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Pune for yogis, Iyengar's city

Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026

In short

Pune, in Maharashtra, is the home of the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI), founded in 1975, which asks foreign students for at least eight years of Iyengar practice. Nearby Lonavala hosts Kaivalyadhama, founded by Swami Kuvalayananda in 1924. Pune also has the Osho International Meditation Resort. Each publishes its own admission rules; read them before travelling.

Why come here for yoga

Pune is the city of B.K.S. Iyengar, one of the two great students of T. Krishnamacharya in Mysore, and the home of the method that bears his name, with its precision, its sequencing and its props: wooden gadgets, belts, ropes. It is also, up in the Western Ghats at Lonavala, the home of one of the oldest yoga research institutes in the world. Pune does not draw the casual retreat traveller the way Rishikesh or Goa do. It draws practitioners who already know what they want to study.

RIMYI, the Iyengar institute

The Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI) was established on 19 January 1975 and is dedicated to Ramamani Iyengar, B.K.S. Iyengar's wife. Its building has three floors, said to represent body, mind and soul, and eight columns for the eight limbs of yoga; its library holds about 8,000 titles (official site). The address published by the institute is 1107 B/1, Hare Krishna Mandir Road, Model Colony, Shivaji Nagar.

Its registration page sets out three categories: residents of Pune, residents of the rest of India, and foreign students. For foreign students, it publishes these conditions:

  • at least eight years of Iyengar Yoga practice, including regular inversions such as śīrṣāsana and sarvāṅgāsana held for 8 to 10 minutes;
  • having read the introductory chapter of Light on Yoga and being familiar with its terms;
  • for women, knowing what to practise during menstruation;
  • an application form endorsed by your teacher, sent with a letter from that teacher; an acceptance letter is then mailed, and you will not be admitted without presenting it on arrival;
  • at most six classes per week for one month; lodging and meals are your own responsibility.

The same page warns that classes are "generally booked a year or two in advance". In short: RIMYI is a destination for experienced Iyengar students, prepared with their own teacher, not a place to discover yoga.

Kaivalyadhama, Lonavala

Swami Kuvalayananda (1883–1966) founded Kaivalyadhama in 1917 at Amalner and, in 1924, established the Kaivalyadhama Health and Yoga Research Centre at Lonavala, in Pune district. The same year the institute began publishing Yoga Mimamsa, which it describes as the oldest scientific journal on yoga (official site). Today, according to its website, it runs a College of Yoga (from teacher training certificates to university degrees), research departments and a Health Care Centre with week-long residential programmes. We report what it publishes; we make no health claim for any programme.

The Osho International Meditation Resort

In Koregaon Park, the Osho International Meditation Resort follows another path entirely: active meditations, courses and an evening meeting of dance and silence. Its FAQ states plainly that it is "intentionally not an ashram". Its published rules: plain maroon robes are mandatory for daytime activities and for the Dynamic and Kundalini meditations, white robes for the evening meeting; first-time visitors pay 100 INR for a gate pass with a digital photo, then buy daily entry passes; and it describes itself as "an environment for adults" without facilities for children. Registration at the Welcome Center closes at 12.30 pm and 3.30 pm.

Sacred places

Pune's heritage is above all that of the Maratha capital, with temples and the Peshwa era. For a yoga traveller, the institutions above are the reason to come. Lonavala and Khandala, twin hill stations at about 622 m in the Sahyadri range, sit at the edge of the Deccan plateau above the Konkan coast (Wikipedia, Lonavala); their green monsoon landscape is part of what draws visitors to Kaivalyadhama's campus.

When to go

Pune has a tropical wet and dry climate. The monsoon runs from June to October; most of the roughly 841 mm of annual rain (India Meteorological Department normals 1991–2020) falls between June and September, and July is the wettest month, with about 190 mm. The hot season peaks in April and May: Koregaon Park recorded 44.4 °C on 11 May 2023 (Wikipedia, Pune). The dry months from October to February are the most comfortable. For RIMYI, though, your date is set by the acceptance letter, not by the weather.

Getting there

  • By air: Pune International Airport (PNQ). Mumbai is the main long-haul gateway.
  • From Mumbai: road via the Mumbai–Pune expressway, completed in 2001, or train (Wikipedia, Pune).
  • To Lonavala: local trains run from Pune at roughly two-hour intervals; Pune airport is about 64 km away (Wikipedia, Lonavala). Kaivalyadhama's postal address is Swami Kuvalayananda Marg, Lonavala 410403.

Read our page on the India e-Visa before booking: a structured course that ends with a certificate may not fit the e-Tourist Visa.

Budget

The only official price we could date on 16 October 2026 is the Osho resort's 100 INR gate pass for first-time visitors (its Welcome Center page); its daily pass rates are on its "current rates" page and change with the season. RIMYI and Kaivalyadhama fees: ask the institutes directly and keep their answer in writing.

Etiquette

  • At RIMYI, arrive with your acceptance letter; schedules are given only on arrival.
  • Dress modestly in temples and in the old city.
  • At the Osho resort, the dress code and the cash-free voucher system are part of the rules: follow them or do not go.

Health and safety

The UK government reminds travellers that 112 is the national emergency number, that drinks or food offered by strangers may be spiked, and that people drown every year in India's rivers and seas (FCDO, read 16 October 2026). The monsoon can cut roads in the Ghats: check conditions before driving to Lonavala in July or August. See a travel health professional before leaving.

Choosing a retreat or a training here

  • Iyengar: work with a certified teacher at home first; RIMYI's own conditions make that clear.
  • Any course: who teaches, what is the daily schedule, what certificate is issued, and who recognises it? Compare with what Yoga Alliance does and does not certify and with our page on the 200-hour teacher training.
  • Red flags: anyone selling a "reserved place at RIMYI" for a fee, or a programme claiming to be run by an institute that does not list it on its own website.

Krishnamacharya's other heir lives on in Ashtanga: see our page on Mysore.

Questions people ask

Can I just walk into a class at RIMYI?

No. Its registration page says foreign students need at least eight years of Iyengar Yoga practice, an application endorsed by their teacher and an acceptance letter, which must be shown on arrival. It adds that classes are generally booked a year or two in advance.

How long can a foreign student attend RIMYI?

According to the institute's registration page, a maximum of six classes per week for one month. Lodging and meals are not provided.

Is Kaivalyadhama in Pune?

It is in Lonavala, in the hills of Pune district, about 64 km from Pune airport by the figure given in the encyclopedic entry on Lonavala. Its official site dates its founding there to 1924.

Is the Osho resort an ashram?

Its own FAQ says it is 'intentionally not an ashram'. Plain maroon robes are mandatory for daytime activities and white robes for the evening meeting, and first-time visitors pay 100 INR for a gate pass with a digital photo.

Sources

  1. Registration at RIMYI — Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (official site) checked October 16, 2026
  2. RIMYI — Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, established 19 January 1975 (official site) checked October 16, 2026
  3. Kaivalyadhama's legacy: Swami Kuvalayananda and Yoga Mimamsa (official site) checked October 16, 2026
  4. About Kaivalyadhama, Lonavala (official site) checked October 16, 2026
  5. Welcome Center — OSHO International Meditation Resort, Pune (official site) checked October 16, 2026
  6. Meditation Resort FAQs — OSHO International Meditation Resort (official site) checked October 16, 2026
  7. Pune — Wikipedia (climate, airport) checked October 16, 2026
  8. Lonavala — Wikipedia (altitude, trains from Pune, distance to Pune airport) checked October 16, 2026
  9. India travel advice: safety and security — UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office checked October 16, 2026

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