Traditional Yoga Association[®] Constituted by Deed of Trust on 6 February 2002
Charity Number 1091469
Annual Report
1[st] July 2021 – 30 June 2022
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Annual Report of the Traditional Yoga Association[®] 2021/22
Founded in the UK in 1995, the Traditional Yoga Association[®] (TYA) was registered as a charity by Trust Deed on 6[th] February 2002. This Annual Report covers the period from 1[st] July 2021 to 30[th] June 2022.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Name and Charity Number
The Traditional Yoga Association[®] is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission number 1091469.
The Traditional Yoga Association is also known as the TYA.
Charity’s principal address
84 Kenilworth Avenue, Southcote, Reading, Berkshire RG30 3DW
Chairperson of the Charity
Swami Ambikananda
The Trustees serving during the year were as follows:
Dr Uddhava Samman Ms Manisha Wilmette Brown Ms Penny Hitchings-Jones Mrs Hamulata Patel
Independent Examiner
Mr K. Bhadrasa
Bankers:
Lloyds Bank, Broad Street, Reading Co-operative Bank, PO box 250, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT
Insurance Brokers:
Balens, Bridge House, Portland Road, Malvern, Worcs. WR14 2TA
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Towergate Insurance, Towergate House, First Floor, 5 Airport West, Lancaster Way, Yeadon, Leeds, LS19 7ZA
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Trust Deed
The Traditional Yoga Association[®] is a registered charity and is governed by its Trust Deed dated 6[th] February 2002.
As set out in the Trust Deed future Trustees will be appointed by resolution of the Trustees. New Trustees are given induction by the Trustees and are able to attend courses where relevant, in order to fulfil their role as Trustees.
Risk Management
It is the duty of the Charity’s Trustees to ensure that the Charity’s resources are protected and internal financial controls are in place. The Trustees ensure that regular reviews of the effectiveness of the Charity’s internal financial controls are undertaken.
Risk Assessments are conducted on a regular basis and there is a continuous monitoring of financial controls. The Trustees at all times seek to Manage Risk to the Charity and seek to reduce risk wherever possible in all aspects of the running of the Charity. For reasons of cost and practicality, the system of internal control is intended to manage rather than eliminate risk and to give reasonable rather than absolute assurance.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The objects of the Charity, as set out in the Trust Deed of 6[TH] February 2002 are:
To promote public education in the three facets of the Yoga Darshan: Jnana, Bhakti and Karma which include education and research, devotional and spiritual practices and rituals and the fulfilment of the responsibilities of care and service;
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To provide relief for people who are in financial need; and
To promote education by the provision of schools and education to the public.
To reach our first charitable objective we built the three facets of Yoga into our organisational structure. To cultivate Jnana Yoga we offer Yoga Teachers Courses to train Yoga teachers; topical Yoga workshops; Philosophy courses; Meditation courses; and workshops open to all. The philosophy of Yoga is taught in specific classes but it is also an important and integral part of every course offered by the Traditional Yoga Association[®] .
As part of our Bhakti Yoga the TYA organises devotional functions which bring together members of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds providing both inter-cultural education and spiritual expression.
As part of our Karma Yoga we set up The MUKTI Project and ring-fenced funds to support dispossessed and endangered children in India and since 2013 we have been giving grants to charities in England that help people who are homeless. This is our Yoga practice of working for others rather than oneself alone.
Public Benefit
The Traditional Yoga Association provides a very high standard of training for those who wish to become Yoga teachers and the provision of support and CPD for teachers after they have completed their course.
The TYA offers Yoga classes, courses, workshops, meditation courses and philosophy classes open to all and seeks to teach Yoga in a way that improves the physical, mental and spiritual health of everyone who attends the classes. The Charity welcomes all adults to its classes, trainings and courses regardless of their age, race, faith, gender, sexual orientation or personal circumstances. Where possible bursaries are given to people who are unable to afford classes or courses taught by the Traditional Yoga Association. The TYA also produces publications and CDs as another way to educate members of the public.
