Meet Pothigai
After forty years of martial arts practice and teaching, Pothigai came to recognize a deeper truth: the most important battle is the one within.
From this understanding, Sangha Spiritual Warriors emerged—a path where the challenges of training become a means to cultivate awareness, discipline, and inner strength.
“The Martial Journey”
The Beginning
I was born in Spain and began practicing martial arts at the age of six. In 1988, I discovered Muay Thai, beginning a journey that would shape much of my life.
In 1994, I moved to the United States, where I continued my training and began competing professionally while exploring different martial arts traditions and philosophies. These experiences gradually expanded my understanding of martial arts beyond fighting, toward discipline, awareness, and personal development.
The Fighting Years
In 1998, after ten years of Muay Thai training, I became the United States Professional Muay Thai Middleweight Champion. Soon afterward, I traveled throughout Thailand, training at more than 45 Muay Thai camps and traditional weapons schools.
This journey exposed me to different teachers, methods, and traditions, gradually broadening my understanding of martial arts beyond competition and leading me toward its traditional and internal dimensions.
The Teaching Years
In 2000, I founded the Thailand Arts Institute in Atlanta, before relocating permanently to Thailand in 2002. After a period of monastic life in Bangkok, I deepened my study of Muay Chaiya and Krabi Krabong, exploring the traditional principles behind Thai martial arts.
In 2003, I opened Muay Thai Sangha Thailand in Chiang Mai, where years of teaching and practice continued to refine an approach centered on body mechanics, timing, awareness, and internal practice.
My search for deeper knowledge also took me across Asia, studying Bokator in Cambodia, Silat in Indonesia, Kalaripayattu in India, and Qigong and Five Elements practices in China. These traditions further shaped the Spiritual Warrior approach that continues to guide my teaching today.
"The Spiritual Journey"
Spain - The Search Begins
Raised in Spain within the Catholic tradition, my spiritual search began at an early age, leading me to explore different expressions of Christianity and the deeper questions they shared.
At seventeen, my interests expanded into Western esoteric and philosophical traditions, including the Fourth Way, Rosicrucian teachings, and Jiddu Krishnamurti. These early explorations awakened a lasting interest in self-knowledge and inner transformation.
USA - Deepening the Search
In 1994, after moving to the United States, I continued studying with Gurdjieff groups, deepening my exploration of consciousness, self-observation, and human development.
Thailand - Direct Experience
In 2002, my path led me to Buddhism, and I relocated permanently to Thailand, where I ordained as a Theravada Buddhist monk. Over the following years, I immersed myself in meditation, disciplined practice, and monastic life, establishing a strong foundation in mindfulness and direct experience.
In March 2009, after years of intensive practice, I experienced a profound realization centered on emptiness. This became a decisive turning point in my spiritual journey, shifting my approach from the pursuit of knowledge toward direct experience and embodiment.
India - Integration
In 2015, my spiritual journey entered a new phase through the traditions of South India. Under the guidance of my gurus, I began a deeper exploration of Kundalini Yoga, Tantra, Siddha teachings, and Agamic wisdom, gradually integrating these traditions with the experience and understanding developed through decades of spiritual practice.
Today
Today, after four decades of study, practice, and teaching, my work brings together the wisdom of Eastern and Western traditions into a practical approach to self-transformation and spiritual development.
Rooted in direct experience and lifelong learning, this approach seeks to cultivate greater harmony between body, mind, and inner energy, helping students develop awareness, understanding, and a deeper connection with themselves.