy, emotions and spirit to a cquire spiritual

purity. Te practices have to match the liestyle and the liestyle

has to match the desires and aspirations in lie. o begin

and sustain a spiritual practice or a long period requires an

adjustment in liestyle. Tese adjustments have to be made in

philosophy, which must become more practical and concrete.

Te philosophy o lie must provide a method by which one

can experience the tranquillity, joy and peace within. Te

routine o daily lie also has to be modied, so that you are not

accumulating stresses and tensions and are able to progress in

a gentle, systematic manner by improving your environment,

conditionings, behaviours and habits. Tese adjustments in

philosophy and routine require continuous and constant

awareness o the inuences, people and situations where you

are restricted, and the places, situations and conditions where

you are able to express yoursel and grow.

Te rst adjustment comes through realizing ones associations

and connections in lie. A positive association cultivates a

positive mind. When you are surrounded with good people

you eel good and when you are surrounded by negative

people your own thoughts, expressions and attitude become

negative. From the yogic perspective we need to associate with

people who inspire us to ace lie with dignity and who can

help us to ollow a system by which we can realize the beauty

lie has to oer. Association can also be with a person, or with

an idea, a thought or belie. You have to cultivate the right

virtue in your lie which can inspire and guide you. People

who are trying t o improve their associations in lie are the

true yogis. Yoga means taking responsibility or yoursel and

making the eort to change. Postures, meditation, kundalini

and kriya do not represent yoga. It is your conviction and

motivation to change and bring the beauty o the universe

into your lie which is the aspiration o yoga.

he second adjustment in liestyle is to always maintain

an optimistic and positive attitude. I the attitudes are

negative then inner and mental clarity is lost. Learn

to observe and modiy the expressions, attitudes and

mentality in lie. Aim to maintain a positive outlook

in all situations. Start with ten percent optimism. Over

the course o time keep multiplying and increasing until

you are ully stable in that positive, optimistic attitude.

Maintaining positivity and optimism o mind in ti mes o

pressure is very diicult. But i you keep on trying, the

right virtue and strength will be cultivated.

By the use o certain practices and techniques you can

develop an altered state o mind, which can shield you

against negative inuences that disturb your peace and cause

distress. One important item in this sequence is the practice

o mantra. Mantra should become part o the liestyle

and is the rst item to be incorporated in lie or spiritual

awakening. Mantra should be done rst thing in the

morning, to create a positive attitude or state o mind and

to dene how positive and constructive your associations are

going to be during the day.

Vision ofYoga


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History ofSatyananda Yoga in Australia

During the late 1960s and early 1970s yoga became morewidely known to the Australian public through the successo television programs eaturing yoga teachers Roma Blairand Swami Saraswati.

In 1966 Roma Blair and Michael Volin, who startedthe rst yoga school in Australia, visited Bihar School oYoga in Munger, India. Tere they were initiated by Swami

Satyananda, who had established the school with the aimo providing a place where people could live yoga ratherthan simply practice yoga. Living yoga is at the core oSatyananda Yoga.

Roma Blair (now Swami Nirmalananda) returned romIndia keen to promote the growth o yoga in Australia,and in 1967 a small group ormed the Yoga eachersAssociation (YA), which later became the InternationalYoga eachers Association (IYA). Te organisation aimedto bring all yoga teachers together and provide a orumor discussion and cooperation between members, to shareknowledge and training and urther the understanding oEastern philosophy in the West.

It was against this backdrop that IYA invited SwamiSatyananda to lead the 2nd National Yoga Conventionin Richmond, NSW, in 1969. In the next ew years anincreasing number o people began teaching Satyananda

Since 1988 Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati has been guiding the development o Satyananda Yoga around the world. From 1994

he has visited Australia most years to teach, guide and support. During that 1994 visit Swami Niranjan outlined his vision or

Satyananda Yoga Australia as being a dedicated teaching organisation, and that is certainly how it has unolded since then. Part o

this vision was to hold another World Yoga Convention, this time in 1996, which was again very successul and initiated another

phase o development and growth. He also inaugurated the Satyananda Yoga Academy, which has developed into a widely respected

proessional teaching body. Recognised by the Australian government as a Registered raining Organisation, it provides a popularinstruction in yogic studies and teacher training leading to a VEAB-accredited qualication. At the heart o this training are the

ashrams at Mangrove and Rocklyn, which provide an authentic and direct experience o a living and evolving yogic tradition.