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The TYA set up the MUKTI Project to raise funds to support the education and care of endangered children in India and more recently the charity has started donating to projects that support homeless people in the UK.
Our Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission Guidance on Public Benefit (2013).
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Financial Review
The Trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30[th] June 2022. The financial statements have been prepared as Receipts and Payments Accounts as allowed under section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Charity Act’). Please see the Receipts and Payments Accounts for a full report.
In the period from 1[st] July 2021 to the 30[th] June 2022 the total income was £56,223 and the Expenditure was £63,008. Of this £26,473 was income specifically for The MUKTI Project.
Grants totalling £26,100 were allocated from Restricted funds by The MUKTI Project. The remaining funds belonged to the next financial year’s allocation of grants.
Charity Reserves Policy
Since the Charity’s overheads are relatively small the Trustees do not wish to hold large reserves in unrestricted funds. However, given the current uncertainties caused by the pandemic, the Trustees now aim to maintain Reserves equivalent to the average annual expenditure from unrestricted funds for the previous two financial years.
The balance at 30[th] June 2022 stood at £24,266 in unrestricted funds. This amount is in line with the amount recommended in the revised Charity’s Reserves Policy. The Reserves Policy will continue to be reviewed every six months to ensure that it continues to be appropriate for the work of the Charity.
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Review of Activities of the TYA 2021/22
The last two decades have seen a substantial rise in research into the health benefits of Yoga. At the Traditional Yoga Association we applaud this research and ensure we keep abreast of the published studies.
However, while we remain aware of Yoga’s health benefits ~ including those beyond the mat, like improved body image, more mindful eating, etc. ~ we have always maintained that Yoga is a spiritual and philosophical system that extends beyond health and wellbeing (even while encompassing them). Hence, we continue to promote Yoga’s philosophy that offers meaning and purposefulness beyond its physical practices.
On this basis our teachers are trained in the full spectrum of Yoga, including its physical aspects (asana, pranayama, etc.) and its rich philosophy. We continue this approach through ongoing training and workshops.
We are therefore extremely grateful to the Philo Trust for their financial support through the years that has allowed us to successfully maintain and grow this approach.
Teacher Training Courses:
Foundation Course
Our Yoga Foundation Course, which is the prerequisite for proceeding onto the Teacher Training Course, is also an excellent short course for Yoga practitioners wishing to deepen their knowledge beyond their weekly classes.
In 2022 TYA Teacher Ben Parkes completed a Foundation Course and the Teachers Training Course that had begun in 2021, in Trowbridge Wiltshire.
Teacher Training Course
Our Teacher Training Course continues to enjoy a good reputation for standards of excellence in both the physical and philosophical aspects of Yoga.
A Teacher Training Course was completed in 2022 in Reading and all teachers got through their demonstration classes for the Examining
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Board. One of our senior teachers gave an excellent presentation in the last session about creating an effective online presence.
Tutor’s training programme
We began our ‘Tutor Training Programme’ to enable selected teachers to learn to teach both the Foundation Course and Teachers Training Course. Currently only four Tutors are able to teach these courses and a further four of our senior teachers are now currently learning to deliver the TYA Foundation Course and Teacher Training Course.
New TYA ‘For Life Yoga®’ Teacher Training Course
As stated in our last report, we are seeking to broaden the accessibility of Yoga. The images on public display tend to give the appearance of Yoga as being for the young and lithe. We therefore introduced training for ‘Yoga for Bigger Bodies’ into our Teacher Training Course as incidents of discrimination began to emerge. We also included teaching older adults in our Teacher Training Course.
However, a survey by Sports England completed in 2021 indicated that people aged over 65 years were still the least likely to engage in any physical activity. Among these, women of South Asian heritage in the UK, were less likely than others to engage in exercise. We decided we needed to create something to target this group.
