Our People · Alumni
Since 2005, more than 20,000 students have trained at our ashram in Rishikesh. When they leave, many tell us they wish they could take a piece of the ashram with them. Yoga Bodhi, our alumni community, and the Nishkam Volunteer Program are how we try to make that possible.
A message from our founder
Founder photo strip · 2400×480 (5:1) · Founder photo: a wide, landscape shot of Digamber Nautiyal at the ashram in soft natural light, from the chest up or seated, with the yoga hall, the garden or the forest stretching out on both sides. Shoot landscape and keep him in the middle third of the frame, because phones show only the centre (2:1). Export 2400×480 (5:1) WebP under 150 KB as founder-digamber-nautiyal.webp, eyes about a third from the top.
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On the last morning of a course, before they walk down the hill, students often come to say goodbye. Bags packed, certificate in hand, many of them tell me the same thing: "I wish I could take a piece of the ashram with me."
I have heard those words for years, from students of every age and from every part of the world, and I understand them. For a few weeks you wake with the same bell, practise with the same people, eat at the same tables and sit with the same questions. Then you go home. The questions come with you, but the people you shared them with are suddenly spread across the world.
We never wanted the ashram to be a place you visit once. From the start we hoped it would be a place of exchange and growth for people who practise yoga: somewhere the study of yoga philosophy, of spirituality and of what it means to grow as a human being carries on long after the course has ended.
That is why we created Yoga Bodhi. It cannot replace the forest or the morning bell. But it can keep you close to your teachers, to the texts and to each other. Whenever you are ready, there is a place for you here.
Digamber NautiyalFounder, Rishikesh Yogpeeth
Yoga Bodhi by Rishikesh Yogpeeth
Our community program
Bodhi is a Sanskrit word for awakening: the kind of understanding that grows from within. We chose it because that is what we hope keeps happening after your course ends.
Our vision
Your yoga education should keep growing after you leave the ashram. Yoga Bodhi keeps you learning with your teachers and with other graduates, so that what you learned here deepens instead of fading.
Every graduate of Rishikesh Yogpeeth is welcome, whether you trained last month or ten years ago, and whether you now teach full time or practise only for yourself.
Inside Yoga Bodhi
Stand-in · replace with a Yoga Bodhi session photoOnline, monthly
Once a month, one of our teachers leads a live online session on yoga philosophy. We read and discuss texts such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita, and look at what their ideas mean for practice and for daily life.
Stand-in · replace with a Yoga Bodhi session photoOnline
Tips and tried methods for the work after training: planning classes, teaching mixed levels, safe adjustments and running a studio. Bring real questions from your own classes and hear from our faculty and from graduates who have faced the same thing.
Stand-in · replace with a Yoga Bodhi session photoLive from the kitchen
Cook along with our kitchen team, live from the ashram. Learn to make the simple vegetarian food you ate here, like dal, seasonal sabzi and fresh chapatis, with advice on spices and on eating in a way that supports your practice.
Stand-in · replace with a Yoga Bodhi session photoSpecial sessions
Webinars on a single yoga topic, led by our faculty or a guest teacher. Some sessions are open conversations where members share ideas, suggest what to study next and help shape how the Yoga Bodhi community grows.
The community
Moments from recent batches at the ashram. Yoga Bodhi brings the same people together again, wherever in the world they now live.
Only for Yoga Bodhi members
Nishkam means action without expecting anything in return. The Nishkam Volunteer Program gives Yoga Bodhi members a way to come back to the ashram and offer karma yoga and seva, selfless service, as part of daily ashram life.
You live with the community, keep up your own practice and give your time where the ashram needs it. Serving the place where you learned turns what you studied into something you do every day.
A short video call so we can get to know you, hear why you want to come back and talk about when you could come.
Ashram life and seva ask a lot, emotionally as well as physically. A short evaluation helps make sure the time here is good for you and for the community.
A final conversation with our team about dates, the seva you would take on and what each day will look like.
Member reviews
Review slot 1
Written review from a Yoga Bodhi member: what they joined (a philosophy session, Ashram Live, teacher support), what it changed for them, their name, country, course and year at Rishikesh Yogpeeth, and a link to where it was posted. 40 to 90 words.
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Review slot 2
Written review from a Yoga Bodhi member: what they joined (a philosophy session, Ashram Live, teacher support), what it changed for them, their name, country, course and year at Rishikesh Yogpeeth, and a link to where it was posted. 40 to 90 words.
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Join Yoga Bodhi
Fill in this short form. We will check your details against our course records and email you the session calendar and joining links.
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