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About the Sharat Arora Yoga Method

"Postures and breathing of Hatha Yoga practices are there to bring about balance
between Ha (Sun) and Tha (Moon), so that blockages are removed and Prana,
the life force, is able to flow everywhere equally." Sharat Arora

Life of Yoga Master Teacher -Sharat Arora (Anand Sagar)

Sharat Arora was born in 1953 and discovered yoga in 1978. He went through intensive, full-time training for seven years with BKS Iyengar at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Institute in Pune and assisted B.K.S. Iyengars on all levels of Asana classes. However, more significant in his development as a practitioner and teacher was his involvement in the daily therapy sessions, serving countless patients. His fusion of this experience, with his extensive study of Western medicine, greatly influenced his continually-evolving Yoga technique and sharpened his unique Yoga therapy skills.

During this time of his growth and transformation, Sharat was living in a Buddhist community and became interested in meditation, particularly Vipassana. With this added insight, Sharat made a breakthrough in understanding what Yoga techniques were meant to bring about in himself and others. He was further inspired by the teachings of J.Krishnamurti and later by HWL Poonja (the linage of Ramanamaharishi), leading to a more holistic practice and Yogic life. Sharat's clear and precise instructions, constant and detailed attentiveness, focus on providing students with the tools to practice and explore independently, and therapeutic knowledge for treating ailments and injuries, are combined with a spiritual depth that makes his instruction unique. Sharat speaks French, German and English fluently and has lived and traveled extensively in Europe.

The Sharat Arora Method

The Sharat Arora Yoga Method is the study of action and non-action, only when we find that balance can we experience harmony in the postures and true integration is possible. In order to achieve this, focus on flexibility and strength has to be put aside as it conflicts with our main goal which is to release tensions and overcome the limitations of the body. This is true freedom.

Classical Iyengar Yoga can be considered the basis of our method. We use props to maintain alignment and relaxation in all the poses. The method is immensely beneficial for healing all manner of ailments. During the practice we maintain our awareness inwards and directed towards the sensations of the body, rather than the thoughts to minimise and eventually eliminate the control of the mind.

In this method the organs of action are the hands and the feet and the trunk is passive. We keep our awareness here rather than performing local movements of the trunk. This revelation about the footwork is integral and specific to the Sharat Arora Yoga Method. All the postures therefore grow from the foundations from which alignment is easy to find.

The Teachers of the Teacher

Sharat Arora has been influenced mainly by several teachers throughout his life

Sri HWL Poonja (Papaji) 1910-1997

A teacher of self-inquiry and a disciple of Sri Ramana Maharishi. After the death of his Teacher he offered to speak about his experiences with the Saint. Tens of thousands of people visited him, especially in Lucknow, where Sharat Arora met him in 1990. He then returned over several years to sit in Satsang with ‘Papaji’. In his teaching Papaji emphasised the limitation of words on the spiritual path and the importance of silence. “Your nature is to keep quiet. You came from silence and you have to return to silence... you are dancing only for a little while you see...”                                                                                                                                                                                    
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S.N Goenka 1924-2013

S. N Goenka was a teacher of Vipassana Meditation who brought this ancient technique to people around the world. Thanks to his efforts and inspiration there are 10-day silent meditation retreats organised worldwide every day where thousands and thousands of people get a chance to benefit from this meditation technique regardless of their religion, race or financial situation. Sharat Arora sat his first course in 1979 which was conducted by Goenkaji himself. Vipassana practice brought him a new understanding of yoga practice. He takes a 10-day Vipassana retreat at least once a year and encourages all his teacher trainees and committed students to do the same.
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BKS Iyengar (Guruji) 1918-2014

On of the most influential yoga teachers of all time. With the help of yoga he managed to heal himself, his own daughter and thousands of people around the world from injury and disease. He developed his own yoga method with a focus on alignment. Extensive use of props enabled people of all ages and physical abilities to benefit from yoga practice. He has trained and inspired thousands of teachers worldwide. He was the first and only yoga teacher of Sharat Arora. Sharat Arora had the privilege to assist BKS Iyengar personally for almost 7 years in all his classes. Out of gratitude to Guruji the main yoga hall in Dharamkot was named after him.
 
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Sri Ramana Maharshi

Sage, Saint and spiritual teacher who advocated self-enquiry and surrender as a means to remove ignorance, reside in awareness and know the True Self Ramana was born and lived his life in Tamil Nadu. At 16 he had a death-like experience which awoke in him the understanding of true Self or ‘Personal God’. After this experience he journeyed to Mount Arunachala where he lived many years as a sannyasin meditating in a cave. Devotees flocked to him and later an ashram built up around him. One devotee was HWL Poonja (Papaji), who later became a teacher of our Master Teacher Sharat Arora. Sharat has spent much time at both the Sri Ramana Maharshi Ashram in Tiruvannamalai and on Mt. Arunachala in meditation and self-contemplation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
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Jiddu Krishnamurti 1895-1986

Indian philosopher, inspirational speaker and writer. As a boy he was chosen by the Theosophical Society to be the new World Teacher. In 1929 he denounced this role claiming that there should be no other teacher but oneself. “I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. [...]The moment you follow someone you cease to follow Truth. [...] I am concerning myself with only one essential thing: to set man free. I desire to free him from all cages, from all fears, and not to found religions, new sects, nor to establish new theories and new philosophies” Throughout his life he continued to give public talks and he wrote books inspiring many to seek the truth within themselves. Sharat Arora has been influenced by Krishnamurti for many years. He attended many of his talks in Mumbai and since then he has always had one of his books close by as a source of daily inspiration.
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