We trademarked the name ‘For Life Yoga’ and Swami Ambikananda created a training programme for senior citizens that took into account the latest research on falling (currently there are about 500 daily callouts nationally for falls in elderly people). She also included meditation and ‘philosophical dialogue’ as part of the programme. As an initial trial, three of our senior teachers of South Asian descent were trained in the ‘For Life Yoga’ Course to see if they could make some breakthrough in their own communities.
We are delighted to report that they are now running successful classes for the 75 years-old and over age group in the Reading Indian Community Centre as well as online, and one of them has now been approached by a local Gurdwara to take the ‘For Life Yoga’ classes there.
We look forward to expanding this to all communities and offering it to all our teachers.
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Continuing Professional Development (CPDs) for TYA Yoga Teachers 2021-22
Yoga Block Workshop
Founder of the Garuda Method (based on Yoga, Pilates and Bharatanatyam dance) James D’Silva, conducted a three-hour workshop in June and took a group of twenty teachers through a number of Yoga sequences enhanced by use of a Yoga block.
Feedback from the teachers was good.
~ Yoga and the Feldenkrais Method Movement through the Self; Flow Fluidity and Intention
Developed by Moshe Feldenkrais in the mid-1900s, the Feldenkrais Method is a body/movement-oriented intervention designed to help people reconnect with their bodies and learn to move with greater efficiency.
The TYA invited Scott Clark, who has taught for us before and has an understanding of our approach, to conduct a workshop for us. Scott led the teachers through an awareness of how movement flows through the different parts of the body in relation to intention, self-understanding and in connection with the world around us.
Twenty-two teachers attended the workshop and it was extremely well received.
First Aid Course
We offer these courses to our teachers each year so that they can keep up their First Aid training at reduced cost and a further course ran this year. As we were able to subsidise the course we were able to keep the charges down (with an awareness of the strain that lockdown has placed on teachers) to £25 instead of £40 per participant.
ADDITIONAL TYA ACITVITIES
Our TYA teachers now seem to have recovered from the disruption of the past two years and continue to teach in a variety of settings ~ private halls, studios, gyms, etc. ~ in various parts of the country.
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Lockdown saw the arrival of the ‘online’ class on an unprecedented scale ~ and it remains popular. Many of our teachers have maintained an online class programme along with their ‘live’ classes.
In addition:
Teachers Master Classes
These online classes continue to be conducted online by Swami Ambikananda and remain popular as they can be accessed by teachers from all over the country. This includes two early morning classes and an evening class each week.
Classes for People with Multiple Sclerosis
Dr. Uddhava Samman and Hema Patel continue to teach online classes for people with Multiple Sclerosis. As transport is often a problem, this is an ideal setting for them and the classes are well-attended.
In addition, Dr. Samman has been invited by the Berkshire MS Therapy Centre to conduct meditation classes for people suffering from MS. He gave an introductory course on the topic and now teaches on-going meditation classes to this group.
TYA Website Monthly Blogs on Philosophical Aspects of Yoga
Swami Ambikananda wrote 12 monthly blogs on different philosophical aspects of Yoga These were well received by our teachers and the public.
Increase of Online Presence
We spent much time this year researching filming of videos specifically related to the philosophy of Yoga to create a substantial online presence, now absolutely necessary in the world of Yoga.
Finding film-makers who were good and within our budget proved to be a lengthy and tricky process. However, we have now identified a small firm who make specialist videos and would fit within the budget we have.
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ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
Class for Teachers at St. James Senior School in Surrey.
St. James is the only school in the UK that teaches Sanskrit (the ancient language of Yoga) alongside Latin and Greek.
Link: https://www.sanskritatstjames.org.uk/
In 2022 they selected Swami Ambikananda to give a Yoga class to teachers on their annual retreat. It was well-received and we had excellent feedback.
Article in Current Psychology
An article relating to the research project that Swami Ambikananda ~ on behalf of the TYA ~ took part in, in 2019, was published in the prestigious Current Psychology magazine.
The research was done to examine the effects on social bonding of Yoga with a spiritual content as opposed to a strictly physical approach. The Article is entitled ‘Bending and Bonding: A randomised control trial on the socio-psychobiological effects of spiritual versus secular yoga practice on social bonding’.
