Yogi Kazim
Who Is Yogi Kazım Gürbüz?
Yogi Kazım Gürbüz is one of Turkey’s pioneering yoga masters and the founder of the Yoka System. Over a lifetime of dedication, he has explored the limits of physical, mental, and spiritual potential — transforming his personal journey into a living system that has inspired countless individuals.
A Turning Point: The 1961 Accident
In 1961, Kazım was involved in a catastrophic traffic accident that left him paralyzed below the waist with a broken spine. Conscious but unable to move his legs, he was told by doctors that he would never walk again. Long before that, he had spent 20 years in the foothills of the Himalayas, receiving deep spiritual and physical training.
Rebirth Through Will, Discipline & Experimentation
After his recovery, Yogi Kazım believed his healing should serve a greater purpose — to help others. Embracing this as his life mission, he decided to travel across Anatolia, village by village. In the 1970s, when polio was widespread, he often encountered paralyzed children during his journeys — and astonishingly, managed to help them recover within just ten days.
After these miraculous events, word quickly spread — and soon, people from all over began seeking out our wise yogi. Thousands of children from across Anatolia witnessed the healing power of Yogi Kazım’s hands.
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As his fame grew, the Medical Association of the time filed a complaint against him, accusing him of practicing without authorization. An investigation was launched, forcing Yogi Kazım to pause his healing work. Supported by public audiences and, at times, controversy, he was granted a “Massage Permit” by the then-Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel to continue his therapeutic work.
International Recognition
Despite this official approval, the Medical Association persisted in their complaints. As the saying goes, “fruit-bearing trees are the ones that get stoned.” Frustrated but undeterred, Yogi Kazım began accepting invitations from abroad — especially from Germany, where a group of doctors expressed great interest in his methods.​
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By then, Yogi Kazım’s reputation had reached international levels. Prominent newspapers featured him on their front pages, and North West London University awarded him an honorary professorship.
​Spreading the Work: Turkey, Germany & Beyond
In 1973, Yogi Kazım was invited to Germany, where orthopedic experts began to observe his methods.
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Together with his wife Ülkü Gürbüz, he worked at a therapy center called Yoga Leben Schule in Brachttal, Germany — treating clients, including those whose care was covered by German social insurance.
Yogi Kazım’s Healing of Ivory Coast’s President
In 1984, after renowned doctors from multiple countries failed to help the ailing President Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Ivory Coast, Kazım was privately invited from Europe to attempt a last-resort treatment. Demonstrating extraordinary physical control and spiritual practices, he gained the confidence of the president and his medical team. Over a few days, he helped the bedridden leader stand and walk again—an event that astonished the palace, foreign diplomats, and accompanying journalists. The president grew so close to Kazım that he called him “brother,” hosted him like a head of state, placed him in symbolic positions of honor, and even offered him a million-dollar gift. Kazım’s intervention became an international media sensation and cemented his reputation as a healer whose influence reached the highest levels of global political leadership.
The Yoka System: Essence of a Life
YOKA is the name of Yogi Kazım’s system.The name Yoka is derived from syllables of his name (Yogi Kazim → “Yo-Ka”) . YOKA is a system that allows people to live young and healthy, that maintains and rejuvenates the body, and that eliminates negative effects. It is a system created by Yogi Kazım, who wants to offer it to the benefit of the people of the world.
Movement & Yoga sequences
Water work
​Breathing & Bandha techniques
Nature-based practice
Massage / Manipulation techniques
Therapeutic adaptations
In his teachings, he frequently speaks of themes such as regeneration, belief, and the limitless power of the human body and mind:
“The human body has unlimited possibilities … combine these with willpower and brain power, and the power that emerges is as amazing as you can imagine.”
He maintains that aging, degeneration, and disease often begin with misalignment of the spine and joints, and that proper inner work can reverse or mitigate these processes.
Legacy & Continuity
After more than six decades of practice and innovation, Yogi Kazım has gradually entrusted the propagation of his work to the next generation.
His daughter, Hikmet Gürbüz, now leads efforts to teach and spread the Yoka System internationally.
Even in advanced age, Yogi Kazım continues to inspire students with his life story — a testament that transcending the perceived limits of body and mind is possible. His teachings remain a living legacy, embodied in each breath, movement, and lesson of Yoka.