Our Story bodhiyoga During our training and preparation to enter the Triratna Buddhist Order in the the late 90’s and early 2000’s we were aware of each others Buddhist yogi adventures and exploits. Sudaka was training in the Iyengar/Ashtanga schools of yoga and Sadhita in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and therapy modalities. Both of us dedicated yoga trainees and Buddhist practitioners starting our yoga teaching careers (Sadhita in London and Sudaka in Newcastle upon Tyne, the “toon”).
We sometimes wonder if our paths crossed on retreat, sitting across from each other in the vast Buddha filled shrineroom at Padmaloka, but we are never sure about that!
We had an auspicious and unexpected encounter in the heartlands of Buddhist India in central India in 2005. We were both touring India independently and happened to coincide in Nagaloka, an urban retreat centre in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Sadhita had set up a yoga workshop with the local Buddhist community and Sudaka ended up leading a weekend of yoga practice and meditation for some 50 participants, curiously mostly men and a handful of women. Over a few days we talked about the need for a Buddhist approach to yoga. By then we had been teaching yoga nearly ten years. Yoga has a long time association with the Indain Vedic, Patanjali, Hindu religion and philosphies, as well as being embedded in the life-giving medical and therapuetic remedial practices of Ayurveda. Our meeting in Nagpur sowed the seeds for a long-time friendship and working relationship that continues until today.
Another perspective, looking into the historical context, we can see a form of spiritual practice and enquiry that stands apart, as an almost independent spirtuality in what has become to be known as the forest renunciant yoga tradition (following the three fold model of monastics or instituational religion, lay practitioners and forest yogis and yoginis).
For many years I had standing on my own shrine, the Buddha Shakyamuni and Shiva Nataraj dancing on the tiers below in an effort to integrate in my own heart and mind the sacred pathways.
Given the extensive exposure to the Mindfulness and Meditation of Buddhist practice and with a dedicated yoga asana discipline a natural blending and integrating of yoga and meditation was perhaps inevitable. Eschewing the somehwhat confusing and esoteric teachings of Patanjali (also strongly associated with yoga), we drew out the practice of Mindfulness yoga.
We brought together the best practices of a technically safe and funcional anatomy focussed approach to yoga posture work combined with the depth and breadth of Buddhist teachings and practice around Mindfulness and meditation especially drawing on the Satipatthana Sutta as a source for inspiration and guidance.
Our apporach to yoga really suits anyone interested in developing a safe, sensitive and intelligient approach to yoga but also has an interest in Mindfulness and meditation as laid out by the Buddhist tradition.
Sadhita and I had an intensive year working together preparing the material and curriculum of the Bodhiyoga Mindfulness yoga teacher training guided by the requirements of the Independent Yoga Network. We ran our first teacher training in Solterreno, Alicante, Spain in 2012 and since then have run a teacher training every year to a select few who have wanted to work with us. In 2013, sharing a flat in the old town of Valencia we hammmered out the details for a second Advanced level 500 hour Remedial Yoga training and have since offered this training as well.
Partly due the world-changing events of the Covid Pandemic we moved some of our teaching Online. We now run a weekly Bodhioyoga slot on Wednesdays (6.00-7.15pm UK time)
Still at the heart of our training is the 15 days residencial training in Suryavana Retreat Centre near Valencia, Spain.
3 steps to train with us:
1. Join our weekly Online classes (£25/month for training period)
2. Attend our 5 day Online Foundation
3. Come to our 15 day Residential course in Spain
We orientante you in Precourse study and guide you through the Post course Assignments
all the best Sudaka
A new video from us. Thanks to Jesu Maraz and Monica for filming and production
