18 to 26 February intensive course 2026
yoga philosophy by Siddhartha Krishna
Reflections on a Journey of Discovery: The Bali Yoga Retreat with Ushaji
31 january to 8 February
By Marisa
My recent experience at Ushaji’s yoga retreat in Bali was nothing short of transformative. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the island—through both the radiant sunny days and the calming tropical rain—I found a sense of peace and purpose that stayed with me long after the retreat ended.
A Teacher of Wisdom and Presence
Ushaji is an exceptionally intelligent and knowledgeable teacher, blending skill with a deep passion for her students’ well-being. Even before our formal sessions began, I would often see her practicing in the quiet of the early morning. She always greeted me with a warm, genuine smile that set a positive tone for the day.
While she is incredibly caring, Ushaji is also a strict and precise instructor. Despite the large size of our classes, her "eagle eyes" never missed a detail. I vividly remember the first day during Utthita Trikonasana. She paused the class to correct my form, noting that my right shin was dropping and my big toe wasn't grounded. She explained with great clarity how these subtle misalignments could eventually impact my knees—a level of insight that truly impressed me.
Rediscovering the Basics
The depth of Ushaji's instruction made me realize how much I had yet to learn. In Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog), she taught us the subtle mechanics of the body: the extension of the fingers and palms, the engagement of the limbs, and the lengthening of the lumbar area.
I realized that, previously, I had only been practicing on the surface. Her teachings opened my mind to the true meaning of alignment.
Inclusivity: When students felt overwhelmed or ready to give up, Ushaji refused to let them quit. She always found a creative way to adapt the pose so they could succeed.
Care: She provided thoughtful, specific guidance for students who were menstruating, ensuring everyone’s practice was safe and restorative.
Variety: From standing poses and inversions to deep backbends and twists, the curriculum was comprehensive and inspiring.
More Than Just Physical Posture
Ushaji shared profound wisdom from Guruji, reminding us that a yoga teacher should always give more than they receive and, above all, strive to be a good human being. She encouraged us to leave our "body issues" at the door and approach the mat with a focused mind.
This retreat sparked a new curiosity in me. I’ve learned that yoga is a journey of endless learning and practice—one that continues until the very end of our days.
Acknowledgments
My deepest gratitude goes to Ushaji for sharing her invaluable techniques and inspiring me to maintain a positive, "can-do" attitude toward my practice. I also want to extend a special thank you to Ming for the hard work in translation and to Amy for her support.
I am already looking forward to reuniting with my teacher and classmates. Wishing everyone a wonderful and prosperous Lunar New Year! 🧧
From Fear to Foundation: My Journey with Ushaji
By Yiyang Li
I have been practicing Iyengar Yoga for about a year. Since the very beginning of my journey, I have heard fellow students speak of Ushaji with profound respect. Even as a beginner, I felt a strong aspiration to study with her one day, though I admit I was intimidated by stories of her strict discipline and the intensity of her classes.
Over the past year, something within me shifted. As my body grew stronger and more connected, my courage grew along with it. When the announcement for her course finally appeared, I didn't hesitate; I knew I was ready.
The Power of Trust
The classes were exactly as I expected: physically demanding and mentally rigorous. The asanas required absolute precision, endurance, and unwavering attention. However, what touched me most was discovering the immense integrity and care that lie beneath Ushaji’s strictness.
Her teaching comes from a place of deep commitment and a genuine love for the practice. This realization built a tremendous sense of trust within me. Because of that trust, I felt empowered to push past my perceived limits and truly explore what I was capable of.
A New Internal Geography
Through Ushaji’s guidance, I discovered a completely new perspective on my own body. For the last year, I had focused primarily on my stiffness, believing my limitations were purely a lack of flexibility. Under her watchful eye, I began to realize that my joints are actually quite mobile—the real challenge was a lack of integrated strength.
This isn't the kind of strength one builds in a gym. It is a deeper, quieter strength that arises from the core and radiates outward through the limbs—a strength that supports extension rather than fighting against it. I began to understand the vital importance of:
Structural Integration: Properly seating the femur head into the hip socket.
Stability: Drawing the arm bones deeply into the shoulder joints.
Centering: Moving from a stable, intelligent center.
When the bones are correctly positioned, the pose feels grounded and expansive at the same time.
A Shift in Understanding
This experience has fundamentally shifted my understanding of yoga. It is not about forcing the body into flexibility; it is about creating stability, intelligence, and inner support so that true extension can happen safely and fully.
Studying with Ushaji has given me more than just physical awareness—it has given me a newfound confidence in myself. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have learned from such a master.
14 January intensive course 2026
Under the Guidance of Siddartha Krishna ji the wiscom of the five koshas
December Intensive Course 2025
Siddhartha krishna ji
explains that in the Yoga Sūtras, the kleśas do not always appear in an active form; they often remain in a potential or seed state within us. Ignorance is the root of all kleśas, and from it ego, attachment, aversion, and fear arise when conditions support them. Sometimes these tendencies are hidden, sometimes weak, and sometimes fully active, but even when they are not visible, they still exist as potential impressions. Through yoga practice, these potentials gradually become weaker and lose their power.
