Rikhia Yoga Ashram is one of the most prominent centres of Yoga, Medication and Peace which is located about 12 kms from the main Deoghar Town in Jharkhand. It is located in Rikhia village which was once an area covered with dense forest that was inhabited by rishis, who lived in isolation and serenity that this place offered. All of them flocked here from different parts of India to perform tapasya and sadhana. It is considered to be a great place to de-stress and remove all kinds of toxins from the body and mind. The surroundings here are simply awesome, very peaceful and serene, which reduces and removes the stress levels that one tends to accumulate in the course of life. It is one of the most serene, pure and peaceful place that you can find on this earth.

The yoga ashram is divided into three parts – Rikhiapeeth, Sivananda Ashram and Sivananda Math. They provide help and support to about 1500 children out here in the form of food, education and training. The main Rikhia Ashram was established by Swami Satyananda Saraswati in the year 1988. Every year during the month of November and December a grand fair is organised here with great pomp and show. A major part of the fair is the arrangement of Sita Vivah. This fair is attended by thousands of devotees from all over the world. During this time there will be foreigners flocking the place and will fill up every nook and corner of the place. It is considered to be a sacred place and thus people come here to purify their body, soul and mind. It is also a part of the Bihar Yoga Bharati, Munger, which is a premier yoga school in the country. It is a one of a kind yoga school which provides various kinds of yoga courses.

There are a whole lot of things one can do in Rikhia Yoga Ashram. Some of them include meditating for eternal peace, learning yoga and staying healthy, enjoy the 100% pure and natural food of Ashram, take part in the stasangs and daily puja, enjoy the natural beauty of the place and immerse oneself in joy and happiness. Located in a tiny and remote village of Jharkhand, this ashram aims to disseminate the ancient spiritual knowledge as propagated by the vedic lineage of rishis in the Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas to everyone who comes here, irrespective of their caste, creed, nationality, religion and gender. This place is nothing less than a modern day Gurukul which aims to instil all the values and culture in the students.

Courses at Rikhia Yoga Ashram

The course content includes both theory and practice. The training system of this ashram is designed in such a way that provides the right atmosphere and right vibrations which will influence the deeper layers of the mind and enables the student to evolve their consciousness. This is the real aim of yoga. Some of the courses provided here include –

1. Ashram Life or Jivan Satra – This is a new program inspired by Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati who strongly believes in instilling in ashram culture in today's age just like it was in the days of Rishis and munis who started this tradition. This kind of life instils in us a sense of discipline that makes our life easy and worth living.

2. Yoga Teacher Training – The Yoga Teacher training course is provided at Rikhiapeeth which aims to bring about a systematic understanding of practices and the method of teaching. It is meant for those people who aims to teach yoga within their community. It is a comprehensive course which offers an overview of integral yoga as propagated by Paramahansa Satyananda, who was the founder of the internationally renowned Bihar School of Yoga. The course includes asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha, yoga nidra and medication practices. This course also enables you to experience ashram life and participate in satsang and seva. After completing this course you will be awarded a certificate course. It is conducted in two mediums- Hindi and English.

Other Programs/Activities of Rikhia Yoga Ashram

Besides this there are also other programs like Yoga Parichaya Shivir and Yoga Sadhana Shivir. The Yoga Parichaya Shivir programsn are designed to basic yogic practices like simple asana, pranayama, relaxation, concentration and lifestyle practices of yoga which is very easy and can be performed by all. The Yoga Sadhana Shivir is a program which offers a new experience of yoga and a deeper understanding of the different dimensions of one's personality as well as mind and ways to improve their qualities. However one needs to understand that these programs are not therapy courses and no individual instructions and guidance will be given to anyone.

Besides practicing and learning yoga, learning the ashram's way of life, indulging the beauty of nature there are also a host of darshans that you can do out here. Some of them are as follows – the Gamesh Kutir which is Swami Satyananda's residence during the days of Panchagni from 1994 to 2004. Currently you can see out here the lifelike pratima of Swami Ji. The Tulsi Kutir where Swami Satyananda left for his heavenly abode, the Patanjali Ashram which is the site for Yoga University and it contains both extensive residential facilities and spacious classrooms, the Samadhi Sthal where Swami Satyananda was given the Bhu Samadhi and placed in his final resting place, the Akhara which was used by Swami Satyananda to lit a sacrificial fire for about 10 months in 1990, the Annapurna which provides food to about 2000 kanyas, batuks and old aged people, Gauri Ganesh which was the residence of Swami Ji from 2004 to 2008, the Raghunath Kutir which contains the puja rooms of Swamiji, Paramhansa campus which offers accommodation options for the visitors, the residential buildings of Yajnashala, the Christ Kutir dedicated to Lord Christ, Yoga Shakti Kutir, Rishikunj, Darshan Manch Langar and Guest house.

This ashram is a accumulation of different aspects of yoga, prayer and medication, all under one roof which aims to instil the age old values and principles to people in this modern age.