“Global Yoga Luminary to Speak in America for the First Time”

[Guest guest]

"Global Yoga Luminary to Speak in America for the

First Time"

By E. Emmet Brady

 

 

Humility seems to be a common

trait of many of the world's spiritual leaders.

 

 

A

story told about the great Zen master Shunryu Suzuki exemplifies this humble

manner. Suzuki-roshi became the first abbot of the first Buddhist training

monastery outside of Asia when he established

the San Francisco

Zen Center

in the early 1960's. As his fame grew

across the globe, he was invited to speak to the Cambridge Buddhist Society in England. He arrived a day early, amidst the frantic

preparations of his hosts. Rather than remain aloof, Susuki rolled up his

sleeves and helped them scrub the floors. He insisted on joining the

preparations " for the grand day of my arrival. "

 

Such is the way of the luminary:

the greater the spirit, the humbler the personality. They often share a mission to impart profound

knowledge to people around the world in the same selfless fashion.

 

This October marks a special

moment for the world of Yoga in the United States for this very

reason. For the first time ever, Dr.

Ananda, will present at an American Yoga conference.

 

Dr.

Ananda is the keynote speaker at the International Yoga Therapy Conference (www.yogatherapyconference.com),

to be held in Marin County,

CA, from October 3-5, 2008. His keynote address at this year's IYTC will

be "Yoga and Modern Medicine

 

 

Dr. Ananda's visit has social and

educational significance for the Yogic

and medical communities. His father was Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj, one of the five leading world authorities on the ancient

science of Ashtanga Yoga in the twentieth century. Often called The Father of

Modern Scientific Yoga," Dr. Giri

founded the International Centre for Yoga Education and Research. Swamiji was

also known as the Lion

of Pondicherry, for he roared out wisdom and laughter.

As a young man, Dr. Ananda imbibed as a

24 hour a day Sadhana, the Art and Science of Yoga

One would be hard-pressed to find a person who has a more distinguished

career in building bridges between global communities. Whether it is Yoga, medicine, sports,

cultural entertainment or philanthropy, Dr. Ananda's reach has been as gentle

as it has been powerful. Ananda embodies a great case of integration

between a secular mind and a modern time yogi. His lifetime work addresses virtually

all aspects of society, delivering the knowledge of Yoga with amazing clarity

and loyalty to the ancient tradition.

 

Despite his extensive role in the global

Yoga community, Dr. Ananda has never previously accepted invitations from the

American Yoga community. There were many

reasons for this. Among them were the

explicit wishes of his mother – an American expatriate – that he not be

"spoiled" by the crass materialism of America. But the maturation of the American Yoga

community over the past 20 years has inspired Dr. Ananda to accept Antonio's

invitation to participate at IYTC.

 

As Sausys

recalls: "I have a sweet feeling regarding the way I invited Ananda. Rather than interacting with a 'yoga

celebrity," I talked to an enthusiastic expert who replied 'This is my first

visit to the world outside India,

I'm excited!' Not only was I happy for IYTC, but also for USA in

general. This means that we are moving

away from fitness-minded, image-driven Yoga world into the deep roots of this

amazing science of well being."

 

Another equally important reason

for Dr. Ananda speaking at IYTC was his relationship with Sausys. The professional alliance between the two was

forged in a friendship formed years ago while both served as Honorary

Secretaries for the International Yoga Federation. Both are also members of the World Yoga

Council and share a common mission: to promote the use of Yoga as Therapy while

keeping the integrity of Yoga as a guiding light.

 

"I am really happy to be able to

attend and participate in the conference this year and am looking forward to

learning by teaching. Swamiji always said that the best way to learn is to

teach and I am finding this to be more and more true everyday. Antonio has

taken great pains to fructify my visit and it is also my way of deepening the

close yogic relationship that we both enjoy tremendously. May this be the start

of a new era in us bridging the worlds of yoga in India

and the USA".

-Dr Ananda

 

This American reunion between the

two Yogis represents a bold new direction for the Yoga Therapy community. It

also celebrates a truly Yogic intention of building global communities through

humility and reverence for the ancient wisdom of Yoga.

 

The " Yoga for Health "

(IYTC) takes place this year from Oct. 3-5 at the Four Points Sheraton in San Rafael, CA,

USA. This

conference is splendid combination of Yogic intention, community health care

outreach, and public health awareness. Please visit the website for all

conference details - www.yogatherapyconference.com.

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

.. Quite true.. The words of the respected

Brady.Dr.Ananda is going to enthral and educate the

knowledgeable audience.I wish the program all succes.

Regards

Dr.Vellore A.R.Srinivasan