Understanding and practicing pranayama with the background of ayurveda is key to unlocking its health benefits.

This online course with A. G. Mohan, Indra Mohan & Dr. Ganesh Mohan offers an exceptional blend of deep insight, practical guidance, traditional knowledge, and modern science, to help you understand how pranayama breathing techniques can help with your wellbeing.


In this online course, you will...

  • UNDERSTAND HOW AYURVEDA CONNECTS

    with the different techniques of pranayama

  • RECEIVE SPECIAL INSIGHTS FROM THE MOHANS

    based on the traditional texts, experience, and science

  • BE GUIDED IN PRACTICING

    sūryabhedana, candrabhedana, śītalī, visualizations and more

Watch Intro Video

Course description

Traditional foundations of how pranayama was used as a practice for both wellbeing and therapy drawing upon the Mohans’ extensive studies of the ancient texts, such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita, Yoga Yajnavalkaya, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutra, and more.

Summary of the approach of ayurveda as relevant to pranayama.

How the different classical pranayama methods affect your body from an ayurvedic perspective and the practice of pranayama in balancing the dosa-s (vata, pita and kapha)

Guided practices of sūryabhedana, candrabhedana, śītalī & sītkārī, and bhramari pranayamas, and visualizations for heating and cooling practices along with pranayama.

Synopsis of modern research findings on the effects of these pranayamas.

References from Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Gheranda Samhita with Sanskrit, English transliteration, and English translation. 

The Mohans will answer relevant questions in live sessions from time to time.

Online Course Format

  • 5.5 hours of in-depth content

    available immediately upon signup

  • Interactive Community Sessions

    live with the Mohans from time to time to foster interaction and engagement

  • Self-paced study

    learn at your own pace in your own time

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Introduction

    • Benefits of pranayama - quietness of mind

    • Benefits of pranayama - health

    • Benefits of pranayama - therapy

    • Importance of heating and cooling - story from the Vedas

    • Connecting pranayama to ayurveda
  • 2

    Sūryabhedana & candrabhedana pranayama with guided practice

    • Sūryabhedana - seat, technique, breath holding, cautions, prerequisites

    • Guided practice - sūryabhedana pranayama

    • Guided practice - candrabhedana pranayama
  • 3

    Śītalī & sītkārī pranayama with guided practice

    • Śītalī - technique, uses, traditional presentation

    • Guided practice - śītalī pranayama
  • 4

    Science of pranayama

    • From the research to application - understanding the science

    • Science of key pranayama-s
  • 5

    Ayurveda - basic principles relevant to pranayama

    • Ayurvedic foundations - qualities & functions

    • Doṣa, metabolism, constitution
  • 6

    Connecting pranayama with ayurveda

    • How various pranayamas affect the ayurvedic qualities of the body
  • 7

    Guidelines for pranayama based on three doṣa-s (vāta, pitta, kapha)

    • Applying ayurvedic principles to pranayama

  • 8

    Breathing practices with heating and cooling bhāvana-s (visualizations)

    • Right nostril focus, breath fills the body

    • Warming visualization filling the body with the breath

    • Warming visualization with right nostril focus

    • Warming visualization with right nostril breathing using mṛgi mudra

    • Cooling visualization filling the body with the breath
  • 9

    Additional practical suggestions

    • Recommendations for effective long term pranayama practice

    • Example of combining pranayama with asana
  • 10

    Bhrāmarī pranayama with guided practice, and mūrcchā & plāvinī pranayama

    • Obstacles to yoga and the role of bhrāmarī pranayama

    • Bhrāmarī in classical yoga texts

    • Mūrcchā and plāvinī pranayama

    • Practicing bhrāmarī pranayama - introduction

    • Guided practice - bhrāmarī pranayama
  • 11

    Lifestyle of the ancient yogi

    • Lifestyle the yogi was recommended for success in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
  • 12

    References

    • Sūryabhedana in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika

    • Sūryabhedana in the Gheranda Samhita

    • Śītalī & sītkārī in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika

    • Śītalī in the Gheranda Samhita

    • Bhrāmarī in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika

    • Bhrāmarī in the Gheranda Samhita
  • 13

    Assessment

    • Instructions for Assessment

    • Please complete the quiz with 70% correct answers. You can retake the quiz as needed.

