Traditional Yoga Association[®] Constituted by Deed of Trust on 6 February 2002
Charity Number 1091469
Annual Report
1[st] July 2024 – 30 June 2025
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Annual Report of the Traditional Yoga Association[®] 2024/25
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 2024 to 30[th] June 2025.
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 Wilmette Brown Ms Penny Hitchings-Jones Mrs Hamulata Patel
Independent Examiner
Mr Ketan Bhadresa
Bankers:
Lloyds Bank, Broad Street, Reading, RG1 2BT 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 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;
To provide relief for people who are in financial need; and
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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.
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.
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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 2025. Please see the Receipts and Payments Accounts for a full report.
In the period from 1[st] July 2024 to the 30[th] June 2025 the total income was £46,164 and the Expenditure was £42,978. Of this £16,727 was income specifically for The MUKTI Project.
Grants totalling £16,000 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 increase in the cost of living, 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 2025 stood at £18,374 in unrestricted funds. This amount is lower than the amount recommended in the Charity’s Reserves Policy, however, two months after the end of the financial year the TYA received a grant of £15,000 from the Philo Trust bringing the charity’s balance to slightly higher than the amount stipulated in the Chairty’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 2024/25
The Philo Trust
The Traditional Yoga Association was very grateful to receive a grant of £15,000 from the Philo Trust during this year which has enabled us to train new Tutors to teach the TYA Teachers Course, to develop new classes, workshops and courses, and to underpin the work of the TYA. Our teachers are trained in the full spectrum of physical Yoga (asana, pranayama, etc.) and its rich philosophy ~ and the Philo Trust grant has enabled us to successfully maintain and grow this approach.
CURRENT TYA TEACHERS
The TYA’s Traditional Yoga Teachers Course is a two-year course which includes the philosophy of Yoga. As many who want to teach have little experience of philosophy, when we created our Teachers Training course we decided to limit the numbers on each course so that individual help and attention could be offered. To date, 135 people in the UK have completed our Yoga Teachers Training Course and 42 people in Spain have completed it. Currently, over 125 Traditional Yoga classes taught by our teachers to more than 1,230 people per week are taking place across the country from Devon in the West to London and Hertfordshire in the East and to Cheshire in the north.
All TYA teachers include philosophy and meditation as part of their classes. A number of teachers report also teaching separate meditation/philosophy classes.
In addition, a few years ago, we launched the For Life Yoga (FLY) Classes that are specifically designed for older people. Currently there are 17 of these classes being offered each week, being taught by 10 TYA teachers in the UK. As this is the fastest-growing segment of the UK population, we are looking to expand this number in the coming years. The FLY course ~ which is mostly chair-based ~ can also be used for disabled students. To date we have only offered this training to our TYA trained Yoga teachers; however, we are now looking at how it may be offered to teachers from diverse Yoga schools and what needs to be added to it in order to do this.
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TYA TUTOR TRAINING PROGRAMME
Yoga Teacher Training Course
( Training the next generation of Yoga Teacher Tutors)
During 2025 and continuing into 2026, Swami Ambikananda has taught and will continue to train, support and develop five new TYA Tutors to teach the Yoga Teacher Training course. Having completed the first stage of their training in 2024, two Tutors started teaching a Foundation Course and developed that into a new Teacher Training Course in their own area ~ one in Hertfordshire, and the other in Reading, Berkshire.
Throughout this year Swamiji has given these Tutors support and on-going training on each aspect of the Teachers Course. This training will continue in 2026 until the completion of the training of these five is complete.
Training the next generation of tutor trainers is important and takes time for the new Tutors to learn the skills needed to become excellent trainers and continue the work of the TYA into the future. As part of the process of handing over the teaching of the Yoga Teachers Course to the new Teacher trainers Swami Ambikananda revised all the course material ~ including the notes for the students ~ as well as providing a full package of training materials.
