Background
"If we can develop the quality of self-awareness in each moment and fully embrace our true self, we discover an invaluable source of power - a wonderful opportunity to live life to the full, infused with a sense of strength, resilience, optimism, energy, purpose, focus, compassion and creativity."
Yogi Ashokananda is an expert and pioneer as a practising master of yoga and meditation and a speaker on humanity and spiritual philosophy. Raised in India, he has been practising yoga since early childhood when his Grandfather was his first teacher. He is also a Reiki Master. Over many years Yogi Ashokananda has been fortunate to develop his teaching, experience and education of yoga under some of the great, remote, Indian masters and siddhas. He has taught the teachings of the Bihar School of Yoga, the Sivananda Ashram, hatha yoga and meditation at the Shri Ved Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh and the Yogamaya Ashram in Vrindavan. Now he teaches a number of his own profound disciplines and insights which have their roots in ancient, sacred Indian tradition.
Investment in Community
"Always remember, love, kindness and compassion should always be the centre of every action you do."
Yogi Ashokananda founded the Indian registered charity, Yogi Ashokananda Foundation in 2013 and the UK-based charity Ashok Tree Foundation in 2014. These foundations were established with Yogi’s vision to help relieve the impoverished conditions and promote human rights in identified communities through a holistic, sustainable, long-term approach. The Foundations’ efforts are focused on driving the sustainable advancement of education, wellness health care and social needs within communities where resources are severely limited and outdated by building two-way partnerships between the locals in the communities and the foundations’ active trustees and volunteers. The Sita Devi School was established in 2008 by Yogi Ashokananda and is now managed by the Yogi Ashokananda Foundation. The school provides a primary school education in the village of Paliapattu, Tamil Nadu India to students aged 4-10. Meditation and Yoga are core to its curriculum.
Teaching expertise
"Once, somebody asked me what determined me to become a yoga and meditation teacher and master. The answer is life. I was determined to understand myself, understand life, understand the purpose of human existence, understand at least my existence, who I am, why I am here, and why I am in my body."
Residing mainly in the UK, Yogi Ashokananda teaches classes, workshops and retreats extensively throughout Europe and internationally. He is a registered senior teacher with Yoga Alliance UK and runs teacher training through his registered yoga school, Yogi Ashokananda School. Yearly retreats and teacher training are also run at Yogiville locations in India & Croatia.
"You can't plant a tree today and expect to get fruits tomorrow. Plant the tree first and dedicate time to take care of it. Help it grow strong and get deep roots. Give it love and patience. Create space for it in your life. Same if we are talking about yoga practice. If there is no dedication, there is no transformation. So, first of all, root yourself in your practice and you create the possibility for transformation and growth."
He is the founder of Himalayan Hatha Yoga and Prana Kriya Yoga, practices that reflect his strong respect for yoga as a complete holistic system in itself and which are based on ancient, traditional principles. His yoga is strong yet supportive and works through the entire body, cleansing and revitalising through special sequencing with a combination of sukshyam vyayam (subtle energy body exercise).
With a vast experience of meditation, Yogi has established some of the most simple and effective meditation techniques to accept, transform and embrace the material and spiritual aspects of ourselves. These include the Science of Relaxation active Meditation and Atma Kriya Meditation as well as having developed and taught his own practices of Kriya, Tantra and Kundalini Meditations.
Philosophy
"We can all integrate yoga into our life depending on our own level of consciousness, our level of awareness and how we want to relate to it, spiritually, physically or mentally."
Yogi sees the journey of yoga and meditation as one that allows you to see all of yourself; his philosophy of “without engaging the vehicle, you cannot make any journey” applies to the engagement of the physical, emotional, mental and psychological aspects of oneself through his practices of yoga and meditation. The spirit or soul, he says, does not need healing as it is already whole and complete; it is the consciousness, the awareness around the soul and the mind which yoga and meditation can help to clear giving you access to the spirit or soul. The aim of the practices is to bring you to the centre of yourself so that you can transform yourself and your life from this authentic place within you.
