Acharya and teachers

Swami Sivamurti Saraswati
(founder of Satyanandashram Hellas and yoga acharya)

Swami Sivamurti Saraswati was born and raised in Australia. After spending some time in India at the Bihar School of Yoga, in 1976 her guru, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, initiated her into Poorna Sannyasa and commissioned her to spread the teachings of yoga in Greece.

In 1978 she founded Satyanandashram Hellas which, since its inception at Kalamata, has spread throughout Greece. Today there are yoga centres and teachers in most of the major cities. In 1984 she established an ashram at Paiania, 23 km from Athens which was inaugurated the following year by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

In 1993 Swami Sivamurti was recognized by the IYFM (International Yoga Fellowship Movement) a Yoga Acharya (Master of Yoga).

In 2004 she was appointed an official emissary of Satyananda Yoga by the Bihar School of Yoga.
Swami Sivamurti is a founding and executive member of the European Yoga Fellowship and a member of the Education Council of Bihar Yoga Bharati, India (Institute of Advanced Studies in Yogic Sciences).

She is also a guardian of the Satyananda Yoga Academy Europe and a member of its Governing Body.
In Greece, Swami Sivamurti is responsible for instituting the projects of Satyananda Math, the Karma Jignasu Sannyasa Body, and the Hellenic Satyananda Yoga Teachers Network.

Swami Sivamurti is based at the Paiania ashram and travels regularly throughout Greece and abroad. Each year visiting and spending sometime at the tapobumi (place of spiritual sadhana) of Swami Satyananda at Rikhiapeeth and the Bihar School of Yoga at Munger.
Swami Sivamurti is regarded for her wisdom and ability to synthesize ancient yogic teachings into modern day language. Through her seminars and writings she inspires and guides aspirants from many parts of the world into the teachings of Satyananda Yoga. Her books are a source of strength and positive direction to all those who seek the true Self that is within.

