Spyros Kapnias-Garudananda

Spyros Kapnias-Garudananda

Spyros Kapnias-Garudananda’s Bio

Garudananda started doing Yoga in his childhood years, influenced by his first Guru, his father. Since he was young he remembers his father meditating and practiced asanas, trataka and pranayama. Despite doing Αsanas, Yoga Nidra and Pranayama at a very early age and remembering himself sitting on chairs in a lotus position since he was very young, drawn by a subconscious force towards yoga influenced by his father and the books found in his home, in Greece and especially in the rural areas, yoga was something totally unheard of.
  
Since he was 16 he took up martial arts, which he practiced for 20 years acquiring black belts in different styles and participating in seminars with many distinguished instructors from around the world.

At the age of 26 he started his inner quest and initiated himself to the Inner Western Tradition. He studied Theosophy in depth at New Acropolis and Tantra at Gnostic Church. He also studied for three years Kaballah at the “Iamvlichos School”.  Continued for years with meditation at Edgar Cayce Institute, with the Spiritual Teacher Mr Vouloukos, and then at another meditation school, which was a branch of the Gurdjieff School. He was high degree at the National Lounge of Greece and also initiated at Rosicrucian Order.                     

16 years ago he started getting seriously involved with yoga and the first style he adopted was Satyananda Yoga, under the guidance of his then instructor Swami Nirvikalpa, he also started visiting Satyananda Ashram, in Peania, Athens quite often. He completed Yogic Studies I there and followed seminars and annual courses in Kundalini Yoga, Raja Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Pranayama, SWAN, Yoga and addiction, Tattwa Sudhi and Yoga Nindra.

He has done seminars and Teacher Trainings in Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga and Vinyasa Flow under the guidance of great teachers. For five years he has been involved with Iyengar Yoga doing seminars with many senior instructors and participated in TTC Iyengar in Greece. He has also involved himself with Kundalini, Anousara, Jivamukti Yoga, Aerial Yoga, AcroYoga, Acrobatics, and Antigravity Yoga.  Also, is Certified Personal Trainer, Certified TRX & RIP.

He is a E-RYT500, the ultimate Certification from Yoga Alliance. With Teacher Training 200h at YogaWorks, 300h at Shiva Yoga Peeth, 200 & 300h Patanjali Yoga (The Ancient Style of Hatha Yoga), India. Is also Certified in Pranayama-Pranayoga and Acu-Yoga.

Owner of Shiva Yoga Academy in Greece, a Teacher Training School, which has started in 2014 and is a RYS200 Certified School from Yoga Alliance.

He is Qigong Teacher from Chinese Health Qigong Association. He studied for three years, under the guidance of Professor, Claudio Santi and Certified in Myofascial Therapy. An active Yoga Therapist MD, Ayurveda Certified and Energy Therapist, Acupressure MD, Reiki Master in more than 40 Reiki systems and has also been certified in Nadi Vigyam, Crystal Therapy, Chakra Therapy, Aromatherapy, Thai Massage and Thai Yoga Massage.