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 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
The house and the farm
Shankar Prasad Ashram, the Shankar Prasad Organic Farm & Ashram, sits in a century-old heritage home on 2½ 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
Practices
Practices & teachings
All the yogas of the Satyananda Bihar School of Yoga are available here. Swamiji teaches in the Satyananda tradition, in person and step by step, open to first-timers and long-time practitioners alike. There is one free class every morning at 7, depending on which teachers are here; other practices run as courses through the day, in-house or online. Any course you want, ask for it and we will invite others to join.
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.
Programs
Retreats & programs
Ways to learn, stay, and do your own sadhana. Rates include your room, sattvic meals, the mantra-chanting and meditation sessions, and satsang and kirtan with Swamiji.
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.
Read more →Asana
Yoga
Morning asana to connect with body and breath, plus longer hatha yoga sadhanas, asana, pranayama, mudra and bandha, from beginner to advanced.
Read more →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.
Read more →Therapy
Yoga Nidra as Therapy
A ten-session course using Yoga Nidra to relieve stress, ease sleep problems and manage pain, and to work with trauma and emotional pain.
Read more →Advanced
Advanced Yoga Nidra
For steady practitioners: working in the deep subconscious over fourteen sessions, creative visualisation, forgiveness and facing fear.
Read more →Study
Indian Spirituality
Short and long-term study, Sanskrit, Patanjali's yoga, the Bhagavad Gita, chanting and ashram life, with guidance on related sadhanas.
Read more →Daily schedule
A day at the ashram
A simple Satyananda routine of practice, seva, rest and satsang (spiritual discussion).
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
Schedule adapted to season and availability of resources. See the full daily and weekly schedule.
The farm & food
The farm and the kitchen
The ashram sits on a 2½-acre organic farm and coconut grove. Fresh, local, wholesome produce: sattvic dishes prepared together, eaten together and cleared together.
- 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 are simple, clean and quiet. Rates are per person, per night.
Heritage building
Manasa
₹1,000 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
Rates include your room, three vegetarian meals a day, the morning and evening mantra-chanting and meditation sessions, and satsang and kirtan with Swamiji. Prices may vary with season and availability; please confirm with us before booking. Guest rates assume 1 hour of karma yoga a day, volunteer rates 4 or 6 hours. See all rooms, facilities and rates.
Photographs
The ashram & the farm
Getting here
How to reach us
We are in Bankikodla village, near Anandashram High School, about 5 km from Gokarna. Send us your flight or train details and we will have a taxi waiting.
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.
All are welcome to visit, stay, or come for lunch. For a meal, or to meet someone in particular, please call ahead on +91 80953 29129. To stay, email swamiyogaratna@gmail.com or WhatsApp the same number, and choose your room on the site.
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.
FAQ
Questions
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 the farm run on donations and volunteers. If you would like to help, on the farm, in the kitchen or in the house, please write to us.
VolunteerTeachings
Videos
Swamiji and the Shankar Prasad Foundation share teachings, practices and glimpses of ashram life on YouTube.
Watch on YouTubeContact
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