Our Association

About Our Association

Purpose & Core Values
Natha is a non-profit association registered in Copenhagen, Denmark. In article §3 regarding the purpose of the association, it says that:

”The association is a non-profit organization with the primary purpose of contributing to the spiritual development of members, students and guests through conducting research, training, workshops, lectures, courses and retreats in the subject areas:
 – The wisdom teachings of yoga, tantra, ayurveda and meditation
 – The Eastern and Western spiritual wisdom tradition
 – Holistic health, physical exercise, psychology and human knowledge
 – The field of knowledge that includes natural science, consciousness and spiritual wisdom teachings”
[Statutes §3a trans.]

It is furthermore explained in the statutes, that

”It is part of the fulfillment of the association’s primary purpose that teaching is based on knowledge of a scientific nature. However, this is not limited to the scientific field of knowledge, but also includes knowledge within social sciences, psychology, biology, medicine, humanities and others, as well as the borderline scientific field of knowledge. As part of the fulfillment of this purpose, Den Folkeoplysende Forening Natha Yogacenter must contribute to building bridges between the different scientific traditions, and that especially frontier and spiritual scientific achievements are recognized on an equal footing with natural and social sciences in the development of society.”
[Statutes §3b trans.]

and that,

”The purpose of the association is also to inspire, train and teach anyone who shows sincere interest, including groups of people, and ultimately the whole society, to work with spiritual development through systematic and scientific training methods. A central part of the association’s work for this is the provision of education in the core courses Esoteric Integral Yoga, Esoteric Tantra Yoga, Kashmir Shaivism Wisdom Teachings, Ayurvedic Natural Medicine and Esoteric Meditation Teachings. It is the task of the association to contribute to a holistic spiritual development of society in harmony with the horizontal orientation of the prevailing culture, as a necessary dynamic in the development of the highest potential of society and man as a whole.”
[Statutes §3c trans.]

About loyalty and copyrights, it says that

”In its teaching, the association must be loyal to the teaching system and curriculum made available to the association under the names Esoteric Integral Yoga Course and Esoteric Tantra Yoga Course. For the teaching materials made available and translated into Danish and other languages, the association is obliged to respect and maintain the copyright. The course material may not be passed on or sold to third parties, neither in parts nor as a whole.”
[Statutes §3d trans.]

Finally that,

”The association must safeguard the core values of its purpose, which is the knowledge and experience passed on through teaching and fellowship. At the same time, the association shall be open to cooperation with other people, communities and organizations that have a similar genuine spiritual aim in their work and purpose.”
[Statutes §3e trans.]

Board, Departments & Legal Structure
NATHA YOGACENTER is a non-profit association that, among other things, operates as an evening school under the Danish Education Act. All course income goes primarily to the ongoing operation and secondarily to the further development of the association’s various projects, all of which aim to teach and disseminate tantra, yoga, meditation and esoteric knowledge. Donations and sponsorships are most welcome and are dedicated unreservedly to the above-mentioned purposes.

The annual General Assembly for all the members of the association is as in most Danish associations its highest legal authority. The General Assembly choose annually its board. Natha has the following departments and legal organs. which forms its day-to-day infrastructure: The board always has 5 board members. The board meets approximately once per month to discuss and decide on all relevant matters with regard to the activities of the association.

The teachers’ department consists of all certified teachers either actively teaching or substituting. The department has a coordinator or a coordinating team. The teachers’ team is taking care of the teaching of courses, events and retreats partially based on copyrighted teaching materials (or translations) and the teachers’ own creative contribution of content.

Natha has since 2005 received financial support from Københavns Kommune for classes and courses under the law ’Folkeoplysningsloven’. Due to our controversial opinions, teachings and reputation we have been thoroughly investigated several times and deliver extended annual reports to the cultural department of the kommune about our activities. We have never received any critical remarks with regard to our accounting or how we conduct our courses in light of ’Folkeoplysningsloven’.

A development department is responsible for reception, promotion, visual design, communication, pr strategy, networking and organisation of events. For our bigger events and community days we have a team of volunteers cooking and baking for the team and all the participants.

A retreat centre team in charge of the daily management and running of the Paradise Retreat Center with everything from cooking and cleaning to hosting and accommodating guests and participants in the plenty of retreats and educational courses that unfold every year. In between the events, the team takes care of the maintenance and development of the property.

A department for administration, accounting, maintenance and legal matters. The enthusiatic number nerds that deal with all the boring stuff! So important for any association and their professional help is much appreciated. Natha’s accounting and financial report is annually audited by a state-authorized auditor (statsautoriseret revisor) in order to secure complete economical transparency.

An artistic group that frequently contributes to artistic moments and creative performances during our events. We also have the ‘Natharaja Theatre Group’ who work on learning artistic skills integrated with our spiritual teachings.

A variety of groups consisting of students and teachers that are more or less self-organized yet supervised by the board and/or the teachers’ coordinating team. There are for example groups explicitly for men and women who meet frequently dedicated to achieving masculine excellence and crafting feminine skills respectively. There are also study groups and meditation groups focused on advanced meditation practice using specialised techniques.