Yoga in and around Sydney, and it was decided that anashram was needed. From a small, one-bedroom at above ashop in Manly in 1973 arrangements were made to buy landat Mangrove Mountain, near Gosord. Te ollowing yearSwami Akhandananda came out rom India to coordinate yogaactivities.

Swami Satyananda inaugurated the Satyananda Yoga

Ashram at Mangrove in 1976, and initiated the rst group opeople in Australia into poorna sannyasa. Tis was a period orapid expansion, with a corresponding growth in the number oyoga teachers trained. Many o these initiates are still teachingthroughout Australia t oday.

In 1983 a second Satyananda ashram was set up in Rocklyn,Victoria. During these years Swami Satyananda visitedrequently and guided the expansion o Satyananda Yogathroughout the country, so that within a short time there wereSatyananda centres and ashrams in most capital cities and manycountry areas.

Te establishment o ashrams reects the SatyanandaYoga tradition o living yoga, which is rmly based upon theprinciple o students having a direct link to a living master, orguru, and which systematically teaches a holistic yoga that workswith mind, body and spirit, as well as an integral system o yogathat aims to develop the whole personality.

Rocklyn under construction in the early 1980sMangrove under construction in the late 1970s


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Mangrove oers a number o regular retreat programs. Teseinclude introductory programs such as Yoga Relax and OpenDays, and more in-depth programs that aim to give theparticipant an experience o yogic living. Tere are regular YogaMeditation weekends, Family Yoga, Yoga Intensive and a varietyo cooking weekends which run two or three times a year.

Each year Mangrove also oers an extensive range o retreats andcourses on topics as diverse as Yoga or the Blues, Yoga Art, andDeepening Sadhana (or more advanced yoga practitioners).For a small ee donation, weekends can also be spent taking partin Bush Regeneration and on the Farm Project, as well as SevaWeek, which is about putting into practice Swami Sivanandas

maxim o Serve Love Give. For all up-to-date inormationabout our retreats check the website www.mangroveyoga.org

For details o uture courses, retreats and special events, signup at www.satyananda.net to receive the Satyananda Yogae-newsletter. You can also check out our Facebook page atwww.acebook.com/satyanandayogamangrove

I you would like to run your own program, Mangrove hassimple but excellent acilities available or groups to hire ortheir own programs or or the ashram to tailor a program tomeet your needs.

Mangrove is also home to the renowned Satyananda YogaAcademy. Tis provides the VEAB-registered course Diplomain Satyananda Yoga eaching (see page 12 or more details).

Satyananda Yoga has been taught, practiced and lived at the ashram atMangrove Creek or almost 40 years. Many o the buildings, as wellas the terraced hillside gardens, were constructed in the early years byhundreds o residents and visitors who were inspired by the teachingso Swami Satyananda. It is a beautiul place, nestled in the crook othe tidal Mangrove Creek and surrounded by sheer sandstone clisand pristine native bush.

Mangrove oers the opportunity to step outside o ones day-to-day lie and experience a dierent liestyle. Tis yogic way o liedraws deeply on centuries o traditions and practices, adapted tomeet the needs o people today. Mangrove brings together ashram,retreat centre and yoga academy. Tis diversity o unction brings a

steady stream o new people and creates a vibrant and lie-enhancingatmosphere. Lie is rarely dull at Mangrove, but even when busy andull o people, a sense o space and peace is maintained. Tis is helpedpartly by the tranquil setting, but also because thousands o peoplehave volunteered their time, energy and creativity over many years toshape a space o reection and retreat.

Tere is a distinct pattern and rhythm to daily lie at Mangrove,which encourages the yoga aspirant to develop regularity in theirown sadhana or practice. Each day there are early morning yogaclasses, mantra chanting, deep relaxation sessions, aternoon asana ormeditation practices, and evening programs such as kirtan to open theheart and transorm the emotions. At the heart o the yogic liestyleat Mangrove is the opportunity to both give o yoursel and learnmore about yoursel through the practice o karma yoga. Te extentto which you immerse yoursel in this practice depends upon you.

Mangrove: a place of retreat...

