Founder of Avana Yoga
Yogi Madhav
Yoga teacher · Educator · Author
Rooted in tradition. Taught for modern life.
01About
Who I am
I was born into a traditional family in India, where yoga was part of daily life long before it became my work.
For me, yoga has never been simply a physical practice. It is a way of living: how we breathe, how we think, and how we treat one another.
Today I live in North Wales, where I teach regular classes close to home. I also lead teacher trainings, workshops and retreats across the UK, Europe and India.
Wherever I teach, I teach the way I was taught: simply, carefully, and close to the classical texts.
02Journey
The journey
About 2000
I begin practising yoga at school, in India.
2000 to 2007
Years of intense practice, and yoga championships.
2007
I begin teaching in India while studying at university.
Khajuraho, India 2012
My first Yoga Alliance 200-Hour teacher training, followed by 300-Hour courses.
Teacher training, India 2015
My first time teaching outside India: workshops, retreats and short programmes in Austria.
Austrian Alps, 2015 2015 onwards
Teaching in India, Cambodia, Thailand, Fiji, Germany, Austria and the UK.
2016
I found Avana Yoga and open its first school in Goa, offering 200-Hour, 300-Hour and 50-Hour teacher trainings and retreats.
Sunset meditation, Goa 2018 to 2020
Directing teacher training courses in Cambodia.
Graduation, Cambodia 2020
After the pandemic, I move to the UK and make North Wales my home. Avana Yoga comes with me, and goes wherever I teach.
Today
Classes, workshops, courses and retreats, and Avana Yoga, the school I founded.
Graduation, North Wales
03Philosophy
Yoga beyond the asana
- 01
Tradition
I teach from the classical texts, as they were taught to me.
- 02
Practice
Understanding grows from steady practice, not from reading alone.
- 03
Understanding
Knowing why we practise matters as much as knowing how.
- 04
Modern life
The teachings matter only if they help us live well today.
The fire ceremony, or havan, is part of the Vedic tradition I was raised in. In the ashrams where I studied, we performed it every morning and evening, alongside meditation. At home it was a weekly practice. It reminds me that yoga is a way of living, not only something we do on the mat.
“Yoga is a way of living, not only something we do on the mat.”
04Teaching
Teaching around the world, and teaching teachers
IndiaCambodiaThailandFijiGermanyAustriaUnited Kingdom
Since 2012 I have led international teacher training courses, guiding thousands of students. Many of them now teach yoga themselves.
- 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training
The foundation, over ten weekends in Rhyl, North Wales.
- 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training
Advanced study for qualified teachers, in Chester and India.
- 50-Hour Yin Yoga Teacher Training
A specialist training in Yin Yoga, in Chester.
- CPD Courses
20-hour courses in anatomy, philosophy, pranayama and meditation.
05Giving back
Beyond the mat
From 2018 to 2020 I directed teacher training courses in Cambodia. With every course, our students and I worked with We Dig Well, a non-profit organisation, to dig a well for a family in a different village, bringing them fresh drinking water.
It taught me that yoga is not only something we practise. It is also something we give.
That spirit continues today through Avana Foundation in India, which supports children and the community with education and wellbeing.
About Avana Foundation
06Avana Yoga
Why Avana Yoga exists
I founded Avana Yoga in 2016 to share yoga as I had learnt it in India: rooted in the classical texts, steady in practice, and open to everyone.
When I moved to the UK in 2020, the school came with me. Today it is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School, offering teacher training, CPD courses and retreats with a team of experienced teachers.
About Avana Yoga07Author
Books
Stillness in a Restless World
Meditation from the Vedic Tradition to the Digital Age
An invitation to slow down, turn inward and rediscover the stillness beneath the noise of modern life.
On Amazon (opens in a new tab)
The Unbroken Thread
Yoga’s Ancient Wisdom for the Modern World
A journey into the roots of yoga: the philosophy, practices and teachings that connect ancient wisdom with modern life.
On Amazon (opens in a new tab)
08Video
Teachings
A yoga demonstration, filmed in Cambodia in 2018.
Watch more on YouTube (opens in a new tab)09Testimonials
From those I have taught
“He has magic as a teacher and although he is young he seems wise beyond his time.”
The first thought that struck me upon meeting Yogi Madhav is that he is an extremely special young man. There's a certain glimmer in his eyes that seems like it's only the shining surface of an ocean of knowledge and a soul beyond his years! He is truly incredible at Yoga and asanas and he is so inspiring in the way he teaches. He is the reason I can do a headstand which is something I never thought I would do. He has magic as a teacher and although he is young he seems wise beyond his time. I think every yoga student and teacher needs to make it a priority to learn from him.
10Gallery
Years and places
11Practise with me
Learn with me
- Teacher training
200-Hour, 300-Hour, Yin and CPD courses.
- Retreats
Yoga and meditation in the Austrian Alps and Goa.
- Classes and workshops
In North Wales and across the UK.
- Meditation and philosophy
Short courses in the classical teachings.
Wherever you are starting from, you are welcome here.
Sunrise, Austrian Alps