Breath Retreat
2025-10-26 09:00 - 2025-10-31 12:00, 2024-11-17 09:00 - 2024-11-22 12:00 (Asia/Kolkata) | Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama, Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama Dhyana Gurukulam, Virpur Khurd, Virbhadra Road, P. O Pashulok, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, 249203, India
“One who has mastered the breath has discovered Superconsciousness.” — Swami Veda Bharati
Within the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition of Yoga Meditation, the practice of breath and pranayama exercises is one of the most important preparations for experiencing the depths of the practice of meditation.
Swamiji writes, “Often we see a rush to learn advanced pranayamas. This is being done without training the breath, without making it slow, subtle, deep. In our tradition there are multiple paths and exercises for achieving the full benefits from subtleties of breath.”
In the Himalayan Tradition, preliminary to the practice of pranayama, an emphasis is placed on correct posture to enable correct diaphragmatic breathing and the subtle elements of breath awareness as taught by the Himalayan sages. Mastery of these serves as a foundation for more advanced pranayamas, which flow as a continuum into the practices of sense withdrawal, concentration and meditation.
This special retreat with John Sellinger is a unique opportunity to learn the subtleties of breath practices. We will practice pranayamas thrice daily. The programme is open for both complete beginners and practitioners. There will be daily instructional sessions and theory/philosophy sessions about breath and pranayamas. Of greatest importance in the programme is the emphasis on guided personal practice.

Recommended Readings:

Science of Breath by Swami Rama, Dr. Rudolph Ballentine, and Dr. Alan Hymes.
A Practical Guide to Holistic Health by Swami Rama
Meditation and Its Practice by Swami Rama
Path of Fire and Light (Vol. 2) by Swami Rama
Yogic Practices of the Himalayan Tradition as taught by H.H. Swami Rama of the Himalayas by Dr. Prakash Keshaviah
What Really Is Pranayama? by Swami Veda Bharati
Diaphragmatic Breathing by Swami Veda Bharati
14 Breath and Meditation Practices by Swami Veda Bharati

Breath Awareness and Pranayama
2021-11-28 14:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Online via Zoom
A special 2-hour event
“There is one rule that is common to all meditation systems… All these systems of meditation, of the Tibetan Masters and the Zen Masters and the Himalayan yogis have one thing in common in teaching meditation and that is breath awareness. In the dhyana yoga, in the tradition of the yoga of meditation, we use that as the word for pranayama. We use that as the meaning of pranayama, expansion of breath.”
– Swami Veda Bharati

With the Grace of beloved Swami Veda Bharati and blessings of Swami Ritavan Bharati, the UK Initiate Sangha is happy to share that Shri Adhikari Bhoi from SRSG has graciously accepted the invitation to guide on the practices of breath awareness and pranayama as taught in the Himalayan Tradition.
Programme Details:
Date: 28th November 2021
Time: 19:30hours SRSG time; 14:00hours UK local time; 13:00hours EU time.
Duration: 2 hours
Teacher: Shri Adhikari Bhoi from SRSG
Medium: English
Mode: Zoom
Programme Outline:

Welcome
Guru Mantra
5 minutes meditation
Topic: The importance of breath awareness and pranayama practices as taught in the Himalayan Tradition. Adhikari ji will speak for 20 to 30 minutes followed by discussions/Q&A.
Meditation – 15mins

About Adhikari ji:
Adhikari ji is known for his unwavering steadfastness in his sadhana and service to the Guru. Nurturing a yearning for the message of the Himalayan Masters, Adhikari ji resolutely dedicated himself, over many years, to immersing in their teachings. He is well versed in scriptures, and practices as taught in the Tradition and is committed to sharing the teachings as one of the most dedicated teachers at SRSG. Adhikari ji is a mantra initiator and member of the AHYMSIN Spiritual Committee. He is also on the AHYMSIN Executive Committee.
Preparation:

Participants may find it useful to undertake at least one pranayama practice and related self-observation in the weeks prior the session.
Suggested reading:

Science of Breath by Swami Rama
Yoga-sutras: Sadhana-pada and Samadhi-pada by Swami Veda Bharati: 2.49-53 and 1.20,1.31,1.34

Registration:

Participants are requested to register early for the session as we aim to be a small group of around 25 people.
To register, kindly write to Rajini at rajinip79@gmail.com or Tejas at shobhnachandaria@gmail.com
When registering, please mention the following details:

Full name (and name used for Zoom)
AHYMSIN Centre/ Country from where you will participate
Initiated or awaiting initiation

As an offering to SRSG, a donation of £15 per person is suggested.

