Atmananda Yoga Sequence

“The word A​tma ​means ‘self’, and the word A​nanda ​means ‘bliss’. No one has the power to give you bliss, only you can elevate yourself to total self­ bliss.”  JhonT

Jhon Tamayo was born in 1967 in the south of Colombia. At the young age of 13, he left home in search of his true self. Jhon T. began traveling throughout South America, where he had the opportunity to meet and embrace countless people, with whom his experiences would later prove to be pivotal in his journey to discover a deeper understanding of life in a raw, organic form. In 1987, after completing two years of military service in Southern Colombia, he moved to New York City.

While living in New york, Jhon T. became interested in understanding his own mind. He was looking for answers about destiny, freedom, and inner peace. Through spiritual talks with his personal friend, Guru Baba, Jhon T. was introduced to Scientology, which he continued to study for ten years. He was fascinated by the simplicity of Guru Baba’s spiritual wisdom and performed selfless service to him in order to learn more.

Later on, Jhon T. became a member of the Krishna Society, where he was introduced to yoga asana practice, which proved to be a significant experience for his spiritual path. He was the member of the Mahikari Temple, a Japanese temple that focuses on the practice of light force, for three years. He then became a Reiki master in 1996. He was also a member of Nanmioho Rengekio Society Buddhist temple that hosts the practice of the power of mantra.

From there, Jhon T. went onto study Ayurveda (the science of self healing) for one year at the Ayurvedic Institute in 1993, where he became a massage therapist. After this, he worked as a massage therapist and nutritionist with Dr. Guervas for three years.

Focusing on his yoga practice, Jhon T. took an intensive teacher training program at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center. He was inspired to dive very deep into his yoga practice, which led him to open his own studio: Atmananda Yoga. The word “atman” means self, and the word “ananda” means bliss.

At this point in his life, he understood that no one is able to give bliss to another­­only the individual can bring bliss to oneself. In creating Atmananda Yoga, Jhon T.’s goal was to maintain an environment for students to create their own bliss by realizing their true nature through a committed, daily yoga practice. He realized that the most efficient way to do this was to develop a yoga sequence that would be physically safe and sustainable, thus planting the seed for The Atmananda Yoga Sequence.

Jhon T. created the Atmananda Yoga Sequence after he saw many yoga students in New York City injuring themselves, and realized that this was a result of other various yoga styles paying little attention to alignment in their teachings. He created the sequence in such a way that equips yoga practitioners with the tools they need to become more conscious about which movements may be the source of their aches and pains, and learn how to adjust their practice in order to prevent future injuries.

The Atmananda Yoga Sequence approaches this task by breaking down the specifics of body alignment in detail, providing students with a practice that lasts them a lifetime.