Prana Yoga for Life
Our life force is the fundamental energy source that allows us to experience this human manifestation.
Prana Yoga for Life helps yoga practitioners generate and come into greater awareness of this innate life force and enjoy a much healthier, active and synergised mind-body-soul composite to live one's life purpose to the fullest.
Prana Yoga for Life offerings
Come and try a group class for a powerful and heart-opening session exploring the sacred union of stillness (Shiva) and movement (Shakti) through traditional, lineage-based yoga and guided inner awareness.
Led by experienced teachers and lifelong partners Rita and Gaurav Ahuja, this class offers a rare opportunity to experience the dynamic balance of masculine and feminine energies within your own being.
Blending breath, movement, and meditation, you’ll be guided to reconnect with your inner clarity, vitality, and sense of wholeness. Suitable for individuals and all levels welcome.
This is more than a class—it's a lived transmission of balance, embodiment, and awakening.
Ashtanga Yoga (Monday, Thursday & Saturday)
Experience the power of a group to improve your yoga practice in a studio setting with the Ashtanga yoga process (warm up, asanas, pranayama, pratyahaar, dharana and dhyana).
Mantra chanting
Mantra chanting to invoke deep sense of calm and healing. This session will hopefully help you ascend you into the subtle state, away from the gross body consciousness within minutes.
Women's Yoga (Wednesdays)
A women's only Ashtanga Yoga class. Morning flows to start your day with intention. Connect with like-minded women and deepen your practice.
Sound Healing
Come and join us for sound healing at the end of the Ashtanga Yoga class on Monday nights.
Experience traditional Ashtanga Yoga
PUBLIC YOGA CLASSES
Monday and Thursday (WINTER) evenings 7:00pm to 8:10pm (arrive 6:50pm) Winter and Summer timings align with daylight savings.
Wednesday mornings (Women's Yoga) 8:30am - 9:40am (arrive 8:20am)
Saturday mornings 9:30am - 10:40am (arrive 9:20) Please note Wednesday classes are offered exclusively to women ($10 casual entry or free for monthly members paying $70).
Venue South Oakleigh Bowling Club (SOBC) on 1216 North Road, Oakleigh South, Victoria. Enter via Oakleigh Maternal and Child Family hub on 1228 North Road via GUEST ROAD. There is free parking behind the hub with another entrance to the Bowls Club. Once you enter the Bowls Club gate and walk about 20 meters, there is a walk-up disabled ramp on the left to enter the small hall of the Bowls Club. Go through the sliding doors and enter the bigger hall where the Yoga classes are conducted.
Monday classes have sound healing meditation and chanting in the end. Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday classes conclude with mantra chanting. These classes are suitable for beginners and experienced yogis.
Bookings are essential so we can ensure sufficient place for everyone.
Monthly package options (valid for 4 weeks):
1. $50 a month upto 8 sessions Monday & Thursday evenings
2. $70 a month upto 12 sessions thrice a week - Monday, Thursday, Saturday
Note we don’t offer Saturday only packages.
Women's yoga class $10 per session.
Casual fees:
$15 a session for casual entry any day Monday, Thursday or Saturday.
$10 a session for casual entry Wednesday (women's yoga).
If you are interested kindly send an email mypranayogaforlife@gmail.com.
Or use the link below.
about us
Prana Yoga for Life came into being in July 2024 to offer the blessing of Ashtanga Yoga and help the local community bring about sustainable change in their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
Through the 5,000 years old Ashtanga Yoga blueprint, the intent is to bring seekers back to their fundamental pillar of strength - their innate cleansed soul consciousness which helps bring back new life to one’s personal experience, and start to live with a purpose, a wholeness which is beyond words, and live in the divine trinity of mind, body, soul.
Gaurav Ahuja - Yoga Instructor
Gaurav has practiced meditation for more than three decades, is a traditional Ashtanga Yoga Instructor and imparts the undiluted form of Ashtanga yoga to seekers in South Oakleigh. He offers spiritual seekers the opportunity to recognise and rise into their innermost Truth.
We are all manifested constructs of our own energy. We are pure, untainted, pristine beings of light, who have assumed this planetary experience to help ourselves, and, each other, discover the beauty of our unlimited united oneness. Gaurav knows himself as one of the sources of light just as you are, and is able to facilitate your connecting intimately to your own inner source of love, joy and abundance.
From a worldly earthly perspective, Gaurav completed his undergraduate in commerce with Honours. He graduated Beta-Gamma-Sigma with an MBA from New York, USA and came top of class in his IT Masters from Monash University. One day in December 2022, driving through the remote parts of New Zealand, Gaurav recognised his role in this play of ‘life’. He decided immediately to walk away from his role in a Melbourne based IT firm where he worked as CEO for the last 13 years and finally embarked on the love of his life to be a holistic spiritual medium after a corporate career of 25 years.
