​"Discipline is not a prison—it is your style of living."

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​The Journey Begins

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​Hi, my name is Mario Savovic. My path to physical mastery started early. By the age of six, inspired by martial arts icons like Bruce Lee, I was already doing push-ups and sit-ups with a light pair of dumbbells and an unshakeable willpower that has not left me to this very day. Over the next two decades in Serbia, I immersed myself in every sport imaginable—from gymnastics, wrestling, and athletics to basketball, tennis, and over 24 years of competitive soccer.

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​When I retired from official team sports at 31, I knew it wasn't the end of my physical journey—it was simply the beginning of a new chapter.

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​During a period of recovery from illness, my search for optimal health led me to yoga. Back in the mid-2000s, before instant internet searches were common in Serbia, information came strictly from rare books. I quickly realized that true yoga couldn't just be read; it had to be experienced and learned through direct instruction.

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​Meeting My Mentor

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​That search led to a defining moment in my life. While working on a project, I met Mijo—an architect, a true walking encyclopedia who possesses immense knowledge on virtually everything, and a master who had dedicated his entire life to holistic movement and living.

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​Mijo was the mentor I had always dreamed of finding. He brought a lifetime of incredible experience:

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• ​Over 35 years as a dedicated Yoga and Tai Chi instructor.

• ​A background in the special forces of the former Yugoslav army (renowned as some of the most elite tactical units of the 1960s and 70s).

• ​Decades of mastery across Judo, Shotokan Karate, Taekwondo, weightlifting, and massage therapy.

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​Long before modern MMA existed, Mijo had already synthesized these arts into a seamless, unified practice. After six months of attending his yoga classes, he invited me to train privately with him. For the next 11 years, we trained together daily, testing, refining, and living a complete athletic and spiritual routine.

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​Formal Certification & Professional Mastery

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​Although Mijo had already taught me the deep essence and mechanics of yoga, movement, and human physiology, I wanted to anchor my knowledge in official accreditation. After relocating to Ireland, I chose to formalize my expertise.

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​Leveraging my extensive background in sports and training, I earned official credentials as a Certified Yoga Instructor, a Certified Fitness Instructor, and a Personal Trainer. I worked briefly in commercial gyms—not to make a career out of standard training, but to gain first-hand industry experience, refine my instruction, and ensure my methodology met the highest professional standards.

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​These certifications weren't about proving anything to myself or my mentor; they were about bridging deep, traditional mastery with modern professional accreditation.

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​The Birth of "Bu Sao"

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​We didn't just practice individual sports; we lived an interconnected ecosystem of health. We needed a name for this complete way of life.

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​We chose Bu Sao.

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​While it carries an eastern phonetic feel, the name is rooted in history. It is an abbreviation of Bunjevačka Samoodbrana ("Bunjevac Self-Defense"), honoring Mijo’s heritage from the Bunjevac people—a southern Slavic group known for resilience and cultural identity. What began as a term for a complete self-defense framework evolved into something much larger: a full lifestyle discipline.

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​Two Decades of Mastery & Continuity

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​When Mijo and I met in 2006, I was 31 years old and he was 57. In late 2016, I relocated to the Republic of Ireland, but our journey didn’t stop—it simply adapted.

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​Today, 20 years later, Bu Sao Discipline remains the core of my daily life. Mijo is now 77 years old, living proof of the vitality, functional strength, and youthfulness that this integrated lifestyle maintains. Every year, I travel back to Serbia at least twice—spending weeks at a time training, refining, and sharing life with my mentor just as we did on day one.

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​The Mission

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​Bu Sao Discipline was founded on a simple truth: no single wellness practice is complete on its own. Yoga provides the foundation and flexibility; Tai Chi provides fluid energy; martial arts build resilience; weightlifting delivers raw strength; meditation brings mental clarity; and proper nutrition and sleep sustain it all.

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​Through this website and my book, I share the principles of Bu Sao Discipline to help others take complete control of their health, build physical resilience, and experience the quiet peace of a disciplined life.