All year round, visitors come to Mangrove or aperiod o quiet personal retreat, where they canchoose to rest, relax, join in yoga classes, bush-

walk, swim or kayak in the creek, or discoverthe excellent bookshop and Saraswati Library.Others join in the skills and liestyle program

where they can work alongside ashram residentsor hal a day and so gain a deeper perspectiveabout what ashram lie is all about. Some areinspired to take part in the more structured

Ashram Liestyle program, through which theylearn more about the integration o yoga intodaily lie.

Mangrove Yoga Ashram, NSW

Rishi Hridayananda has served and taughtwithin the Satyananda tradition in India andAustralia or over 40 years. She has been a discipleo Swami Satyananda since 1969, and wasinitiated by him as a swami in 1976. In 1993she was initiated into rishi sannyas by SwamiNiranjanananda and was appointed by himas the acharya (spiritual head) o SatyanandaYoga Australasia two years later. Since then shehas lived at Mangrove Yoga Ashram, workingcontinually to ull the mission o her guru tocreate a mecca or all. Tis has been achievedthrough the avenues o yoga and selfess service,and the centre continues to fourish under herspiritual guidance.

YOGA ASHRAM

MANGROVE

TM


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Rocklyn Ashram, Victoria

Rocklyn Ashram is distinguished by its tranquil setting in asecluded orest environment abundant in wildlie and naturalbeauty, with quiet gardens, a prolic organic vegetable garden

and open spaces surrounded by native orest. Te serenity othe environment enhances the ashram as a place o retreat romworldliness enabling one quite naturally to re-discover innerbalance and peace. Te daily liestyle is creatively balanced

between traditional yoga practices and engaging in the ashram lieand routine.

Since its inception the ashram has maintained a strong link with

the vision set by Swami Satyananda. What makes the yoga liestyleat Rocklyn special is the accessibility or all people. It encouragessel reliance, positive change and an opportunity to utilise personal

skills. Karma yoga as mindulness in action is practised with theattitude o Swami Satyanandas lietime direction to serve, love,give and Swami Niranjananandas direction to integrate head,heart and hands.

All the branches o yoga, consisting o karma yoga (shared workwith evenness o mind), bhakti yoga (channelling the emotions),hatha yoga (body purication), jnana yoga (enquiry), and rajayoga (a comprehensive system o yoga as described in the Yoga

Sutras o Patanjali) are considered with equal importance andpractised to educate and develop the whole personality. Tisgives the opportunity or both the individual and the ashramcommunity to live more ully and consciously in everyday lie.

Te ashrams ocus is on simplicity, regularity and developingpersonal discipline as a basis to all yoga teachings.

Here in Victoria you have this ashram in avery wonderul place. All o you and manymore people should think o developingthis ashram to become the ideal centre oknowledge and light. People rom many partso this state should come here rom time to timeand give their share o work to c reate vegetableand fower gardens, plant trees, and this hallcould become bigger a little later. Here Im sureyou will come to understand all the orms oyoga and in the course o time this ashram inVictoria will become the guiding light or allyoga-minded people.

Swami Satyananda SaraswatiInauguration o Rocklyn Ashram 1984

Te ashram neighbourhood community, a vision inspiredby Swami Niranjanananda, brings yoga and lie togetherthrough an expression o unity and sangha (spiritual

community) with shared goals and opportunities or seva.oday, a number o nearby sannyasin and initiate neighboursare actively involved in the management o the ashramand in yoga teaching. Following Swami Niranjananandas

vision or the wider community, Rocklyn Ashram aspires tocultivate the uplitment o society through the developmento practical ashram liestyle skills in co-operation with localcommunity welare services.

Rocklyn is an ashram which has adapted to modern needsand yet still maintains and sustains the deep values and

traditions o a lineage through the teachings and heritage oSwami Satyananda.

