Satyananda Yoga · near Gokarna
A Yoga Ashram near Gokarna.
Yoga Nidra, seva and simple living in a century-old house.
An open spiritual family on a 2½-acre organic farm, come to practise, to serve, and to live simply.
Come for a class, a retreat, or a longer stay of seva and sadhana. All are welcome to visit, experience, rest, participate and stay; please give us a quick call before you come.
Shankar Prasad Ashram
About the ashram
A century-old home, a living farm
Shankar Prasad Ashram, the Shankar Prasad Organic Farm & Ashram, sits in a century-old heritage home on two and a half acres of organic farmland and coconut grove at Bankikodla village, near Gokarna.
The ashram is run as an open spiritual family in the Satyananda Yoga tradition of the Bihar School of Yoga: the days are shaped by practice, seva and simple sattvic living, and guests share in the life of the house and the farm.
The teacher & founder
Swami Yogaratna Saraswati
A Satyananda ashram for yogic life: seva (selfless service), sadhana (spiritual practice) and study.
Swami Yogaratna Saraswati, Swamiji, joined the Bihar School of Yoga in 1984 and is the founder of the Shankar Prasad Foundation. She is based at the ashram, which also runs community projects: the organic farm, Muddu Play School, the animal-care camps and the weekly havan (fire ceremony).
She teaches, and is best known for, Yoga Nidra, Yoga Nidra as Therapy, Advanced Yoga Nidra and high-quality Yoga Nidra Teacher Trainings, along with yoga from Meditations from the Tantras and Kundalini Tantra, and all the yogas of the Satyananda tradition. Swamiji has over 40 years' experience as a sannyasin serving humanity through the science of yoga, and can answer all your questions.
Volunteers and donations are most welcome to support the ashram's seva and community activities.
The tradition: Bihar School of Yoga · the Bihar Yoga app
What you learn
Practices & teachings
Everything is taught in the Satyananda method, in person and step by step, grounded in Yoga Nidra, and open to first-timers and long-time practitioners alike.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra (psychic sleep meditation, or yogic dreaming) is the foundation practice here: guided deep relaxation.
Yoga Nidra as Therapy
Yoga Nidra applied to sleep, stress, anxiety, healing and recovery.
Advanced Yoga Nidra
Fourteen sessions of higher practices for those who already practise Yoga Nidra.
Yoga Nidra Teacher Training
Train to teach Yoga Nidra in the Satyananda tradition.
Yoga from Kundalini Tantra
Practices to purify, balance and awaken the chakras and nadis.
Yoga from Meditations from the Tantras
Ajapa Japa, Antar Mouna, Trataka, Chakra Shuddhi, mantra and more, taught step by step.
And all the yogas of the Satyananda tradition
Yogasanas, pranayama, shatkarmas, mantra yoga, raja yoga, yogic lifestyle, satsang and jnana yoga, kirtan and bhakti yoga, chakra yoga, mudras and bandhas, yogic and spiritual counselling, yoga therapy, Yoga for Women's Transitions, Fun Yoga for Kids.
Ways to stay & practise
Retreats & programs
From a single drop-in class to a month of immersion or a stay of seva. Every rate includes your room, sattvic meals and all sessions.
Course
Conscious Dying Course - Part 1
1st Nov - 5th Nov | 4.30pm IST (11am GMT · 6am EST · 7pm SGT), two hours a day
Dates & fees on request →
Foundation
Yoga Nidra Foundation
The starting course: taking awareness step by step from the outer world of sounds, through the body and mind, to the deep subconscious. Body scans, breath, visualisation, opposite sensations, the chidakash or inner mind screen, your ishta devata, and the sankalpa — the positive intention. Yoga Nidra for good sleep, for stress and anxiety, for concentration and memory, and for spiritual awareness. Attend on-site, live online, or through recorded live sessions, which include a short question-and-answer with Swamiji on WhatsApp if you need it.
Dates & fees on request →
Asana
Yoga
Morning asana to connect with body and breath, plus longer hatha yoga sadhanas, asana, pranayama, mudra and bandha, from beginner to advanced.
Dates & fees on request →
Meditation
Meditations from the Tantras
Meditation techniques drawn from the tantric texts, Ajapa Japa, Antar Mouna, Tratak, mantra meditation and Yoga Nidra, taught step by step.
Dates & fees on request →
Therapy
Yoga Nidra as Therapy
Ten sessions in two parts. Part 1 is the Foundation course; Part 2 is five sessions, ten hours, on using Yoga Nidra to relieve stress, overcome sleep problems and manage pain, and on self-healing through healing visualisation. Part 2 can be taken on its own once Part 1 has been done and practised — Part 1 taught by a Satyananda-trained teacher.
Dates & fees on request →
Advanced
Advanced Yoga Nidra
For steady practitioners: two-hour sessions of theory, practice and questions, working in the deep subconscious. Part A — creative visualisation, inside the body and the pancha koshas, healing and chakra visualisation, the balance of life, inner space and outer space, Who am I? Part B — forgiveness, overcoming grief, the theatre of life, facing fears, awakening gratitude, creating your future, the throb of your heart. Online or in person, with recordings for your own practice. You need to have completed a five-session Foundation course under a Bihar Yoga trained teacher first.
