Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Centre - Yoga Retreat Center in Dharamshala - Kangra, India

A stream full of priceless wisdom was shared in this Intensive Teachers Training course which I attended for 6 weeks under the guidance of Sharat Ji, Maria and all the assistant teachers. As a pre requisite to the TTC you have to do a 9 day intensive, to get a familiarity with the style of yoga we would be practicing. It is followed by a 3-week Intensive "Pranic Healing" course which is also a Silent course where you commit to yourself to be with silence (except for asking any questions to the teachers and ofcourse anything important). The silent course is held in the 'Himalaya Shanti Ashram' which is located at the foothill of a pristine mountain range in Dharamshala without any distractions. It is sort of a paradise if you love being in the wild and nature. You will learn all the amazing poses with the tiniest of details involved, which is what makes this course so unique. As Sharat, with all his passion and commitment toward yoga will guide you into discovering your body. The silent course is followed by a 3 week Teachers Training at the center in Dharamkot which is again at an amazing location where you are taught on how to impart this knowledge to other people. Having practiced yoga before, I found Sharat's approach very scientific, where you learn as you practice. There is immense focus on awareness, which is a learning for life as the true essence of yoga is to live in a state which is in sync with our true innate nature. I highly recommend this for anyone who is committed in self-development and finding balance in their lives overall. I have so much I can write but i'll perhaps leave it for a blog as this has become too long for a Google review already.

First of all I think you need to be aware how is Iyengar Yoga to not create expectations. In my case I had some idea but not enough, was one of my first iyengar classes in my life. I practice hatha. I recently did a 5 day Introduction course, during last days of May 2018. I started with some pain in my knee and I ended up with more pain, even following the instruction to avoid additional pain. I will recommend to try it, if you want to understand a little bit of the style, then you can decide if it fits or not for you, because some people love it and really enjoy it! In summary for me: Pros: beautiful location, nice Yoga shala, all the props available, helpful assistants (class assistance), good teaching of Yoga asana base structure and asana alignment. Cons: too many people at the class (30 ppl), way of teaching include some criticism of other yoga styles, instead to just highlight the iyengar benefits, a little bit of arrogance from main teacher, just asana practice, to slow compare with other yoga styles

I did a five day introductory course. It was an excellent investment of time. Our young ( well young to me anyways) I'm 66. Vishna was wise beyond his years. He was patient, attentive and knowledgeable. I learned a great deal and will return in January trainings. I strongly recommend this training to anyone seriously interested in competent instruction

I've done a teacher training at the HIYC. This TTC ist not the typical teacher training, it's much more: It consists of a 9 day immersion course to learn Sharat's yoga method (which is an evolvement of classic Iyengar yoga), a three weeks intensive course at a mountain ashram and a three weeks teacher training at the centre in Dharamkot. This Yoga Course might be a game changer for your life and your health. Sharat's yoga is a quite profound approach to yoga, everything is about the correct alignment of the body. If you are already a yoga teacher and want to deepen your knowledge about correct asanas, alignment and prana flowing, this course is for you. If you want to help your yoga students that have problems with their health or have body issues, this course is for you (the course is titled ,,pranic healing"). If you feel your own body getting older and want to know how to keep it young and healthy, this course is for you. If you want to get motivation to implement a daily yoga routine into your life, this course is for you. To sum it up: I had a profound experience at the HIYC and I soon will be back. (Marcus, Munich)

Sharat may have, centuries ago, been to Pune, but rest assured, if he were to walk through those doors again, his wake-up call would be swift and comprehensive. He's not visiting Pune regularly. He's not been getting up-to-date teachings. He doesn't have peers to question him, there's no one else there to challenge what he's doing and why he's doing it. Nor does he have the confidence of more senior teachers to support his own growth. I will not make this a personal attack, but I need to address the malpractice you're trying to subvert with his reputation in the iyengar method. Multiple senior Iyengar teachers in the UK, US and India have said he has seriously lost his way and has not, for a very long time, taught Iyengar yoga. You don't teach sirasana, ever. And the stuff you do teach is substantially removed from the Iyengar method; you've said so yourself. So for you to attempt to defend him by invoking Iyengar's mentorship in remedial work, whilst your studio disregards and butchers intrinsic parts of that very therapeutic system (they've turned Sarvangasana into something entirely ungodly) warrants no further scrutiny and is frankly, bloody shameless. It is, however, symbolic of the desperate lengths you'd go to cover up this sham. Let's be clear - your master's teachings are not revolutionary. To present the departures from Light on Yoga as the conscious next step brought forth by some master is straight-up delusion and patronising to anyone who has had the misfortune to suffer these classes. So you don't teach Iyengar, you have no other Iyengar teachers on the timetable, yet you call yourselves Himalayan Iyengar yoga? How is that anything other than misleading? Pick up the phone, call Pune and ask on what basis, other than pure nerve and audacity, you can still warrant calling yourselves Himalayan Iyengar Yoga? Banking on a historic go-ahead from someone as justification is preposterous, and you know it is. Again you're feigning reverence for someone's word you seem markedly keen to ignore when it comes to, I don't know, how to do asanas per se? The countless people you invoke pale insignificantly in the face of the multitudes across the globe; actual Iyengar teachers help every day. Their groundbreaking remedial work aligned with the methodology, is reviewed by peers, and who's outcomes are collated from thousands of practitioners worldwide. As a sangha, we workshop ideas and through discourse, find out how best to develop remedial aids to help people recover and grow. What you're doing is playing off people's notions of remedial Iyengar, and profiting from it. It's unpalatable. What's more, you and anyone else on this merry-go-round are just riding the coattails of other people's hard work. You gave me a five-word reply to an email after I left due to the joke you called a class. Three hours for seven asanas with someone stopping the class halfway and asking if anybody wanted to buy lunch... that's why I decided to leave. What's more, the only thing dropping out of that class was the decidedly infirm knee joints you and your trainees had from never actually doing a standing asana. Don't twist my words. I said you hold contempt for Iyengar and his family, which you do. And apparently contempt for me, to paraphrase you: "Transparency about us not teaching Iyengar isn't available on the website, nor the confirmation email. You need to travel here, pay a non-refundable fee and speak to one of our staff on-site about it." You're funny. Regarding how your trainees behaved towards me, it was intimidating and unfriendly. You don't need to reprimand anyone. You just need to reflect. Iyengar method is simple yet profound. Asking people to forget what they know is akin to asking a child who's moving schools to forget everything they know about maths before starting a new class. It's senseless, anywhere you go in the world same basics; unless it's with you of course, who are now so removed the basics no longer apply. Again I find it remarkable you trying to justify calling yourselves Himalayan iyengar Yoga.

