Hayward's American Indian mother started him on a metaphysical path at an early age. Eventually he traveled to France and India where he spent many years studying yoga with several Indian masters, including Pattabois Jois of Mysore, India. In 1973, he was initiated into Tibetan Buddhism by Karmapa Rimpoche.

Hayward has notable talents not normally associated with yogis: his is a professional mime and a professional acrobat. He studied mime under France's legendary Marcel Marceau and Marceau's teacher, Etienne Decroux.

Performing as a highly trained acrobat and stuntman on the hit television series Miami Vice, Hayward suffered numerous spinal and joint injuries. However, he has been able to rejuvenate his body through the yogic techniques which he teaches.

Hayward's spiritual life has inspired critically acclaimed performances with artists such as Diana Ross and Whoopi Goldberg. In 1986, the Yoga Journal published outstanding reviews for his inspiring performance art called "Mime-Yoga." Swami Vishnu Devenanda, founder of the Sivananda Yoga Ashrams, named Hayward "The World's Greatest Mime-Yogi."

A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Hayward has toured, lectured and performed all over the world.