#212 What is The Eightfold Path of Buddhism?
Why I am turning towards the Buddha Dharma
One of my teachers introduced me to yoga philosophy many years ago (kind of indirectly).
In 2010, I picked his book up off the shelf at my yoga studio, read it cover to cover, and became completely fascinated by Patanjali. That was really the beginning of a long chapter of my life where I studied the Sutras in depth.
And for years, that was my path. Studying, teaching, breaking things down, making meaning of it all.
In his second book, my teacher pivoted. Instead of returning to Patanjali, he started teaching more and more Buddhism. I bought the book, but I didn’t really get it. I remember feeling confused… like, why move away from something so complete to another teaching that seemed unrelated?
When I finally asked him why he moved in the direction of Buddhism on a retreat in Costa Rica in 2024, his answer stayed with me. He said something along the lines of:
Buddhism is where he found people sincerely practicing what yoga is actually about.
That stuck. They weren’t two different things - they were actually more similar than different.
So I decided to study the Buddha Dharma with him. And at the end of the first year, I remember feeling like… wait, did I actually learn anything?
Which now feels kind of funny to admit.
Then, at the end of 2025, I went to a Vipassana retreat - a Buddhist meditation course - and it finally made sense why I felt that way.
On that retreat, we weren’t learning in the way I’m used to.
On all the Yoga Teacher Trainings i’ve done, we are learning for about 13 hours a day, and practicing meditation for maybe 20-30 minutes a day?
But on this meditation retreat, we were simply sitting. A lot.
About eleven hours a day of meditation, and only about an hour of teachings.
And it flipped something for me.
Instead of studying a lot and practicing a little…
we were practicing a lot, and studying a little.
And I realized why. It’s because these teachings aren’t really something you can just understand intellectually. You kind of have to feel them.
When I look at it now, I see the same thread running through everything I’ve been part of: the sutras, the twelve steps, the Buddha Dharma. Every time I’m in a meeting or a circle, whether it’s Sutras, AA, or meditation, I notice this moment where everything starts connecting. Not because I’m learning something new, but because I’m recognizing something. Like… oh, this is the same thing again.
I’m one day off Instagram right now.
And even just one day in, I can feel how much more space I have to read and write again. Those were two things that kind of disappeared for me when I was more in the scroll.
So I’ve been sitting with The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh, getting ready for something I’m about to start next week.
Our Tuesday Morning (Monday Night) we start our new Yoga Teacher Study Sangha. Our Yoga Teacher Study Sangha for May/June 2026 is going to be the Buddha Dharma!
Each week we’ll meet and:
Check in (just honestly sharing where we’re at)
Sit in meditation together for twenty minutes
Talk through a section of the teachings (Reading required ahead of time)
And mostly… just try to actually apply it to our lives
It’s not going to be overly academic. It will be practical in nature.
For example, one of the things we’ll explore is the Noble Eightfold Path. what does this actually look like in real life?
Here are the teachings:
Right View (samyag dṛṣṭi / sammā-diṭṭhi): kind of like when you sit in an AA meeting and hear someone share and realize change is actually possible
Right Thinking / Intention (samyak saṅkalpa / sammā-saṅkappa): noticing how your mind works (Like Sutras 1.5-1.11 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, which focus on the vrittis)
Right Mindfulness (samyak smṛti / sammā-sati): This is our mindfulness practice - just coming back to the present moment again and again.
Right Speech (samyag vāc / sammā-vācā): basically ahimsa,nonharming, and satya, honesty - through words
Right Action (samyak karmānta / sammā-kammanta): how we move in the world, aligned with non-harming
Right Effort (samyak vyāyāma / sammā-vāyāma): consistency, showing up (like abhyāsa or tapas)
Right Concentration (samyak samādhi / sammā-samādhi): learning how to actually focus your mind, like the meditation stages in Patanjali
Right Livelihood (samyag ājīva / sammā-ājīva): living in a way that doesn’t go against your values
We’re going to explore all of this slowly, over time in our Buddha Dharma class, plus more! And more than anything, we’re going to practice it.
If You’re Feeling Called to This…
If you’ve been reading about these teachings for a while…
or circling them…
or feeling like you understand them but something isn’t fully landing…
This might be the missing piece.
Not more information.
Just… practice.
And community.
And actually sitting with it.
We start next week.
If you want to join us, you can sign up here →
Come as you are.
You don’t need to know anything.
You just have to be willing to sit down and try.
This is the direction my own practice is moving in right now.
Less thinking.
More experiencing.
And I’d really love to share that space with you.
Upcoming Retreats & Trainings at Mindful Bali
June 14 - July 5, 2026 THREE SPOTS LEFT Book here
Alcohol-Free Women’s Retreats
August 18 – 23, 2026 THREE SPOTS LEFT Book here
Current Online Yoga Classes:
Mondays 7:30am-8:45am Bali Time: Bali Bhakti Flow
Thursday 7:30am-9:00am Bali time: Resting with the Sutras
Current Online Programs:
Tuesdays 7:00am-9:00am Bali Time - ONLINE - The Buddha Dharma Philosophy Studies Sign up at this link (starts April 28 and runs for 10 weeks)
Fridays 7:00am-9:00am Yoga Sutra Study - ONLINE - Sign up here
Bali Yoga Classes:
I teach drop in classes at my shala Mindful Bali and at Radiantly Alive.