Courses held on a regular basis are conducted by SatyanandaYoga Accredited eachers and are accessible to all (visit

www.yogavic.org.au or ull details):

Yogic Studies Modules 1 & 2 o the Diploma oSatyananda Yoga raining

Sannyasa Ashram Lie 3 months duration twice yearly Living Consciously & Yoga Liestyle Retreats available

all year Yoga & Ashram Lie available all year

Weekend retreats throughout the year Special spiritual celebrations and teachings Residential short or longer stays available all year

Swami Atmamuktananda, Acharya at Rocklyn,

has developed her skills in ashram lie through

many years o ashram living in Munger, Rikhiaand Australia. Her years in Rikhia with Swami

Satyananda have been one o the most proound

infuences on her lie. From her gur u she took away

a clear and deep understanding or managing a lie

in sannyasa, ashram and yoga. Tis understanding

involves a lie o dedication, simplicity and

awareness. She has instilled this message throughout

her time at Rocklyn in every aspect o ashram lie.

oday Rocklyn is a strong beacon or the tradition,

a welcoming shelter, and a place where a liestyle

may be cultivated and developed in order to ace

lies challenges boldly and ully.


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Diploma of Satyananda Yoga Training (91462 NSW)

Satyananda Yoga Academy

Swami Kriyatmananda is the Director oEducation or Satyananda Yoga AcademyAustralasia. His main role (under the instructiono Swami Niranjanananda) has been to gain

mainstream recognition or the benets thatyoga can bring to people rom all walks o lie.o this end he has overseen the development oAustralian government accredited training oryoga practitioners and yoga teachers. In additionto this, he has also played a part in osteringhigh quality research into the validation o themany benets and applications o yoga incontemporary society.

I you wish to experience the ull potential o yoga in your lie then this course is or you.Troughout the two years o this Diploma, your practice and study are guided rom essentialoundations to in-depth techniques and philosophies. Tis process enables you to absorb yogainto your lie, in a way that is real and sustainable.

What can be gained from this course?

An appreciation of your own potential and purpose in life Practical application of asana, pranayama, yoga nidra and meditation Torough knowledge of the human body and how to adapt asana to develop strength,

exibility and endurance, improve posture and balance body composition, in oneseland others

Yoga teaching qualication accredited by the Australian Government Portable units of competency from several training packages Pre-requisite qualication for higher study in yoga and allied modalities Periods of retreat in Satyananda Yoga ashrams that demonstrate the merging of yogic

tradition and modern day lie.

Structure

Te Diploma o Satyananda Yoga raining takes a minimum o two years to complete.

However, once the study o yoga begins, it becomes clear that two years truly is, only thebeginning.

Te course is divided into our hal-year semesters with practice and knowledge systematicallydeepening. Each semester begins with a two to three week residential at a Satyananda Yogaashram. Tese periods o retreat allow awareness to be completely ocussed on the techniquesand concepts being introduced.

At the end o the residential, students typically return to their homes and usual commitments,integrating yogic study and practice into their lives. o do this course comortably you need toput aside around eight hours or yogic practice and twelve hours or study each week.

As an Australian Government accredited course, each aspect o the course has been rigorouslychecked to ensure they meet the requirements o quality assurance contained within theAustralian Quality raining Framework. Austudy or other orms o government assistancemay be available or eligible students.

Yogic Studies modules

Yogic Studies 1 explores the branches o yoga and their place in yogicliestyle and practice. Te principal asana, pranayama, mudra, kirtan,yoga nidra and meditation techniques o the Satyananda Yoga system areintroduced alongside the essentials o anatomy and physiology.

Yogic Studies 2 introduces yogic psychology, bringing t ogether eastern andwestern concepts o mind, consciousness and awareness whilst experientialstudy o prana, nadis, chakras and koshas opens up the world o yogicphysiology.

Yogic Studies 3 delivers the jewels o yogic culture: the study o higheryogic texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, Patanjalis Yoga Sutrasand SwamiSatyanandas Kundalini antra. Te practical component expands andprogresses into an intermediate level o yoga.

Yogic Studies 4 is the teacher training component o the Diploma. raineeteachers engage in a three-week process o teaching peers in a sae and

encouraging environment which cultivates the skills and condenceneeded to deliver the techniques o asana, pranayama, yoga nidra, mudra,kirtan and meditation.

For a yoga teacher, business and marketing knowledge are a practicalnecessity. Te proessional yoga component in YS4 ensures teachers havethe skills and resources to approach the nancial aspect o teaching yogawith a clear mind. Student support skills completes the picture, ocussingon the personal side o teaching.