Participants are requested to make the offering to SRSG at your local/ regional AHYMSIN Centre. For participants from UK, details will be provided on registration.
We look forward to your loving presence at the session.
Warmly
In Service
Tejas and Rajini

Breath Retreat
2018-11-05 09:30 - 2018-11-09 21:00 (Asia/Kolkata) | Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama, Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama Dhyana Gurukulam, Virpur Khurd, Virbhadra Road, P. O Pashulok, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, 249203, India
This is a chance to come and immerse yourself in an intensive practice of Pranayama. This retreat will include the foundations and deepening of the subtleties of breathing and pranayama practices, as they are taught in the Himalayan Tradition. You will learn and practice different techniques; diaphragmatic breathing, complete breath, kapalabati, bhastrika, brahmari, ujjayi and nadi shodhanam in a systematic manner, at beginning and more advanced levels. This seminar can be attended while remaining in silence to deepen your own personal inner journey.
Carol Crenshaw
Carol is the co-founder and co-director of Inner Peace Yoga Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, and co-director emeritus of the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of New York City. She has been practicing yoga and meditation for over 40 years and holds a Master’s degree in Eastern Studies/Comparative Psychology/Holistic Health from the University of Scranton. She is certified to teach from the Himalayan Institute Teacher’s Association and is an E-RYT Yoga Alliance instructor, and an IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist. She has taught yoga practices for 35 years in the U.S., India, and Italy. She served as a yoga therapist, biofeedback trainer, and wellness counselor both at the Center for Holistic Medicine in New York City and at the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, where she also served as a senior teacher. Carol was an adjunct faculty member at the University of Phoenix serving in the Humanities Department. She is a Certified EFT INT practitioner who specializes in weight loss, a consulting hypnotist and certified NLP practitioner. Carol wrote several articles for Yoga International magazine, is a contributing author for The Clinical EFT Handbook, and co-author of EFT for Meditation.
Charles Crenshaw
Charles is the co-founder and co-director of Inner Peace Yoga Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, and co-director emeritus of the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of New York City. He has been practicing yoga since 1974. He holds a Master’s degree in Eastern Studies/Comparative Psychology/Holistic Health from the University of Scranton. During his tenure in New York, Charles worked on the staff of the Center for Holistic Medicine as a teacher, counselor, yoga therapist, and biofeedback trainer. He is also an ordained Interfaith Minister from the New Seminary, New York City, where he specialized in spiritual counseling and served on the lecture faculty for two years. Charles holds a certificate of training for alcohol & substance abuse counseling from the New School for Social Research in New York City. He also served on the staff of the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (Jolly Grant, Dehra Dun, India) as a yoga therapist and researcher investigating the benefits of yoga on health. Charles has served as a senior teacher and seminar coordinator at the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. He is an E-RYT Yoga Alliance instructor.He is a Certified Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Charles is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Phoenix, where he teaches courses in philosophy and religion. He is a Certified EFT INT practitioner (contributing author for The Clinical EFT Handbook), a certified consulting hypnotist, and Master NLP practitioner. He is author of The Pathless Path: God, Grace, Guru. Co-author of EFT for Meditation.
Contact: ahymsin@ahymsin.org

Breath Seminar 2017
2017-10-31 09:30 - 2017-11-04 21:00 UTC | Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama, Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama Dhyana Gurukulam, Virpur Khurd, Virbhadra Road, P. O Pashulok, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, 249203, India
Marilou Hermens will be teaching the 2017 Breath Seminar 31st October – 4th November 2017 at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG), Rishikesh, India. She will be assisted by senior teachers and the SRSG teaching staff.
This retreat will include subtleties of breath practices.
“An intensive practice of Pranayama’s 3 times a day! It is a true gift to yourself. Complete breath, kapalabhati (different levels for beginners and advanced), bhastrika (different levels for beginners and advanced), bhramari, ujjayi, nadi shodhanam (different types). All will be built up from the basics as has been taught by Swami Veda Bharati and on different levels for beginners and advanced practitioners. This seminar can be done while remaining in silence to deepen your personal inner journey. Beginners and advanced practitioners are all welcome and will be guided according to their level.”
– Marilou Hermens
Marilou: “It is my greatest desire to help as many people to learn to breathe healthy. The effects of a healthy diaphragmatic breathing are unprecedented. The breath is influenced by physical effort, thoughts and emotions. The special feature is that the breath always keeps going. The trick is to learn to guide the breathing itself: the right place with the diaphragm, slower, quieter, without fits and starts, silently, through the nose. The Himalayan Tradition teaches how with just small adjustments your practice and experience of stillness will deepen so much more. As the breathing is always central in all my classes of yoga and meditation and in every second of my daily life, my senses have been trained to observe and to help others ”
Open to all
Cost: Cost of SRSG hospitality plus goodwill offering for instruction.
Marilou Hermens is a faculty member of HYT-TTP (Himalayan Yoga Tradition – Teacher Training Program), teaches at the teacher training retreats at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama, and serves as a mentor; she also has a center in the Netherlands. Website: www.yogameditatie.nl
Contact: ahymsin@ahymsin.org
