Varanasi is known as the holiest city in India — and for good reason. It’s said to be Shiva’s favorite city, and families from all over India travel here to cremate their loved ones on the banks of the holy Ganges River at Manikharnika Ghat. With this atmosphere in the air, it makes sense that many people arrive searching for training in subjects like tantra and kundalini yoga in Varanasi.
So where to go? You definitely want to make the most of this opportunity, learning from real masters while avoiding “black tantrics” and “black magicians,” as locals call them.
With that in mind, here’s a hand-picked list of the best places to study energy healing, tantra, and kundalini yoga in Varanasi.
Cosmic Energy Centre
Cosmic Energy Centre is a unique place in Varanasi. Owned and operated by Guru Umesh, this is a true “guru” experience.
The main program he offers lasts one week, with two training sessions each day. There’s no lodging at this ashram, but if you want intimate, hands-on training, this could be the way to go.
Guru Umesh dives into energy healing, distance healing, and reading auras, among other subjects. He’s a very intuitive individual, and you never quite know what you’re going to get in each class, as he tends to tailor the teachings to his students.
I came across Cosmic Energy Centre while wandering through Varanasi’s narrow alleyways. I had consumed one of Varanasi’s infamous bhang lassis (a local ceremonial cannabis derivative used to celebrate the god Shiva), and there was an according looseness to my wandering stroll. At one point I saw a sign pasted on the wall. I stopped to read it, and that’s when Umesh happened to walk by.
“Looking for Cosmic Energy Centre?” He asked. Then he chuckled and took me to the studio to tell me about the program. We rode his motorbike to meet some of his foreign students, who were able to further elaborate on Umesh’s intuitive, freeform style of teaching.
I signed up for the class, and our first meetings were really rewarding. Unfortunately, personal circumstances arose which forced Umesh to call off our training cycle. After a few days of classes, he gave us all of our money back. I tried to pay him for the several classes he had already taught, but he wouldn’t take it.
This is a very ethical and masterful guy. I hope that one day I can return to learn more under him. If you’re looking for structure and curriculum, this might not be the right fit for you, but if you want a direct experience with a deeply knowledgeable teacher in energy-related subjects, this could be the perfect place.
Yoga Training Centre
After saying goodbye to Umesh and wishing him a speedy recovery, I went searching for another place to learn — I feel lucky to have found the Yoga Training Centre.
The training here was closer to the classic “yoga” experience, but it went much deeper. In a small, square room, I was fortunate to learn techniques in kundalini yoga from Yogi Sunil Kumar.
I reached out with a specific interest in kundalini yoga, and Sunil was happy to deliver. He’s a very committed and passionate individual, and when I showed up to train, I was joined by two students who had practiced under him for 20+ years. This was a good sign, and both of his students radiated youthful energy.
When it comes to radiating youthful energy, Sunil stands alone. Passing him on the street, you might not immediately recognize this gray-haired and round-bellied man as a yoga master. But you can see a fire behind his eyes, and when he does yoga, his movements are strong, practiced, and fluid; I was a little stunned to see this huge, powerful man entering and exiting inverted asanas with ease.
On his wall are certifications, awards, and media coverage of his practice, spanning not just yoga but also reiki and laughter yoga. When this man laughs, it shoots out like a firecracker and fills up the whole room. One day, I pointed to the Level IV Usui Reiki certification on the wall and asked him about the connection between reiki and kundalini. “Ah yes,” he said, “you know, another word for reiki…is love!” He broke into his enormous laughter and we all smiled.
He taught me a lot about kundalini yoga, and its connection with other forms of yoga. He took time to break down mulas, bandhas, asanas, and pranayama, and patiently answered each of my questions along the way. I have huge respect for him and his practice, and lots of gratitude for the things I learned at the Yoga Training Centre. Thanks to Sunil, I can say with certainty that I reached a new level of depth in my yogic practice here.
Do yourself a favor and give this place a try. You won’t regret it.
Vagyoga Institute of Voice Consciousness
Here, we start to get quite esoteric (check the second slide in the Instagram post below to see what I mean).
Vagyoga is a school founded by Sanskrit linguist and kundalini master Vagish Shastri. When I first went to Google in search of kundalini yoga in Varanasi, several of the first results were articles pointing to Dr. Shastri’s school — his methods were quite original, and drawing on his skills as a linguist he was able to transmit knowledge of kundalini to students from all over the world.
Dr. Shastri’s many students (including Madonna!) speak about his methods with great respect and admiration. At the end of a life of impact, just months before my visit to Varanasi, Dr. Shastri passed away — the loss was not easy on the community at the Vagyoga Institute, and you can feel the light of Dr. Shastri’s teachings through those who were close to him.
When I went to the Vagyoga Institute, I was greeted by a smiling man who had studied under Dr. Shastri, and was asked to carry the torch of his teaching methods. He’s very humble and straightforward about not being a replacement for Dr. Shastri himself, and I was happy to learn more from him about these methods. The only prerequisite, I was told, was a sense of faith in Guru Shastri.
Whereas Yoga Training Centre was excellent for full-on kundalini yoga, Vagyoga’s methods might better be called kundalini meditation. The methods are not so physical, spanning intersections of kundalini, classical yogic anatomy, and energy/sound healing. Don’t expect to be doing asanas and poses, almost everything we did was in a seated position, with a lot of mental and visualization exercises (and a lot of nadi-shodhan pranayama, “alternate nostril breathing”).
You can learn more about these techniques in Dr. Shastri’s book Vagyoga: Kundalini Meditation, which also includes many firsthand accounts from Dr. Shastri’s students.
If you’re going to take up training at Vagyoga Institute, come with an open mind. You’ll have to surrender your logical thinking and embrace the experience wholly — but I can definitely say I gained a lot from it.
Well there you have it. There’s a lot to see when it comes to energy work and kundalini yoga in Varanasi, and some unique teachings to be found as well.
Searching for a good teacher in these subjects can be challenging, but Varanasi is a special place where those efforts will be rewarded. I hope this guide helps point you to some amazing experiences.