The outcome of correct practice is harmony, which is the true state of wisdom called Yoga.

- Shandor Remete (Sundernath)
Founder of ​Shadow Yoga / Nṛtta Sādhanā

What we do​

  • We teach group classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced students in traditional hatha yoga.
  • Private tuition is available (online or face-to-face) for 30 mins to 1 hour. Read more
  • Venue hire - the studio is available to teachers of yoga, meditation, tai chi and qi gong. Read more

Hatha Yoga Desha

Based in Leichhardt, Hatha Yoga Desha (HYD) is Sydney's only Shadow Yoga school. All HYD teachers are certified Shadow Yoga teachers, and they are registered with Yoga Australia.

Penny Cuthbert, the owner of HYD, has thirty years of teaching experience, twenty of which have been in Shadow Yoga. Penny is a Shadow Yoga teacher trainer.

Penny Cuthbert

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​​Penny opened HYD in 2003. Introduced to yoga by her father (a devotee of Baba Muktananda), she attended regular yoga classes from 1989. Her studies with Sundernath started in 1993. Penny continues to train under the guidance of Sundernath and Emma Balnaves.

Natasha Almeida

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Natasha has been learning with Sundernath and Emma Balnaves for 16 years, completing a three year apprenticeship with them in 2012. She has been teaching Shadow Yoga for nine years and continues to learn under their guidance.
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Suzanne Cohen
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Suzanne began her yoga practice in 1999. She completed her teacher training with Penny Cuthbert and has been teaching Shadow Yoga since 2016. Suzanne’s knowledge is enhanced by five years of Sanskrit studies. She continues to learn under the guidance of Sundernath and Emma Balnaves.​

Shadow Yoga

Shadow Yoga is a dynamic, traditional form of Hatha Yoga based on the knowledge and traditions of the Kanpatha Hatha Yogins of Nepal - descendants of Sri Gorakhnath, and his Guru Sri Matsyendranath.

Shandor Remete (Sundernath), an initiate of the Kanpatha Hatha Yogins, co-founded Shadow Yoga with his wife Emma Balnaves. The practice is taught in stages through a series of vyayamas (restraining drills). 

The six Shadow Yoga vyayamas
  1. Bala Krama - Prelude 1
    (Stepping into Strength)
  2. ​Chaya Yoddha Sancalanam - Prelude 2
    (Churning of the Shadow Warrior)
  3. Karttikeya Mandala - Prelude 3
    (Garland of Light)
  4. Asana - Angahara linear arrangements
  5. Asana - Angahara circular arrangements
  6. Nṛtta Sādhanā

About the vyayamas
Practiced sequentially, the vyayamas are movements that help breakdown the blockages and habits that exist in the physical, subtle and causal bodies.

These movements comprise of squats, viraparampara (warrior/martial stances) and suryanamaskara (sun salutations), sitting postures and yoga-asana.

The full practice format includes warm ups, squats, prelude, related seats and yoga-asana, inversions, then conclusion.

Students eventually learn to apply an-argula-reti (freestyle) practice which is guided by intuition.

Marmasthana and Shadow Yoga
Shadow Yoga uses the principles of Marmasthana, (the Indian system of the 108 vital junctions of the body), to achieve appropriate combinations of positions and rhythmic movements. This cultivates the circulation and penetration of breath and life force.

Teaching Shadow Yoga/Nṛtta Sādhanā​
All Shadow Yoga/Nṛtta Sādhanā teachers undergo rigorous training for a minimum of three years and are certified to teach by Sundernath and Emma Balnaves.