November intensive 2025
Be with what you are doing: reflections from the November 2025 intensive course with Usha Devi ji
The lecture of
Dr. Namrata Sharma
As we transitioned from one pose to the other, so from the asana class we transitioned to the study room to learn more about nature & life.
Dr.Namrata Sharma is no stranger to Patanjala Yoga Kendra. She is a long-time student of Usha ji and a plant biologist from the University of Jammu (J&K, India). She gave a fascinating lecture on plants, their evolution and adaptation to the changing climate.
Dr. Namrata shared profound wisdom concerning the inherent knowledge within every plant, underscoring the critical truth: "As an evolved race, how we interact with plants could actually be the very thing that leads to our downfall."
Plants are more than simple greenery; they carry significant cultural and spiritual weight in various societies. Consider oxygen production: most plants absorb CO2 during the day. However, a select few release oxygen after sundown. The Ficus religiosa, known as the Peepal tree or the sacred Bodhi tree, exemplifies this nocturnal oxygen release.
Furthermore, Bhojpatra, or birch, possesses a rich history, with its bark having been utilized for ancient inscriptions.
Finally, the Brahmakamal (Saussurea obvallata), a flower endemic to India, is highly valued for its medicinal properties and was historically offered in temples. Regrettably, it is now facing the imminent threat of complete extinction.
Plants are silent messengers of what’s happening to the climate. We should be more generous with them, alert to the signs they give us and treat them as friends. Even just by cutting a single plant we are cutting an entire.
The greatest gift
The morning of the last day of the course was full of vigorous practice as we progressed to backbends. We raised, we fell, we clapped with the thighs in Urdhva Dhanurasana, we lifted the dorsal spine higher and higher, became taller and taller, and held the posture for longer and longer. Afterward, there was quietness, peace and no energy or need for conversation.
The course concluded with a pranayama class. Quiet and alert we were able to penetrate deeper and observe the breath objectively, without forcing anything.
“Pranayama teaches humility and frees us from greed or hankering after the fruits of our actions. Nothing can be forced; receptivity is everything,” as B.K.S. Iyengar said.
As we were finishing with Savasana, we heard a gentle bansuri sound. It was as if the heart itself became an instrument, resonating in the same key as the bansuri. The melody was played by one of the students in the course, Virgil Lazar.
In that moment, suspended between the echo of the flute and the silent rhythm of our own breath, we understood that the truest gift of our practice was not the depth of a pose. But the open heart that was now shining with peaceful joy and love, a melody we would carry long after we left the yoga school.
On November 13 Patanjala Yoga Kendra opened its doors to the yoga students, those hungry for deep experiential learnings and ready for intense work, as another yoga intensive course with Usha Devi ji began.
The next 8 days were full of demanding practice, learnings and unlearnings, profound insights and immense joy.
As we stood on our mats the self-study, svadhyaya, began, and it began with the feet. We spend so much time on our feet, yet most of the time we're not even aware of them. Our feet are the foundation of the body, just like the roots of a tree. Usha ji had us focus on our feet by practicing different variations of Virasana and Sankatasana (Sanskrit: "being in a difficult situation"). Guruji's words really came to life: "Practice isn't just about feeling good. It's about awareness, and awareness is what allows us to notice and understand both the pleasure and the pain."
In the first few days, we also worked on establishing a strong foundation in the legs by practicing standing asanas. It was an eye-opening experience to see how the different parts of the legs often function in a disjointed way - the shins are aggressive, the quadriceps are passive. We were learning the proper way to engage these areas and bring life to the legs.
"Be with what you are doing" - Usha ji has been constantly reminding us about. This gentle refrain is deceptively simple. It demands considerable intentional effort to anchor the restless mind entirely to a single action, a singular point of focus.
As we progressed through the course, body awareness increased, the legs and arms grew stronger, the trunk lengthened, the pelvic area opened up, the abdomen softened, the body became lighter, and the breath steadied and softened. The brain became more receptive, and concentration came naturally.
Yoga Contribution Recognition
9 November Power Grid honours Usha Devi for her dedicated and impactful work in Yoga. Mr . Y.P.S Kanwal ji VP, Dean, executive education JIMS,ROHINI ,DELHI and Dr. Pooja Jain Director,JIMS, appreciating her sincere efforts in promoting physical fitness, mental well-being, and a culture of holistic health among employees.
Management Department Program
Lifestyle Re-engineering
30 October - 1 November 2025
27 - 28 November 2025
AT THE 3RD INTERNATIONAL YOGA & INDIAN MUSIC FESTIVAL
The 3rd Free International Yoga & Indian Music Festival (1-14 November 2010) was organized in Rishikesh, the world capital of yoga. The event was attended by students from all over the world as well as various pre-eminent musicians and yoga teachers, including the 100-years old Swami Yogananda and the renowned Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa (Los Angeles, USA).
