Satyananda Yoga · 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
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
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
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 (psychic sleep meditation, or yogic dreaming) is the foundation practice here: guided deep relaxation.
Yoga Nidra applied to sleep, stress, anxiety, healing and recovery.
Fourteen sessions of higher practices for those who already practise Yoga Nidra.
Train to teach Yoga Nidra in the Satyananda tradition.
Practices to purify, balance and awaken the chakras and nadis.
Ajapa Japa, Antar Mouna, Trataka, Chakra Shuddhi, mantra and more, taught step by step.
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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 →
Study
Short and long-term study, Sanskrit, Patanjali's yoga, the Bhagavad Gita, chanting and ashram life, with guidance on related sadhanas.
Dates & fees on request →A day at the ashram
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
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.
Where you stay
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
₹1,000 per person, per night
Attached bathroom
₹1,500 per person, per night
Hot water · Wi-Fi
₹3,000 per person, per night
Off-grid · by the farm
₹2,500 per person, per night
Every rate includes your room, sattvic meals and all sessions.
A look around
Getting here
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.
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 is 20 minutes away by auto-rickshaw. Kumta and Ankola are also on the Konkan line, then bus or taxi.
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
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.
Light, modest clothes that cover shoulders, chest and knees; men wear a shirt at all times.
Yes, there is Wi-Fi and mobile signal. If you plan to work online during your stay, please discuss it with Swamiji first.
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.
Yes. Practices are taught step by step.
Seva & support
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
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 with your enquiry and your purpose for coming, and we will send you the stay details.
