We have been conducting teacher training since 1985 in New Zealand and more recently in the USA and are also a 500hr Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School for teacher training. Ashram Yoga’s unique teaching style is based on Paramahamsa Satyananda’s innovative and progressive system, and also includes the senior instructors’ many years of experience of teaching yoga.

With this, there have emerged comprehensive, thorough and effective sets of teachings. The range of practices we present are vast and taught from absolute beginners through to becoming a yoga instructor. We run yoga courses, yoga retreats, yoga training and yoga workshops. Yoga is our passion and we love sharing it. Ashram Yoga is a registered charity..

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See also: Locations  Testimonials  Yoga Alliance  Suggestion Box

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Swami Shantimurti Saraswati

There are few people around who have lived the life of a traditional yogi – living in Himalayan caves with advanced yogis and traveling with sadhus. Many of us have read stories about Himalayan masters or seen glimpses during visits to India, but most have never experienced it. It is a hard life and only serious yogis are accepted into this inner circle. Shantimurti has lived that life. He has spent extend periods with highly accomplished yogis and seen many wonders.

In yoga, experience is everything and Shantimurti has lots of it. He has managed a number of ashrams over the last 35 years and seen many of the unusual situations that sometimes come with advanced yoga practice. He has trained many sannyasins, yoga teachers and students.

Shantimurti loves to share his wisdom whether it is about the finer aspects of chakras, asanas, pranayama, or stories about the people he has met; famous teachers like the Dalai Lama, B.K.S. Iyengar, Swami Muktananda or the many unknown but exceptional yogis that he has met along the way. He also has many interesting stories about his time with his guru – Paramahansa Satyananda of the Bihar School of Yoga, India – who initiated him into sannyasa in 1976.

Shantimurti is a leader among yogis and is passionate about sharing yoga with the world. He lives at the Ohui Retreat Centre in the Coromandel and travels teaching yoga in Auckland and internationally. He is registered with Yoga Alliance as an experienced yoga teacher (E-RYT 500).

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Atma Okan (Swami Atmalokananda Saraswati)

Atma is a director of Ashram Yoga and a natural-born yoga teacher. She lived in the Satyananda Yoga ashram as a teenager and has been teaching classes since then. Her love of yoga and people makes her popular with students who recognize her as a gifted, caring and highly capable teacher. She has a deep respect for yoga and its ability to positively transform lives.

Atma currently lives at and runs Ashram Yoga’s Ohui Retreat Centre in the Coromandel. She conducts retreats, workshops, kirtans, festivals and is a senior instructor for the yoga teacher training courses.

Atma is a Yoga Alliance 500-hour experienced registered teacher and has a young family.

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Devananda (Danielle Gleitman)

Dee is enthusiastic and passionate about energy work. Teaching classes, co- facilitating on training courses, as well as integrating the body work practices of Shiatsu and Thai Yoga massage continually inspire her to expand her knowledge and encourage people towards living holistically. PLAY (Physically, Learning, Active, Yoga) is the children’s yoga programme Dee has developed to instill the FUNdamental skills of yoga at an early age, in an adventurous and creative way. Dee has completed Ashram Yoga’s full teacher training programme from beginners to advanced and yoga therapy, is a qualified Shiatsu practitioner and perpetual student of yoga. A Yoga Alliance 500-hour registered teacher.

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Luciana Camargo

 Luciana’s belief in the holistic approach to life has developed from her love for Aromatherapy and Bodywork. After deepening her knowledge on these subjects, yoga was a natural addition to her skills. Having completed Ashram Yoga’s Level 1 and Level 2 teacher training in 2009, she has totally dedicated her focus to ongoing learning, and sharing her passion for yoga and holistic living. Luciana also works as a massage therapist from Ashram Yoga’s Therapy Room.

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Premajyoti

Premajyoti attended her first yoga class ten years ago and since that time she has participated in many classes, courses and Ashram Yoga events. Initially engaging in advanced meditation courses, Premajyoti then continued on to complete Ashram Yoga’s full Teacher Training (Beginners to Advanced and Yoga Therapy), Yoga Nidra, and Natal Yoga programmes. Premjyoti embraces yoga as an integral part of her lifestyle and enjoys sharing yoga knowledge and experience with students in classes and in her counselling work. A Yoga Alliance 500-hour registered teacher.

