YOGA, PILATES & MASSAGE
TEACHERS TRAINING COURSES
CLASSES & PERSONAL TRAINING
GLOBAL RETREATS
YACEP® COURSES & WORKSHOPS
Workshops 2023
We are delighted and honored to host Vairagya Ranko Stoiljkovic, teacher and owner of Ashtanga Yoga Belgrade officially licensed Level 2 Ashtanga Yoga teacher from K.PATTABHI Jois Ashtanga Yoga Researching Institute, Mysore, India (www.kpjayi.org) for the second time at the Yoga Fusion Shala in Ioannina!
Ranko teaches the method of Ashtanga Yoga in the tradition of Shri Krishna Pattabhi Jois and Shri Sharath Rangswami Jois and under his teaching and guidance we will have the opportunity to deepen our knowledge, elevate our practice and unfold the multidimensional system of Ashtanga Yoga as we will be inspired and have the opportunity to learn from such an experienced teacher and practitioner.
Ranko Stoiljković began practicing and studying yoga along with the practice of Karate at the age of 16, as a student of Thirteenth Belgrade High School. Since 2006, he has been devoted to Ashtanga Yoga practice in the tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sri R. Sharath Jois, whose Ashtanga Yoga Institute is located in Mysore, India. He visited Mysore for the first time in 2008 and spent two months there. After that, he has been traveling to Mysore every year and staying there for two to three months, with, above all, the desire to remain a student forever.
During the past twenty seven years, he has been professionally teaching various branches of yoga. Since 2008, he has been teaching Ashtanga Yoga in the tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sri R. Sharath Jois, whom he recognized as his gurus within this specific type of yoga that nowadays represents one of the most significant spiritual practices in the world .
His first teacher is Dragan Lončar (vidayayoga), one of the best known and the most successful yoga practitioners and teachers in this region.
He traveled to India for the first time in 1994 with Dragan Lončar and visited Mungir, the Bihar School of Yoga. That is where he met Swami Sivamurti Saraswati, whom he has been perceiving as his guru or spiritual teacher ever since.
During the following year, he stayed at Swamiji's Ashram in Athens, Greece for several times. In 1996, he started living and working at Swamiji's Ashram and she encouraged him to teach various kinds of yoga. He spent traditional eight years at Satyananda Ashram in Greece (www.satyanandashram.gr) as one of Swamiji's closest students.
He was initiated into Kriya Yoga Meditation within the system of Satyananda Yoga (Bihar Yoga) in 1996.
In 2000, he was initiated into Dashnami Sanyasa tradition and given the name Swami Vairagyaratna Saraswati.
He has been teaching Yoga in Belgrade since 2005.
In 2007, he finished the course for yoga instructor at Vidya Yoga School of Dragan Lončar.
He completed a course for yoga teachers in New Zealand during 2009 and 2011, with John Scott (www.stillpointyoga.co.nz), one of the best known and the most successful students of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sri R. Sharath Jois.
On December 20th 2012, he obtained blessings from his guru, Sri R. Sharath Jois, the director of Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysor, India, to teach the first series and became authorized teacher of Level 1. In 2016, he obtained authorization for Level 2.
Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore India (www.kpjayi.org) is the only institution with the empowerment to issue authorizations or certificates to individuals to teach Ashtanga Yoga.
Since 2011, he has been participating in seminars and workshops organized by David Swenson and his wife Shally Washington (www.ashtanga.net). In this way, he has continued to learn Ashtanga Yoga from his first Ashtanga Yoga teacher, David Swenson, whose DVDs and books he used to practice and teach Ashtanga Yoga in the tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Sri R. Sharath Jois.
In 2012, he started occasional trainings in Goa, India with Rolf Naujokat and his wife Marci (www.yogabones.org).
In January 2016 he was authorized as Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Level 2 with license to teach 2nd series up to Karandavasan. He is also a Karate Master and Karate Instructor, former member of the national karate team, and winner of numerous medals on national and international competitions.
He is a Bachelor of Law and a great lover of animals and nature.
We very excited and honored for Dimitri Farmakidi's first visit and workshop at Yoga Fusion Shala! Dimitris is a teacher at Hadeland Folkehøgskole in Norway and founder of Fudoshinkan Aikido Dojo since 2000. He has been a member of both the Technical Committee of NAF and HAA. This beautiful in-depth workshop will focus on the aspects of discipline and practice from martial arts as well as the philosophy of Chi Kung and sword practices as a way of living consciously. Comfortable loose clothing is required.
Dimitris Farmakidis is an author and instructor of Aikido, a Japanese martial art, at an alternative boarding school in Norway, and has used the principles and self-discipline of this tradition to help students of all ages. His wealth of experience stems so much from his many professions and interests, including acting, dancing and choreography, while also working as a construction worker and photographer before finally becoming an Aikido instructor, as well as all the challenges that have occurred in his life.
In 2002, he started working as the main teacher in the art of Aikido and in Kenjutsu at Hadeland Folkehøgskole. Since then he has traveled annually to Japan where he has trained in Aikido's headquarters, "Hombu dojo" and visited grandmasters such as Suganuma Sensei, Anno Sensei and Okamoto Sensei! In addition to inspiration from Japan, he has been a student of George Koliopoulos Sensei, and Bjørn Eirik Olsen Shihan for more than 25 years. When it comes to his teaching, Dimitris focuses on the philosophical and mental aspects as much as the technical and physical aspects of the art.
Both at the boarding school at Hadeland and his Dojo, Aikido and Kenjutsu are practiced as tools for everyday life and not as a form of self-defense, which does not mean that he does not focus on the effective efficiency and realism of these techniques. This combined form of training requires mental discipline, focus, concentration and the will to walk the path to success. What he personally shares with his students: “I always do my best to teach you, help you and inspire you. It is an exciting inward and outward journey through martial arts, and their captivating techniques, philosophy and dash of mystery. However, you have to go "the way" yourself!''