I attended a 9 day immersion and Yoga and Ayurveda intensive retreat last year and returned again this year to complete a TTC. The entire experience, without a doubt, has been completely life-changing. I have been practicing yoga for many years - and have even completed other teacher training programs - but this one completely expanded my awareness of how to practice and how to help others. Sharat Arora assisted BKS Iyengar for nearly seven years, closely studying his yoga therapy methods. Since then, he has spent decades passionately doing his own studies on how to use the methods he learned and refine them to create a yoga practice that is healing and accessible to all people. I have seen other reviews that criticize the method saying it is not really "Iyengar Yoga." It is true that HIYC classes will be different from what you may be used to if you take classes at other Iyengar yoga studios. However, if you allow yourself to leave your expectations at the door, you will find that this method has so much to offer and is very much inline what Mr. Iyengar dedicated his life to developing. The 9 day course will give you all the foundation you need to create your own self practice after you leave the center. The intensive retreat allows you the opportunity to go even deeper into the practice, to refine your awareness in more subtle ways, and being a silent retreat it offers an opportunity to go deeply inward and know your true self. At the end of the retreat I felt more joyful, energetic and excited about life than I ever have before. I developed a deep commitment to my yoga practice and was confident to continue a regular practice when I returned home. In addition, the ashram was the most beautiful setting to experience the retreat. You are completely surrounding by nature with the sound of the river like a lullaby at night. I just completed the TTC which was a deep dive into teaching the method and understanding the details of all of the asanas. You learn how to read the human body so you can help people of all body types, ages, etc. learn how to find alignment and healing through yoga. Master teachers Sharat and Maria teach the course and you have the opportunity to practice teaching and receive feedback from them. At the end of the course I am feeling inspired and confident about teaching yoga and sharing this method with others. Sharat has a wealth of knowledge to share from a lifetime of yoga practice and tireless self-study. I believe that he truly wants all of his students to succeed and experience all of the benefits that yoga has to offer - and he will encourage you to work hard to get there. I am very grateful to have him as a teacher.

I have spent the last 2 months in Dharamshala learning and practicing under the guidance of Sharat and his team of teachers at HIYC. Completing first a 9 day course in Arambol in Feb 2023 and then a week later continuing on to do another 9 day immersion, the 160 hr Pranic Healing Intensive and 160hr YTT in the beautiful Shanti Ashram and Dharamkot centre. Both yoga halls have a peaceful & special energy to them. Sharat has decades of knowledge to share from his teachers and mostly from his own dedication and exploration of body, mind and spirit through yoga, meditation and pranayama. In the past I have practiced & studied different yoga styles for many years that worked only on an outward physical level. Sharats teachings are much more subtle and have helped me on a deeper level. A way to go inwards and find true balance and freedom in one's life. Very rare to find a teacher that is passionate about yoga being taught authentically & in its truest form.

I recently had the pleasure of attending a 5-day yoga course at HIYC Dharamkot Centre, and I must say it was an incredible experience. The teachers at this centre are truly exceptional, and they are extremely knowledgeable and skilled in their craft. One thing that really stood out to me was the detailed orientation provided for each asana. The teachers take the time to explain the correct posture and alignment for each pose, ensuring that all students fully understand the movements and how they benefit the body. Additionally, each student is under observation during the practice, which allows for immediate feedback and corrections from the teachers. The assistant teachers in the class were also very helpful in providing support and correcting posture where necessary. The ambience of the centre is simply pristine, it truly is a peaceful and tranquil setting. Overall, I highly recommend HIYC Dharamkot Yoga Centre for anyone looking for a quality yoga experience. The teachers are excellent, the asana's are expertly taught and corrected, and the ambience is perfect for deepening one's practice. I left feeling rejuvenated and refreshed, and I am already planning my next visit!