Beryl Bender Birch (born October 1942) is a teacher of

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...

and a creator and

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

Power Yoga Power Yoga is one of several forms of energetic form of yoga evolved in India. These include forms derived from Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and body weight exercises. It was practiced in India in mysore city. Patabhi Jois brought power yoga to the west ...

Life

Beryl Bender Birch was educated at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

, where she read English and Philosophy. In 1974 she spent six months studying

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

in India under Munishree Chitrabhanu. She founded her own school of yoga in

Winter Park, Colorado Winter Park is a home rule municipality in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The permanent population was 999 at the 2010 census, although with 2,572 housing units within the town limits the seasonal population can be much higher. It is ho ...

in 1975. She learnt Ashtanga Yoga from Norman Allen, one of K. Pattabhi Jois's first western students, who collaborated with Jois on his trips to America. In 1981 she began to teach Ashtanga Yoga at the

New York Road Runners Club New York Road Runners (NYRR) is a non-profit running organization based in New York City whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. It was founded in 1958 by Ted Corbitt with 47 members and has since grown to a membership of more ...

; she later became Wellness Director there. She is the creator of one of several forms of

; she stated that she went on using the Ashtanga Yoga

asana An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...

sequence in the new brand. Her 1995 book of the same name became a bestseller. She and her husband, the runner Thom Birch (1954–2006), cofounded New York's "The Hard & the Soft Astanga Yoga Institute".

Reception

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' writes of Birch's book ''Power Yoga: The Total Strength and Flexibility Workout'' that "... some readers may find Power Yoga narrowly prescriptive or severe. However, Birch's credibility supports her passionate advocacy. This is an important book for the yoga community as well: a thoughtful exposition of one of several major yoga movements that have developed from the work of

Krishnamacharya Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (18 November 1888 – 28 February 1989) was an Indian yoga teacher, ayurvedic healer and scholar. He is seen as one of the most important gurus of modern yoga, and is often called "the father of modern yoga" for h ...

, one of this century's great yogis." Kali Om, writing on ''Yoga Chicago'', describes Birch's writing style as never dull, with humour and a cheerful tone, but casual and with "endless anecdotes". She finds the account of the ashtanga primary series in ''Beyond Power Yoga'' condensed and "sometimes confusing", but writes that the book provides a non-threatening introduction to the seven other limbs of ashtanga yoga beyond the physical.

Works

* 1995 ''Power Yoga'', Atria. * 2000 ''Beyond Power Yoga: Eight Levels of Practice for Body and Soul'', Touchstone. * 2009 ''Boomer Yoga'', Sellers. * 2014 ''Yoga for Warriors'', Sounds True.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Beryl Bender 1942 births Living people Modern yoga pioneers American yoga teachers Syracuse University alumni Modern yoga gurus