TYA Yoga Foundation Courses
Before applicants can progress to the Teachers Course, they have to complete the TYA Foundation Course. Currently, the new Senior Tutors have completed four such courses in Reading and Hertfordshire.
Teachers Continuing Professional Development (CPDs)
The TYA organises CPD workshops every year for TYA teachers as well as teachers from other schools who wish to deepen their study of Yoga. During this year we offered the following courses:
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Pranayama workshop
A four-hour in-person workshop on pranayama was taught by one of our new Senior TYA Tutors in June 2025, and 19 teachers and trainee teachers attended the workshop.
Pranayama is an important aspect of Yoga and the tutor taught a highly practical and experiential workshop for TYA teachers. He presented some innovative ideas on how pranayama can be woven into their Yoga classes as a means to experience prana and develop a sensitivity to its flow.
The ‘Pop-Up Ashram’ Retreats
This past year saw the first in a series of the ‘Pop-up Ashram’ 3-hour Retreats. The word āśrama is derived from the Sanskrit root śram (śram), meaning "to toil" or "to strive". With the prefix ā it becomes a place of ‘less’ toil. Our students’ lives have ~ with everyone else’s ~ become busier. In this series of three-hour workshops Swami Ambikananda will take Yoga teachers through 3-hour retreats that they can create for their students ~ the ‘Pop-up Ashram’ offering a break from a hectic schedule with a dive into all aspects of Yoga. These workshops will offer valuable information that they can also use in their everyday classes.
The first of the 3-hour ‘Pop-up’ retreats was:
Maintaining Energy in Winter
The first three-hour in-person retreat was taught by Swami Ambikananda, 24 Yoga teachers came to the workshop, and the feedback afterwards was excellent.
The retreat covered the Yogic and Ayurvedic teaching on prana, the doshas and dhatus and, in particular, ojas. Ojas is our vigour, our deepest, inner strength. The long cold months of winter are particularly challenging to it. This workshop explored ojas in relation to body/mind and cover all aspects of Yoga that help maintain ojas through the winter. It also looked at the more subtle
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elements of maintaining ojas, like reminding us of meaning and purpose through Yoga philosophy and meditation.
First Aid Course
The TYA requires all its teachers to have a valid First Aid certificate and a basic knowledge of CPR and First Aid. Each year we invite the British Red Cross to teach a First Aid course for TYA teachers so that everyone has a valid certificate.
TYA Teachers’ Master Classes
Swami Ambikananda continues to teach master classes to teachers from the TYA and other Yoga schools so that they learn new material as well as further develop their teaching skills. The classes are online to enable people to join from anywhere in the UK and beyond.
The Three Ms Yoga Class: Meaning, Movement and Meditation
In 2025 Swami Ambikananda started teaching a new weekly Master Class called Meaning, Movement and Meditation. This class comprises 20 minutes of Yoga Philosophy, 30 minutes of Yoga asana and 20 minutes of meditation.
Swami Ambikananda continues to teach an early morning class as well as an online Yoga class for older adults.
Yoga and Meditation for people with Multiple Sclerosis
In addition to mainstream Yoga classes, some of our teachers teach specialist classes to enable people with disabilities to be able to benefit from Yoga:
We were delighted to learn that the Berkshire MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Therapy Centre based in Reading received the 'King's Award' for Voluntary Services (KAVS). The KAVS honours outstanding local volunteer groups and is the highest award given to local voluntary groups in the country. The award is equivalent to an MBE and
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is only given to a small number of organisations each year. There are only two Yoga teachers teaching for the MS Therapy Centre and they are both Senior TYA teachers, Uddhava Samman and Hema Patel, who have worked with people with MS for many years.
TYA Chanting and Sacred Scripture Study Group
In May 2025 Swami Ambikananda started teaching a Sacred Scripture study group once a month for TYA Yoga teachers and students as well as people from other Yoga schools and the local community. She began by teaching about Sage Valmiki’s Ramayana. Swamiji considers this beautiful scripture as the 'how to be the best you can be when things go horribly wrong' teaching ~ so appropriate for the times we are living through.
