Who are Bodhiyoga?

sadhitaSadhita

I was born in London in 1970. I studied at the Raworth college of sports and natural medicine to train as a physical therapist. In my early twenties, I started pursuing things 'spiritual' out of a sense of the need for a deeper quest and understanding of life. This led me eventually to pursue meditation practice and eventually Buddhism.

I was ordained as a Buddhist in 2004 and given the name 'Sadhita' which translates as 'He who is well accomplished in the Dharma', the generic term for the teaching of the Buddha and for the nature of reality.

For as long as I have followed Buddhism I have also practised hatha yoga in its various forms. Eventually I pursued teacher training in the Ashtanga system of yoga and later, wishing to refine my practice and bring it more into alignment with my Buddhist practice, I retrained in India under the guidance of the Himalayan Institute. Yoga therefore has formed an important part of my life.

For many years I have been based at a retreat centre in Southern Spain, in the Sierra Aitana whereby I have dedicated much time to the practice of meditation, retreat, yoga practice and living simply. Having recently left this context I now wish to develop a context in which to work with others, teaching and inspiring.

Initially, like many yoga teachers I studied Iyengar yoga. This gave me a strong foundation in the basic principles of yoga. I was attracted to the energy and vibrancy of those people doing yoga in my early days. A bit later, after a break I started practicing Ashtanga yoga under one of Patabi Jois's main disciples. Again, I absorbed much from these years of dynamic practice and began to take classes in yoga myself after some years. For this period of practice I am especially grateful to Richard Freeman, for showing the way to intelligent and aware pracitce. Also I worked closely with Sarah Lytton, a fine teacher of teachers and devoted practitioner. Later on, in India I studied with some of the well established and knowledgeable teachers of the Himalayan Institute. I am grateful for the many teachers that I have encountered in my life.

SudakaSudāka

Born in the West Country (of England) in 1970, I began a self-practice of yoga in 1987. I took my first classes under my first teacher Narapriya when studying at Leeds University. Then followed a long journey across Europe and Asia. I attended several meditation retreats in Thailand from 1992-1994. I taught my first impromptu yoga classes with my Thai-Burmese students. On returning to the UK, I wanted to devote myself to yoga and meditation. I completed the Iyengar yoga training and started teaching in 1996 in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Desiring to go deeper, I entered an intensive period of training and study and in 2001 received the Sanskrit name Sudāka (Su, happy, dāka. sky-dancer).

I trained with various teachers including Godfrey Devereux (Dynamic Yoga method), Paul Grilley (Yin yoga) and Sarah Powers (Insight yoga). Through the practice and teaching with Bodhiyoga we have developed our own unique approach to Yoga.

Now living in and around Suryavana Retreat Centre with my wife and two young children, teaching in Spanish and English.

 

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