An Authentic Yoga Experience: A return to the Ethics of Yoga in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

In reaction against a yoga trend in the west that popularizes luxury yoga clothing and vacations and “rock star” yoga teachers, a yoga movement is emerging in the East Village with an organization offering donation-based classes and encouraging students to practice without regard to personal style of the teacher. (A Yoga Manifesto, New York Times April 23). However, another yoga movement is gaining momentum and it reaches far beyond the East Village and into the ancient roots and values of yoga, while synthesizing a global, environmentally sustainable, and justice- based approach.

Yogi-nomad, formally established in 2009, is a global, non-profit yoga organization that has members on all continents, promotes carbon offsetting for yoga travels, and features a Yoga Teacher Training Course in the Kathmandu region of Nepal. While it is commonly believed that yoga was born in ancient India, the subcontinent at that time included Nepal, and, according to yogapoint.com, the

 

Hatha Yoga tradition, founded by Sage Matsyendranath and his disciple Sage Gorakhnath, developed the "Nath" sect whose traditions are alive and celebrated today in Nepal. The Nath tradition is credited with systematizing a logical and safe approach to achieving higher states of consciousness and emphasized the values of ethics and morality, and noble deeds in life. 

Similarly, Yogi-nomad emphasizes ethics and values as essential daily practices of yoga in Nepal, critical to overcoming the challenges of today’s world. Co-founder Gabriel Tezier says, “Being a nomad {Yogi-nomad} signifies your non-attachment to the material world and its cohort of illusions; it is a step out of the consumerist craze. Being a nomad is the recognition of the intrinsic value in each human.” Gabriel and the Yogi-nomad team believe that offering 4-6 week yoga training classes in Nepal provides students a valuable opportunity to study in one of the most sacred spaces to the spiritual and philosophical foundations of yoga, allowing for a much deeper experience.

Yogi-nomad, a Registered Yoga School (RYS) with Yoga Alliance is determined to place Nepal high on the yoga map and has recently become the first RYS School in Nepal. Currently, Yogi-nomad, with 1600 Facebook fans located all over the world, offers workshops throughout Asia, Europe and South America, in addition to the Nepal course. The next Yoga Teacher Training in Nepal will be held from 4 October - 12 November 2010. For more information,