Upload
others
View
1
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
© 2013 Earth.org Page 1
Yoga.in presents Yoga in India: A journey to the top 24 yoga places
"This is surely the best guide to the top Yoga centers in India. None of the top ones are missed and all valid traditions of Yoga are showcased with beauty, grace and respect. I especially like the way the photos themselves tell a story giving us an inner glimpse of the soul as well as the body of each center. No hyperbole here, just plain truths and phrased in clear and lucid language too. Hats off to this determined and dedicated team who have done the best Yoga Seva anyone has done till date. If you truly want to find real Yoga in India, this book is a great place to start!" -‐ Yogacharya Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, Chairman ICYER, Pondicherry
This travel guide explores 24 yoga centers and ashrams across India. It includes a wide array of practical information such as the type of cuisine or yoga styles offered at each center, to inspirational stories at different locations exemplified with the foreword for the book written by B.K.S Iyengar. When words fail to bring the yoga center to life, the simply stunning photographs step in to capture the beautiful and spiritual experience.
An Interview with the book’s photographer, Coni Hörler
Earth.org has prepared a brief interview with the photographer of the book, “Yoga in India”, Coni Hörler. Please feel free to use this on your blog, website, magazine, etc. Additional photos can be accessed here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/93877610@N03/ Books and a free chapter can be purchased here: http://www.yoga.in/books/yoga-‐in-‐india/
© 2013 Earth.org Page 2
What’s the number one reason why people should read this book? Well if you are too lazy to read it, you can just look at the photos.
© 2013 Earth.org Page 3
Is there significance to the pink flower on the cover of the book? The 8 petals of the dahlia symbolize the 8 limbs of yoga.
© 2013 Earth.org Page 4
What is your favorite photograph from this experience and why? Personally I am very happy with BKS Iyengar’s open hand with his watch resting in it. I think it is just a nice capture and I am quite satisfied from the technical point of view as well.
© 2013 Earth.org Page 5
What was your favorite memory from the experience? Difficult to say. But what really impressed me was to see B.K.S. Iyengar practicing at his age. Somehow you have to be there to witness and believe it...
© 2013 Earth.org Page 6
What story would you want a reader to know about your experience? Well, one evening Swami Niranjanananda from The Bihar School of Yoga didn’t turn up for the shoot at the banks of Mother Ganga. The senior Swami who accompanied us to that place noticed my frustration with the situation and gently explained me the rule of having a positive attitude to things happening, which go against my expectations or wishes. Things happen the way they have to happen. At the end, I got a nice shot from Swami Niranjanananda having a small conversation with the visitors and guests of The Bihar School of Yoga. What is your favorite style of yoga (Hatha, vinyasa, Ashtanga, etc) and why? I have no favorite style. All styles are fine. Anyway, if people ask me whether I do Yoga, I ask, well...what is Yoga? Maybe I am a Photo-‐Yogi ;-‐)
© 2013 Earth.org Page 7
How was the experience of traveling in India? It was no problem at all. It is much nicer to travel than in other countries as it is itself an adventure and an experience. Depending on the means of travels it can be more or less tiring. Distances are simply vast, so if you want to go from Munger to Mysore, it might take some time. It is safe, yes, but of course as a single woman traveler, one has to know a few rules of the culture here-‐ and even then it might be wise to travel with a partner.
I love this quote from you and Otto, your partner in this research, from the introduction of Yoga in India: “Our journey to the top 24 yoga places in India was, simply, straight from the heart and straight back to the heart.” What is it about India that has captured your heart (and your camera)? Well, after my first short visit to India in 1996 (3 weeks only), I actually thought that I would never come back to this country because I was simply not ready. But photography drew me back here
© 2013 Earth.org Page 8
where people are very open minded in general to have their photograph being taken. I returned 2 years later to spend some time at a long stretch in India (10 months) and very slowly, I started a total immersion into the country the more frequently I visited. Once you forget about where you come from and fully dive into a different world, then it becomes a very interesting experience. What in India has captured my heart...Yes, this is somehow difficult to express. Let me give it a try. I think of simple people. Simple, honest, good hearted people, whose inner beauty is reflected in their faces. Stories being told by them about life, about love. You see, I will never forget that one lady in Mussoorie who taught me about the love for one’s parents. In her basic English she could explain me wonderfully about the importance my parents have in my life and the love they deserve. That day she was my Guru. Allow me to add here a small quote by the great Sufi poet Rumi: “Stop the words now. Open the window in the center of your chest, and let the spirits fly in and out.”
© 2013 Earth.org Page 9
Tell us the journey of how you ended up living in India. Many times people ask how I ended up in India and why I choose to come here. Actually I believe that things simply happen or they don’t. I like to call it destiny. Yes, it is my destiny and I want to fulfill my duty now to be in India but that might also change one day. Life is always good for a surprise, isn’t it...India is a fascinating place in many regards, it has an energy which cannot really be captured in words. You have to be here to feel the place. Last month I was travelling from Madurai, a big city in Tamil Nadu famous for its temple, to Sri Lanka and back to Madurai. And you see, when i came back from the airport to the city of Madurai, I thought to myself: Ok, back in India-‐ all senses fully engaged. India keeps your senses awake. There is always so much to feel and experience. It is unfinished; I have stayed now 12 years in this country and still I am discovering many things which are new to me. By the way there is something like a saying, that applies to foreigners being stuck in India, which goes like that: You don’t choose India -‐ India chooses you.
© 2013 Earth.org Page 10
Tell us the journey of how you ended up working on this project. As a photographer and also as a human being I want to be open to new things, new experiences, new teachings -‐ simply to widen my limited horizon. So it was a great pleasure for me to take this opportunity when Otto asked me to join in for this project. Sometimes people assume that I am myself an Asana Yogi. How else could I have worked on that project? But when I go and shoot in a factory, that doesn’t mean that i am now an engineer. Or likewise, I can still produce beautiful images of dance without being a dancer. Basically I see myself as an observer and I want to observe as many things in life as I can. I learned a lot of new things during those 3 months.
© 2013 Earth.org Page 11
As yogis, we are often drawn to photographs that capture the beauty of asanas. As a photographer (or a photo-‐yogi), can you describe what the appeal is for you? Well you see, photographically it is not the complexity of the asana which is mesmerizing. The asana can be the most simple pose. What draws you to a photo is not only the perfection of an asana; instead it is more an overall good feeling including the person who performs the asana as well as the location. Personally, I like a minimalistic touch in a photograph where you can really focus on the subject or the topic. One example from the book of this approach can be seen on page 88. I would say this is my favorite asana photo from the book. According to the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali, an asana is to be firmly and relaxed in a certain position for a certain period of time. That calmness which vibrates from such a scene is -‐ I believe -‐ very graceful in its simplicity. It is a goal of mine to do a series of asanas set in different locations all over India like this particular photograph.
© 2013 Earth.org Page 12
Tell us something that you learned on this journey through the top 24 yoga places in India that you think we should know. Even the Super Gurus and Yogis are all humans at the end of the day (or when they are in front of my lens)... And: the real master is not too proud to even take a broom into his own hands.