We walk alongside the student
At SWAN our teachers live and work within the campus, sharing the same environment, meals, practices and daily rhythm as the people who come here to learn.
The founders and resident teachers have spent many years studying, practising and teaching Yoga and related Indian traditions. More than qualifications, what matters to us is the responsibility of sharing what we have received from our teachers with sincerity, care and humility.
Our role is not to stand above the student. It is to walk alongside them, offering guidance when it is needed and creating the conditions in which learning, practice, reflection and healing can take place.
Gyanmitra Saraswati
Gyanmitra Saraswati is co founder of SWAN Foundation for Ayurveda and Yoga Research and SWAN Yoga Retreat in Goa.
His journey in Yoga began through study and life in traditional ashrams, particularly at the Bihar School of Yoga in Munger, where he received his primary Yoga education under the guidance of his Guru, Paramahamsa Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati.
He was initiated by his Guru into the Dashnami Sannyasa tradition, a traditional monastic lineage associated with the teachings of Adi Shankaracharya. His years of living and studying in the ashram have deeply influenced his understanding of Yoga, discipline, service and the relationship between teacher and student.
Gyanmitra holds a BSc in Yoga from S VYASA University, Bengaluru. His studies have also included Ayurveda and Ayurvedic therapies at Arsha Vidya Yoga Peetham in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, where he studied the principles of Ayurveda as well as practical aspects of Ayurvedic care and traditional therapies.
This connection between Yoga and Ayurveda is an important part of his work at SWAN. He sees the two traditions not as separate offerings, but as complementary systems of knowledge concerned with how we understand the body, mind, lifestyle and wellbeing.
At SWAN, Gyanmitra teaches traditional Hatha Yoga, meditation, Yoga Nidra, Yoga philosophy and yogic kriyas, sharing practices that form an important part of the deeper dimensions of Yoga.
He is also responsible for the Havan ceremonies at SWAN, helping to preserve and share this traditional practice as part of the spiritual life of the campus. Havan is performed at the temple on Saturday and Sunday evenings and is open to everyone.
Alongside teaching, Gyanmitra helps guide the residential programmes and the day to day life of SWAN. His approach comes from the belief that a teacher does not give someone a ready made answer. The teacher creates a space in which the student can observe, practise, question and gradually discover for themselves.
Outside the main season at SWAN, he shares Yoga, Yoga philosophy and Yoga Nidra through retreats, seminars and courses in Europe.
Dayamurti
Dayamurti has been part of the SWAN journey from its early years and is one of the people who gives the campus much of its warmth and everyday character.
Her teaching centres particularly around traditional Hatha Yoga, asana and pranayama. She also has a deep interest in nutrition and brings this into her teaching through Ayurveda inspired vegetarian and vegan cooking and food education.
A disciple of Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga, she has studied Yoga education, Yoga philosophy and traditional Yoga through several institutions and teachers, including S VYASA University, Sivananda Ashram in Kerala and the Bihar School of Yoga tradition.
Over many years of teaching, she has developed a way of working that is attentive to the individual rather than focused simply on performance. Her classes invite students to understand the practice, listen to the body and gradually develop a more sensitive relationship with asana and pranayama.
At SWAN, she also teaches nutrition and Ayurvedic cooking, helping guests understand the connection between what we practise, what we eat and how we live.
Her presence is an important part of the residential life of SWAN, where teaching, cooking, conversation and everyday participation naturally become part of the learning.
Shivendra Ojha
Shivendra Ojha is co founder of SWAN Foundation for Ayurveda and Yoga Research and has been associated with Yoga and the work of SWAN for many years.
Coming from a family with a background in traditional Indian knowledge, including priesthood, astrology and Ayurveda, his own path eventually led him towards Yoga, spirituality and social service.
At SWAN, Shivendra’s teaching is primarily concerned with the knowledge traditions that surround Yoga. He shares Yoga history and tradition, the six schools of Indian philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita, the four paths of Yoga, Upanishadic thought, Tantra and the broader philosophical foundations of Indian spiritual traditions.
His teaching often begins with a simple question: how do these ideas relate to the life we are actually living?
Rather than treating philosophy as something that belongs only in books, he encourages students to question, discuss and examine the teachings in relation to their own experience.
He is also closely involved with the work of the SWAN Foundation, helping to develop and coordinate community initiatives and programmes, including projects connected with Yoga, education and social wellbeing.
