Page 214 - Adhiyoga Purana

Shama Rana – Pune, India
Shama Rana, Founder and Owner of Samsara – The Yoga Studio in Pune, India, is a shining example of dedication, discipline, and depth in the world of yoga. Over the years, her passion for teaching yoga and meditation, coupled with the encouragement and positive feedback from her students, revealed to her that yoga was more than just a profession — it was her life’s calling. With the mission to help people find inner peace and balance, she established her own yoga studio. Soon, she began receiving requests to offer teacher training certifications. Before taking such a step, she wanted to ensure her own knowledge and skills were as strong as possible.
Her search for the right guide led her to SaeeTech – The Authentic Yoga School, founded by Adhiyogi. Reading about his extensive background in personal practice, his decades of teaching experience, and even his IIT engineering roots, she sensed he would be the methodical, insightful mentor she needed.
Shama herself is a Chemical Engineering graduate from IIT Mumbai, but her true quest was to understand life — body, mind, and spirit. She had already trained in fitness and club management, completed yoga teacher training with The Yoga Light Studios of Ajay Naik, and earned certification in Medical Yoga Therapy from the Unnati Yoga Therapy Centre under Dr. Vineeta Ketkar, learning from masters who had worked closely with legends like B.K.S. Iyengar. This gave her a solid understanding of anatomy, physiology, and therapeutic yoga practices.
When she began her RYT500 training with Adhiyogi, she immediately noticed his unconventional style. There was no rigid structure — yet everything was meticulously noted, observed, and customized to suit each student’s needs. He built upon her existing strengths, challenging her while guiding her toward mastery. His hallmark was precision: breaking down even the most advanced poses into simple, logical steps, ensuring safe and deep learning.
Adhiyogi’s training extended far beyond the studio walls. He took Shama to different schools, introducing her to the art of teaching yoga to children — from understanding anatomy in simple terms to making meditation fun and engaging. He emphasized starting to teach from day one, encouraging constant self-assessment and growth. For Shama, these experiences were invaluable, especially as she shared his vision of introducing yoga to children early in life.
Her training also covered high-demand areas like Aerobic Yoga for weight loss, Flow Yoga, Power Yoga, Vinyasa sequencing, advanced postures, creative use of props, Yoga Nidra, meditation, and the deeper aspects of Adhiyoga. Philosophy was equally central: they studied The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in detail, explored Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita, and Shiva Samhita, and engaged deeply with Vedic philosophy and chanting.
Shama describes the insights she gained — minute, practical, and profound — as something she could not have learned anywhere else. These details became the backbone of her own teaching, empowering her to run workshops, offer advanced classes, and teach with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
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