Northern Ireland
When she was a young woman of twenty-eight, Swami Satyananda sent her abroad, to bring yoga to Europe, and she arrived in the cold in her saffron robes and sandals – which she always wore (she never even liked to wear socks).
She settled in Belfast in 1979, where Swami Satyamurti (deceased) joined her and helped her to establish an ashram in the Limestone Road: Satyananda Yoga Centre.
Other swamis from India spent some time in the ashram, including Swami Niranjan, and Swami Kriyamurti (from England) left home and joined her.
It was a large semi-detached house, with a loft knocked through to make a big Yoga Room. Swami Atmananda gave wonderful classes there.
One student remembers a weekend course with an all-night programme. The participants had a rest in the afternoon, and were woken up about 6 pm with a yoga quiz, which got everybody laughing (no one knew any of the answers!).
There were various yoga and meditation practices all through the night until dawn, when they were sent out for a walk before breakfast. This lady said how in the middle of the night, in that magical atmosphere, she was able to do postures that had previously been impossible for her.
In 1975 Swami Satyananda called Swami Atmananda back to Munger, and she closed the Belfast ashram. The three swamis packed all their belongings into a Volkswagen campervan and set off overland for India.
Swami Satyamurti did the driving, and they slept mostly in the van – it took them two weeks, with a few adventures along the way (such as the fridge blowing up in the middle of Tehran, and almost being nudged off a precipice by some cheerful Turks in a lorry).
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