Hamilton Satyananda Yoga Teacher: Samadhimurti

Hamilton Yoga Teacher Samadhimurti

Samadhimurti has practised yoga since her early 20s.

Deeply inspired, she lived in the Satyananda Ashram New Zealand for two years in the 1980s, where she also learned to teach yoga.

During the following 18 years of parenting, she explored different lifestyles, including living on an island and in a communally owned, solar-powered, permaculture village.

Schooling of her daughter lead her to Hamilton in 1999, where she involved herself in a variety of services for the local community such as facilitating restorative justice conferences, teamleading of non-violence workshops and facilitation of anti domestic violence programs, telephone counselling, teaching of low cost computer skills and swimming.

In 2005 she profoundly recommitted herself to the teaching and practice of yoga and spent 2006 living in several SATYANANDA YOGA^® Ashrams over the world. On her return to New Zealand in 2007, she embarked on setting up a yoga teaching practice and is now accredited with the SATYANANDA YOGA^® Academy Australia (no. 14293).

In 2008, Samadhimurti set up a charitable trust Shraddha – Yogic Lifestyle Education Trust in New Zealand to make the ideas and principles of a yogic lifestyle widely available.

1. What style of yoga do you practise and where do you teach?

I have practised SATYANANDA YOGA^® since I came to New Zealand in 1985. I teach SATYANANDA YOGA^® classes in Hamilton. We also teach a variety of weekend workshop such as Back Care, Self Care, Healthier Eyes and Better Vision, Pre- Natal Yoga. Some of these are suitable as staff training.

2. How did you come to yoga?

A friend in the same Karate class suggested that yoga was something else great to try out. So, I started going to night classes in yoga in my early 20s back in Germany.

3. When did the yoga bug really get you?

Yoga felt right straightaway. Life made sense again and felt important. I had forgotten that it was possible to feel that good!

4. How has yoga transformed your life?

Because of the awareness of a deeper meaning to life than the material world alone, which comes with the spiritual practice of yoga, I left my job as a scientist and travelled to find a lifestyle that incorporated yoga more fully.

5. What is your home practice like?

My home practice are those part in my daily routine that give me strength, courage and dedication for the day. I interrupt the more mundane aspects of life several times during the day to incorporate different aspects of my sadhana to keep me charged.

6. When people ask you, “What is Yoga?”, what do you say?

Yoga is a tool to live happier and more meaningful lives. Ten minutes a day and a weekly yoga class is a great start.

7. What can people expect from one of your classes?

Students can expect a balanced session of asana, pranayama and meditation and/or yoga nidra, my full attention as well as practices and instructions tailored to suit the needs and abilities of each participant.

8. What do you love most about teaching yoga?

Nothing is more important than giving the best possible class and benefits to the people present in each class. When I observe people’s degree of relaxation and well being after a session, I feel light and flowing.

9. What do you wish everybody knew about yoga?

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone knew how easily a little bit of practice can be integrated into daily life and what a big difference this makes! For example, just ten minutes of deep relaxation can leave the practitioner feeling centred and whole.

10. What role do you see yoga playing in our world?

Knowledge of the physical body, relaxation techniques and mind management tools are essential in our world today. The earlier a person is introduced to yoga practices the better it is. Any school that hasn’t incorporated yoga into the classrooms yet, needs to be encouraged to start as soon as possible.

11. Anything else you’d like to say?

No 🙂

12. And finally, how do people find you?

I have set up a charitable trust to teach yoga through, it has a web presence and can be found at www.shraddha.org.nz, as well as at www.hamiltonyoga.org.nz