Swami Ambikananda is named as one of the authors.
Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-022-04062-2
Responsibilities of Care
Discovering the spirit of Yoga on the mat, and then taking that spirit off the mat and into our daily lives, has always been the dream of the teachers of the Traditional Yoga Association ~ and MUKTI is a pathway we created for that.
In 1998 the TYA established the MUKTI Project in order to support the education of impoverished and endangered children in India. Since then we have extended our fund-raising to support homeless people in the UK.
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The MUKTI Project continues to be well-supported by TYA Yoga teachers who very enthusiastically participated in the year’s fund-raising projects, bringing in their students as well as teachers and students from other Yoga schools. In this way we feel we live up to the highest ideals of Yoga ~ by giving and sharing.
None of this would be possible without the generosity and hard work of the wonderful people who continue to support the fund raising efforts of MUKTI. It is impossible to name everyone but special gratitude flows from us to our loyal patron Trudie Styler for her support.
In the summer of 2021 we organised a month-long Yoga fund-raiser ~ the Mukti Sun Salutations Challenge which raised £15,030 for the Mukti Project. Due to the success of this fund-raiser we are planning to hold another Sun Salutations Challenge in the summer of 2022.
With this support, in 2021/22 we were able to give additional grants in order to help the charities we support in India and the UK, knowing the additional stresses placed on them by the pandemic. During 2021/22 a total of £26,473 was raised and £26,100 given away in grants as follows:
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Karm Marg India, home for street-children in Delhi : £16,600 (£6,600 above our usual annual grant to KM).
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Naz, home for children who are HIV Positive in Delhi : £2,000
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Centrepoint London, for homeless young people : £2,500
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Launchpad, for homeless people in Reading: £2,500
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Gandhigar, a centre for learning for children with disabilities: £2,500
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Traditional Yoga Association Constituted by Deed of Trust on 6 February 2002
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period Year from 01 July 2021 to 30 June 2022
Charity No 1091469
Traditional Yoga Association (Charity No 1091469)
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 01July 2021 to 30 June 2022
| Balance Sheet As at 30 June Current assets Cash at bank and in hand Current Liabilities Amounts falling due within one year Net current assets Total net assets Income Funds Unrestricted funds Restricted funds (The Mukti Project) |
2022 £ £ 46,111 46,111 - - |
2022 £ £ 46,111 46,111 - - |
2022 £ £ 46,111 46,111 - - |
£ 46,111 _ 46,111 24,266 21,845 _ 46,111_ |
2021 £ £ £ 52,897 52,897 _- - 52,897 ______ 52,897 28,169 24,728 ___ 52,897 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||||
Traditional Yoga Association (Charity No 1091469)
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 01July 2021 to 30 June 2022
| TYA | 2022 | TYA | 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income |
Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Unrestricted | Restricted | Total |
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | |||
| Mukti Project | Mukti Project | |||||
| Philo Trust | 16,000 | 16,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 | ||
| Yoga Teacher training course | 100 | 100 | 7,889 | 7,889 | ||
| TYA In-service training | 1,321 | 1,321 | 350 | 350 | ||
| TYA Membership fees | 2,480 | 2,480 | 1,310 | 1,310 | ||
| Book sales | 138 | 138 | 406 | 406 | ||
| Yoga Masterclasses | 9,711 | 9,711 | 10,009 | 10,009 | ||
| Refund from Mukti | 0 | 0 | 158 | 158 | ||
| Gift Aid | 0 | 2,461 | 2,461 | 0 | 5,097 | 5,097 |
