MY PATH THROUGH YOGA  –The Overview

Yogi Bharat Gajjar taught an evening class at the University of Delaware in the mid 70’s.  My girlfriend at the time mentioned taking a class in yoga, and I was intriqued with the idea, so I signed up for the class.  I could not forsee the impact on my life of that decision.

I was introduced to Yogi Bharat in about 1973 while a student at the UD  when he ran a series of evening classes at the University, while he was employed as a textile scientist at the DuPont Company.  Bharat taught Hatha Yoga from the Sivananda tradition and his practice included hatha asanas, pranayama (breathig exercises), chanting , and meditation all during the course of a class.

Bharat later recorded his own Cable TV Show in the 90’s discussing the benefits of yoga and meditation for health and wellness.  Yogi Bharat was a yoga teacher from the Sivananda tradition of yoga, and with his daughter Meeta produced a local cable access show that taught yoga asana, meditation and philosophy in 1/2 hour programs.

The show was called “Yoga for Health, Happiness and Liberation”.  Bharat teaches in the Sivananda Tradition of Yoga that traces its lineage back to Swami Sivananda Saraswati (aka Master Swami Sivananda) of Rishikesh India.  Master Sivananda’s  emissary to America and the west was Guru H.H. Swami Vishnu Devananda Maharaj; Bharat states “everything I know about Yoga is through his grace”, and refers to him as “Swamiji”.   Swamiji was Bharat’s guru as he developed his yoga practice.

Meeta and I are converting VHS copies of the  television program that Bharat and Meeta co-hosted on the local access channel of a cable television provider in the Wilmington DE area, which at one time was called Rollins Cablevision.  This began in the early 90’s just before Bharat retired from DuPont.

Meeta says that there were approximately 275 shows presented through the cable affiliate.  We are presenting a number of them through this online upload primarily to YouTube, with some being posted to Facebook, and Instagram.  Here on my blog I will feature some.  For the full playlist of programs converted so far, please follow this link:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDH5DRUE8aVFiW5KTZz6NPopDBw5NtWdf

We continue to build the youtube playlist and have added programs to the Foundations of Yoga series; numbers 14 and 15 of that particular series, include a discussion of Dharma in the former, and Maya and Illusion in the latter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H9o_8AYQQI&list=PLDH5DRUE8aVFiW5KTZz6NPopDBw5NtWdf&index=16   

I have created a second playlist that presents the asanas with less lecture and philosophical discussion, while the main playlist contains all types of programming as it was originally presented by Bharat and Meeta.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAwt76WxUf0&list=PLDH5DRUE8aVFN9oA05AQ3XeKK-xSPvBA1&index=1

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDH5DRUE8aVFiW5KTZz6NPopDBw5NtWdf

In addition to Bharat and Meeta, I now have this page dedicated to my other yoga activities and studies, as I recently completed (May 2023)  a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training through Dig Yoga in Frenchtown NJ.  This is a science based Hatha Yoga program not associated with the Sivananda tradition, but has more of a Tantric basis, so Tantra Yoga philosophies will also be discussed here.  I am currently (1st quarter 2024) completing an additional 100 hour program with Dig Yoga and will continue to study there with Sue Elkind and Naime Jezzeny and the rest of the Dig Yoga team.

I have documented some of the major steps I took to get here as a yoga practitioner and newly-minted teacher through a series of blog posts.  “My Path Through Yoga” is a series of blog posts, and my goal is to document and highlight the different methods of instruction I have encountered, and hopefully not just pass along information, but some inspiration to explore your own path through the mystical world of yoga.

 This page is intended to be my overview page for my activities with the great subject of yoga.  In addition to the blog posts, the video series created by Bharat and Meeta is included.  The video series are programs that demonstrate physical movements that are referred to as “asanas” from the Hindu or Indian origins of yoga.  The programs include very accurate and detailed descriptions of several key asanas, as well as some demonstrations of the relaxation elements of yoga through “Savasana” (also known as the Corpse Pose).

The video modules provided are available through a playlists on my youtube channel :

Videos links are included with the very first  Part One post and they continue the discussion of topics like meditation, yogic breathing, asanas (postures), and philosophical topics Yogi Bharat liked to talk about; they are integrated through out the  blog posts beginning with one entitled entitled:

YOGA FOR HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND LIBERATION PRESENTED BY YOGI BHARAT GAJJAR AND MEETA GAJJAR PARKER (PART ONE)

The asana poses are a  key facet of “Hatha Yoga” as taught by Bharat and Meeta, in addition to breath work and breathing exercises like “pranayama”, and relaxation as demonstrated in my most recent conversion and upload of the practice of “Savasana”.

The best program to view demonstrated poses and instruction in completing these poses is probably the one entitled:

“Yogi Bharat Gajjar – Foundations of Yoga 7 – Yoga Asana as Prayer”

Viewing the program on Savasana is highly recommended as a follow up to the practice of the asanas on tape 7 or any other program that includes physical postures or hatha yoga poses.  Savasana as a practice is fully discussed and demonstrated on the program entitled:

“Yogi Bharat Gajjar – Foundations of Yoga 13- Quieting The Mind Through Savasana Deep Relaxation”

I feel honored to be able to work with Meeta currently as her student, collaborator on her musical adventures, and archivist of the teachings of Yogi Bharat.  I truly hope you enjoy our presentations, and are able to devote some time to explore yoga as taught by Bharat.  I hope to present other wonderful teachers  through this websiteas well.

Namaste. Much Love.

References: Gajjar, Bharat. “Yoga for Health. Happiness and Liberation”. Publish America, 2007.

Yoga for Health, Happiness and Liberation

To order this book contact Meeta Gajjar Parker through meetaparker@gmail.com

“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh, Being Peace