Our teachers

One o our greatest assets is t he calibre o our aculty. Te combination oa rst class academic institute set within an established yogic environmentmakes SYA Australasia a magnet or teachers rom around the world whoenrich the courses with their knowledge.

Te Academy oers eaching Internships to trainees and newly accreditedteachers to crystallise their teaching experience. A mentoring processguides interns towards their ull potential as a teacher and eventually as ateacher trainer, and so the tra dition continues.

Ashram life options

o study yoga while living in an environment dedicated to yogic practice

is a rare opportunity. Students choosing to live at either the Mangrove orRocklyn ashrams have study periods scheduled into their weekly timetable,along with access to internet, library and the living experience o theirteachers and ellow students.

Yogic studies around the world

From Bihar Yoga Bharati, India to Satyananda Yoga academies in theUSA, South America and Europe, reciprocal arrangements are in placeallowing students to study in diferent locations and cultures.

India: www.biharyoga.netEurope: www.syae.orgNorth America: www.yogaacademyna.orgSouth America: www.satyananda-yoga.net


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Te three Core units are oundational research skills,chronobiology, and liestyle coaching. Te nine electivesinclude: perinatal, teaching children, teaching teenagers,teaching the elderly, weight management, anxiety anddepression, cancer, addiction and intermediate researchskills.

ResearchAn impediment to mainstream recognition o yoga is thesparsity o quality research that validates the claims madeby yoga in regard to its efcacy. While practitioners o yogagain direct personal experiential eedback on its useulness,and while yogic literature is ull o anecdotal evidence othe benets o sustained yoga practice, western academicvalidation o these claims is in short supply. For this reason,research methodology has been included at two levels withinthe VGD. At the rst level as one o the Core units, theocus is on training in how to access inormation relevantto one o the particular conditions/ages, and then how tocritically appraise the validity o this inormation. At the

second level, an Elective unit within the course, concernshow to prepare a quality research proposal. Tese unitshave been designed in close collaboration with SRI (SwanResearch Institute), which is the Australian SatyanandaYoga research body instigated by Swami Niranjananandaor this very purpose.

ConclusionIt is wonderul to see that not only within Satyananda Yoga,but with other systems and traditions also, the standard oyoga training has progressed in leaps and bounds rom thatwhich was available orty years ago. For now at least, theVocational Graduate Diploma o Satyananda Yoga rainingis the highest Government level o qualication oered inyoga training in Australia. How exciting it is to considerthe esteem in which yoga may be held in another 40 years.

Vocaonal Graduate Diploma of Satyananda Yoga Training(91544 NSW)

VisionOne o the ongoing challenges encountered with yoga inthe west is or it to be accepted and respected and not bemarginalized by mainstream western culture through lacko understanding. It is an ongoing challenge to maintainthe purity, and hence potency, o yoga, while at the same

time adapting it to the realities o our times. owards thisend, Swami Niranjanananda recognized the useulness omainstream recognition or our training through Governmentaccreditation o our courses. Tis recognition was initiallyachieved in 2003 with the Diploma o Satyananda Yogaeaching, which in 2008 evolved into the Diploma oSatyananda Yoga raining. We can say without hesitationthat it is a most thorough and rewarding course that attractsstudents rom all around the world in ever-increasingnumbers. In early 2011, another and higher qualication,the Vocational Graduate Diploma o Satyananda Yogaraining, was added to our scope o courses.

Yoga, as we all know, has the potential to signicantly andpositively inuence the wellbeing o many Australians,regardless o age, spiritual persuasion, socio-economicor current health status. Tis act is evidenced by the

ever-expanding numbers o people rom all walks o lie nowundertaking yoga practice in one orm or another.

Our tradition can take some credit here in Australia or thisoccurrence by having made yoga, as taught to us by SwamiSatyananda, available to anyone interested, now or well inexcess o orty years. Tis has been achieved through the

provision o well-trained teachers who have gone out and taughtin all corners o our society.

