Dharma Yoga is named after Sri Dharma Mittra, a classical Hatha-Raja Yoga Master, born in 1939, who devoted fifty years of his life to the direct experience and dissemination of Yoga as a holy science. Dharma Mittra learned from Sri Swami Kailashananda i.e Yogi Gupta, who was one of the great sages of modern India and a complete master of all nine forms of yoga: Hatha, Raja, Kriya, Jnana, Japa, Yantra, Laya, Kundalini and Bhakti Yoga. Sri Dharma Mittra spent over a decade studying with his Guru, three years of which were spent as his Guru’s personal assistant. Sri Dharma often recounts the day when he confessed to his Guru that he was constantly trying to copy him physically, mentally and spiritually. Yogi Gupta looked at him and pointing his finger, said: “That’s it, my son – that’s the trick!” When you practice with Dharma you will often hear him say “look at me”, “copy me”, rather than hear him give detailed cues or instructions.
When he received his Guru’s blessings to leave in 1975, Sri Dharma Mittra, who had been teaching since 1967, founded the Dharma Yoga Centre in New-York (DYCNYC). The DYCNYC is now located on 23rd and 6th avenue and is a temple for the body, mind, and soul. I strongly recommend any yogis visiting New-York, whatever style of yoga they are practicing, to visit the Centre and have a direct experience of practicing and learning from Sri Dharma Mittra and the team of teachers there.
Dharma Yoga has roots in all nine forms of yoga mentioned above but in essence, is a system of classical Hatha-Raja Yoga. It focuses on the Eight Limbs of Yoga of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga system and emphasizes the Yamas and Niyamas.
“Without Yama and Niyama, there is no Yoga.” ~ Sri Dharma Mittra
“All living beings fear violence.” ~ Sri Dharma Mittra
Dharma yoga is based on Ahimsa – non-violence or love: love towards ourselves, towards others, which include all living beings and extends beyond our pets! Sri Dharma Mittra is an engaged ambassador of veganism. However he never imposes any ideas or views. He defines Ahimsa as not disturbing the comfort of anyone. Respecting everyone. Everyone advances on the path at their own pace.
It is only when we are strongly established in Ahimsa that we develop what Sri Dharma Mittra considers as the most important attribute: compassion. The highest form of compassion is to see ourselves in others. This is a sign of the beginning of Self-realisation. And the goal of Yoga is Self-realisation: realizing that we are not the body, we are not the mind, but a portion of God or the Supreme Self, lying at the right side of the heart, which is the same in every heart.
