When Gurudeva Swami Rama started traveling Westward on instructions from his Master to share the teachings of the Himalayan Tradition of Yoga Meditation worldwide, by the early 1970s, he also started training his initiates as teachers and guides within this living tradition of the Himalayan Sages to carry forward his Master’s wish.

Swami Rama and Swami Veda Bharati then offered a systematic path of learning yoga meditation within the Himalayan Tradition to dedicated initiates, so one day they can carry forward the teachings themselves. The purpose of such teacher trainings was and has always been to prepare yoga meditation teachers as such that they are not merely instructors of the techniques of hatha yoga, but that they become instruments of these timeless teachings.

What is the teacher’s purpose by the standard of these great Himalayan masters? As Swami Veda Bharati has said,

“So please understand what the goal, aim and purpose of yoga is. Please understand what your role as a teacher is. It is only and none other but leading suffering humanity to spiritual enlightenment.”

The teacher is not merely one who has knowledge of various postures or breathing techniques; a teacher becomes a loving presence in the students’ life. In today’s world of political, economic, environmental, and psychological upheavals, we all yearn for something that is grounding, nurturing, and nourishing to our hearts and minds. The teacher’s role, therefore, is to be that force that nurtures and facilitates inner peace and joy.

For several decades now, the Himalayan Yoga Tradition – Teacher Training Program has served sincere aspirants worldwide in their quest of seeking authentic knowledge of yoga meditation. Over the years, the program has trained and inspired hundreds of teachers across the world to share the wisdom of the Himalayan Tradition.

In Swami Veda’s own words “This program has been designed to pass on the essential principles and practices of the Tradition, which fosters personal development on all levels. For the aspiring as well as the experienced teacher, the program presents all aspects of yoga/meditation in a spiritually inspiring context…

Our practical, experiential approach to teacher training encourages students to incorporate these skills into their daily lives.”

As we all know, this year has been very significant for our global family, marked by two sacred events:

• Birth Centenary of Gurudeva Swami Rama, whose life was and continues to be an inspiration for all of us.
• 10th Mahasamadhi of our beloved Swami Veda Bharati, whose love and gentle guidance continues to flow and guide us each day.

As these sacred events unfold, we are delighted to share that the teacher training program is entering a new phase of renewal. At the heart of this new beginning is Swami Veda’s long-cherished vision. Swami Ritavan Bharati, AHYMSIN’s Spiritual Guide and Ashram Pramukha, has shared that it was Swami Veda’s wish to offer this program from Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama Ashram in Rishikesh, as the global headquarters of AHYMSIN and the spiritual home of the global sangha. And we are very happy that during Swami Veda’s 10th Mahasamadhi year, that vision has been actualised.

Announcing this joyful news to the global sangha during Swami Rama’s Birth Centenary Celebrations on 25 October 2025, Swami Ritavan said,

“How are the teachings of the tradition carried on? Very early Swami Rama set up a theme in our teachings. He said, you teach. Meaning, we couldn’t just sit and enjoy doing our asana and our pranayama or meditation. He said, now, how do you teach those joints and glands to the elderly, to the children in their schools, to those that are in the throngs of addiction? How do you help them come out to form new habit patterns? How do you go into the prisons to which he sent me to one and I was petrified, “what to do in such a place.” You just sit down and allow the grace to flow.

The teaching as taught by Gurudeva Swami Rama and Swami Veda has been carrying on for 55 years. We are starting another era of the teacher training program here at our ashram starting in April 2026. It will be a month-long intensive residency that will be full days of all aspects of training yoga teachers. Not so much for the purpose of that they will do research, not for the purpose that they will go out and teach the philosophy, but that they will practice, and they will teach from their experience of practicing.”

As Swami Veda said,

“If you have come to learn from the tradition of Swami Rama and all the sages of the past going back to Patañjali and you have learned something from these great teachers who have been serving you day and night, then you will go back and you will not teach yoga at the level of a certificate. You will not teach yoga on the strength of a certificate. You will teach yoga on the strength of your spiritual personality. Your magnetism that comes from meditation. The meditative magnetism is far stronger than any other type of magnetism. It is because of that that you are drawn to this ashram. It is the specialty of this ashram, that magical meditational magnetism.”

We will share more details about the new program soon with the global family.

With humility and dedication, we move forward in the light of the Masters who continue to inspire and bless our path.

In loving service of the Sages of the Himalayas,

AHYMSIN Office