Rita Ahuja - Yoga Instructor
Rita is an experienced yoga practitioner, Yoga Australia member and a certified teacher, having completed her 350-hour Yoga Teacher Training at the Yoga and Meditation School of India in Melbourne. Her yoga journey began as a teenager growing up in Northern India, where she was inspired by her mother’s use of yoga to manage asthma and support overall wellbeing. Motivated to overcome her own chronic sinusitis, Rita turned to traditional yogic nasal cleansing techniques—finding not just relief, but lasting healing. Witnessing her parents remain healthy and active into their later years reinforced her belief in yoga as a lifelong practice and inspired her to pursue formal training in traditional, lineage-based yoga.
Today, Rita is passionate about sharing these authentic practices to support others on their path to health and balance. Her teachings are grounded in authenticity, and open to all levels. Join Rita to reconnect with your breath, body, and deeper sense of wellbeing.
Hari Om and Namaste
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the founder of traditional yoga?
Ashtanga Yoga originated in India from Maharishi Patanjali 5000 years ago, an ancient Indian sage known as the father of Yoga, famous for compiling the 196 Yoga Sutras (read more in the Blog Post section).
Do I need to believe in Yoga philosophy to benefit?
Yoga does not require any particular belief system or spiritual practice to be beneficial. At its core, it offers practical techniques that support physical and mental wellbeing. Simple practices such as movement, breathing exercises, and relaxation can help improve flexibility, strength, sleep quality, mood, and stress management. Some people are drawn to yoga for spiritual reasons, while many others simply enjoy how it helps them feel healthier, calmer, and more balanced in everyday life. The experience can be entirely personal and adapted to what feels right for you.
What do I need to bring?
Yoga mat (no foam or pilates mat) and water bottle. If you don't have a yoga mat, kindly let us know a day prior and we can give you a mat for the first class.
What do I wear?
Comfortable clothing. Avoid wearing a smart watch during your practice.
Other advice
Avoid eating or drinking atleast 1-2 hours prior to your class. No heavy meals please.
Follow medical advice given by your GP or specialist. Always listen to your mind and body.
Allergies and sensitivities
Smell - We light a mild incense stick to clear the energy of this public space, so if you have any allergies or other issues, please let the instructor know when you complete in the registration form. We can remove the incense stick prior to class starting.
Sound - We play a singing bowl on Monday nights and the tongue drum on Wednesday mornings. If you are sensitive to these sounds, kindly let the instructor know.
Contact us today!
Address
1216 North Rd, Oakleigh South VIC 3167, Australia
Phone
+61448055404Reviews
Read these reviews on Google Maps.
Membership & Affiliations
Learn more about traditional yoga
What is Yoga?
Yoga is both a state of being and a collection of practices designed to guide us toward that state, a place of unity, clarity, and inner stillness.
Yoga is an ancient tradition that offers practical tools for physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Beyond the well-known postures (āsana), it includes breathing practices, meditation, and simple principles for living a balanced life.
There are many different styles and approaches to yoga, offering options to suit people of all ages, backgrounds, and needs. Whether you are seeking strength, calm, clarity, or personal growth, there is a practice for you.
Philosophy of Yoga
When most people think of yoga, they picture stretching, breathing, or relaxing on a mat, but traditionally, yoga is a complete way of living designed to help us feel healthier, calmer, kinder, and more connected to ourselves and others.
An ancient guide called the Yoga Sūtra describes yoga as having eight interconnected parts, known as the Eight Limbs of Yoga. Each part offers tools and practices for creating balance in body, mind, and life.
At the very foundation of this system are Yama and Niyama, simple, meaningful principles to guide how we treat ourselves and the world around us.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga
Yama (Moral guidelines) — Guidelines for how we relate to others. Includes non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, moderation, and non-possessiveness.
Niyama (Personal observances) — Inner disciplines for self-care and personal growth. Includes cleanliness, contentment, discipline, self-study, and surrender to a higher principle.
Āsana (Posture) — Steady, comfortable postures that support physical health and prepare the body for meditation.
Prāṇāyāma (Breath control) — Regulation of the breath to influence the flow of vital energy (prāṇa) and steady the mind.
Pratyāhāra (Sense withdrawal) — Turning the senses inward, detaching from external distractions to cultivate inner awareness.
Dhāraṇā (Concentration) — One-pointed focus on a single object, sound, or idea, training the mind to remain steady.
Dhyāna (Meditation) — Sustained, effortless awareness and contemplation, where concentration deepens into meditative absorption.
Samādhi (Absorption) — A state of profound inner peace, unity, and liberation where the distinction between meditator and object dissolves.
Yama and Niyama
Yama: How We Relate to Others
Five guidelines for living peacefully and ethically with others:
Ahimsa — non-violence, kindness, and compassion
Satya — truthfulness and honesty
Asteya — not taking what isn’t freely given
Brahmacharya — wise use of energy in all areas of life
Aparigraha — non-greediness, letting go of unnecessary attachments
Niyama: How We Care for Ourselves
Five principles for self-care, inner peace, and personal growth:
Saucha — cleanliness and clarity in body, mind, and environment
Santosha — contentment and gratitude for what is
Tapas — self-discipline and healthy effort
Svādhyāya — self-study and reflection
Īśvara praṇidhāna — letting go and trusting in life’s bigger picture
Source: Yoga Australia https://yogaaustralia.org.au/
Book recommendations
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali for yoga philosophy