Mindful Sadhana and Self-Development
(Designed for Australian and Indian Timing)
A 100-hours certificate course geared for intermediate students or yoga teachers in Australia, New Zealand, and India
with Nirmala Chaitanya
- Learn to more deeply integrate yoga philosophy and self-reflection in your yoga practice.
- Connect with other serious practitioners for a period of deep, supported sadhana (spiritual practice).
- Understand the more subtle and symbolic effects of hatha yoga on the body and mind.
- Develop your personal sadhana in order to be a more effective teacher.
This is an intensive 3-week/module course inviting you to go further and to go deeper in your practise by paying more attention.
The course is divided into three separate 6-day Modules, Mondays to Saturdays where the practice and philosophy are explored at different levels.
- Module 1: Physical – April 25 – 30, 2022
- Module 2: Energetic – May 23 – 28, 2022
- Module 3: Subtle – June 20 – 25, 2022
Certificate of Completion:
- Yes, sent electronically.
Course fees:
for students in Australia/New Zealand
- 400 USD per module
- 1,000 USD for all 3
for Indian nationals currently living in India
- 7,500 INR per module
- 18,000 INR for all 3
Interested in helping grow a community of dedicated yoga practitioners and teachers in Australia, New Zealand, and India?
Join our NEW Monthly Drop-Ins: Chai and Chat!
These will be FREE opportunities for yoga teachers and students both in Australia, New Zealand, and India to connect with others on the path of yoga, to share and to practice together for richer discussion, learning, and cultural understanding.
We are holding our first session on Saturday, June 4 at 8:30 am IST.
For Australia & New Zealand it will be:
11.00 Perth (AWST) +2.30
13.00 Brisbane, Melbourne & Sydney (AEST) +4.30
15.00 Auckland (NZST) +6.30
In this first monthly drop-in, led by Nirmala Chaitanya, we’ll discuss how to adapt our home yoga practice to provide inspiration when times are tough. How to make decisions in self-practice, and how to decide when to adapt your teaching. This is an opportunity to chat informally about the yoga practice and teaching and to ask any questions that you may have or initiate discussion on topics of interest. So have a couple of tea ready and a comfortable place to sit. We look forward to connecting with you on Saturday!
Kindly register in advance for this meeting so that we know to expect you:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0of-GgpzwtGd0808mCxkqahVuyfUl22LNI
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing Zoom details for the meeting.
Signing up for this event puts you on the invitation list for future sessions too!
The course incorporates:
- Asana: Practice of asanas & variations; study of symbolism of hatha yoga; meditative asana practice
- Pranayama: Steady progression of pranayama practice for stress relief, health, and mental balance
- Meditation: Meditation instruction and guidance, talks
- Hatha & Raja Yoga Workshops: Deep understanding of the effect of the practices on the physical, energetic, and subtle bodies.
- Vedanta/Self-Study: Daily self-reflection through study of Vedanta philosophy, and positive thinking
- Creative Writing Exercises: Designed to make connections between our thoughts, philosophy, and the practices, and to better understand ourselves
Workshop topics include:
Physical
- Is my yoga practice working? Where am I in the practice?
- How much should I push myself in the practice?
- How to practice safely and avoid injury.
- Tips for methodically working on complex, advanced asanas.
Energetic
- What are the subtle and energetic benefits of the practices?
- 3 Bodies: subtle anatomy, Chakras, prana
- Raja Yoga, Meditation, Hatha Yoga, Pranayama
- Sanskrit & Chanting (Shanti Mantras & Guru prayers)
Subtle
- What motivates me? What are my fears? What do I really want?
- Symbolism of the Hatha Yoga Practices
- Karma & Reincarnation
- Vedanta (topics from Viveka Chudamani, Sadhana Chatushtaya)
Who is it for?
- Intermediate level students or yoga teachers of any tradition wishing to deepen their understanding
Prerequisites:
- Beginners Level 1 and/or at least 6 months of regular yoga practice, OR 2-week Yoga Vacation at one of our ashrams, OR Yoga Teachers’ Training Course (TTC) in any tradition
- Sincere interest in learning and willing to commit to the entire course schedule
Schedule
| Activity | Duration (in minutes) |
Indian Time (IST) |
Perth (AWST) |
Brisbane, Melbourne & Sydney (AEST) | Auckland (NZST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pranayama | 30 mins | 5.00 | 7.30 | 9.30 | 11.30 |
| Meditation | 30 mins | 5.30 | 8.00 | 10.00 | 12.00 |
| Asana Practice – Meditative | 90 mins | 6.00 | 8.30 | 10.30 | 12.30 |
| Break | 120 mins | ||||
| Positive Thinking & Writing | 90 mins | 9.30 | 12.00 | 14.00 | 16.00 |
| Break | 60 mins | ||||
| Workshop / Lecture | 120 mins | 12.00 | 14.30 | 16.30 | 18.30 |
| Optional Time with teacher | as needed |
IST (Indian Standard Time, GMT +5:30)
Please note that the schedule has been developed with suitable timings for both Australia/New Zealand and India. Attendance will be taken in all sessions and students must be in attendance for a minimum of 100 hours over the 3-week period to qualify for a certificate.
Total = 6 hours daily
Testimonials
I enrolled for this program to deepen my personal practise and more importantly to get a holistic understanding and perspective of what sadhana really is. I would say the week long module has given me just that and more! It has been a very enriching experience where I learnt about not just the physical practise but also the symbolism behind it, how to make my own practise meditative and also how to slowly approach certain asanas step by step with kindness and focus. I am looking forward to the second and third module and surely feel inspired to continue my sadhana with a renewed perspective and dedication. Thanks to Nirmala Ji and the team for putting together this wonderful program.
– Radhika, India
The whole course was truly eye, mind and heart opening. Sadhana is practice. Mindful sadhana is practicing by being fully connected to ourselves – body, mind and soul. It is about observing and feeling what is going on deep inside at all levels, in our three bodies. It is about touching our resistances, obstacles, desires, fears… but also about letting go, surrendering. It is therefore about self-development. I would warmly recommend the course to anyone wishing to advance on the path.
The course renewed my commitment to the practice and the path. With each module, I gained a clearer and deeper understanding of what I was practicing and why. It enriched my experience not only on a personal level, but also for students. I know that even without mentioning anything, students will feel a difference in my teaching.
The teacher and team were all excellent, kind and dedicated. Exchanges with participants were open and stimulating. I also appreciated the 30 minutes we had at the end of the morning to exchange with Nirmala and the way she stimulated us at all levels by writing exercises, showing art work, citing quotes, recommending readings and sharing fragments of her life and experience. – Adeline, France
This course has come exactly at the point that I needed in order to bring myself back into a fuller union. It’s so often like that, isn’t it! Always in fact 🙂 Thank you for your care in guiding us so patiently and beautifully to our own next level. – Sarada, UK
All these topics that we can really describe as Subtle and ‘out of the daily box’ are difficult topics that sometimes you do not want to face or at least never know how to do. [In this course, it] has been more easy, achievable in a certain way; letting me understand some important things and the need to work and deepen others…done with a certain freedom of thoughts and humility. Thank you!
-Marion Hayoun, Hong Kong