Yoga in Times of War
A series of articles by instructors of the Ukrainian Federation of Yoga, created at the request of The European Union Of Yoga: about personal experience of
Dimitrios Danilidis
Senior instructor of Ukrainian Federation of Yoga
The founder of “Yogis without borders”, “YogaTravel” and “YogaScience”
President of the European Union of Yoga, France
Ph.D. in philosophy (H.Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy, Kyiv)
In my teaching, I aim to unite rigorous self-inquiry with practical transformation.
Yoga, as I understand it, is a discipline of attention: it refines perception, clarifies thought, and helps one meet life and emotions that come with it with intelligence and courage.
My classes combine philosophical reflection with embodied practice, inviting students not only to move and breathe, but also to think, question, and consciously evolve.
For me, yoga is not only a practice but a way of seeing — a dialogue between body, mind, and the mystery of being.
This year I am starting a new yoga group
The classes will be held online in English on Thursdays at 19:00 СЕТ and will last three hours. Each session will have two parts:
⦁ a lecture and discussion,
⦁ followed by energetic practices — asanas, pranayamas, and meditations.
We will begin with the foundations and slowly move toward more subtle and mystical practices.
During the first three years, our main focus will be the inner structures of consciousness as understood in yoga. This work will help you learn how to balance control and letting go — in your body, emotions, and thoughts.
And yoga does not end there. Over time, the practice will lead us deeper, into the hidden layers of language, myth, and the discursive patterns of our minds.
If you would like to know more about the course, my teaching experience, or how the classes are organized, please write to me directly.
Allow me to share a little about my path
My primary identity is that of a practitioner of yoga. I entered my first class 22 years ago in Ukraine and have loved everything about yoga ever since. Studying yoga feels like travelling back in time to explore the history of the human mind and its often hidden potential. Being fully immersed in yogic activities, at some point my professional interests began to shift toward becoming a yoga teacher — for me, simply another and more advanced stage of the same path. Teaching carries greater responsibility, yet it also gives a deeper and more vivid experience of meeting the structures of our consciousness, its limits and its possibilities. It fosters profound relationships with students — something one comes to understand and truly value only over time.
Having initially studied economics, my yoga practice and teaching led me first to a master’s degree in physical education and later to a PhD in philosophy, which I dedicated to studying the transformation of meditation (dhyāna) in yogic texts.
Today this path has brought me to an elected position as President of the European Union of Yoga.
This personal — and at the same time social — responsibility has quickly become an inspiring, intellectually engaging, and at times political activity, offering a unique experience of meeting remarkable people both in the yoga world and in wider cultural contexts.
I was born in Ukraine in a Greek family and early in life found myself moving between worlds — travelling widely and studying in Europe and the United States. This Ukrainian-Greek heritage has always been a strong part of my family’s history and identity, and naturally it shaped my own. I mention it here so that my students can better understand the cultural and personal background that influenced my approach to yoga.
Education
2019 – defense of the first thesis on the philosophy of yoga in Ukraine (PhD), H.Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of NAU
2007-2009 – Donetsk National Universityof Physical Education and Sports, specialization “Physical Education and Sports Teacher”, Ukraine
2002-2003 – master’s degree at Donetsk National University, specialty
“International Economy”, Ukraine
1999-2001 – Vienna National University, specialty “International Economy”, Austria
Additional education in hatha yoga
2010 – Ashtanga Yoga at Pattabhi Jois, Mysore, India
2009 – Yoga with BCS Iyengar, Pune, India
2008-2009 – Krishnamacharya Institute, Chennai, India
Yoga Teacher experience
In 2007, began teaching yoga
2012 – opening of a chain of yoga-studios “Nataraja” in Mariupol and Donetsk, Ukraine
2015 – Senior instructor at the Kyiv branch of the Ukrainian Yoga Federation. Curator of international projects of UFY. Yoga researcher and author of scientific articles
2022 – voted the Vice President of European Union of Yoga
2024 – became the President of the European Union of Yoga
2025 – re-elected as President of the European Union of Yoga
Author's blog
Transformation of Dhyana in Teachings of Yoga [in Ukrainian]
Dmytro Danylov
Yoga Patta: A Manual for Yoga Wall Practice
Dmyrto Danylov
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