Ayush Yoga Darshanam

I attended Yoga Darshanam 200-TTC in July 2012. It was an immensely intense month of very long days but the rewards were well worth it. My yoga practice has grown in ways that I hadn’t even anticipated; the far-reaching personal and physical challenges inherent in such an intense course, while at times trying in the moment, only serve to benefit one in the end in a myriad of ways, both on and off the mat. Santhosh teaches with a sincere and charismatic nature along with a unique depth of knowledge and set of experiences having growing up in an Indian village and even communing and living in nature for extended periods of time. As such, he offers a fresh and distinct perspective on yogic philosophy and life in general. I remember several Methodology and Theory sessions when he had us all in stitches – a great way to learn. Sujatha’s sessions instill in one a notion of tranquility and are conducive to a new understanding of chanting and pranayama practices. Early-morning asana practices were one of my favorite parts of the day because of her soothing voice, sense of calm, and peaceful teaching method; her sessions and manner of being added a new tranquility and serenity to yoga practice for me. Santhosh and Sujatha together provide a thorough and interesting course, covering so many aspects of yoga, including advanced asanas that some of us never imagined we could accomplish. At the same time they were patient, loving, available, understanding, and deeply knowledgeable teachers. Overall it was a pleasure to spend an intense month of learning and practicing yoga with the Yoga Darshanam program.

I emphatically recommend Yoga Darshanam to anyone who is interested in doing a course for either yoga therapy or to gain a deeper and broader understanding of yoga in general. The sheer knowledge, professionalism and expertise of Santhosh Kumar and his wife Sujatha always made me feel like I was in good hands. After talking to other yoga practitioners around Mysore, hearing their negative experiences, I knew by comparison that I had found the right place, something I naturally had apprehensions about before arriving. The program is well organized and I formed close friendships with everybody in my group. The compassion and special guidance that I was able to receive from the teacher has been invaluable in helping me to appreciate the deeper aspects of yoga and to understand it within the context of Indian culture. I don’t think this would be possible at any other school in Mysore. It is this personal interaction with the teacher, who truly does lead by example, that has helped me to understand what it means to live a yogic lifestyle. I would count the trip to Santhosh and Sujatha’s hometown as the highlight of my experience here in India. There I was able to experience village life from the perspective of a local and relax in a beautiful, natural environment with kind, smiling people over delicious home-cooked food, the whole time finding myself experiencing and doing things which I never could have imagined doing back home in Japan. Don’t miss this chance! In terms of asana practice, Santhosh is nothing short of a wizard at getting both beginners and advanced students safely and comfortably into positions which they might otherwise think impossible. In the short month I was here, I had several breakthroughs and made progress on every front with my practice of yoga. I now feel confident that I can go further on my own am looking forward to reaching more advanced stages using the knowledge that I have learned here at yoga Darshanam. Even if you are a beginner, it is good to join and practice in the advanced class up to your ability. Everybody is challenging themselves and working on something. We had an acrobat and a couple of dancers in our group who could perform incredibly advanced asanas, but also a couple of beginners who could do things that even the advanced students were unable to do. The supportive group energy in that lesson is tangible and exciting. You will be surprised at what you can do after properly warming your body up through the correct sequence of preparatory asanas, a specialty of Santhosh’s which I plan to replicate in my own classes. Santhosh was often quick to remind us however that yoga asana and yoga are not the same, and that all eight limbs of yoga are to be practiced with equal attention. It was this wisdom put into practice which made his personality so refreshing to find in a field that is all too often strained by unnecessary dogmatism and competition. His pragmatic and kind nature, perpetual smile and sense of humor made me feel like I was with a peer who was openly sharing (rather than dictating) the deeper aspects of yoga with me. Thank you Santhosh for everything! I will definitely be back to learn more from you in the future.

The experience with Santhosh and Sujatha over passed my expectations. it was a surprise to find in such small and simple place a treasure of knowledge, besides all other yoga options in Gokulam. Santhosh is a wonderful teacher who finds a unique way for giving the traditional aspects of yoga, lots of information, lots of practice and chanting. This experience encouraged me to take the further step and after finishing the 300hr TTC, me and my wife enrolled to complete the 500hr TTC. Through a deep asana practice, I managed to complete the whole Ashtanga Vinyasa primary series in one month thanks to the caring attention of this two teachers. The understanding of mudras, chants, philosophy, pranayama technique, and different styles of yoga therapy classes has seriously improved my teaching capacity, quality of service to my students, and clarity of the yoga message: is not everything about jumping or hard workout, is about breathing and preparing your body for meditation. Just after finishing my 500 TTC, I had a job offering in Hong Kong, where I currently teach different asana styles, with the amazing theoretical background that this course has given me. Thanks to Santhosh and Sujatha for this life experience.

