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 the past five years I have been based at a retreat centre in Southern Spain, in the Sierra de 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.

Sadhita is registered with the Independent Yoga Network as yoga teacher "Elder".

SudakaSudāka

I was born in the West Country (of England) in 1970, I began practicing yoga in 1987 after seeing my father do yoga at home.

I moved to Leeds in the north of England, to study at University and took my first classes with my first yoga teacher, Narapriya, who led Iyengar inspired classes. During an extended period of travel across Europe and then Asia, I deepened my connection with yoga and attended my first meditation retreat in Wat Suanmok in Southern Thailand in 1993. During that time I worked with Burmese refugees on the Western Border near Burma and taught my first impromptu yoga classes to my English and Mathematics students. On returning to the UK, I moved to Newcastle upon Tyne to study Engineering again and realised at the end of my studies that I had to devote myself to yoga and meditation. In 1995 I started my Iyengar yoga training and started teaching my first classes at he Newcastle Buddhist Centre in 1996. I studied under Margaret Austin, a fine and creative Iyengar teacher, until 2000.

I also wished to deepen my connection with meditation and the Buddhist teaching (Dharma) and sought Ordination into the Buddhist tradition undergoing an intensive period of training and study. In 2001 received my Buddhist name Sudāka (Su, happy, dāka. sky-dancer).

My yoga practice moved in a more flowing, dynamic direction and for several years I studied under Godfrey Devereux (Dynamic Yoga method). In 2004 I attended a number of retreats and workshops with Paul Grilley (Yin yoga) and Sarah Powers (Insight yoga) and through my own practice and teaching experience have developed my own unique approach to Classical Hatha Yoga.

I currently collaborate extensively with the Buddhist Centre in Valencia teaching yoga, meditation, Thai massage and Dharma study classes in Spanish and English.

Sudāka is registered with the Independent Yoga Network as yoga teacher "Elder".

Sadhita and Sudāka are Ordained Buddhists and have been practicing yoga and meditation since the early 1990's. They first started working and teaching together in India and Scotland in 2005.

 

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