Yoga Satsanga Ashram
 
Welcome to our YOGA homepage! We are Yogacharya Jnandev (Surender Saini) and Yogacharini Deepika (Sally Saini) Please browse our site and contact us if you would like any extra information, or are interested in attending any of our classes or retreats. We are also always interested to hear from other Yoga teachers in West Wales, so welcome! There are many different styles of Yoga out there, it can be difficult trying to find the one that suits you, our advice is to try different classes if you’re not sure, and simply do what feels right for you! Rishiculture Ashtanga Yoga is based on the yoga sutras of Patanjali.   ‘Ashtanga’ is Sanskrit for ‘eight-limbs’ on which authentic yoga is based;   1. • Yama - Moral Observances 2. • Niyama - Ethical Observances 3. • Asana - Posture work 4. • Pranayama - Breath/ energy control 5. • Pratyahara - Sensory withdrawal 6. • Dharana - Concentration 7. • Dhyana - Meditation 8. • Samadhi - Enlightenment   Essentially our philosophy is that Yoga is the most precious gift for human life originating from the Vedas. Upanishads and later on flourished through ancient teachings of Yoga-Sutra’s of Patanjali, Bhagavad-Gita, Yoga Vashishtha, Goraksha-samhita and The Hatha-Yoga Pradipika. All are accepted as authentic works on yoga in most traditions. Yogic teachings are considered as ‘Guru-Chela-Pramparai’ which is a means of teaching, directly from Guru a great life teacher to the Chela or sincere student. Yoga is now a world wide philosophy or ‘way of life’. In current times yoga has become the synonym of asanas (postures) and a few Pranamaya’s (breath work). Some are using yoga as a therapy while others use yoga as the tool of beautification, weight loss and toning the body. Yoga was most traditionally taught as a tool of inner spiritual development and awakening, this can also still be found although it is rare, as found in the advanced stages of our teachings. Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharajaji states “Yoga is the complete awareness of your body, mind, and emotions and of awareness itself” Yoga is the holistic approach of attaining the oneness with the self and then merging the self to the Supreme Self. This is not possible by merely practicing a few asanas and pranayamas. This needs a complete yogic approach. Yogic life includes the natural balanced ‘sattvik’ diet to keep us healthy, clean and peaceful. Then your thinking, emotions, attitude and life style play an important role in yogic evolution. Yamas (morals) and Niyamas (ethics) are basic foundations of yogic evolution and these are not optional but compulsory. The Yamas and Niyamas are mostly avoided in modern yoga classes nowadays and prove difficult to live up to in this modern world! Asanas and classical pranayamas are very well known to those who have some basic knowledge of Yoga. Pratyahara (sensory withdrawal) and Dharanas (concentration techniques) are again neglected and teachings of meditation have become very popular. In Ashtanga-Yoga meditation is ‘not doing’, meditation is the merging of the mind in to Dharanas. Meditation is the single pointed concentration that can be attained. In this case it is not something we ‘do’ as it is commonly approached in the west; rather it is the natural progression of our mental state following our own persistent practice of living yoga, this higher meditative state of mind naturally occurs. However – we all need to start practicing yoga from the very beginning, a step by step process, and most of all we should enjoy learning yoga for health and peace!