shakaizen
About
Alexandre Latour
Hi, thank you for dropping by, my name is Alexandre Latour, and I’m the teacher behind Shakaizen.
Fifth generation Indian, I was born and raised in Mauritius by my single mother who lulled me with stories from the Mahabharata, an epic of ancient India, and had me exposed to yoga philosophy from an early age.
I grew up an introvert more interested in knowledge regarding the meaning of life and death than in earning a university degree. I dropped out of high school, started studying yoga philosophy, and practiced yoga postures rigorously.Â
I found myself teaching at the age of 21, and for nearly a decade I traveled the world as an asana and pranayama teacher, teaching audiences of different cultural backgrounds and ability levels. This was during a time when a teacher’s worth was found in their teachings rather than their follower count—a distinction that would later define my choices.
When the yoga industry shifted toward social media theatrics over sacred practice, I chose to step away. I became the first Mauritian PADI freediving instructor, pioneering the development of freediving in Mauritius with a deeply personal and mindful approach that favored inner growth over external performance.
For seven years, I guided students through one of life’s most profound edges—the boundary between fear and trust, between limitation and expansion. I witnessed people who had nearly drowned overcome their deepest phobias and dive to unimaginable depths. This work revealed what I believe is humanity’s greatest ability: our capacity to transform beyond what we think possible.
When foreign freedivers and freediving professionals began illegally exploiting the presence of sperm whales in Mauritian waters—under the blind eyes of the same certifying organizations who claimed to train us to the highest ethical standards—integrity demanded a difficult choice. I chose ethics over income. I severed my affiliation with PADI, closed my school, campaigned to raise awareness, and relocated to the Himalayas in India.
My teaching philosophy has remained constant across disciplines: true transformation happens not through performance or popularity, but through authentic practice, ethical integrity, and the courage to honor what is sacred.
The Himalayas taught me what mountains have always understood: you don’t need to move or perform to be transformative. You simply stand—vast, patient, and unshakeable. This, for me, is the essence of sacred teaching.