From 1st to 21st March, a Teacher Training course (Hindi) was held at Ganga Darshan. Nine ladies and twenty-five men between the ages of 18 and 64 participated in the course; they hailed from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Germany and UK.
Swami Taponidhi and Swami Sivadhyanam conducted the classes.
From 3rd to 21st March, a Health Management course was held, which focused on the management of asthma. Sixteen participants between the ages of 22 and 63 attended the course; they hailed from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and West Bengal.
Swami Daksharaj, Sannyasi Soumyashakti and Sannyasi Vasundhara conducted the classes.
From 3rd to 21st April, under the guidance of Sannyasi Soumyashakti, a Health Management course was held focusing on the management of diabetes. Seventeen participants between the ages of 26 and 75 attended the course, coming from Bihar, Jharkhand Madhya Pradesh, New Delhi, Tamil Nadu and UP.
From February to May, the four-month Yogic Studies course (Hindi) was conducted at Ganga Darshan. Thirteen ladies and 48 men attended the course. They came from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, as well as from Finland and Nepal. Classes were conducted by Swamis Sivadhyanam, Swami Shraddhamati, Sannyasis Satyapriya, Soumyashakti and Yogashraddha. Tutorials were given by Swami Gyanbhikshu, Swami Nirmalananda, Swami Taponidhi and Swami Sivadhyanam.
From 10th to 19th May, a group of 25 children, 5 trainers and three adults from the Patna Skill Foundation came to Ganga Darshan. The children participated in asana, pranayama and yoga nidra classes and enjoyed yoga games while here. Ashram residents, students and guests experienced their lively presentation of the Ramayana performed in perfect English. This was the sixth batch of Skill Foundation children to visit Ganga Darshan.
From 2nd to 16th June, two one-week camps were held for approximately forty BYMM children each. Classes in asana, chanting, dance, karate, painting, spoken English and yoga nidra were conducted by sannyasa trainees and guests. The children also joined wholeheartedly in seva in various departments assigned to them: morning cleaning, GDO, decorations, pubs and magazine.
At the end of each session, the children organized a performance to display the skills learnt. The programs included modern dances, a folk dance from Maharashtra and a dance performed to Sufi music. A series of asanas were performed to a story which the children had written themselves. A practice from the Shaolin-Do system and a Tai Chi meditation comprised the karate component. Interspersed through the evening, children presented their impressions of the week in English.
Eight sisters from the Notre Dame Academy in Patna stayed at Ganga Darshan from 16th to 26th July. Their ashram visit was part of a six-month training period for the seven junior sisters, two of whom came from Kenya and two from Indonesia.
During their stay at Ganga Darshan, the sisters participated in different yoga classes, where they were exposed to asana, pranayama, yoga nidra and meditation. A special Sunday evening program dedicated to Jesus Christ was also conducted during their stay. The program included a havan, which was followed by some beautiful English devotional songs and kirtan.
From 1st to 30th August, a Yoga Instructor Course was held at Ganga Darshan. Thirty-two ladies and thirty-two men from 14 countries (Argentina, China, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Philippines, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, UK and USA) and 15 states of India (Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Pondicherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) participated in the course. Swamis Ahimsadhara and Sivadhyanam conducted the practical classes.
The syllabus for this course was personally overseen by Swamiji as part of his vision to firmly set the direction of Satyananda Yoga teaching for the next fifty years. Not only did he guide the teachers on a daily basis, he himself taught some of the APMB classes and gave a series of satsangs tracing the history of yoga from its origins to the present day, with a focus on Satyananda Yoga as the classical yoga for the modern age. Swamiji made it clear that the disciplines and lifestyle that are part of Satyananda Yoga are a continuum of the ancient teachings, giving examples to illustrate this.
In the asana classes he spoke on the importance of awareness in the various components of each practice. Principles of yogic living were woven into the meditation classes, introducing students to the idea that yoga is not confined to practice techniques. For example, the practice of pratipaksha bhavana was given for use in family life and in society. Classes with Swamiji, evening satsang in the Akhara, participation in ashram events and celebrations and the discovery of karma yoga filled the students with enthusiasm and gratitude for the fresh vision of yoga and life they had been blessed with.
On 1st October, the four-month Yogic Studies course commenced. Their syllabus comprised APMB, yoga nidra and meditation classes. The yoga capsules, a combination of practices, were also introduced.
The 23 men and 23 women participating in the course came from 12 states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Telangana and Kerala. Overseas students represented the following countries: Australia, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Nepal, Norway, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
Teachers for the course were Swamis Ananda Kumar, Krishnapriya, Yogatirtha and Sannyasis Atmarpan, Pragyadhara and Vijayashakti.
From 4th to 8th November, 36 Junior Engineers and Senior Section Engineers, Indian Railways, came to Ganga Darshan for the experience of an introductory course in yoga and ashram life. Their APMB and yoga nidra classes were conducted by Swami Sivadhyanam who was assisted by Sannyasi Yogashraddha.
From 11th to 15th November, a second group of 39 Indian Railway engineers experienced ashram life. The classes were conducted by Sannyasi Yogashraddha assisted by Sannyasi Yogaratna.
Swami Shankarananda, Swami Gyanbhikshu and Swami Taponidhi spoke to the participants on various facets of yoga and answered questions.
The focus was on the yoga capsule for total well being, which includes mantra chanting, asana, pranayama, yoga nidra and meditation. The engineers left with a rounded package of yoga practices which aim at developing total well being.