Study options

In line with our commitment to access and equity, there are a number of study options available for completing the Diploma.

PLEASE NOTE: All study options constitute a full-time course, requiring a time commitment of at least 20 hours per week.

Option 1: Distance Option with Residential Visits

This option allows you to attend the Residential Learning Periods at the ashram and then complete most of your assessment tasks at home.

Following the Residential Learning Period, you continue your studies via daily practice and home study, with the submission of weekly or fortnightly logbook of home practice, written quizzes and assignments. Your individual study is supported by comprehensive written resources as well as an online community, telephone and email support. Homework is submitted by means of an electronic homework submission system that is accessed via the internet.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are an overseas student and only able to come to Australia for short periods, this is the best option for you. You may complete the compulsory Residential Learning Periods on a Tourist Visa, and then complete the Individual Practice Period in your own country by email.

However, if you are an overseas student and want to come to Australia for a whole module or the entire duration of the course, you will need to apply for a Student Visa.

Option 2: Full Residential Option

You have the option of living at Mangrove or Rocklyn ashrams for all or part of the course. To do this, you will need to complete a separate application form for an extended residential stay at the ashram.

Satyananda Yoga Rocklyn

Satyananda Yoga Rocklyn (Yoga Association of Victoria) offers the option of joining the Sannyasa Lifestyle course or the Living Consciously retreats. These courses are open to students undertaking Diploma modules at Mangrove as well as Rocklyn.

1. Sannyasa Lifestyle
The Sannyasa Lifestyle course is a three-month, creatively structured program of ashram living with formal yoga and meditation classes, interesting karma yoga projects, personal study time, stimulating daily group discussions and integration of concepts from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita for developing change and discovering new life skills.

Sannyasa Lifestyle requires a commitment of three months duration. Fees for the Sannyasa Lifestyle course are $1,600, which covers all yoga tuition, study folder, food and accommodation.

2. Living Consciously
The nature of the Living Consciously course is experiential and based on ashram yoga lifestyle, including all yoga and meditation classes, karma yoga, personal study time and weekly subjects of philosophy, such as drashtha (self observation), abhyasa (regularity), vivek (discrimination), and gunas & purusharthas (the four aims and qualities in life) as weekly concepts to support and sustain a healthy lifestyle.

The Living Consciously course is of one week to one month duration. Fees for the Living Consciously course are $220 to $800, which covers all yoga tuition, weekly folder, food and accommodation.

Long term residential stays are available following either of these courses and must be discussed prior to commencement. Daily rates vary and may reduce to $7 per day with full participation and commitment to the ashram lifestyle. Acceptance for long term residential stays and full residential participation is reviewed by Swami Atmamuktananda (Acharya).

For further Information about these courses and to request a residential enrolment forms, check the website www.yogavic.com or contact Rocklyn directly at yogarock@satyananda.net, or via telephone at 03 5345 7434.

Satyananda Yoga Mangrove

Satyananda Yoga Mangrove (Yoga Association of Mangrove Mountain) offers varying participation levels:

1. Skills and Lifestyle Course:
A minimum of one week up to one month course. Attendance at classes and one-half day karma yoga is necessary.

2. Ashram Life Satra Course:
If you want to stay at Mangrove for longer than a month, you must participate in this course.

The Ashram Life Satra (ALS) course has a structured weekly program of formal classes, tutorials, study sessions, creative time and karma yoga, including the development of more specialised knowledge and work skills within an area of ashram activity.

The ALS course has a minimum of a month stay. The fees for the ALS Course begin at $28 per day for the first month and reduce over time and with successful participation in ashram duties. Details are available on application.

Acceptance of your application is usually for a trial period and involves meeting the ashram lifestyle requirements. Please contact als@satyananda.net to request an information and application package.

PLEASE NOTE: Because of the CRICOS requirement for 20 contact hours per week, the most feasible way for overseas students on student visas to complete this course is by the full residential option. Although it may be possible to undertake the residential program by living close to one of the ashrams, accommodation nearby is very limited due to their isolated location. Because of the isolation, it would be extremely difficult to obtain paid employment outside of the ashram to fund your studies.

If you are on a Student Visa, residing in an ashram and participating in department karma yoga for more than 20 hours per week is classified as voluntary work for visa purposes. You will be required to obtain a Working Visa on top of your Student Visa. This can be done once you are in Australia.

Back to Back Option

If you have difficulty getting to an ashram because of distance, you may apply to take the compulsory Residential Learning Periods of two consecutive modules “back to back”.