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Roselle Gould

Roselle is a nurturing and knowledgeable teacher with a diverse depth of knowledge and experience teaching yoga. She is well known around Auckland for her work and facilitation in Natal Yoga, and is now offering these classes at Ashram Yoga Parnell studio. She has completed Ashram Yoga’s full teacher training programme – from beginners through to advanced plus Yoga Therapy and is registered RYT 500-hour. Initially completing Natal Teacher Training with Ashram Yoga, Roselle continued on to complete a 30-hour Prenatal Yoga Teachers certificate training with Janice Clarfield. Along with teacher training with Judith Lasater. She also has completed Anatomy and Physiology at the N.Z College of Massage.

Roselle has been teaching general yoga classes, pre-natal yoga, meditation and yoga in schools for the last ten years. Roselle continues to be taught and inspired by her gifted teacher Shantimurti and by her family and friends.

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Alita

Alita began her yoga journey in 2006 while managing her busy household with an active young family. She soon developed an intense passion for yoga as it became her buried treasure offering a wealth of benefits. Alita holds a Yoga Teacher Certificate from Ashram Yoga in Parnell (Level 1, 200 hour + Level 2 in progress), as well as certificates for teaching kids yoga from Rainbow Kids Yoga and Samadhi Family Yoga School. She is also certified to teach Natal Yoga and Yoga Nidra (guided relaxation). Alita is enthusiastic and grateful to be able to share her yoga passion through teaching and inspiring others to find their passions and balance in life through the rejuvenating practice of yoga.

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Dana Stewart

Dana was introduced to Yoga in England in 1992 during a period in her life of great unfolding.  She had always been one to question life and push boundaries and during her search for enlightenment and a deeper understanding of life she came across a beautiful and amazing yogi who had trained under his father in the ancient traditions of yoga and ayurveda.

Journey’s to the pyramids, a trip alone to India, learning Spanish in Costa Rica without stepping inside a school, two children and her yoga journey continues as strong as ever today.

Dana gives focus in her classes to physical strength that can be gained from a powerful practice. Strong body, strong mind. Understanding samskara’s which arise during our journey so that one can continue with determination and courage when wanting to attempt more advanced postures.

She warmly encourages everyone into her classes no matter where one is in the journey of physical asana.   www.danalouisestewart.com

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Nadine Simsar

Nadine is originally from France but Auckland has been her home for the last 12 years. She has been attracted to yoga for more than a decade and the attraction turned into a passion when she attended the Ashram yoga teacher training level 1 and 2 in 2009. Since then she has been teaching, practicing and growing as a person and a teacher. She has attended many of the workshops offered at Ashram Yoga that have been real tools and insights for her and her students.

She has a strong interest in yoga therapy and wishes to pursue it by  continuing her training. She really enjoys teaching and sharing the benefits of yoga with her students, friends and anyone who will listen!.

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Vishesha (Alona Kononovica)

Vishesha was born in Latvia and grew up in a Russian family. Her strong desire to answer the deeper questions of life led her to university where she graduated with a degree in philosophy.

After that she travelled the world – living in Iceland for a few years – and eventually arriving in New Zealand.  She quickly discovered Ashram Yoga and a whole new phase of her life began. Vishesha’s very first visit to Ashram Yoga in 2010 brought with it the realisation that regular yoga practice was something she had been seeking for a long time.

Her discovery of Ashram Yoga played a big part in her decision to settle down in New Zealand and complete the yoga teacher training course. Teaching yoga is the current part of her never-ending journey. She loves yoga and sharing the astonishing ways that it serves the body, mind and spirit.

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Joanna Eng

Jo is a friendly and enthusiastic teacher who’s main passion is giving meaning to life through yoga. Originally hailing from the UK, Jo emigrated to New Zealand 6 years ago with her husband and family. Jo is a busy mum to 4 young children but has found her vocation in teaching yoga!

Jo has completed her level 1 Yoga Teacher Training with Ashram Yoga, spending a month away from her husband and children at the Ohui Retreat Centre. She describes this as one of the most profoundly life-changing experiences she’s ever had – second only to childbirth! Jo wants nothing more now than to continue her yoga journey and education with Ashram Yoga and to share her love of teaching. As well as teaching adults, Jo has a special interest in teaching yoga to small children and in working with mothers post-partum.

Jo also absolutely loves Kirtan and can be found enthusiastically singing her heart out on Thursday evenings with Premajyoti and Devananda at the Parnell Studio!