RationaleTe motivation or the creation o this higher qualication isto urther improve the standard o teaching in our community.Te thinking has been to recognise that within the range ostudents that attend our general yoga classes, there are sub-populations with specic needs. Te primary ocus o theVocational Graduate Diploma is on working with these specicsub-populations. Tese particular needs all into two broadcategories: age-related and health-related. Age here reers tochildren, teenagers and older. Health reers to conditionscommonly encountered in the general population, which arehence equally represented in yoga classes: perinatal, anxiety anddepression, addiction, cancer and weight issues.

imeI done in its entirety, Vocational Graduate Diploma oSatyananda Yoga raining requires the completion o sixunits o competency. Te minimum time in which it can becompleted is one year. Each year is broken into two hal-yearterms o 19 weeks each, with three units in each term. Tereare around 120 hours o study and assessment involved perunit. Tereore, i you were doing the ull workload, youwould need to allocate around 20 hours per week towards thistraining. I you elect to undertake only one unit at a time, youwould need to be able to allocate around six to seven hours perweek or your training.

StructureEach unit has three components: Pre-residential, Residentialand Post-residential. Te pre-residential is around our tove weeks in length, and the ocus there is on developing theunderpinning knowledge that each respective unit is concernedwith. Tis is achieved predominantly through completing theprescribed reading o current literature relevant to that unit and

completing associated online assessment or demonstrating theunderstanding o these readings Te residential period, (whichis only two days in length), ocuses on the underpinning skillsassociated with those units. Tis is achieved through discussionand interactive activities addressing how to integrate theheightened knowledge gained in the pre-residential period intoclass planning and delivery. Te Post-residential period ocuseson the application o both the underpinning knowledge andskills through conducting classes or the relevant special needgroups, reecting on the strategies employed in teaching, andsharing this experience online with the course coordinator andthe other students in the course

ContentO the six units required or the qualication, three are Core(as in compulsory), and three are chosen rom the Electives.

For more information contact Mangrove: (+61 2) 43771171 or email: [email protected]



10/11

For More Inspiration . . .

Satyananda Yoga Today

Swami Satyanandas mandate has been to spreadyoga rom door to door and shore to shore. Many

years ago, he stood on the hilltop o Bihar School oYoga, Munger, overlooking the vast gangetic plains,

and declared that yoga will become the culture o

tomorrow. oday the vision o Swami Satyanandas

work continues to develop and grow throughout theworld, and a holistic understanding o yogic science

has blossomed in the sublime settings o Mangrove

(NSW) and Rocklyn (Vic).

For over thirty years, Satyananda Yoga teachers have

been trained in the art o yogic living and their

dedication and inspiration has produced a vibrantyogic culture. oday there is an extensive network o

over 400 accredited Satyananda teachers who conduct

classes in schools, hospitals, drug rehabilitation centres,

prisons, and the work place, right across Australasia.

Tese teachers have undergone specic training andare either afliated or accredited with the Satyananda

Yoga Academy.

For more details of our books and other yoga resources please contact us:

Mangrove Yoga Ashram(NSW) ph: (+61 2) 4377 1171 [email protected] www.satyananda.net/shop

Rocklyn Ashram (Vic) ph: (+61 3) 5345 7434 [email protected] www.yogavic.org.au/shop

Tere is a vision o yoga that Swami Sivananda gave whichwas conveyed to the world through his bright and enlighteneddisciple, Swami Satyananda, who encapsulated his gurus

vision way back in the sixties, by saying, Yoga will become aworld culture, it is the need o the present and the culture otomorrow.

At the time when Swami Satyananda made this visionarystatement, it seemed remotely possible that this wouldhappen. But today we can see or ourselves the truth o hiswords, or yoga has permeated every aspect o our personal,

proessional, academic, social and cultural lives.

Yes, yoga is here to stay and it is at this moment when yoga

is at its zenith that we have to sit back and remind ourselveso the vision the luminaries, Swami Sivananda and SwamiSatyananda had when they decided to propagate yoga. Whatwas their true aim in divulging the most valuable and hitherto

unknown and powerul practices o yoga to the masses? Wasit just or health, peace, joy and bliss or something more thanthat?

Good health, peace, joy and bliss are the side eects o yoga.You get t hem gratis. Tey are not t he aim and purpose oyoga and nor was that the vision o the Satyananda tradition.

Te practices Satyananda Yoga oers are unparalleled or theirsimple, systematic, authentic and scientic approach. Teyreveal in depth insight into the entire spectrum o humanexistence whether it be emotional, intellectual, dynamic,

psychic or intuitive. Te practices and techniques have beentutored by the enlightened adept o yoga, Swami Satyananda,to achieve a transormation at every level o existence that aperson encounters in their journey o lie, so that they can

arrive at the nal aim o yoga which is initiating the processo evolution in awareness.