| Donations | 0 | 8,982 |
8,982 | 250 | 13,137 |
13,387 |
| Sun Salutations Challenge | 15,030 | 15,030 | ||||
| Sunday’s child | 0 | 0 | 5,556 | 5,556 | ||
| Christmas Fun Walk | 0 | 0 | 1,761 | 1,761 | ||
| Love of the Draw | 0 | 0 | 1,529 | 1,529 | ||
| Total | £29,750 | £26,473 |
£56,223 | £32,372 | £27,080 | £59,452 |
Traditional Yoga Association (Charity No 1091469)
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 01July 2021 to 30 June 2022
| TYA | 2022 | TYA | 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expenditure | Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Unrestricted | Restricted | Total |
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | |||
| Mukti Project | Mukti Project | |||||
| Tutor Development | 30 | 30 | 0 | 0 | ||
| TYA Course costs & Development | 2,913 | 2,913 | 1,355 | 1,355 | ||
| Trainers’ fees |
22,462 | 22,462 | 14,416 | 14,416 | ||
| IYN & Yoga Alliance Membership | 641 | 641 | 746 | 746 | ||
| Amazon fees | 148 | 148 | 181 | 181 | ||
| Purchase of books to sell | 301 | 301 | 293 | 293 | ||
| Advertising | 138 | 138 | 138 | 138 | ||
| Online classes equipment/support | 740 | 740 | 335 | 335 | ||
| Updating Website & Domain renewal | 2,799 | 775 |
3,574 |
1,909 | 375 | 2,284 |
| Stationery, printing & postage | 1,392 | 693 |
2,085 | 737 | 180 | 917 |
| Public Liability Insurance | 393 | 392 |
785 | 4 | 774 | 778 |
| Room hire | 824 | 0 |
824 | 163 | 121 | 284 |
| TYA administrative costs | 872 | 0 | 872 | |||
| Bank charges | 125 | 125 | 57 | 171 | 228 | |
| Grants | 26,100 |
26,100 | 29,025 | 29,025 | ||
| Lottery expenses | 373 |
373 | 348 | 348 | ||
| Car expenses | 174 | 174 | 325 | 325 | ||
| Fundraising expenses | 723 | 723 | 200 | 200 | ||
| Covid consultation fee | 0 | 65 | 65 | |||
| Mukti | 0 | 113 | 113 | |||
| Just Giving fees | 0 | 216 | 216 | |||
| Total |
£33,653 | £29,355 |
£63,008 | £20,512 | £31,735 | £52,247 |
Traditional Yoga Association (Charity No 1091469)
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 01July 2021 to 30 June 2022
| TYA | 2022 | TYA | 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted |
Total |
Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | |
| Funds | Funds |
Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | |
| Mukti Project | Mukti Project | |||||
| Surplus in period | (£3,903) | (£2,883) |
(£6,786) | £11,860 | (£4,356) | £7,504 |
| Funds at 1 July 2021 | £28,169 | £24,728 |
£52,897 | £16,310 | £29,083 | £45,393 |
| Funds at 30 June 2022 | £24,266 | £21,845 |
£46,111 | £28,169 | £24,728 | £52,897 |
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts SoctSon A Independent Examin¢r'$ Report Report to the truste members of fp4bi Tiodrf- 4-SOCj 4nohJ On accounts for the yaar ended Charity no lif any) ICFI iyÉf Set out on pag•s I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Yhe Trust'} for the year ended Responsibilitles and As the charity trustees the Trust. you are sponsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance wth the requirements of the Char(ties Act 2011 (Yhe Act'l. I report in respect of my èxamination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed the appli¢able Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llbl of the A¢t. I have completed my examination. I confim that no m8lerial matters have come to my attention lolher than that disclosed below") in connection wth the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. accounting r8¢ords were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord wf(h the accounting records Independent exarniner's statement I have no ¢oncems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words the brackets rfthey do not apply. Slgn•d.. Date.. 23 Name: IVL &TA Relevant professional qualificationl$l or body lif any): CHALTc¢a fvo,.fdT Address: If OLS ctssIEdT fiLgttu£sr IER October 2018
Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters ol concem (see CC32, Indep8nd8nt examrnation of Charity accounts.. diC.0nS and guidance for oxarnin8rsl. Glvè h•r• brièf detsil¥ of any Item$ that th• gxaminer wishes to dÉ&elose. IER October 2018