TYA Blog
Swami Ambikananda wrote two articles to accompany two of the sessions on the Ramayana and these were posted on the TYA website so that the teaching of Yoga Philosophy could reach a wider audience as well promoting the work of the TYA.
In addition, Senior TYA teacher, Luci Trendle, wrote a Blog on ‘The Gong Bath – a Peak experience?’
https://www.traditionalyoga.org/blog.html
ADDITIONAL TYA ACITVITIES IN 2024 / 2025
E-book Publications
The Patanjali Yoga Sutras translated by Swami Ambikananda is currently with a publisher being prepared for e-book publication. It should be ready to go on sale within the next few months.
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World Yoga Festival
The TYA has developed a reputation for excellence in the teaching of Yoga and was therefore, once again, invited to teach at the World Yoga Festival which took place over four days in 2025 near Henley-on-Thames. This gave TYA teachers an opportunity to showcase the work of the TYA to a wider audience.
Two Senior TYA teachers were invited to teach at the World Yoga Festival: one taught three classes and approximately 150 people came to each class; another taught two classes at sunrise each day which included 108 rounds of Surya Namaskar (Salutations to the Sun).
Duchess of Kent Hospice
Swami Ambikananda was invited to speak at two events organised by the Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading relating to the spiritual and faith aspects of end-of-life care.
The Duchess of Kent Hospice announced their intention to make this an on-going discussion.
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.
The MUKTI Project continues to be well-supported and the Trustees are grateful to everyone who gave so generously during the year. In this way we feel we live up to the highest ideals of Yoga ~ by giving and sharing.
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None of this would be possible without the generosity and hard work of the wonderful people who continue to support the fundraising efforts of MUKTI. It is impossible to name everyone but special gratitude flows from us to our loyal patron Trudie Styler for her support.
During the year a number of people worked very hard to raise money for MUKTI; Swami Ambikananda donated a very beautiful Ramayana (retail price £1,895) and we held a raffle and raised over £2,966. She also donated any diksha (alms) given to her to the project.
With this support, in 2024/25 we were able to give a total of £16,000 in grants to the charities we support in India and the UK and the following grants were given:
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Karm Marg India, a home for street-children in Delhi : £13,000
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New Beginnings, helping homeless people in Reading: £3,000
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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 2024 to 30 June 2025
Charity No 1091469
Traditional Yoga Association (Charity No 1091469)
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 01July 2024 to 30 June 2025
| 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) |
2025 £ £ 43,548 43,548 - - |
2025 £ £ 43,548 43,548 - - |
2025 £ £ 43,548 43,548 - - |
£ 43,548 _ 43,548 18,374 24,814 _ 43,548_ |
2024 £ £ £ 40,362 40,362 _- - 40,362 ______ 40,362 15,694 24,668 ___ 40,362 |
2024 £ £ £ 40,362 40,362 _- - 40,362 ______ 40,362 15,694 24,668 ___ 40,362 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- |
||||||
| __ |
||||||
Traditional Yoga Association (Charity No 1091469)
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 01July 2024 to 30 June 2025
| TYA | 2025 | TYA | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income |
Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Unrestricted | Restricted | Total |
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | |||
| Mukti Project | Mukti Project | |||||
| Philo Trust | 15,000 | 15,000 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Yoga Foundation course | 180 | 180 | 1,691 | 1,691 | ||
| TYA In-service training | 1,500 | 1,500 | 2,462 | 2,462 | ||
| TYA Membership fees | 2,045 | 2,045 | 2,540 | 2,540 | ||
| Book sales | 305 | 305 | 1,324 | 1,324 | ||
| Yoga Masterclasses | 8,996 | 8,996 | 9,489 | 9,489 | ||
| Ramayana study group | 161 | 161 | ||||
| Blindfold Yoga classes | 0 | 0 | 30 | 30 | ||
| Gift Aid | 0 | 3,967 | 3,967 | 0 | 1,422 | 1,422 |
