Page 44 - Adhiyoga Purana

Adhiyogi at George Mason University
When Adhiyogi began teaching Yoga professionally in the United States, one of his earliest and most unexpected breaks came from a surprising source — an organic food store. At the time, the store was known as Fresh Fields (later rebranded as Whole Foods). They offered Adhiyogi a chance to host a two-hour speech and demonstration class in their café space. The setting was modest, and the audience sparse — just a handful of curious customers.
Among them was a woman who had come in only to shop, but something about the class drew her attention. She listened closely to Adhiyogi’s words, observed his calm presence, and quietly took note. A few days later, she reached out to him with an unexpected proposal: she was the fitness director for the gym at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and wanted Adhiyogi to start teaching Yoga classes for the university’s students and for the wider public.
That one moment of quiet observation turned into a decade-long teaching journey.
The classes became immensely popular. Week after week, semester after semester, students — both undergraduates and postgraduates — came in to study under Adhiyogi. For nearly 30 semesters, stretching over 10 years, he taught not only regular Yoga classes but also received a special invitation to guide the university’s basketball team.
During these years, Adhiyogi met hundreds of individuals: budding psychologists, researchers, artists, musicians, athletes, professors, and curious seekers. Each brought a new flavor to the experience, and many carried those lessons into their own professions and personal lives.
The story of Adhiyogi’s time at George Mason University was not just about Yoga in a gym — it was about planting seeds in young minds that would later bloom in various corners of the world.
OM Shantiḥ.
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