Ancient yogic teachings did not primarily focus on asana. The sages viewed yoga as a holistic system encompassing the interdependence of mind, body, and spirit. To fully embrace the yogic path, we must return to its ancient roots, striving for balance in all aspects of our being.
Most practitioners learn one pillar of yoga, without understanding its essential connection to the other sister disciplines. In order to cultivate your highest spiritual potential, you must harmonize these components of the yogic path. The monks who devotedly and precisely follow this ancient map of yoga often accomplish the highest goals of spiritual attainment. Although traditionally the yogic masters kept the doorways to this journey hidden away, this map is not out of reach for you and I. The yogic path is accessible to anyone with a deep interest in radical self development.
Sri Krishan Mantri chose the name Vidya Institute to place this vision at the forefront.
The Vidyas guide us towards higher consciousness and the inner abiding Self – puruṣa. Each brings us towards peace of mind and heightened states of consciousness.
B.K.S. Iyengar’s dedication to the path of yoga helped him discover the important origins lying within The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali. He created the Iyengar Yoga Method in integration with the philosophies of the yoga sutras to even more efficiently heal body, mind, & spirit.
The Vidya Institute Toronto Yoga & Healing Center was founded by Gitte Bechsgaard, co-founded by her colleague Gillian McCann, and named by her guru, Sri Krishan Mantri.
3 times per week Mantriji invited the Toronto community to join him for his teachings, entirely on a donation basis. Mantriji’s public teachings at Vidya centered on the The Bhagavad Gita, Sanskrit, and The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali
Over the years Vidya featured local healing work including therapeutic massage, zen shiatsu, tui na, Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine, and other eastern healing traditions.
As Gitte’s private mentorship under Sri Krishan Mantri deepened in 2006, he transitioned her focus to the teaching of philosophy. Gitte & Gillian began to focus on The Yoga Sutras & the history of the yogic tradition. Other seasoned asana & pranayama teachers at Vidya Institute took over the focus on general teachings, often taught in conjunction with Gitte’s philosophy classes to ensure the esoteric aspects of the lineage were integrated with all Vidya programming.
The research focuses on a peer-reviewed empirical evaluation of Iyengar Yoga & Mindfulness Practices, constructed in accordance with the principles of The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali. Our clinical research department continues to collaborate with various Toronto hospitals to this day, evaluating the efficacy of the practices of yogic path in treating pain, traumatic injury, psychological symptoms, and more.
After years of Mantriji’s Pressure to do so, Gitte began teaching the vedic sister science of Jyotish at Vidya - also known as Vedic Astrology. At the time, Gitte was skeptical but Mantriji felt its integral link to the other vedic sister disciplines could not be ignored. Jyotish remains an important area of curricula available at Vidya Institute to this day.
A seminal work, with her PhD on The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali making up a large part of it, The Gift of Consciousness was published by Cambridge Scholars in 2013 as an important work of Academic-Esoteric Integration. You’ll find it used in university curricula worldwide.
After a lengthy approval process by his students, Gitte’s book The Gift of Consciousness was presented to B.K.S Iyengar, who provided his blessings & wrote the book’s foreword.He also guided his leading students Gloria Goldberg & Sheila Haswell to work together with Gitte Bechsgaard in teaching the integration of Iyengar Yoga Sadhana with Patañjali’s philosophy - this immediately propelled Vidya Institute’s international work.
With Mantri’s encouragement Gitte began to redirect the teachings towards the international community, teaching throughout Europe & The United States at various Iyengar Yoga Locations.
A transition to bring Vidya Institute’s teachings to those who needed it most.
Vidya Institute’s first online course on the Vedic texts & their integration with The Iyengar Yoga Method was released - The Yoga Philosophy Applied Online Course. To this day, yoga studios in over 7 different countries around the world utilize this Vidya Institute Curriculum to serve their students with an integration of the philosophical side of Iyengar Yoga with the familiarities of their daily practice.
Vidya Institute Toronto officially closed down, in spite of its continued vital orientation within the community, in order to place absolute focus on the international teachings. This was at the guidance of Sri Krishan Mantri, who also departed Toronto those years.
After The Sacred In Exile was published by Palgrave Macmillan, Psychology Today reached out to Gitte & Gillian to start their first ever column exploring topics integrating the psychological, philosophical, and spiritual. The Return To Stillness column authored by Gitte & Gillian continues to this day.
Sri Krishan Mantriji was like a grandfather to Daniel, who spent his entire childhood with him. Mantriji’s spirit is in his bones, helping him to preserve the soul of his wisdom during Vidya Institute’s transition to the online hemisphere.
The beautiful retreat center on Denmark’s northern coastline featured Vidya Institute’s first international yoga retreat. Teachers and students from around the world gathered in the study of yoga philosophy, mantra sadhana, Iyengar yoga asana, pranayama, dreamwork, ayurveda, and more.
Explore How The Ancient Wisdom of Jyotish is Fundamental To The Yogic Path
Enter Your Details To Recieve Exclusive wisdom teachings