Dates & fees on request →A day at the ashram
The rhythm of the day
A simple Satyananda-style routine, practice, seva, rest and satsang, that anyone can settle into. Nothing is rushed.
The ashram day begins
Mantra chanting, then meditation practice
Monday to Friday
Together in the kitchen, then bathing
Simple, wholesome and nutritious
Seva on the farm and in the house
The morning session
A short mantra together
Fresh local produce, vegetarian; vegan available
A class, seva, self-study or your own practice
Walk to the beach, own sadhana, study, sunset meditation
A light evening meal, cleared together
Gather for the evening practice
Evening practice together
Mouna (silence) from 9 pm to 9 am
Indicative timings, confirmed on arrival.
The farm & food
Grown here, cooked here, shared together
The ashram sits on a 2½-acre organic farm and coconut grove. Meals are sattvic and vegetarian, made mostly from what the farm gives, simple food, prepared and shared as part of the day's seva.
- 2½ acres of organic farm and a coconut grove
- Sattvic vegetarian meals, mostly grown here; vegan available
- A kitchen that runs on seva, guests help prepare and clear
Where you stay
Simple, clean, fan-cooled rooms
Rooms in the heritage home are kept simple and sattvic, clean, fan-cooled and quiet, made for practice and rest rather than luxury.
Heritage building
Manasa
₹1,200 per person, per night
- Mat and bedding, fan
- Shared bathrooms
- Volunteers: ₹600 part-time, ₹300 full-time
Attached bathroom
Ganesh Prasad
₹1,500 per person, per night
- Comfortable bed, ceiling fan, Wi-Fi on request
- Veranda and outside sitting / practice area
- Volunteers: ₹1,000 part-time, ₹800 full-time
Hot water · Wi-Fi
Green House
₹3,000 per person, per night
- Attached bathroom with hot water
- About 50 m from the main building; upstairs rooms have a kitchenette and balcony
- Volunteers: ₹2,500 part-time, ₹1,500 full-time
Off-grid · by the farm
Kutir
₹2,500 per person, per night
- Earthen heritage-style room, attached bathroom, veranda
- Kitchen space for simple self-cooking; 80 m from the main building
- Volunteers: ₹2,000 part-time, ₹1,500 full-time
Every rate includes your room, sattvic meals and all sessions.
A look around
The ashram & the farm
Getting here
How to reach us
We are at Bankikodla village, Hannehalli, Taluka Kumta, about 5 km from Gokarna, on the Karnataka coast. Tell us your arrival and we'll help with the last stretch.
Goa, Mumbai, Mangalore or Bengaluru
Dabolim (Goa) is about 3 hours by taxi, Manohar (Mopa, Goa) about 5. Mumbai, Mangalore and Bengaluru also work. We can arrange a trusted village taxi.
Gokarna Road, Kumta or Ankola
Gokarna Road is 20 minutes away by auto-rickshaw. Kumta and Ankola are also on the Konkan line, then bus or taxi.
Gokarna Cross
Overnight sleeper buses run often from Mumbai and Bengaluru to Gokarna Cross, then an auto or our driver to Bankikodla.
You're welcome to drop in unannounced, or call ahead, either is fine. A quick message on WhatsApp helps us keep a place and a meal ready for you.
Full directions from Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and Bengaluru, with our taxi drivers' numbers: How to reach us. Not sure of the route? Ask any AI how to reach Shankar Prasad Ashram from where you are; here is the pin.
Good to know
Questions, answered
How do I book, and what's the cancellation policy?
Please write to us with your dates and we will confirm availability. A booking is held with a ten per cent deposit. The full terms are on our cancellation policy page.
What should I bring?
Light, modest clothes that cover shoulders, chest and knees; men wear a shirt at all times.
Is there wifi? Can I use my phone?
Yes, there is Wi-Fi and mobile signal. If you plan to work online during your stay, please discuss it with Swamiji first.
What about food and dietary needs?
Meals are sattvic and vegetarian, mostly from the farm. Tell us your dietary needs in advance and we'll do our best to look after you.
Are first-timers welcome?
Yes. Practices are taught step by step.
Seva & support
Support the ashram & farm
The ashram and its organic farm are kept going by many hands. You can help by joining the seva and volunteer program, giving your time, skills or care to the farm, the kitchen and the daily life of the house.
Get in touchTeachings
Watch & learn
Swamiji and the Shankar Prasad Foundation share teachings, practices and glimpses of ashram life on YouTube, a good way to get a feel for the place before you visit.
Watch on YouTube
Contact
Write to us
Write to us with your enquiry and your purpose for coming, and we will send you the stay details.
- Find usBankikodla Village, Hannehalli, Taluka Kumta · 5 km from Gokarna · Karnataka 581319, India
- Call+91 80953 29129 (Shyam S or Swamiji)
- WhatsApp+91 80953 29129
- Emailswamiyogaratna@gmail.com
- We replyUsually within a day or two. Please call or WhatsApp if it is urgent