Teaching Team for 200 Hours Hatha Yoga TTC at Sampoorna Yoga, Goa

2026 started with me in Goa, on a 200-hour Hatha TTC at Sampoorna Yoga in Agonda. Will I teach yoga? I don’t know. Having completed my 60-hour Yin Yoga teacher training course I wanted to deepen my knowledge of Hatha yoga, the asanas, the philosophy, meditation, Pranayama and ethics.

Hatha yoga originated in early Indian yogic texts, where it was developed as a practical method to prepare the body and mind for meditation. The word Hatha refers to balance. Ha represents the sun. Tha the moon. The aim is to bring steadiness to opposing forces through physical practice, breath control and concentration. In practice, Hatha yoga moves at a slow, measured pace. Postures are entered carefully and explored with attention rather than momentum, focusing on alignment, not speed like other yoga practices. Breath leads the movement and pauses are part of the work, giving space to give intention, observe sensation, effort and response. It’s a practice concerned with how you move, your awareness of how you breathe and how you pay attention, building strength, stability, and clarity as a foundation for deeper inner work.

In addition to Yin Yoga, my interest lies firmly with Hatha yoga rather than Vinyasa because it feels honest to me. Vinyasa often centres on pace, music and shape. It can drift away from the very reason yoga exists in the first place. Hatha asks you to slow down and pay attention. It places breath, discipline and awareness. I want to understand where yoga comes from, not only how it looks. The history matters. The philosophy matters. The spiritual focus matters. Hatha yoga offers a way to study yoga as a complete system, shaped over centuries, with clear roots in meditation, self-enquiry and inner steadiness. It feels respectful of the practice, the ancient scripts, and aligned with why I came to yoga in the first place.

The teaching team at Sampoorna Yoga create an atmosphere from day one that feels calm, focused and respectful. Yoga here is treated as a lived practice, not a performance. Students are given the space to question, explore and deepen without pressure or expectation. It feels safe. It feels considered. It feels non-judgmental.

The teachers come from both India and overseas, bringing together different lineages, teaching styles and lived experience. This mix gives the course depth and perspective, while remaining firmly grounded in traditional yoga philosophy and practice. They approach yoga as an ongoing process shaped by study, discipline and self-enquiry. East and West meet here without dilution.

All of the teachers are experienced, certified and confident in their subject. Each brings their own character and depth to the training while staying aligned with classical foundations.

Deepak Sharma, founder and director of Sampoorna Yoga, established the school in Goa in 2008. His journey spans more than three decades of practice and fifteen years of teaching. It’s shaped by lived experience as much as formal study. His path shifted in his twenties after an intense encounter with the Bhagavad Gita, followed by years spent studying spiritual texts, visiting ashrams and attending satsangs alongside a conventional working life. He later studied under respected teachers, including Swami Sivananda, Swami Satyananda, Swami Niranjanananda, Osho and Goenka ji of the Vipassana tradition. His teaching is practical, philosophical and steady.

Deepak Sharma

Vishwajeet Singh, known as Vishu, was born in Haridwar and raised largely in Rishikesh. Yoga and philosophy were part of daily life from childhood. He learnt first from his grandfather, a respected yogi, and later under the guidance of his brother and guru Jagjeet Singh. Years of travelling across India deepened his understanding of yogic culture, philosophy and meditation. Vishu teaches with clarity, honesty, warmth and humour, staying close to students throughout their learning. His focus sits firmly on applying yoga beyond the mat.

Vishu

Ankita Gurjar was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and raised in a deeply spiritual household shaped by the Guru Shishya Parampara. Yoga entered her life early and with seriousness. By seventeen, she had committed herself to practice and study, alongside a strong academic path that included a Bachelor of Science in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. She completed her 500 hour yoga teacher training by the age of twenty, then went on to study further, drawn to yoga through both lived experience and intellectual rigour. That led her to a two-year Master of Science in Yogic Studies, allowing her to explore yoga through philosophy, practice and enquiry. Ankita has taught yoga philosophy for more than five years and brings clarity and calm to subjects that are often rushed or simplified. Her teaching style is measured and precise, particularly in guided meditation and Yoga Nidra, where her quiet authority and steady presence create a grounded learning environment. Despite being one of the youngest teachers on the team, she is also one of the most academically qualified, committed to sharing yoga as a way of life rather than a trend.

Ankita Gurjar

Taniya Nandini (known as Nandini) brings a disciplined ashram-based approach rooted in the Sivananda tradition. She completed both 200-hour and 500-hour teacher trainings, alongside extended sadhana study, at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashram. Her teaching reflects years immersed in daily practice, philosophy and devotional work. Bhajans and kirtan form a natural part of her teaching and personal practice.

Nandini

Preet came to yoga through the physical challenge of the practice before moving towards its quieter, more demanding aspects. Her experience of anxiety and depression shaped a deep respect for yoga as a tool for steadiness and self-regulation. She completed 500 hours of Hatha training and 200 hours of Ashtanga training. Her anatomy and yoga teaching blends structure with creativity and prioritises inclusivity.

Chelsea Harper completed her 200-hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training at Sampoorna Yoga and later returned for further study. Her background in movement and meditation informs a steady, thoughtful teaching style. She guides with clarity, care and consistency. An interview with Chelsea will follow over on Fabulous Female Founders, in addition to one with Charlotte, our sweet and strict KY.

Chelsea Harper

Together, the teaching team at Sampoorna Yoga deliver a training that feels grounded, rigorous and respectful of yoga as a lifelong practice. Highly recommended to anyone considering the 200 Hour Hatha TTC.