Swami Yogaratna Saraswati was trained as a sannyasin disciple of the Bihar School of Yoga (BSY), which was founded by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, a direct disciple of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh. She has also been initiated by Swami Niranjanananda, the present guru. 

Swami Yogaratna was born in Paris of Australian parents and raised in India. She went to school in Bombay, and went on to study art, education, and linguistics in Australia. After studying, working, and travelling, Swami Yogaratna committed her life to the spiritual quest. She joined the Bangalore branch of Bihar School of Yoga, Atma Darshan Yogashram, in 1984, and took sannyasa diksha the following year.

She received complete training in all forms of the Satyananda Bihar tradition of yoga, meditation, yoga therapy, and Indian spirituality. She served as a sannyasin sevak (voluntary service) in the ashram for over 20 years by assisting in the running of the ashram from top to bottom, giving therapy and spiritual counseling, and running classes for all manner of people and institutions. She conducted Yoga Teacher Training courses, edited the ashram spiritual magazine: ‘Atmabha’, and established a reforestation project ELA.

In 1997, she went to the mother ashram in Munger, which is the world’s first Yoga University: Bihar Yoga Bharati. In 2004 she returned to Atma Darshan Yogashram in Bangalore and soon after received her Guru’s Blessings to ‘be free as a sannyasin’, independent of the ashram.

Since then, Sw. Yogaratna has given yoga programs all over South India and overseas. She spent several years developing specialized centers and departments focused on fusing yogic knowledge with naturopathy, Ayurveda, and humanitarian work.

Sw. Yogaratna’s aim is to help people relieve their suffering and develop themselves through the awareness and the science of Yoga. She offers individual and group classes and guidance at the Shankar Prasad Ashram, and she travels wherever requested for special programs.

She is particularly appreciated for her talent in leading Yoga Nidra (psychic sleep) and other Meditations from the tantras, yoga therapy, yoga for children, the higher techniques of Chakra Sadhana, Kundalini yoga and many others, including satsangs (talks) and kirtan (group singing).

You can reach Swami Yogaratna by email at