For Shivendra, teaching and service are closely connected. Knowledge has greater meaning when it can be shared and put into practice.
Swarnim
Swarnim has been associated with SWAN for many years and became a part of the SWAN team in 2018. His journey at SWAN began through Karma Yoga, where he gradually became involved in social media, web development, IT and various aspects of the day-to-day functioning of the retreat.
With a background in Computer Science Engineering and an MBA, Swarnim brings a different perspective to the SWAN team, combining his professional experience with his growing interest and involvement in Yoga and the traditional practices followed at SWAN. He has completed his 300 Hours Yoga Teacher Training at SWAN, deepening his understanding and personal practice of Yoga.
At SWAN, Swarnim teaches Mantra Chanting as part of the Yoga Teacher Training courses and is also closely involved in communication, social media, web and IT, as well as the many behind-the-scenes responsibilities that help keep the retreat running smoothly. His role often extends beyond any one department, with his focus being on supporting the team and ensuring that guests have a meaningful and comfortable experience at SWAN.
Swarnim also leads the Havan and Kirtan held at SWAN, bringing together the community through mantra, music and the traditional fire ceremony. Having spent many years living and working at SWAN, he enjoys being part of its unique environment and believes that Yoga is not limited to what happens in a classroom, but is experienced through everyday living, service, practice and community.
Sindhu
Sindhu has been practicing Yoga dedicatedly for the last five years and has been teaching for three years now. Introduced to this divine journey since her childhood, she was always curious about finding answers to the big questions of life. After she quit her nine-to-five engineering job, her life changed entirely in what now seems to be the most obvious ways that led her towards the path of yoga. Having done her 200 hr TTC from Swan Yoga, Goa, Sindhu has completed her M.Sc. in Yoga therapy from S-VYASA yoga university, Bangalore. Her life’s goal is to reach the pinnacles of Yogic practice and gain as much knowledge as possible so that she may pass it on to those who seek.
Sindhu has had the opportunity to have learned under some of the most eminent teachers from across the country. Picking up techniques, forms and teachings from various schools of thought, she has a strong hold over identifying the right ways of practicing this way of life that is yoga. Sindhu’s ability lies in her teaching methodology, loving care towards her students and passion in passing on the right knowledge. Being well versed in understanding each body type, she is often admired by her students for her clarity and empathetic teaching style.
Many people make SWAN what it is
The founders are supported by a wider residential team of Yoga teachers, an Ayurvedic physician, trained Ayurveda therapists, kitchen staff and Karma Yogis.
Many have been part of SWAN for years. They contribute not only to classes and treatments but to the everyday life of the campus.
A residential Yoga and Ayurveda centre depends on many quiet acts of care. Preparing food, tending the garden, keeping the shalas ready, welcoming guests, assisting with treatments and simply being available when someone needs help are all part of what makes SWAN work.
The people behind these everyday activities are part of the learning environment too.
Traditional Ayurveda with personal care
Yoga and Ayurveda come together naturally at SWAN.
Our resident Ayurvedic physician and trained therapists work with guests through consultations, traditional Ayurvedic therapies, rejuvenation programmes and Panchakarma. Their work is supported by the same residential environment in which guests practise Yoga, eat, rest and live.
A Teacher Is Also a StudentWe continue to learn
The traditions we teach at SWAN were not created by us. We received them from teachers and traditions that came before us, and we continue to learn through practice, study and experience.
This is an important part of the Gurukula spirit.
A teacher does not stop being a student.
We do not expect to have all the answers, and we do not believe that Yoga makes one person more important than another. We simply try to share what we have learned, honestly and carefully, and to support each person who walks through the gates of SWAN in finding their own relationship with the practice.
Our residential programmes include traditional Hatha Yoga, meditation, pranayama, Yoga Nidra, Yoga philosophy, yogic kriyas, Ayurveda, Panchakarma and other practices according to the programme. You can explore the Yoga retreats or the Ayurveda retreats to see what each one involves.
Live, learn and experience Yoga in its residential setting
Whether you are completely new to Yoga, an experienced practitioner, a Yoga teacher or someone looking for a deeper understanding of Yoga and Ayurveda, you are welcome at SWAN. Come with questions. Come with curiosity. Come simply to practise. We will meet you where you are.