The day-to-day running of the yoga school is based on a combination of employment and voluntary social work following the guidelines of CFSA (Center for Frivilligt Socialt Arbejde), Københavns Kommune and Frivilligrådet. There are often voluntary project groups consisting of both students and teachers for specific projects such as summer camps, retreats, festivals, community gatherings and other big events.

It’s a dynamic and vibrant work environment with weekly meetings across the departments focused on daily classes or upcoming events and projects, where members of the board and/or the teachers coordinating team take part to secure that the direction and integration of the projects are aligned with the purpose of the association.

As mentioned, the highest authority is the general assembly, where the chairman and the board are elected by all the members to take care of the daily running of the association. There is a formal distinction between members and students/participants in the activities of the association. Not all students are members. The conditions to become a member and the rights, duties and exclusion of a member are specified in the statutes §4.

The board elects its own chairman, vice-chairman and treasurer from among the board members. The board carries out the decisions of the general assembly and manages the association’s daily operations according to the guidelines of the articles of the association. The board is also responsible for ensuring that all functional positions for the association are filled either through paid employment or voluntary social work for the association under the current guidelines of the community. This also includes appointing the persons for the important position of coordination of the teachers’ department.

The board and the teachers’ coordinating team are always working very closely together and are often in touch daily about decisions, actions and directions. It is also the board who decides on feedback, penalties or exclusion from the association due to misbehaviour or other circumstances who deems a person unfit to be part of various activities.

Our courses and your health
The practice of yoga, tantra, and meditation is a matter of personal choice.
The practice of the techniques we are teaching in our courses is beneficial for most people and will lead to the improvement of the general state of health. However, please note that we do not recommend people who suffer from severe mental issues like – schizophrenia, and psychosis to join our courses as this might have negative effects on their health.
Some of the techniques taught are counter-indicated in the case of certain medical conditions.
It is always the student’s responsibility to consult with the teacher in the case of suffering from any of the above conditions.
Natha Yogacenter declines responsibility for any of the consequences deriving from the incorrect practice of any given techniques or method taught in the courses and at events.
Natha Yogacenter follows a yogic code of conduct that does not condone any sexual harassment or misbehavior. In the case, you will ever feel inappropriately treated by the staff, teachers, or students please signal it directly to your teacher, or on phone 23960668 or email to natha@natha.dk.
The board of Natha Yogacenter reserves the right to suspend (either temporarily or permanently) anyone who does not follow any of the above-mentioned recommendations.

Natha’s relation to the ATMAN International Federation of Yoga & Meditation
Natha is a member school of AIFYM. According to their own website, “ATMAN – The International Federation of Yoga and Meditation is a non-profit organisation. The majority of its member schools in various countries are committed to a non-profit or charitable orientation. ATMAN is providing a basis for communication and cooperation between various traditional yoga schools and genuine spiritual paths worldwide, promoting true spiritual values for the benefit of mankind.”

From the standpoint of the yoga tradition, the courses of integral esoteric yoga and esoteric tantra yoga offered by the member schools of AIFYM are aligned with the Gupta Maha Siddha Yoga lineage; an esoteric yoga tradition oriented on the high spiritual accomplishment of Self-realisation, which each individual are invited to seek in his or her own rhythm, intensity and personalised use of practices from the vast methodologies provided through the teaching system.

Our commitment to transparency
We know that transparency and openness are essential to ensure that the association’s target group, donors, volunteers, relatives, partners and other stakeholders have the opportunity to assess and relate to the association. Transparency is of great importance for both internal and external stakeholders to maintain trust in us.

Over the years since the association was founded in 1991, we have been in regular contact with association experts, CSFA (Center for Social Voluntary Work), Frivilligraadet and the City of Copenhagen regarding legislation in the association area, so we make sure to stay updated with all applicable guidelines for associations.

Freedom of association (’foreningsfrihed’) in Denmark means that associations have the right to self-determination, including the right to decide what information they want to share with the public. Please note that a subscription as a student on one of Natha’s core courses does not imply that you are a member of Den Folkeoplysende Forening Natha Yogacenter.

The association naturally has obligations to authorities, partners and the association’s members/board of directors. If you as an ordinary citizen (albeit a participant in one of Natha’s courses) are not satisfied with the publicly available information from authorities such as the Danish Business Authority or the City of Copenhagen and on the association’s website and social media and want more information about the association’s conditions (statutes, general assembly meetings, annual financial reports etc.), you can request access (aktindsigt) to the respective authorities. However, you will find a lot about Natha as an organization here on our website.

At virk.dk, you as a citizen can request more information for a fee and even get a signed registration certificate issued, where the Danish Business Authority confirms that Natha Yoga Center with CVR 28637586 in Copenhagen municipality is registered as an Association with the Danish Business Authority and that the registration is in accordance with Danish law.

For more information about our statutes see here.