	Swami Aparokshananda Saraswati Swami Aparokshananda graduated from the Department of Political Science and Economics in the Law School at Athens University. He has been practicing yoga since 1978 and was trained by Swami Sivamurti Saraswati, completing his training in 1982. Swami Aparokshananda trains as well as assesses instructors of Satyananda Yoga. He specializes in Kriya yoga, Karma yoga, yogic diet and ecology. In conjunction with yoga, and for many years, he has been involved in organic farming.
	Swami Shambhujyoti Saraswati Swami Shambhujyoti Saraswati worked as a beautician for many years before coming to the ashram. She has been practicing yoga since 1985. She was trained by Swami Sivamurti and completed her teacher training in 1990. She trains and assesses Satyananda Yoga teachers and specializes in stress management, Yoga Nidra (deep relaxation practice) and Shat Karmas (inner cleansing techniques).
	Swami Kevalyananda Saraswati Swami Kevalyananda graduated from the School of English at Paris University. She has worked as both an English and French teacher in various private schools and has been practicing yoga since 1982, and in 1994 completed her training. She specializes in care and maintenance of the spinal column, as well as yoga for the elderly and yoga relaxation techniques.
	Swami Savikalpa Saraswati Swami Savikalpa studied nursing and midwifery at the Medical School of Belgrade. She went on to study music at the Vojislav Voutsovits School of Music in Belgrade. She has been practicing yoga since 1987. She completed her training in 1989 under the guidance of Swami Sivamurti Saraswati. Her specialization is in Nada yoga and Mantra yoga (the application of sound and music).
	Sannyasin Poornananda Sannyasin Poornananda graduated from the School of Rural and Surveying Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She went on to study at Ohio State University in the United States. She has been practicing yoga since 1981. She was trained by Swami Sivamurti Saraswati and in 1982 completed her training. She trains and assesses instructors of Satyananda Yoga, as well as specializing in Hatha yoga, Raja yoga, meditation techniques and Tattwa Shuddhi.
	Swami Amrit Sagar Saraswati Swami Amrit Sagar graduated from the Department of Computer Science from Natal University, South Africa. She has been practicing yoga since 1988. She completed her studies in the Satyananda Yoga Instructor’s Course in 2006 and specializes in yoga for children. She also directs and manages a publishing house which brings out books and audio-visual material on Satyananda Yoga.
	Swami Priyamurti Saraswati Swami Priyamurti grew up in Germany, went on to study photography, digital technology and psychology in London and continued to work as a multimedia practitioner and consultant for many years. She began practicing Satyananda Yoga in 2000 and completed her training as a Satyananda Yoga instructor in 2010.
	Swami Karuna Ratna Saraswati Swami Karuna Ratna began his studies in music and singing at an early age and at the same time he began practicing the discipline of martial arts. Before graduating from high school he started to practice yoga. He completed his yoga training in 2006 under the supervision of Swami Sivamurti Saraswati. Swami Karuna Ratna specializes in mantra chanting and kirtan.
	Swami Om Murti Saraswati Swami Om Murti graduated from the Department of Social Anthropology at the Aegean University, Greece. It was her interest in the social behaviour of humans as well as their way of thinking and their mentality that led her to study the Humanities and Yoga. She has attended many seminars in business development and human resource management. In 1991 she began to practice Satyananda Yoga. She completed her Yogic teacher training in 2006 under the supervision of Swami Sivamurti Saraswati.
	Swami Shraddhamalananda Saraswati Swami Shraddhamalananda graduated from the School of Social Work at the Technological Educational Institute, Athens, in 1996. She worked as a social worker for many years in child psychiatry health centres and The Smile of the Child organisation. She has been practicing yoga since 2001 and completed her training as an instructor in 2008. Her specialisation is in yoga for children as well as yoga detox and rehabilitation.
	Sannyasin Amritananda Saraswati Sannyasin Amritananda began yoga in 2003 at the Satyananda Yoga Centre in Kavala. She attended the Satyananda Instructor’s Course Level 1 in the summer of 2010 at Satyananda- shram Greece which she successfully completed.
	Sannyasin Laya Mudra Saraswati Sannyasin Laya Mudra graduated from the Department of Biology at Athens University. After working in the Ministry of Employment she went on to work in the private sector. She began yoga while still a student and was trained in Satyananda Yoga by experienced teachers. She completed her yoga training in 2000 under the supervision of Swami Sivamurti Saraswati.
	Sannyasin Ratnapriya Saraswati Sannyasin Ratnapriya graduated from the Athens Conservatory where she studied classical music under the supervision of distinguished music teachers both Greek and foreign. She taught piano and worked in music therapy for a period of time and has been practicing yoga since 2000, completing her training in 2007. She specializes in yoga for children and Nada yoga (the application of sound and music).
	Sannyasin Tratakananda Saraswati Sannyasin Tratakananda studied costume and set design graduating from the School of Fine Arts in Naples, Italy. She has been practicing yoga since 1997 and completed her training as a yoga instructor in 2008.
	Sannyasin Parvati Saraswati Sannyasin Parvati combines bringing up her little girl in the natural environment of the ashram with her own training and teaching of yoga. She began yoga in Canada in 1999, and later, upon coming to Greece, continued with Satyananda Yoga. She completed her training in 2008, and now specializes in shatkarmas techniques (deep cleansing techniques of internal organs).

Teachers of Satyanandashram Hellas give seminars and classes in many places outside the ashram in Greece and abroad, for example Bulgaria, Serbia, Cyprus, Greek islands, the independent Satyananda Yoga centers of Greece and the main centers in Thessaloniki and Athens.
Teachers are available for classes and seminars at your home or public venues like schools, clubs and organisations. Please contact us for more information.

Satyanandashram is a non-profit organization and receives no government funding. Programs and activities are open to members. Contributions and donations cover the running costs and go towards the philanthropic work of Satyananda Math to assist those in need. Contributions are non-refundable and non-transferable. Booking is essential to secure your place.
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