My name is Sunil, it’s difficult to say when exactly I first encountered Yoga. Having been taught to meditate as a child I came to Yoga to see if it could help me find stillness of body so that I could meditate deeper. It did. Since then I have sought to continually develop my knowledge.
I qualified to teach Yoga under the Pantanjali Yog Peeth Trust in 2011. I started out as a volunteer Yoga teacher with, Pran Yoga Reading, a charity that provides free Yoga classes in Reading, Berkshire. A sad reality is that often those people that need Yoga the most have least access to it. Working for Pranyog Reading was a deeply rewarding experience.
In 2012 I traveled through South America Teaching Yoga in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. During this time I met some wonderful teachers and saw first hand how Yoga can transcend barriers if we let it. There is something beyond words, a felt communication through the practice of Asana. It’s a source of continual wonderment to me; how so many people and all from such varying backgrounds, come to Yoga and find a commonality and shared experience of peace and wellbeing.
Yoga in the UK
Since returning to the UK in 2014 I have continued my instruction and qualified under the tutelage of Swami Ambikananda Saraswati. Swami Ji is a foremost Yoga scholar, author of several important texts on Yoga and breath work and Director of the Traditional Yoga Association. Teacher of teachers, many would describe her as a living Master of Yoga.
I practice Vinyasa flow Yoga and also Kundalini Yoga. But really I would call it simply Yoga. With respect to all traditions; when it comes to Yoga – it is all one. To me all Yoga is an illuminated pathway leading inwards but also enlivening and fun.
The Traditional Yoga Association
As a Senior Teacher of The Traditional Yoga Association, I am qualified to train yoga teachers. This is the traditional teaching of yoga combining modern developments in bodywork science. We work on the basis that anything done with awareness is yoga, but a deep and conscious knowledge of physiology and anatomy is required. From there we approach the esoteric.
The Traditional Yoga Association is a yoga school and charity (number 1091469) that was founded by Swami Ambikananda Saraswati a scholar of Vedanta, translator of several Sanskrit texts into English and Director of the yoga school. Swami Ji, as I call her is a living master of yoga who’s approach to yoga is the guiding influence of much of what I offer. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is my mission to pass on her teachings.
Our Sampradaya (Spiritual lineage) is via Swami Venkatesh and Swami Sivananda (both considered enlightened in their lifetime). Swami Sivananda was trained by Himalayan yogis. The lineage stretches back thousands of years. This may not sound of relevance to the modern reader, but to those who know yoga ~ the passage of knowledge from master to student is the lifeblood of the teaching. I am honoured to be one of the few students selected to train new yoga teachers using Swami Ji’s material.
Managing Yoga Charities and Yoga Studios
I have also been Centre Manager of a yoga Studio and charity in Hertford. A yoga studio with noble aims, but in the end I decided that yoga needs to be preserved in it’s traditional form for it to be more than simply exercise or a fashionable accessory. Hot yoga in at a time of energy crisis; when many people cannot afford to heat there homes is contrary to my principals as a yoga student. But, I am pleased to have secured government funding to help bring regular yoga classes to local schools in Hertford, create a community initiative with Network Homes to bring free yoga classes for seniors in Stanstead Abbotts, and successfully bid for local council funding to help bring free yoga to the Hertfordshire area.
Yoga Classes by Sunil in Hertfordshire
Yoga is not just stretching, how can a philosophy that reaches back over 6 thousand years be based on simply getting a good stretch? Yoga is something more, what is it? You will have to come up with your own answer. The Hertford Yoga classes are held at The Mill Bridge Rooms, The Seed Warehouse, The Wash, Hertford SG14 1PX. I would hope to illuminate this path so that together we can begin to map out the terrain within. The end goal is giving you confidence in your body so that you experience peacefulness and good health in a community of like minded people. I also offer Yoga in Ware on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and Welwyn Garden City on Monday and Thursday.
If you’re curious to drop into a Yoga class, then email me today to reserve a place at a class.