History

A Sacred Lineage

We honor and sustain the classical teachings of the science of yoga, in which the sacred knowledge of the True Self has been passed down from Guru to disciple for millenia.

The North Carolina School of Yoga is a place of spiritual practice, significant because our founder and director Chandra Om has placed the teachings of Sri Dharma Mittra and Sri Swami Kailashananda there and envisioned a unique and holy temple in which to house them. Rooted in the teachings of Vedanta, our lineage predates Vedic times and consists of a sacred line of exalted Masters and Gurus. Each of these God centered souls played a role in the North Carolina School of Yoga’s mission and the continuous living link of this lineage.
The passing of a Guru’s spiritual mantle to a disciple designated to carry on the lineage to which that Guru belongs is termed Guru-parampara. The direct lineage of our school in this century is Sri Swami Kailashananda, Sri Dharma Mittra and Chandra Om.

Sri Swami Kailashananda

The exemplary life of Sri Swami Kailashananada began in India, where he received the Divine call and sought out his Guru. For many years he arduously practiced the various paths of yoga under the Guru’s guidance. After realizing the highest truth through all of them, he dedicated his life to the dissemination of spiritual knowledge. Devoted to the work and service of the Divine cause, he established countless temples and gardens and founded the Kailashananda Mission and Nature Cure Center in Rishikesh, India.

He embodied and imparted the teachings of renunciation, dedicated service, love and spiritual idealism, and espoused these virtues not only within the Mission, but within the hearts of the innumerable students throughout India and America who continually sought his advice, help and guidance. His sincere and committed interest in their spiritual progress and welfare remains a testament to his legacy. He presented the universal gospel, the Vedanta, in its entirety, which was easily appreciated and assimilated by his students and disciples in both the east and the west.

Sri Dharma Mittra

The advent of Sri Dharma Mittra was truly a boon for the whole of humankind. Whenever humankind has suffered great miseries and sorrows, innumerable problems and difficulties, God has always sent His special messengers to lead His children from the darkness of despair to the light of truth. One such Master is Sri Dharma Mittra who lives up to this philosophy of service to the whole of creation.

Born in a small village in Brazil, Sri Dharma was a highly respected disciple in Swami Kailashananda’s ashram as well as personal assistant to the Guru. Revered and admired, he was both the embodiment of divinity and the humble object of selfless service. Through his deep spiritual realizations, upon leaving the ashram, he established the Kailashananda Temple to serve his Master through the teachings of Vedanta. His magnificent and inspired Master Asana Chart brought him into the public light and Sri Dharma has been recognized by countless yoga students as the illumined embodiment of Bhakti and Jnana. Just like his Guru, Sri Dharma came not for one community but for humanity at large.

Chandra Om

Chandra Om is a devoted disciple of her Guru, Sri Dharma Mittra. After many years of study with the Guru, she was initiated and became his honored disciple, took the spiritual vows of Brahmacharya and was ordained to take up the spiritual heritage of the Master and to disseminate his thoughts and teachings. In 2001, observing the need for the preservation of the classical teachings in the modern world she established the North Carolina School of Yoga.

Today, the North Carolina School of Yoga serves as a place for preservation of the ancient teachings and serves countless students each year. The school is widely recognized as a center of authentic yoga, presented in its right perspective.