Pragyadhara
-the flow of wisdom -
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ABOUT
Sannyasi Pragyadhara
Yoga Educator, mentor, retreat facilitator and humble student.
Director of Yoga Education Kawai Purapura Yoga Retreat, Albany, Auckland City.
Lead Tutor, Wellpark College Diploma of Yoga, Albany, Auckland City.
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Pragyadhara means 'The flow of wisdom.’ Flow is dynamic, fluid, innovative and adaptable. Wisdom is inner knowing, an awakened intuition that is forged through a synthesis of experience, knowledge, understanding and love. My name was given to me by my guru swami Niranjanananda Saraswati and its meaning represents a lifelong aspiration.
Yoga Today
The yogic process is a beautiful journey to enrich all facets of our life. As a holistic science it can be used to heal, develop and eventually transform oneself to experience one's fullest potential. Initially people come to yoga to heal or fix something because their is a need to fulfill. This maybe the only reason people engage with yoga and that's okay. There is also scope for self development where the entire personality is enhanced and as a result the quality of life naturally improves. Beyond this there are spiritual aims which represents the ultimate goal of yoga as an evolutionary technology.
Yoga is widely recognized as incredibly effective for releasing tension, inducing deep relaxation, and slowing down a busy mind, but it doesn't end there. It is also very helpful and proven to release mental and emotional suffering. It is possible by cultivating awareness through the techniques of yoga, to develop a deep understanding of one's body, mind, energy and the spiritual aspects of life.
Yoga Practices
Pure Yoga aims to share simple yet profound yogic tools to enrich a wide range of people’s lives, from those looking to gain better health to those wanting to transform their current situation. The teachings come from a strong platform of empowered knowledge reflecting pragmatic wisdom. The goals are to instruct, guide and mentor – to get alongside people, tune in to what they need and allow them a grounded, supportive space to transform in a natural way. Yoga classes aim to strike the perfect balance of traditional yogic knowledge to modern form, helping you apply thousands of years of ancient insight to your everyday life.
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Background of Satyananda Yoga/Bihar Yoga
The Bihar School of Yoga, also known as Satyananda Yoga, emerged directly from thousands of years of yoga tradition in India. The essence of this tradition was adapted and transmitted for the modern times through the life's work of Swami Sivananda Saraswati and Swami Satyananda Saraswati along with that of other great yogis.
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This internationally renowned system of integral Yoga focuses on harmonising the mind, body, and emotions. It is a systematic approach to self-transformation, grounded in both ancient practices and modern science. It draws on the wisdom teachings and classic texts of Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and others.
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Pure Yoga offerings include
· Asana labs; alignment, modifications, sequences for flexibility, strength, endurance and other specific goals
· Developing and maintaining a home practice
· Yoga Therapeutics through Hatha Yoga cleansing practices - nasal cleansing, cleansing techniques for digestive disorders
· Restorative yoga - supported poses, joint series, digestive series and energy release series.,
· Yoga Nidra - deep relaxation and accessible meditation technique
· Pranayama - breathwork and to support healing and relaxation and specific techniques to expand personal practice
· Meditation - systematic, guided, grounded.
· Mantra chanting - for healing, developing your voice and as a dynamic form of meditation.
· Havan – Vedic fire ritual for health and healing through mantra chanting.
· Kirtan – The yoga of sound and vibration to uplift, inspire and connect.
Learn more about my Yoga courses and Events or connect with me on social media.
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Every day brings fresh opportunities to embrace the discovery of inner wisdom. As an educator, teacher, mentor and practitioner, it’s my privilege to guide people through their own personal exploration of how Yoga can transform lives.
International teaching experience
Sannyasi Pragyadhara has instructed and lectured on the Yogic studies and Yoga Teacher Training courses at the Satyananda Yoga Academy, Australia and at the Bihar School of Yoga, India. In 2013 she toured different states in India as part of the all-India Yoga Yatra conducted by Bihar School of Yoga and held seminars in Delhi, Kolkata and other states. She has conducted immersion retreats and yogic trainings in China, Australia and in New Zealand.
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Like to know more? Let’s connect!
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Qualifications and Recognition
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Lead Trainer and Senior teacher, RYS, E-RYT® 500, YACEP®Kawai Continuing Education Provider, Yoga Alliance, U.S.
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3 year residential immersion, Sannyasa Training, Sannyas Peeth, Ganga Darshan, Bihar School of Yoga, India, 2012 - 2015.
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Certificate - Training and Assessment, TAFE, Australia, 2011
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Diploma in Satyananda Yoga Training, Yoga Academy Australia, 2009
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Masters in Yoga Psychology, Bihar Yoga Bharti, Ganga Darshan, 2005
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B.A./B.ED. Diploma of Secondary Teaching, Waikato University, 1996.
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Inspirers
Swami Sivananda Saraswati: 1887-1963
Swami Sivananda Saraswati was born in Tamil Nadu in 1887. After serving as a medical doctor in Malaysia, he renounced his practice to live in Rishikesh, India. He traveled extensively throughout India, inspiring people to practice yoga and lead a divine life. In 1936 he founded the Divine Life Society, the Sivananda Ayurvedic Pharmacy in 1945, the Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy in 1948 and the Sivananda Eye Hospital in 1957. During his lifetime, he authored over 200 books and guided thousands in their pursuit of spiritual life.
Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati: 1923-2009
Swami Satyananda was an early disciple of Swami Sivananda Saraswati, of Rishikesh. After leaving his guru's ashram, he taught yoga globally for twenty years, with the mission of making yoga practices available to all. Swami Satyananda reintroduced the ancient techniques of Tantric Yoga to the Western World, as well as to the people of his native India.
​Over the course of his lifetime, he authored over 80 books on yoga and spiritual life. In 1984, he founded Sivananda Math, a social and charitable institution that creates sustainable living in some of the most neglected communities in India. In 1988, he retired from public life to live at Rikhiapeeth Ashram in Jharkand, India. His spiritual guidance and teachings inspired thousands worldwide.
Paramahamsa Niranjanananda Saraswati: 1960-
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati was born in Madhya Pradesh, India in 1960 and is the successor of Paramahamsa Satyananda. At the age of 4, he joined the Bihar School of Yoga under the guidance of Swami Satyananda. In 1971, he traveled worldwide for the next 11 years. In 1983, he returned to India and was appointed the head of the Bihar School of Yoga.
Since then, he has been based in India, guiding the development of activities at Ganga Darshan, Sivananda Math and the Yoga Research Foundation. In 1994, he founded Bihar Yoga Bharati, an institute for advanced studies in the yogic sciences. He has authored over 20 yoga texts and provides spiritual guidance to aspirants around the world.
Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati: 1953-
Swami Satyasangananda (Satsangi) was born in 1953 in West Bengal, India. From the age of 22 she experienced a series of inner awakenings which led her to her guru, Swami Satyananda Saraswati. From 1981, she traveled ceaselessly with Swami Satyananda in India and overseas, becoming established as a scholar with deep insight into the yogic and tantric traditions as well as modern science and philosophy. The establishment of Sivananda Math in Rikhia is her creation and mission. She guides all its activities, working tirelessly to uplift underprivileged areas. She embodies compassion with clear reason and is the foundation of her guru’s vision.