Demetri Velisarius on Training the Mind, Body, and Spirit

Demetri Velisarius is the creator of PranaDandaYoga, former competitive boxer, bicycle racer, social worker, experienced meditator, and Prana Flow Yoga teacher. In this episode, Demetri shares about his experience leaving high school and immersing himself in the practice of boxing through owning Rocky’s Gym and his competitive boxing training. He discusses his return to school in his adulthood when he studied to become a social worker. Demetri traces his journey into training the mind through meditation, from his first meditation lecture to participating in a 108-day silent meditation retreat. He explores how boxing, bike racing, meditation, and yoga have all taught him to train the mind, body, and spirit. Demetri recounts his first meeting with Shiva Rea, his yoga teacher, now life partner, and the story of how they fell in love. He explains his development of PranaDandaYoga, a revolutionary movement practice that involves holding a five-foot staff while flowing through yoga sequences. Lastly, Demetri reveals his vision for PranaDandaYoga and his teaching journey.