Annual Report 2017

We proudly claim fifteen years of bringing authentic yoga, ancient wisdom, and modern research. As a volunteer-managed global community, we work to foster yoga with its therapeutic applications and life-transforming effects.  We bring yoga classes for general wellness, yoga teacher training courses for students who want to teach yoga, and yoga therapy to heal those with chronic ailments.

Achievements

• Trained over 400 yoga teachers just in the Bay Area alone.

• Over 5000 class-hours of FREE or affordable yoga sessions to the community each year,

• Special affordable yoga classes for kids, and seniors, stress management, and yoga as therapy.

• Over nine locations where yoga is taught regularly just in the Bay Area

• Yoga offering to Corporate sectors by our volunteers

• Yoga offering to After School Day Cares at low affordable rates

• Yoga offering to Blind Center Santa Clara as a volunteer service.

• Yoga therapy is now offered at health care and Rehabilitation centers, a NEW project that started this year!

Accreditation - International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) - We are in the final stages of accreditation with IAYT for our Diploma in Yoga Therapy Course. We have 10 CIAYTs (IAYT certified Yoga Therapists) in the grand-parenting path of IAYT.  This is a great stamp on our high-quality holistic yoga education that combines Western scientific methodology and rational thought with classical and traditional yoga and spirituality.

Advanced Teacher Training (RYS-300)  - We now offer an Advanced Yoga Teacher Training program (RYT-300). 

Stop Diabetes Movement - Yoga Bharati collaborated with Sewa International to offer a Stop Diabetes Movement again this year. Over 50 Bay Area participants benefited from this movement. 

Yoga for Cancer – We offer a FREE three-month active support for Cancer using Yoga Therapy for people who are currently undergoing or have taken Chemo/Radiation to help them achieve a better quality of life and move toward normalcy.  Eight cancer patients took yoga therapy this year alone.

Yoga for Seniors - We offer discounted yoga workshops for seniors to encourage them to practice yoga. More than 25 seniors took advantage of this program at our main center, and over 200 seniors regularly take yoga from Yoga Bharati volunteers in the Bay Area alone.

Yoga Therapy

Yoga Bharati has committed to building a world-class research culture that can scientifically validate the benefits of Yoga Therapy and bring authentic Yoga Therapy to our community.

Our Main Center: We have well-established facilities in West San Jose close to Cupertino, Saratoga, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale. We offer yoga for wellness, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda services.

Visit our center at: 20445, Prospect Rd, Suite #1, San Jose

Yoga Therapy classes for special groups – we have yoga therapy classes running continuously in Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Pleasanton Tri-valley, and Fremont. This year, we have conducted workshops on Yoga for back, neck, shoulder, and knee pain, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, obesity and metabolic disorders, vision disorders for children and teens, and prenatal and postnatal workshops.

Yoga Yajna (Yogathon) 2017 – we conducted Yoga Yajna in both winter and summer this year.  The closing ceremony’s theme was group practice of 108 sun salutation cycles (yajna) and Om chanting. More than 200 people, from age 3 to 65, participated in Yoga Yajna this year.

Yoga Teacher Training 2017

More than 28 students, aged 13 to 55, took the Yoga Instructors Course (YTT) aka Yoga Teacher Training this year. It was a year-long course, with 3-month intensive course from March to May 2015 and a yoga retreat at Sivananda Ashram. We have revamped the entire course to make it more modular, with greater emphasis on quality and depth. We had two offerings of YTT module 1 this year, and in 2018, there will be four YTT module 1 offerings to meet the growing demand.

Yoga Therapy Training

We now have ten graduates with a Diploma in Yoga Therapy who are actively serving at our center, in rehabilitation centers, and their private studios. More than 20 students have enrolled in our Diploma in Yoga Therapy. This 2-year course aims to train yoga teachers to address people with different chronic ailments and to empower them to manage and heal disease conditions.

Youth Yoga Training and Practice:

Yoga Bharati has a unique focus on building youth ambassadors and lifelong yogis. More than 250 children in the Bay Area have taken our yoga classes with us. Youth have been showing increasing interest in yoga each year, and we have trained 9 yoga teachers this year alone and over 60 youth yoga teachers overall. We bring awareness about health and well-being at all levels of human personality and create opportunities for them to channel their energy and develop their leadership skills. We conduct spiritual parenting sessions for our parents so that the entire family participates in developing yoga as a lifestyle.

Bhagavad Gita for Children and Adults

Yoga Bharati offers Gita for children and adults as a memory and focus improvement program and also to inculcate spirituality into them. Parents are encouraged to participate along with their children for effective learning. More than 30 students benefited from this program this year.

Promote awareness of Yoga, Vedanta and Ayurveda

Yoga Bharati hosts prominent speakers in the fields of Yoga, Vedanta, and Ayurveda.

In 2017, we arranged a pranayama and meditation workshop and discourse by Shri N.V. Raghuram, Chairman of Yoga Bharati, and Swami Bodhananda of Sambodh Society.

We hosted a Spiritual Parenting, Relationship, and Meditation program and an in-depth study on Patanjali Yoga Sutras by Swami Bodhananda Saraswati in Nov 2017.

Active partnership with local organizations

Over the years, Yoga Bharati has passionately served the community and created a niche position for itself in the local volunteer organization network. We consistently contribute to and support local events in various roles – as specialists in yoga and enthusiastic participants. This year was no different

Sevathon 2017: This was held in June. Yoga Bharati has been a key partner of Sevathon since its inception. This year, Yoga Bharati conducted the International Day of Yoga in San Jose, California. More than 120 participants practiced Surya Namaskar and OM Chanting.

Roadmap for Future Events in 2018

In 2018, Yoga Bharati will work with greater resolve toward our goals, building on the momentum from previous years. Additionally, we’re planning a few new projects, outlined below.

Yoga Teacher Training 2018 – We have revamped Yoga Training to reach more people in different corners of the Bay Area. As a result, we will have many more people taking our YTT. This year, we are likely to have a 30-40% increase in YTT participation.

Advanced Yoga Education Courses - RYT-300 and DYT - We plan to start our next batch of advanced courses in Yoga - both Advanced Yoga Teacher Training and Diploma in Yoga Therapy. The demand has been tremendous and we hope to meet this increased demand.

Yoga Yajna 2017– We invite everyone to participate in the annual Yoga Yajna. Additionally, we are preparing and training for a competition in practicing Surya Namaskars and Aum Chanting.

Sevathon 2018: We will be partnering with Sevathon organization and organizing Yogathon in a big way in 2018.

Support Us

Thanks to your generous support, we at Yoga Bharati have successfully implemented important programs to promote Yoga in a holistic manner. Your continued contributions will further strengthen our efforts and initiatives. Please see the link below for ways to contribute generously to 'Samājanidhi'.