Ikki Bando

Ikki Bando has been practicing yoga for over 20 years. He opened his own studio in Okinawa in 2005. In 2006, he developed his own style of yoga, called Vaikuntha Yoga. Although he is a traditional Iyengar teacher and student, his style of yoga utilizes a more modern anatomical method to practice asana more safely without injuries. He continues to study under Brahmacharya Rudra Dev, a senior Iyengar teacher in Rishikesh, India. 

Ikki sensei’s motto is "to study yoga is to live, to live is to study yoga". He believes that every scene of life is yoga, not just the practice. He is an expert in yoga philosophy and changes lives through his teachings of the Yoga Sutras, classical Indian stories, and the Upanishads. His mission is to help people maintain a strong and flexible body, and a calm mind. His style of yoga continues to spread across Japan. 

He also has an electric mantra band, called Vaikunthas, and considers himself a nada yogi as well. He combines mantra with cutting edge dance music and create a spiritual sound of yoga. He is a producer and vocalist and collaborates with musicians from around the world. Vaikunthas released their first album in 2015. 

Among his many talents, Ikki sensei is also the founder/organizer of the Okinawa Satsang Yoga + Music Festival which has successfully been running for three years now. 

Official web site: http://vaikuntha.jp/

Sound Cloud: https://soundcloud.com/vaikunthas