Namaskara Sir, Hege ideeri? I studied at Yoga Darshanam in September 2011 and can honestly say it was an experience that changed my life. Dedicating a whole month to yoga and practicing with intensity every day, no matter where you study, is an extremely positive experience both emotionally and physically. Learning at Yogadarshanam required starting early in the morning and studying throughout the day until the evening. It was challenging on the body at first, but Santhosh always made students feel that it was within their capabilities to keep up. He managed to accommodate students who arrived with varying degrees of experience and fitness. (Having said that, he cannot perform miracles so a reasonable level of fitness is required!!) His approach to teaching was not intimidating or unpleasantly demanding, yet he encouraged us to achieve our best and make the most of the course. He had a healthy balance of perspectives when explaining and did not overbear students with his personal beliefs or opinions. He provided lots of information from his very broad knowledge and also allowed us space to build our knowledge on our own. He does not spoon feed students and if you want to make the most of the course, you need to be prepared to put in plenty of your own effort. You need to bring positively, a willingness to learn and an open mind in order to get maximum rewards from the course. A lot of material is covered, including yoga therapy, yoga for pregnancy, partner yoga, pranayama, kriya, mudra etc. He gives a complete explanation of all poses with methodology, benefits and limitations. Even though the days are long, and the teaching is kept to a tight schedule, by the end of the course you realize you probably need a year to cover the material properly! But it is an excellent introduction to all the foundations of yoga and Santhosh teaches an interesting mix of styles whilst remaining loyal to classical principles of yoga. . If you are the sort of person who is independent, patient, open and genuinely interested to learn then Yogadarshanarm is an excellent choice for you. Everyone is unique and has different needs and expectations, for me Yogadarshanam was just right and provided me with everything I needed. Thank you very much Santhosh! Hope everything else is fine .I am happy, I have started teaching and have already 6 students!. Mostly beginners and we are doing nice slow classes with lots of breathing exercises. I am enjoying it a lot. All the best

I completed the YTTC with Yogadarshanam Mysore in August2012. It was a full month of immersing myself in yoga, and was a very rich and rewarding experience for me my knowledge of yoga is now on another whole level. I am grateful to have had the chance of do my YTTC-Yoga Teachers Training Course in India. The source of yoga, and be under the guidance of Santhosh and his wife Sujatha. Yoga is so much more than Asana/ physical poses, as is often practiced in the west. This is what I felt prior to my course, and this is now what I know and experienced. We covered so much in the course, including bonus subjects/courses such as Pre-natal Yoga Course, Yoga Therapy Course, and a unique one and I think one and only place offers Live class to observe main Teachers’ Teaching in the class and Teaching to students in the actual class to Train confidently later with correction techniques , Teaching skills, instruction , etc and did more the standard 200hrs TTC of Yoga alliance. I felt that all of the topics were essential to fully understanding yoga. Our Teachers’ were both very enthusiastic about yoga, and had unending support and encouragement for our small group of Six to give more personal attentions. It is obvious that they “ practice what they preach” and embody the spirit of all that is yoga. I feel blessed and humbled to have learnt so much in such an inspiration, and friendship. I hope to return again sometimes in future!.

Dear Santhosh, Thank you so much for your kindness, inspiration and spirit. I could stay only a few weeks, but it was enough to deepen my practice and acquire more flexibility in my asanas as well as calmness of the mind. I fell very lucky to have had the opportunity to be part of the experience from the Yoga Therapy as well. I have learned more about Pranayama and Mudras . Santhosh teaches with both confidence and humility, and thus creates a rich space for students to explore, question, experience and build a strong foundation for their personal practice and teaching of yoga. I walked away from the Darshanam Center much more centered in my Yoga practice, in my live, and with gratitude and eagerness to return one day! Thank you for showing me a new truth, a new peace and new focus. I wish you a happy Yoga Life and hope to keep in touch! . Lovely greetings, Namasthe.

I took the Yoga Teacher Training with Santhosh Kumar which I found to be informative and thorough, both in a physical sense with 4 hours of practice a day, as well classes in chanting, meditation and teaching to name a few. There was also the opportunity to assist in the morning classes in our last week which was great experience. I also really enjoyed learning about the various yoga therapy techniques, an area which I am expanding on in my own teaching. All in all a great foundation to start a yoga teaching career, or to just deepen your own practice. Best wishes,

I did the TTC in December 2011 with Yoga Darshanam. The month was very challenging physically and emotionally with foundation and advanced asana practice, yoga therapy classes, chanting, meditation, yoga philosophy and much more from dawn till dusk! An intense syllabus of over 200 hours was covered in only 30 days. However, h Kumar’s unending energy and patience kept me motivated and challenged and in the end when I could do so many more asanas that I could initially do and had learnt so many new things, I knew it was all worth it. During the TTC, Santhosh Kumar also organized a visit to a village which was an amazing experience, we saw the beauty of nature, met lots of hospitable kind villagers and also did pranayama in a lush forest. I enjoyed the course immensely and have benefited greatly from it. I am looking forward to returning to do the advanced training after I have deepened my practice. I would highly recommend the TTC with Yoga Darshanam. Many thanks teacher for the great experience and for sharing your extensive knowledge.