The New Yoga Acharya Program

Dear Karthik,

 

Hope you are doing well. It has been a while since I wrote. Summer (in Chennai) helps us slow down, gives us some space to reflect from a quieter location. Maybe this is also the time for carefully considering the next steps in our journey as an institution and as a community. 

How can we make Yoga practice an integral part of more and more lives? Amidst all the chaos in the world, how can we bring some inner quiet and clarity? So that we may live and act with compassion and understanding, even in small ways, contributing to the wellbeing of the world.

Looking back, we started our first formal training program in 2008 in Hyderabad, over 500 people got trained as yoga teachers and therapists. Over the years, I was losing enthusiasm because training became a goal to reach with tangible outcomes - a piece of paper with a stamp on it, a certain number of hours clocked. While teaching and learning with each batch of students was itself a joyful process, the paraphernalia became restrictive. 

Now, after two years, we are coming back into the space of Teacher Training. While keeping the elements and content of training true to the teachings of the tradition, we are exploring how to keep the spirit of learning and inquiry fresh.

 

In June 2026, we are launching our next Yoga Acharya program. This program is not just to qualify as a 'Yoga Teacher', but to learn what it takes to walk the path of yoga and enable others on this journey. 

With the 3 modules of Yoga Sadhana offering a strong foundation for your personal journey, the Acharya program will teach you how to inspire your own students, learn and grow into their full potential.

You will learn the important principles and practices of Ashtanga Yoga as given to us by our teachers Sri T Krishnamacharya, Sri TKV Desikachar and generations of teachers in this tradition who continue to bring their own uniqueness into the teachings. 

You will receive valuable inputs from traditional and modern texts, practical exploration of the concepts, tools and techniques in a multi-generational space as learning never stops at YogaVahini.

There will be rigour and intensity in our engagement with an equal measure of  flexibility and lightness, respecting each individual’s capacity, interest and life context. 

If you have done any of our training programs in the past and want to invest in a long-term program for personal and professional growth, we welcome you aboard.

If you have done /doing Yoga Sadhana with us and want to explore the next steps of learning to teach yoga, this is the time for you. The 8 week Tapas Intensive starting in May 2026 is a pre-requisite for the Yoga Acharya program.

Please look up the basic details of the program on our website and if you are keen to do any component/the whole Program, please speak to us:

Lekha Parameswaran: +91 98415 66607

Aarthi Jayakumar: +91 98405 96785

 Warmly,

Saraswathi 

Deepen your yoga practice

View in browser  Yoga Sādhanā Tapas Dear Karthik Coming back to the basics is the practice of Atha Yoga Anuśāsanam!  Our 16-week online Yoga Sādhanā (Tapas) module has come to a conclusion on January 31st. The journey thus far has been very intense, powerful and deeply rewarding for many of us. We are now ready to transit from the digital space to the serene, physical space for a week-long immersive retreat at CREST, Bangalore: March 1-7, 2026. You may have been part of the 16-week journey, completed Yoga Sādhanā or any of our courses in the past.  This is an opportunity to bring a sharper focus to our practice and study, build intensity for inquiry, and learn to integrate Yoga into all aspects of daily living, on and beyond the mat. All details about the Yoga Sadhana Tapas retreat can be found here: Yoga Sādhanā Retreat If you have any questions or clarification, please reach out to our program coordinators: Lekha Parameswaran +91 98415 66607 Aarthi Jayakumar +91 98405 96785 We look forward to seeing you soon. With love, Saraswathi & the Yoga Sadhana Team Follow us on social media YogaVahini Ramaniyam Smriti Apartments,  1st Floor, 21/3, Beach Road Kalakshetra Colony, Besant Nagar Chennai – 600090 You received this email because you signed up one of our programs or purchased our book.  Unsubscribe

