Our Organisation
Yoga Vidya Gurukul was founded by Yogacharya Vishwas Mandlik in 1978. We are a non-profit
organization. We are connected to the spiritual tradition of Swami Satyananda of
Bihar school of yoga. He is our master, guide and inspiration. Our centres and branches
in India are spread mostly in the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Assam and
Madhya Pradesh. We have recognized centres where we conduct Teacher Training Courses
in Thailand and Singapore. We have more than 15000 yoga teachers in India and approximately
2000 yoga teachers from outside India, as well as more than 300,000 yoga students.
We conduct many different courses in yoga, from basic 7 day courses, regular courses
for beginners, intermediate and advance practitioners, specific courses like pregnancy,
yoga for children, yoga for weight loss, yoga for back pain as well as different
levels of yoga courses - different types of yoga such as Ashtanga yoga, hatha yoga,
karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga, tantras, yoga philosophy, asana, pranayama,
cleansing and so on.
We have two Yoga and Naturopathy hospitals where we have treated more than 30, 000
patients for various illnesses such as sciatica, obesity, diabetes, hypertension
etc.
The ashram construction started in 2004. At the time there was nothing, just barren
land, no road, power, water or even farming. We had to overcome so many difficulties
and it's taken a lot of work and energy to make the ashram what it is now and we
are still improving and constructing. Even now it takes a lot of effort to keep
the ashram running smoothly in such a rural area of India. Things like power and
water we often take for granted in developed countries. Even getting skilled workers
to come to the ashram for construction or maintenance is often a hard task. But
we accept all the obstacles as we know they will make us stronger and we have the
blessings of Swami Satyananda & Swami Niranjanananda to guide us at all times.
Aims and objectives of Yoga Vidya Gurukul
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To spread yoga in its true form for helping all of society, without barriers.
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To promote the yogic way of life.
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To wholeheartedly serve others without expectations.
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To help those in need.
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To promote a healthy lifestyle on all levels - physical, mental and spiritual.
How we work and where the money goes
We are a non-profit organization registered in India. A large majority of our teachers are volunteers. Any donations given are exempted from the income tax in india. The money received as donations is utilised for conducting various yoga programs, helping promote yoga activities, workshops, courses in different parts of India. Also the money received is used in building, construction, maintenance, salaries of staff and various centres in rural India where we are promoting yoga and Seva activities (helping the people in rural villages).