Outreach

Ashram residents and visitors were encouraged to perform a simple self-practice yoga.

In her book, In The Shelter of Her Arms, Gretchen Kusuma McGregor, a resident of Amritapuri from the USA, recalls her experiences with Amma practicing yoga. “Amma called me to her room shortly after breakfast one morning. Someone had mentioned that I knew hatha yoga and she wanted to see my asanas (yoga poses)”. At the end of the sessions, Amma asked Kusuma to teach yoga to the residents.

Swami Prajnamritananda Puri and Brahmachari Brahmamrita Chaitanya taught yoga to the men and brahmacharis (practicing monks) at the ashram. Brahmacharini Virajamrita Chaitanya taught classes to the women and brahmacharinis (practicing nuns)

Therapeutic yoga was the focus of Amritapuri’s first outreach efforts. Read more in Holistic Health.

Brahmachari Nirvanamrita Chaitanya taught yoga to 15,288 participants in Kerala over this 15-year period.

Amma continues to directly guide and inspire the program and our efforts to reach more people.

We are continually training teachers to meet the growing demand. Increasing numbers of people are eager to learn yoga and meditation practices directly inspired by Amma.

Brahmacharini Dipamrita Chaitanya has taught 320 participants since 2002. Other international teachers taught 3,200+ students up to December 2017.

The ashram held close to 35 retreats and workshops from August 2012 until December 2017.

Brahmacharini Shobana held several yoga camps, workshops, retreats and classes at many of the Amrita Vidyalayam school campuses across India.

She also held camps, retreats and demonstrations at various community centers, schools and universities across India.

From 2011 to 2017, Brahmacharini Shobana taught a total 12,950 participants.

Brahmacharini Shobana has offered a variety of yoga courses and teacher training programs along with directing and leading the International Day of Yoga (IDY) programs internationally. She has taught over 10,000 international students of all ages.

The BYC is a yogic celebration open to people from all ages and backgrounds, with or without any previous experience in yoga. It provides an uplifting and open-hearted platform for world leading yoga teachers and musical artists to learn, experience, discover and transform.

Amrita Yoga Beginner Level instructors are teaching across India at various locations including towns and villages.

Since 2013, 90,000 people have participated in Amrita Yoga classes and retreats through M.A. Centers and Embracing the World global charities. 25 instructors have covered 22 countries in 6 continents.

Groups of yoga fans and teachers visit Amritapuri from various countries such as China, Portugal, Russia, UK and USA. They are offered exclusive classes and talks by the Amrita Yoga team.

Over 1,050 regular yoga classes were conducted by local staff, at least once a week, with an average participation of 26 villagers per class.

Regular classes for children are conducted at tuition centers and at various locations for ladies attending self-help groups.

About 50 yoga classes were conducted by staff from Amrita SeRVe on special occasions. Classes on national holidays, such as awareness days, amounted to 2,181 participants. These events are typically public, and on a much larger scale than the regular classes.

Since 2016, over 3,800 villagers have been involved in classes such as these.

Experienced yoga instructors from Amrita Yoga head- quarters conducted twenty three sessions with 421 participants in total.

Amrita Yoga Director, Brahmacharini Shobana, is also a member of the Ministry of Human Resource Develop- ment Committee on Yoga Education in Universities, set up in 2016.

Amrita Yoga held its inaugural session in Nordic countries: Norway, Denmark and Sweden and presented at the Nordic Yoga Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Under the Swedish Government, the artist and adviser for Art and Culture, Dr. P.K. Mahanandia, along with his wife, Charlotte Von Schedvin, herself a yoga teacher, participated both in the Amrita Yoga practice, and the question and answer session in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Her Highness Princess Märtha Louise of Norway met Amrita Yoga Director, Brahmacharini Shobana to share thoughts on the ancient tradition of yoga practices, and Amma’s contribution in upholding them.

Brahmacharini Shobana, Director of Amrita Yoga,
was invited by the Indian Embassy Ambassador, His Excellency Shri Debraj Pradhan, to celebrate IDY 2017 on the 24th June, 2017 at Norges Idrettshøgskole (NIH), Sognsveien 220, Oslo. She spoke on Living Yoga, Living from the Heart. At a meeting held at the Indian Embassy in Oslo on the 23rd June, they shared thoughts and traditions about yoga and Amma’s contribution to it.

Indian Embassy Counselor, Shri Amarjeet invited Amrita Yoga Director, Brahmacharini Shobana
to lead IDY 2017. Amma Norway organized these celebrations in Frogner Park, Oslo. Counselor, Shri Amarjeet also participated in the program.

Yoga Journal Russia published a two-page article about Amrita Yoga in the September issue and invited M.A. Math to present Amrita Yoga at the popular International Yoga Conference in October.

Presenting at the International Yoga Conference in Moscow along with Amrita Yoga were well-known national and international teachers offering different styles of yoga. Approximately forty people came for each of the two Amrita Yoga classes that weekend. Participants particularly reported how relaxed, happy and energized they felt, completely immersed in the chants during the asana class. The classes were without doubt a unique experience.

Amrita Yoga has been participating at the Inter- national Yoga Conference conducted by the Ministry of AYUSH, India in New Delhi since 2016. Amrita Yoga outreach organizer, Ann Kristin from Norway, was appointed by the Oslo Indian Embassy to represent Norway. The conference hosted forty four nations.

Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) Delhi, invited Brahmacharini Shobana as a guest lecturer on the 9th November. Around 30 South Koreans met for a question and answer session followed by a short meditation. MDNIY is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.

Amrita Yoga was taught to the entire female community of Alappad Panchayat, Kollam District, Kerala. We reached all the 16 wards in the Alappad village. We have held regular classes with an average of 15 women participating in each session. Read more in Women Exclusives.