Teachers

A. G. Mohan is one of the foremost yoga masters in this era. He began his yoga journey in 1971, spending nearly two decades as a personal student of the legendary yogi Sri Krishnamacharya. Then he immersed himself in further wide-ranging studies of ayurveda, samkhya, tantra, ancient India dramatics, jyotisha, and more over decades. He is the author of several books on yoga, including Yoga for Body, Breath, and Mind, Yoga Therapy, and Krishnamacharya: His Life and Teachings.


Indra Mohan began her yoga studies along with her husband, A.G. Mohan, in 1971. She is one of few people to receive a post-graduate diploma in yoga from Sri Krishnamacharya. She is appreciated by students not only for her extensive knowledge and clear teachings, but also for her wisdom and calm presence. She has guided many thousands of students over five decades to increase their wellbeing, manage their health problems, and find personal and spiritual transformation.


Dr. Ganesh Mohan, son of A. G. Mohan and Indra Mohan, was trained from childhood in yoga and other related traditional studies. He is a doctor, having trained in both modern medicine and Ayurveda. He is the co-author of Yoga Therapy, Krishnamacharya, and Yoga Reminder. He directs the Svastha Yoga Therapy and Teacher Training programs as well as other trainings internationally.


Nitya Mohan, daughter of A. G. Mohan and Indra Mohan, was trained in yoga from a young age. She also holds a degree in music and is an exponent of Vedic chanting, having conducted numerous seminars and given concerts internationally. A skilled and experienced teacher, she has been running the Svastha training programs in Singapore for two decades.


Certificate

The last lesson of the course includes assessment through a multiple choice quiz. Once you complete the assessment, you will receive your certificate of completion for the course (5.5 hours of training).

Course FAQ's

  • Can I access the materials in the course immediately on signing up?

    Yes! This course contains over 6 hours of recorded video content plus reference PDFs. You can view these materials immediately and continue to access them for the duration of your enrollment.

  • Does the course have a live component?

    Live sessions with the Mohans will be offered from time to time to answer questions, and to foster community interaction and engagement. The dates and times will be announced by email to registered participants. This is in addition to the recorded content already available in the course.

  • How long can I access the course?

    You have access to the course for one year from the date of your enrollment.

  • I am unable to sit on the floor. Can I do the practices in this course?

    Sure. The course contains simple breathing and pranayama practices that you can do seated on a chair.

  • Is the course mainly lecture or practice?

    The course contains both. The vision of Svastha and the Mohans is that one should always develop understanding along with practices. That is the way to empower yourself for lifelong wellbeing. That was also the traditional way of teaching and learning. So this course explains the theory behind pranayama and the breathing techniques taught here. It also gives you guided practices so you can experience these pranayamas yourself.

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What our members are saying

Working towards inner peace!

Getting insights from long term teachers and practitioners as the Mohan family is invaluable. There is a lot of clarity and simplicity in the explanations of how our mind works and the role of desire. I loved all the practices they taught in this course to move towards inner peace, soooo useful! I really appreciate all the teachings received.

JULIA  M

Beyond Desire 

Very fulfilling in content and structure of knowledge provided as well as the deep experiences made accessible in the practice parts. Thank you so much!!!

MELANIE T

Very indepth

Deepening your knowledge with the Mohans gives you a clear and profound insight of what yoga is about. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

NANDA  VAN P

Embodiment, ancient and modern approaches

HEIKE M

Very eye-opening on patterns you thought is clear anyway

Loved the practices together with the sources in the texts, very Spot on. Very clear and simple!  Thank you 

MIRA R

Well presented

It was very well explained. Excellent.. great charts to make it more easy to retain the concepts.

HARSHA G

Excellent!

I am very grateful for the online courses; this is a great opportunity! The course was excellent, as it balanced between theory and practice.

ANNA K

Thank you so much

I learned so much out of this course, thanks to you!

TRUSS K

Perfect pace, perfect presentation

Can not be better. Learned a lot even though I already knew the basics: the Imbalance of one person is his own balance, we should not focused only on production of Agni but balance it! Immediately understood why my practice of Pranayama was not fully effective, and when I added to to it Sitali paranayama, I started to feel better. Now I will look also at the diet.

DILLARO S

A generous and very informative course

Thank you for a very rich course. I want to highlight in particular the precisions and nuances introduced by Dr. Ganesh Mohan, as well as the deep of knowledge shared by AG Mohan. It seems to me much more than a 5.5 hours program... much to reflect on :)

NICO F

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