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Olle Bengtström - Personal Biography

Olle's relationship with Ashtanga yoga started in 1999 when he met his foundational teacher, Lino Miele, at a workshop in Copenhagen. This meeting inspired Olle to dig deeper into and to devote himself to exploring the Ashtanga method. He was blown away by the physical intensity, the energy and challenge of the practice right away, but soon found the more subtle and meditative side of it to be his "missing link."

Since 1999, Olle has continued his apprenticeship and studies with Lino, finding him to be a tremendous inspiration and mentor. Through Lino's encouragement, Olle started teaching in 2002 and is now, together with his partner Lisa, running Ashtanga Yogashala Göteborg, which opened its doors early in 2005. Lisa and Olle also have a son, Theo, who was born that same year.

Olle has an athletic background and competed for many years semi-professionally as a mountain bike cyclist and freestyle skier. He is a trained massage therapist and has a degree in sports pedagogy and psychology.

During his journey on the yoga path, Olle also had the great fortune to study directly under the supervision of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, both several times in Mysore, India and also on many of his tour stops in Europe. Olle feels blessed and honored to have had that opportunity.

In Mysore in 2006, Olle met Dr. M. A. Jayashree and Sri Narasimhan and started his studies of the Yoga Sutras and other texts under their guidance. Since 2009, Olle also studied intensively with Richard Freeman and has completed several of Richard's teacher trainings and intensives. For Olle, these studies with Dr. Jayashree, Sri Narasimhan and Richard Freeman have opened a new gateway to the ancient wisdom, the very core of yoga, from which he draws tremendous inspiration and guidance. Olle is dedicated to exploring the Ashtanga vinyasa system as a therapeutic and meditative practice, and as a method for deep personal growth.