Free Webinar on Yoga Sutra for Healing

View in browser  Upcoming Webinar Dear Karthik Seems like we have already started moving through 2026 in a galloping pace! Hopefully we are not running to stay in the same place, rather, moving in a direction that we aspire for - towards wellness, wholeness and wisdom. In order to bring some rhythm and meaning to this movement, we are rebooting the Yoga Sūtra study program after a hiatus of 3 years, this time the focus being: 'understanding suffering, the path to healing'. We had very good response for the first introductory webinar for the 'Yoga Sūtra for Healing' online study program that is starting on February 7th. Registrations have started. The intention for such a program stems from a strong wish to bring the healing wisdom of the Yoga Sūtra to more and more people. Since suffering is inevitable, every conscious individual has a responsibility to work towards deepening our self-awareness and understanding of the seed for this suffering. Yoga Sūtra provides us with powerful frameworks and tools for healing, empowering us to take charge of our health and wellbeing. When we are able to take even small steps in the direction of freedom from suffering, we can enable others as well. This course is open to all yoga practitioners and those seeking to make yoga practice and study an integral part of everyday living. A good opportunity for yoga teachers and therapists to revisit the Sūtra-s from the perspective of healing. We will begin with the exploration of Sādhana Pāda.  Join us for the Free Introductory Webinar this Sunday to know more about this course. Date: Sunday, Jan 25th (7 – 8:30 AM) IST The webinar will include chanting, a short practice, and an introduction to the 12-week journey beginning next month. And of course questions, doubts that can be addressed during the Q&A. Secure your spot here: Join the webinar * Please pre-register to receive the recording of the webinar in case you are not able to attend live. We look forward to seeing you soon. Warmly, Saraswathi & Lekha Follow us on social media YogaVahini Ramaniyam Smriti Apartments,  1st Floor, 21/3, Beach Road Kalakshetra Colony, Besant Nagar Chennai – 600090 You received this email because you signed up one of our programs or purchased our book.  Unsubscribe

New Year message from Saraswathi, YogaVahini

Dear Karthik,

Warm greetings from the unusually cool (almost cold) Chennai :). I hope you are having a smooth transition into the New year and able to make some time for renewal and silence…

When we give ourselves some space to reflect on the year that has passed and the dreams that lay ahead, it is possible that we can bring to light, resolve and leave behind what is no more relevant and step into the field of fresh possibilities.

The Yogavahini team is eagerly looking forward to a more active community engagement that can foster a sustained, meaningful connection with yoga for all of us through 2026.

After a hiatus of three years, I am starting another online Yoga Sūtra study program, this time from the perspective of healing, beginning with the Sādhana Pāda. We will explore the Sutras, practices to deepen the understanding and of course, chanting the Sūtras to stay with the thread of inquiry.

We begin the New Year with Meditations from Yoga and Sāṁkhya, in association with Yoga Therapy Australia, our much looked forward to annual offering. It is a 4-part series with recordings available to access and practise later. 

The much awaited in-person workshop with R Sriram and Anjali on Breathing Balance into Emotions comes to Chennai in January (21-24) 2026, an immersive experience into the understanding of emotions through Yoga and classical dance.

We started with the 16-week online Yoga Sadhana program, module 1: Tapas based on my book 'Yoga Sadhana - a daily practice companion' that will conclude in January 2026. We are offering an in-person retreat in March for the participants, also open to anyone seeking to immerse in the experience of Tapas, the fire of inner discipline and transformation. The retreat will also be the beginning of our Yoga Acharya (teacher training program) that is being offered in a new format this year. 

For those who missed the opportunity to immerse in the 16-week online course, we are offering an abridged version: Tapas Intensive in April-May 2026. This course will be an essential prerequisite if you would like to join our Yoga Sadhana module 2: Svādhyāya.

We have had to reprint the Volume 1: Tapas, copies are available at the YogaVahini Chennai centre and Amazon in India.

Bringing a certain quality of intensity and rigour into our daily practice, study and self-inquiry has been the path of Tapas, in preparation for Svādhyāya. Welcome to this exciting journey that we can walk together, supporting and inspiring each other…

Much love and best wishes for a New year, with conscious actions that are meaningful, enlivening and transformative…

Saraswathi V

Please note: Our website has all the information on these courses. Reach me for any further information or assistance.