Pay in dollars for ‘NAKED Tantra Yoga’ programme in Devbhumi? – myuttarakhandnews.com | Uttarakhand News in English | Dehradun News Today| News Uttarakhand | Uttarakhand latest news

ANJALI YADAV/Dehradun  A proposed month-long “300-Hour NAKED Tantra Yoga Teacher Training” programme in Uttarakhand’s Almora has raised questions about what the Uttarakhand government is allowing to be projected in the name of Yoga while also projecting the State as Devbhumi. A poster describing the so-called course as “Naked Tantra Yoga” circulated on social media elicited interest from many. According to the organiser’s website, the programme will be held at Dwarahat Dunagiri Retreat from October 1 to 30. The training includes daily Yoga practice and study, a ‘Tantra Yoga’ manual, certification, food and accommodation, welcome and closing ceremonies and selected excursions. The organiser who goes by the name of Yogini Kamadevi, whose real name is Carla Zurcher from England, has shared reels on her Instagram account in which she is seen posing as practising Yoga while topless. When asked by this correspondent whether Yoga is meant to be practised naked, she said that it is a matter of personal choice and that participants can practise in whatever way they feel comfortable. The aim is to gently remove the layers of conditioning, performance, protection and inherited stories,” she said. The organiser is charging a whopping fee ranging from $3,300 to $5,700. A 20 per cent deposit is required for registration. Kamadevi has confirmed that she is organising the programme. The Dunagiri Retreat owner Piyush Kumar also confirmed that the training is scheduled to take place at the retreat. Uttarakhand is known as the fountainhead of Sanatan dharma and Yoga and attracts visitors from across India and abroad. The proposed programme has raised concerns among local groups about the kind of activities being promoted as yoga and wellness tourism in the area. Yoga practitioners and Hindu organisations said that the term “naked” had caused concern given the spiritual and religious associations of Yoga in Uttarakhand. Almora district magistrate Anshul Singh said that neither the retreat nor the organisation had approached the administration for permission. “The hotel or the organisation has not taken permission to conduct this programme. We have asked the police to find out on whose permission it is being conducted. Along with this, the cyber cell has also been asked to investigate the social media post regarding this matter,” Singh said. The administration has asked the police to verify the programme and establish how it is being organised. Vikas Verma of Bajrang Dal said that the group will stage a protest at the site if such an event is allowed. He alleged that the organisers may have acted in collusion with the authorities. According to him, this reflects a deliberate attempt to impose western cultural influences on the region’s spiritual and cultural heritage, despite the fact that many of these trends have increasingly been questioned or rejected in parts of the west itself.