Ramanand patel biography of christopher

Seizing the Whip: B. K. S. Iyengar and the Making of Modern Yoga ---------  Eric John Shaw All contents copyright 2014 Eric John Shaw. world rights reserved 2 dedicated to Mark Singleton 3 Introduction The longtime resident of Pune, Maharashtra, India, B. K. S. Iyengar, is arguably the most influential figure in Modern Postural Yoga; however, the conditions under which he was raised and the work he did to propagate new postural forms worldwide have never been carefully correlated. It is widely believed that Iyengar received precise training under his celebrated guru, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya in his teen-age years, but that training was actually extremely brief, haphazard and abusive. This article explains the formative impact of yoga performance and solitary practice in making Iyengar a great posture master and teacher, and—more importantly— examines the anatomy of Iyengar's character and tutelage under Krishnamacharya carefully, drawing conclusions as to their implications for Iyengar's work and the nature of yoga worldwide. Just as Iyengar was reluctant to confront his master, few writers have confronted Iyengar’s self-exposition. Mark Singleton, Elizabeth De Michelis and Elizabeth Kadetsky are exceptions to this rule. This essay converses with those authors and integrates the views of Iyengar and his students. Iyengar’s institute declined my request for an interview. Because I’ve used numerous quotes from Iyengar’s oral statements, his English is awkward, and his words were transcribed into written form by authors with their own tics, I have mostly avoided pointing to the many resulting idiosyncrasies with the term sic (“as written”) as it would have been constantly obtrusive. In the same spirit, I have repaired minor inconsistencies that do not greatly affect meaning (e.g. changing “7 am” to “7am”) and avoided the many odd italicizations and capitalizations that litter that mate

In a burst of precelebratory enthusiasm, we decided last spring to commemorate the 15th anniversary of our inception by commissioning a comprehensive took at hatha yoga in America, from its introduction in Chicago back in 1893 to its contemporary proliferation across heartland U.S.A.

Writer Richard Leviton, whose homeopathy cover story garnered so much praise just a year ago, courageously agreed to undertake the voluminous research and cross-country travel required to capture not only the spirit, but the remarkable moments, that have characterized yoga’s hundred-year efflorescence in this country. The result, all 20,000 words of it, promises to be the most authoritative coverage of the yoga movement for years to come.

Part one, “How the Swamis Came to the States” tells the captivating tale of how Indian teachers and their diligent students have established yoga in a nation where, three quarters of a century ago, it wasstill considered a Hindu abomination even in liberal urban centers like Boston and L.A. All the major teachers and lineages have been covered, from Swami Vivekananda, whose talk at theWorld Parliament of Religions in 1893 galvanized his largely American audience, to Swami Satchidananda, whose benediction at the Woodstock rock festival invoked the spirit of a generation. We’ve also taken advantage of our expanded color capabilities to bring you yoga photos shot at sunrise against the sand dunes of California’s Death Valley.

Part two, “From Sea to Shining Sea,” is a documentary sampling of six yoga centers (and as many styles) in various regions of the country, including a small studio by the sea in Maine, a sweaty refuge for athletes and busy executives in downtown Manhattan, a junior college in Texas’ big sky country, and centers in urban San Francisco and suburban Atlanta and Chicago. Author Leviton, traveling with his yoga-teacher-wife Alons