INTENSIVE YOGA COURSE
In the October Intensive Yoga Course a student of Usha Devi, Ms. Rujuta Diwekar, famous dietician and author of the bestseller “Don’t lose your mind, lose your weight” brilliantly explained methods to nourish our Annamaya Kosha (the material body that is sustained by food). She explained that proper nourishment enables us to stay in the posture for a longer period of time, which is the goal of practice according to Sage Patanjali (Yoga Sutra 1.13).
A WONDERFUL MUSICAL EVENINGON 28TH MARCH 2010
On the eve of the 28th March 2010, Patanjala Yoga Kendra hosted an amazing music concert for the delight of the yoga students and music-lovers.
BALINESE CULTURAL NIGHT ON 19TH FEBRUARY 2010
On the 19th February, Nyanyian Dharma, a renowned music group from Bali (Indonesia), visited our centre, as part of their all India tour "Dharma Ashram Yatra". They offered a wonderful and amazing performance, accompanied by several indigenous musical instruments, including gamelan, a typical Balinese orchestra of tuned percussions.
LECTURE-DEMONSTRATION AND DANCE BY MANDAKINI TRIVEDION 25TH OCTOBER 2009
Patanjala Yoga Kendra organised a workshop on "Yoga and Indian Classical Dance" by Mandakini Trivedi as part of the Yoga Intensive Course, Oct 09. Mandakini Trivedi is a Mohini-Attam performer, teacher and choreographer who studied the roots of Indian classical dance and yoga, and now re-introduces its principles into dance education and performing techniques. More than 50 students from various countries participated in the workshop conducted by her.
SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA: 23 SURGERIES, THEN YOGA
Usha Devi walks with a noticeable limp but it is her pleasant smile that is distracting. You will find no outward evidence of the two road accidents that nearly destroyed her. She can now squat on her haunches, something her doctors told her would never be possible. She can even do the headstand, with a little help. You suggest miracle, she quickly corrects you. “Hard work and yoga.”
VISIT OF THE PALESTINIAN SINGER RIM BANNA
On 4th December 2006, Patanjala Yoga Kendra received Rim Banna, a world-famous Palestinian Singer, composer and song-writer from Nazareth. She was accompanied by her husband Leonid Alexeienko, daughters Baylassan, Qumran and son Ursalem. Rim Banna is a well-known shining star in the world of modern Arabic music. Her super hit albums include "The Mirrors of My Soul", "Kryberrom", "Al-Quts:The Everlasting", "This was not my Story" and many children albums. Her beautiful voice appears also in various films.
FROM DOUBT TO CONVICTION
Interview of Usha Devi in "Yoga Rahasya", the quarterly publication ofthe Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI), Pune andthe Light on Yoga Research Trust (LOYRT), Mumbai, India. Yoga Rahasya 53 Vol. 13, No. 2; 2006.
AN EVENING OF KIRTAN WITH KRISHNA DAS ON 20TH DECEMBER 2006
On the 20th December 2006, Patanjala Yoga Kendra organized an evening of devotional Kirtan (singing the glory of God) with Krishna Das, the chanting master of American Yoga, as called by the New York Times. In the presence of Krishna Das, known to the world through his CDs, such as "Live on Earth", everybody's soul was elevated and imbibed with the devotional sentiments towards that Divine Lord.
ANCIENT TEMPLE DANCE OF BALI ON 8TH NOVEMBER 2006
The Pantanjala Yoga Kendra hosted Shri Agung Pertu from Bali, Indonesia on 8th November, 2006. Shri Agung Pertu holds a Master's degree of Arts, from Institute Seni Indonesia (The Indonesian Institute of Arts, Bali) and is presently studying for the Master's degree of Philosophy in Hinduism. He is an active member of Indra Udayana Vedanta Community, Bali. He arrived in Rishikesh with a group of Balinese Hindus led by Br. Indra Udayana, a well-known Peace Activist and the President of the Gandhi Ashrams in Bali and other parts of Indonesia.
VISIT TO RUSKIN BOND BY STUDENTS OF PATANJALA YOGA KENDRA ON 2ND APRIL 2006
Not sure of where I was supposed to be meeting Ruskin Bond, I suddenly noticed an elderly man, stoutly built and with a soft and kind expression, comfortably seated on a small chair amongst hundreds of books, stacked and placed in every possible corner of a tiny bookshop.
VISIT OF FAMOUS SARANGI-PLAYER, SHRI KAMAL SABRI KHAN, TO OMKARANANDA GANGA SADAN ON 24TH FEBRUARY 2006
On 24th February 2006, the students of Patanjali Yoga Kendra had the great opportunity to listen to the internationally-known Sarangi Player Kamal Sabri Khan, the worthy son of Sarangi Maestro Ustad Sabri Khan.