The back-to-back option can only be selected when two consecutive modules are offered within the same semester. For 2007, only modules YS1a and YS1b are available for “back to back” enrolment. An illustration of this option follows:

• You would submit two Applications for Enrolment, one each for the 1st and 2nd modules, respectively, and indicate that you wish to complete the modules “back to back”.
• Once approved, you would attend the Residential Learning Period for the 1st module, and then attend the Residential Learning Period for the 2nd module, after which you would return to your home base.
• You would begin submitting homework for the 1st module only, as per the module’s Homework Submission Schedule. You do NOT submit any homework for the 2nd module.
• By 03 June 2007 (using our example above), you will have successfully completed all homework and assessment tasks for the 1st module EXCEPT for the Final Assessment. You would NOT return to the ashram for the Final Assessment weekend scheduled in May 2007.
• When the 3rd module commences, we will automatically add your name to the student enrolment list and send you information that you require to complete that module. You would NOT attend the Residential Learning Period for the 3rd module.
• You would then begin submitting homework for the 3rd module as per the Homework Submission Schedule provided to you for that module.
• By 25 November 2007 (again using our example above), you will have successfully completed all homework and assessment tasks for the 3rd module EXCEPT for the Final Assessment. You would NOT return to the ashram for the Final Assessment weekend schedule in November 2007.

Your Final Assessments for the 1st and 3rd modules would need to be coordinated with the Course Coordinators of those modules. The Final Assessments for back-to-back enrolment can be performed in a number of ways:

1. You may be assessed by a qualified Satyananda Yoga Teacher in your area or home country, assuming a teacher is available. This arrangement would be organised by your Course Coordinator. You would incur an additional assessment fee, which you would pay to the assessing Satyananda Yoga teacher.
2. You may be assessed just prior to commencing the next module in the Diploma course (i.e. module YS2a in our example above). This would require you to arrive at the ashram a few days early to sit the Final Assessments prior to attending the Residential Learning Period of the subsequent module (i.e. YS2a). This arrangement would not incur any additional fee for you.
3. Finally, an individual arrangement could be organised between the Course Coordinator and you using a combination of assessment methods. For example, this might include your completing the assessment paper via distance and then submitting a video to demonstrate your competence in the subjects covered.

Please be aware that the “back-to-back” option is not a fast track method. In truth, it is probably more challenging to complete the necessary requirements due to the amount of information that must be absorbed in a short time and the delay in implementing the knowledge acquired. It can be accomplished, however, and is convenient for students who must travel from great distances to participate in the course.

The primary benefit in selecting this option is that you incur costs for only one flight to and from Australia, versus two flights done via Study Option 1.

Requests for back-to-back enrolment will incur an additional fee of $100 (GST inclusive), which is non-refundable once the Applications have been approved. This fee, as well as the full module fees for both the 1st and 2nd modules (continuing with our illustration used above), must be submitted with the two Applications for Enrolment. Late Fees apply. No fee is payable for the 3rd module.

Additional Optional Days

Optional Seven Days: As part of each module in the Diploma course, provision has been made for students to come to the ashram for further ashram experience and personal study time. An optional seven days, which may be broken into shorter periods (two or three days, for example), has been allocated at no extra charge.

These optional days may be taken any time from seven days prior to the current module commencement date up until the commencement date of the succeeding module, provided that you are enrolled in the succeeding module and you have paid that module’s fees in full.

The rationale for providing these extra days is to further your ashram experience. Consequently, you are expected to participate in the Skills and Lifestyle program at Mangrove, or the Living Consciously program at Rocklyn, and become involved in activities related to the general running of the ashram. These activities include morning cleaning, at least one meal clean-up per day and one shift of karma yoga per day. You are also free to participate in optional creative and outdoor activities during this time.

Please contact Reception in advance to book for your optional days.

Student Weekends: Student Weekends may be attended by any student who is currently undertaking a module at the time the Student Weekend occurs. The dates of these weekends are listed in Section 9.3 of this handbook.

Student Weekends begin on Friday evening at 6:00 pm. (with the evening meal) and end on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. (with afternoon tea). Student Weekends do not entitle you to attend another course that may be offered during that weekend period.

While not compulsory, you are encouraged to use the Student Weekend days to reconnect with the yogic lifestyle, classmates and lecturers. The library and computer facilities will also be available.

There is no additional cost for these weekends. It is expected that, during Student Weekends, you will participate in the morning karma yoga sessions and one kitchen cleanup, and an additional karma yoga session per day.

NOTE: The optional seven days and student weekend days are not refundable nor are they transferable.

Please contact Reception in advance to book for your optional days.