OM meets...
Ravi Dixit
From childhood mantras to London studios and ocean-side retreats: a teacher bringing yoga back to its roots
On a quiet stretch of South Goa’s coastline, where coconut palms lean toward the sea and the morning sun fills a wooden yoga shala, you’ll often find Ravi Dixit, the teacher many students lovingly call ‘The Smiling Yogi’.
At Ravi Yoga Goa, his retreat centre, nestled between the ocean and the jungle, he leads groups from all over the world through practices that are as grounding as the environment itself: traditional Hatha yoga, pranayama, meditation, philosophy, and the mantra chanting he learned as a child in India.
His teaching is unpretentious, authentic, and deeply grounded. His story even more so.
A regular face in OM’s Man on the Mat feature, we asked him to tell us a bit more about his yoga background, his ethos and his future plans.
How did you first get into yoga?
I started very young, when I was nine years old. I grew up in India, and my grandfather taught me how to chant mantras and to use mudras. From that moment, yoga was woven into my daily life.
In what ways has yoga influenced your life?
Yoga gave me everything. This sounds like an exaggeration, but it really did. Personally, yoga has given me a purpose, and stability in my life. It has given me clarity and balance, a place to come home to every day. And it carved my path for me: since I have been committed to yoga, things that no longer suited me have fallen away and new opportunities have presented themselves. My professional life is because of yoga; my love of teaching and being able to make a career from it. Yoga gave me healing and the chance of a second life after a critical accident in 2020, and I met my wife through yoga — it really brought me everything that is dear to me.
“Personally, yoga has given me a purpose, and stability in my life. It has given me clarity and balance, a place to come home to every day.”
How would you describe your teaching style?
I teach traditional yoga, just as I learned it in India. My teachings are based on Hatha Yoga in the broadest sense but I also teach Ashtanga and Iyengar.
What defines ‘traditional yoga’ for you?
Traditional yoga means going back to the roots of how yoga was taught in India for a long time, bringing together the whole practice as a way of life: asanas, pranayama, meditation, mantras, philosophy. Not just exercising the body, but a path of life, nurturing the mind and the spirit. I really care about bringing the essence of yoga, its philosophy, its values, into a form that people in the modern world can access.
You had a near-fatal accident in 2020: how did this time shape your teaching?
It taught me gratitude. It reminded me not to take life for granted. Now I teach with more softness, more patience, more focus on inner harmony. Yoga is not about forcing or performing, it’s about listening.
Where do you teach?
During the summer I teach in London and in winter I am mostly in Goa, where I have my retreat centre. I also teach weekly classes online.
In November 2024, I opened my yoga resort on Polem beach in South Goa. I wanted to create a place where people could feel at home, and where yoga isn’t rushed or diluted.
Our retreat guests can spend their days relaxing, connecting to nature and doing yoga; practicing asanas, pranayama, meditation, joining in traditional puja ceremonies. We always make sure there is plenty of time for other activities as well, for temple visits, boat trips, exploring the coastline, or simply reading with book under the coconut trees.
I also lead Teacher Training Courses in Goa, focusing on the authentic yoga: Hatha, Ashtanga Vinyasa, anatomy, shatkarmas (cleansing practices), meditation and yogic lifestyle. The foundation of our trainings is traditional but tailored to modern life.
What do you hope people take away from your Goa retreats?
I want them to feel reconnected. To feel lighter, calmer and more grounded. And to leave with tools they can use in daily life: breathing, meditation, simple practices that bring balance.
Tell us about your teacher trainings?
We have a 200-hour training in April 2026, which is now open for registration, followed by 300-hours later in the year. Our courses are all based on traditional Indian yoga such as Hatha and Ashtanga Vinyasa.
What was your own training like?
In my early twenties, I moved into the ashrams in Rishikesh where I lived and studied yoga with several masters for a number of years. It was a true immersion into yoga on a daily basis and where my yogic life really started. I want to pass on that experience of learning yoga in an authentic environment taught by those who really understand it on a deep level, as a way of life.
What can students expect from the 200-hour course?
The training will be based on traditional Hatha and Ashtanga. You’ll learn the foundations of asanas and Vinyasa flows, and there will be classes in anatomy and alignment. Yoga philosophy and Pranayama will be an important part of the course, and we offer Shat Kriya practices for those who are interested to learn. Although the roots of the training are grounded in traditional yoga, it will be focused on integrating it into modern life with functional topics such as sequencing classes and how to find your voice as a new teacher.
There are so many teacher trainings out there, what makes yours different?
We have a great team of teachers, who all grew up in India, who all live and breathe yoga. I really want to offer an authentic way of learning yoga, as I did in India myself. But I do understand that our students will return to their lives in the UK or Europe, a life that is different from an ashram life in India. I also live in London so I understand the differences and duality of those two worlds. We want to offer a training that is truly authentic but also incorporates understanding of teaching in the West and gives access to my teachings back in the UK and online for continued support. Also, our resort location on a quiet paradise beach where you can really focus on your training without distractions — lovely accommodation, healthy food, good company.
Can I join your course if I don’t want to become a yoga teacher?
Absolutely! Many people join a teacher training with the purpose of deepening their understanding and own practice of yoga. The training will give you a Yoga Alliance certificate, but this doesn’t mean you have to become a yoga teacher. Anyone is welcome to join. The resort is also available for hire to yoga teachers and schools wanting to run their own retreats. I would love to welcome you to our little slice of paradise.
What inspires you and keeps you energised and motivated?
Seeing people embrace yoga, and seeing the changes it can make in their lives. That is the one thing that always inspires me and makes me feel so grateful.
Any tips for incorporating yoga into daily life?
You don’t need to attend a yoga class to feel the benefit of yoga. Just 10 minutes a day in your own home can make so much difference in your life. Committing to that 10 minutes just for yourself, with pure attention and focus, can do more than attending a full class once a week.
Any takeaway messages for OM readers?
Yoga is connection, between you and your breath, your mind, your body, your spirit. It’s harmony between you and you. Be patient and be kind to yourself. Your breath is your guide. Let yoga be a conversation, not a competition.
For information on Ravi Dixit’s online classes, retreats and trainings visit: ravi.yoga or connect on Instagram @raviyoga_goa
200-Hour YTTC in Goa, March 29 - April 22.
Om Magazine
First published in November 2009, OM Yoga magazine has become the most popular yoga title in the UK. Available from all major supermarkets, independents and newsstands across the UK. Also available on all digital platforms.