| Donations | 1,250 | 9,794 |
11,044 | 136 | 8,631 |
8,767 |
| Sponsored Garba | 0 |
0 | 10,600 | 10,600 | ||
| Chanting evening | 0 | 0 | 305 | 305 | ||
| Mukti raffle | 2,966 | 2,966 | 165 | 165 | ||
| Zumba classes | 0 | 0 | 115 | 115 | ||
| Total | £29,437 | £16,727 |
£46,164 | £17,672 | £21,238 | £38,910 |
Traditional Yoga Association (Charity No 1091469)
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 01July 2024 to 30 June 2025
| TYA | 2025 | TYA | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expenditure | Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Unrestricted | Restricted | Total |
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | |||
| Mukti Project | Mukti Project | |||||
| TYA Course costs & Development | 851 | 851 | 1,161 | 1,161 | ||
| Trainers’ fees |
15,925 | 15,925 | 19,030 | 19,030 | ||
| TYA Video recording | 150 | 150 | 675 | 675 | ||
| TYA monthly blog | 225 | 225 | 300 | 300 | ||
| CIMSPA & Yoga Alliance Membership | 780 | 780 | 535 | 535 | ||
| Amazon fees | 186 | 186 | 232 | 232 | ||
| Purchase of books to sell | 206 | 206 | 1,000 | 1,000 | ||
| Advertising | 448 | 448 | 918 | 918 | ||
| Online classes equipment/support | 368 | 368 | 1,700 | 1,700 | ||
| Travel costs | 388 | 388 | 172 | 172 | ||
| Updating Website & Domain renewal | 3,165 | 500 |
3,665 |
3,044 | 200 | 3,244 |
| Stationery, printing & postage | 1,994 | 0 |
1,994 | 1,476 | 212 | 1,688 |
| Public Liability Insurance | 479 | 0 |
479 | 352 | 352 | 704 |
| Room hire | 211 | 0 | 211 | 1,633 | 25 | 1,658 |
| TYA administrative costs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
0 | 10 |
| Bank charges | 0 | 61 | 61 | 30 | 205 | 235 |
| Grants | 370 | 16,000 |
16,370 | 23,250 | 23,250 | |
| Donations to Mukti | 414 | 414 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fundraising expenses | 20 | 20 | 1,933 | 1,933 | ||
| Total |
£26,397 | £16,581 |
£42,978 | £32,863 | £26,177 | £59,040 |
Traditional Yoga Association (Charity No 1091469)
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 01July 2024 to 30 June 2025
| TYA | 2025 | TYA | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted |
Total |
Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | |
| Funds | Funds |
Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | |
| Mukti Project | Mukti Project | |||||
| Surplus in period | £3,040 | £146 |
£3,186 | (£15,191) | (£4,938) | (£20,129) |
| Funds at 1 July 2024 | £15,694 | £24,668 |
£40,362 | £30,885 | £29,606 | £60,491 |
| Funds at 30 June 2025 | £18,734 | £24,814 |
£43,548 | £15,694 | £24,668 | £40,362 |
nN CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
. Independent examiner's report on the accounts
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Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to thememberstrustees/of TRADITIONAL.. fa: YOGHiO, AssociS60Ci AriotATION
On accounts for theendedyear | 30TH Neie 202S Charity(ifany)|no (OUPG | 469z
| report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above
charity (“the Trust’) for the year ended .
Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation
basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act
2011 (“the Act’).
| report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out
under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, |
have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission
under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent | have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have
examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below ) in connection with
the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material
respect:
e accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of
the Act or
e the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
| have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection
with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a
proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Name: MK CETaN Ruan Les .
Relevant professional . ;
qualification(s) or body CuakteZed AccountsT
(if any):
Address: 1S CL) FARM CRescEeNT
Tirettuhs
ReawnG RGF Es4
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IER
1
October 2018
Section B
Disclosure
_
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the @xaminer wishes to disclose.
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IER
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October 2018