About Me
Hi! I’m john
Teacher of Atma Vidya,”Light on I”
I Opened my First Yoga Studio in Johannesberg in 1969
Under apartheid South Africa, it wasn’t long before the school was shut down by the authorities. Working as a singer and music composer, I lived a lavish lifestyle, but found somehow something was always missing. My intrigue for eastern mysticism never dimmed, and with the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, sanctions barring South African’s from India were finally lifted, and hungry for knowledge, I went and lived in India as a western Sadhu.
In 2005, I met my Master through whose grace I was able to assimilate the knowledge and developed my passion for Upanishadic wisdom.
Over the next seven years, in the town of Thiruvanamalai, I discovered that मोक्ष mokṣa, ultimate freedom comes not through exercise or meditating but through knowledge. Initiated in परा विद्या Para Vidya, told by my teacher to share what I have learnt, I have been travelling with the knowledge and sharing it ever since.
Calling what I teach इष्टम् ISHTAM, I use a traditional teaching methodology to deconstruct and break open the timeless secret of the Self hidden in upanishadic scriptures (शास्त्र sastra). Taught by India’s greatest teachers Sri Krishna and Adi Shankara, Self-Knowledge, आत्मा विद्या Atma Vidya, has been uplifting humanity and resolving the problem of human suffering for generations.
What is Atma Vidya?
Who Are We Really? The Reality of Being Human. Already captured, mesmerised by the Truth, as a captive of the universe, to get to know its secret, we don’t have to do a thing. Just one word introduces us. Used correctly ‘I’ explodes the human mystery. The same first name of everyone, ‘I’ is the universal password, the PIN code that unlocks and reveals our eternal human secret.
Self-knowledge ATMA VIDYA आत्मा विद्या (Light on Self, Light on ‘I’) no longer hidden in taboo and orthodoxy brilliantly explodes our mystery.
Pointing out the Truth of the human being that has remained sanathana ever fresh throughout the ages and generations, studying Self-knowledge exposes man’s hidden treasure and destiny.
Read more about Atma Vidya on Johns website
Pranayama Courses
John offers in person yoga courses in private and group classes from his home studio in Byron Bay. More info
One to One with John
Are you a yoga teacher looking to uplevel your understanding of yourself to feel more authentic in your offering? John offers personalised teachings in Atma Vidya. Get in touch to find out more
John on Insight Timer
Looking for a free short meditations, or Self knowledge talks with John? Check out his Insight Timer Page
Self Knowledge Talks Focus on
Lifting the hood on the nature of happiness and bliss (satchitanandam) experienced in yoga and meditation
Rather than new ideas and beliefs, Self Knowledge challenges all our ideas and beliefs, leaving us with nothing but the truth of who we are.
Understanding the meaning of Vedanta and its relationship to yoga
Inspiring us to question everything, questioning the very nature of our existence
Easy to understand examples from every day life that support the teaching methodology
A teaching style filled with insight, humour and depth
Testimonails
“As a teacher of Self Knowledge John is really open to questions and discussions and has a seemingly endless pool of examples to help you understand the knowledge of who you are. John manages through his in depth teachings to create a unique experience that brings you to yoga in a broader context helping you to find yourself and get a different view on your life.”
“The sign of a true teacher is when he can share his knowledge in a way that inspires, helps us to understand concepts and ideas through our own deep knowing and experiences, as well as leave us with the desire to want to know more. John is this kind of teacher.”
” John teaches in a way that dusts off the old manuscripts and brings the Gita to life off the page. As a lecturer, he brilliantly takes difficult concepts like Advaita Vedanta and renders them simple and comprehensible. He is a brilliant teacher of Self Knowledge and shares his knowledge in a way that inspires others.”
Why I Teach Self Knowledge
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