It is not enough to know and practice yoga asanas andpranayama. o understand and experience how yoga can

awaken our dormant and creative potential the brancheso yoga which compliment hatha yoga and raja yoga, suchas karma yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga, will have to beadded into the yoga curriculums. Certainly asana, pranayama

and meditation create an awakening o energy. But thenthe awakened energy has to be balanced, streamlined, andchannelled to the higher centres. Otherwise it will dissipateand cause disharmony, resulting in negative expression.

Te yoga upanishads say that without removing the impuritieswhich we have inherited in the orm o karmas and samskaras

that are embedded in us, the progress we make is halted andsometimes we even ace regression. Yoga practitioners who

want to unleash the inner potential by entering the states opratyahara and dharana will have to seriously look into how

to overcome the obstacles in the orm o impurities that donot allow this to happen.

Tat is the vision o yoga in the coming years and in thelast twenty years o his lie Swami Satyananda gave ampleindication o this. In act all that he had taught in thepreceding years was to prepare humankind to reach the

threshold o pratyahara and enter the state o dharana orone-pointed ocus which is so essential or us to achieve themyriad tasks we are aced with.

Tis will be the uture demand on yoga, and the institutionsand traditions ounded by Swami Satyananda are rmlyequipped to accomplish this task in times to come.

Swami Satyasangananda Saraswa

Looking Forward


11/11

AustraliaMangrove Yoga Ashram(Yoga Associaon of Mangrove Mtn)

ABN: 48596099032

300 Mangrove Creek Road

Mangrove Creek NSW 2250

Ph: (+61 2) 4377 1171

[email protected]

www.mangroveyoga.org

Rocklyn Ashram

(Yoga Associaon of Victoria)ABN: 82991961413

393 Dean-Barkstead Rd

Rocklyn VIC 3364

Ph: (+61 3) 5345 7434

[email protected]

www.yogavic.org.au


Australasia (SYAA)ABN: 12075357818

300 Mangrove Creek RoadMangrove Creek NSW 2250Ph:(+61 2) 4377 [email protected]/yogic-studies

Satyananda Yoga

Teachers in AustraliaFor a detailed lisng of all our accredited and aliated

teachers visit www.satyananda.net/teachers

Satyananda YogaInternaonal ContactsFor a lisng of all internaonal centres visit

www.satyananda.net/internaonal-links

Contact information

PrintedonHarvestpapermadefromrecycledsugarcanewasteusingsoybasedinks

New ZealandAnahata Yoga RetreatPO Box 155 Takaka

Golden Bay 7142 New Zealand

ph: (+64 3) 525 9887

[email protected]

www.anahata-retreat.org.nz

Anahata Yoga Retreat provides yogic living in the midst

of nave bush and expansive ocean views of Golden

Bay. It is a residenal eco-friendly yoga retreat oering

nightly to monthly stays, private yoga training, daily

and weekly programs and ongoing retreats. Visit theirwebsite for full details of courses and events.

IndiaMunger AshramGanga Darshan Munger

Bihar 811201 India

Ph: (+91) 6344 222430

www.biharyoga.net

Munger houses the instuons of Bihar School of Yoga,Bihar Yoga Bhara, Yoga Research Foundaon and Yoga

Publicaons Trust. It aims to integrate yogic educaon

with a tradional gurukul lifestyle, providing the ideal

environment for spiritual growth. For further informaon

about courses and events visit their website.

Rikhia AshramPO Rikhia Dist Deoghar

Jharkhand 814112 India

Ph: (+91) 9304 488889, 6432 290870

Ph/fax: (+91) 9430 799449www.rikhiapeeth.net

Rikhia houses the instuons of Sivananda Math,

Sivananda Ashram and Rikhiapeeth Ashram. Primarily

a centre for seva (seless service) Rikhia aims towards

culvang social growth and upliment in surrounding

rural areas, including educaon and medical care. Visit

their website for course and event informaon.

Satyananda

yoga

andSatyanandaYogaNidraaretrademarksofIYFMusedunderlicense.2011SatyanandaYogaAcademy

Documents

Vision Prospectus (1)