About Yoga
"Aside from the wonderful physical and medically proven health benefits of yoga, this ancient science holds the ability to support, help and transform on every level of your existence."
Yogi Ashokananda’s desire to teach yoga sprang from wanting to understand and experience the truth of yoga for himself, in his own life, and then assist others, whether it be for greater fitness and vitality, or to embrace themselves and their lives on a deeper, more profound and joyful level. Yoga is scientifically proven to positively ease a variety of conditions, physical, emotional and spiritual, including anxiety, depression, back pain and hypertension.
"Yoga can bring clarity to your mind, reduce the fogginess of your mind, and help you avoid procrastination and make better decisions. Yoga helps you to grow, and everybody can grow around you. That’s the beauty of yoga. It’s called contagious happiness, contagious joy and sharing peace of mind. Yoga can improve the quality of your life only if you can understand yoga."
The word ‘Yoga’ comes from a Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’ which means ‘to join’. In its spiritual sense, it is the process by which the identity of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul is realized. Although many people think this term refers to union between body and mind or body, mind and spirit, the traditional acceptance is union between the Jivatman (one’s individual consciousness) and Paramatman (universal consciousness). The human soul is brought into conscious communion with the Divine Reality. Just as camphor melts and becomes one with fire; just as a drop of water when it is thrown into the ocean, becomes one with the ocean; the individual soul, when it is purified, when it is freed from whims, when it becomes pure (Sattvic), becomes one with the Supreme Soul. The science that teaches the way of acquiring this knowledge is called ‘Yoga Sastra’.
"Yoga is a realisation of freedom, freedom is a realisation of yourself."
Yogi Ashokananda’s understanding and discovery is that yoga is a paradox. While he believes that it brings one to unity, really it brings about separation. Many people believe that by practising yoga (as in asanas) they will achieve unity of themselves. The journey of Yoga can be challenging, confronting and uncomfortable as it helps you to see how you have separated yourself, within your own body and mind. That separation leads you back to unity with yourself and with God. Yoga is a realisation of freedom, yoga is a realisation of yourself, enabling you to hold and contain the awareness of both your individual self with your greater Self. Eventually only one will exist, either you or the Higher Self.
About Meditation
"Meditation never starts or stops. It is our true nature. Awareness is present all the time, when we come to know this, there is no more chasing, movement or goal to attain. One is totally present and living in love with love. "
Yogi Ashokananda spent many years in India learning, exploring and developing what he has found to be the most simple, beneficial forms and techniques of meditation. He believes that meditation is one of the most powerful and subtle ways of getting to know oneself, and to understand who are we. This exploration of the self helps one to explore the depth and subtleties of both our human self and our spiritual self – known as “swadharma” – finding the centre of yourself, your self religion.
"Meditation is a way to align your senses with your level of intelligence and enables you to accept and create a possibility to express yourself as authentically as possible. So you can walk your life journey, whatever you choose to be the path for your life. "
His approach to the origins of yoga and meditation is grounded and down to earth, based on beginning with embracing the human self and all that entails. This can help you return to a place within you which is both magical and also very real. When you re-discover this place, your life will change around you as your perception shifts and you see through new eyes. It is not about running away from yourself or creating a fantasy, it is in fact the opposite; it is based on staying with yourself, on every level and with every aspect of your physical body as well as your emotional and psychological self. Yogi Ashokananda’s philosophy and practical methods combine both mystery and attainability and evoke a sense of the jewel like quality of mysticism which is totally relatable to modern society and the lives we all lead today.
Yogi's Disciplines & Technique
Yogi Ashokananda is the founder of Himalayan Hatha Yoga, Prana Kriya Yoga and Atma Kriya Meditation practices that reflect his strong respect for yoga as a complete holistic system and which have their roots in ancient, sacred Indian tradition.
