Suryadarshini walked into a yoga class twelve years ago seeking balance and flexibility, but discovered yoga's greatest teaching is how to become aware of your heart. After joining the Triratna Buddhist Community in 2008, she began weaving her practice of yoga asana with the Buddha's teachings. She qualified with Bodhiyoga, a training developed by Sadhita and Sudaka that incorporates meditation, posture work and mindfulness skills.
The Buddha's teachings of mindfulness and metta (lovingkindness) explicitly inform Suryadarshini's approach; she values the clarity of his instructions in understanding the workings of her heart-mind. She infuses her yoga asana with these teachings, encouraging moments of stillness and ample time to rest. In these moments, she encourages reflection on the four foundations of mindfulness: the body, sensations in the body, emotions and mood, and thoughts. She invites observation of these things as they are, keeping an open, non-judgmental quality of awareness.