In the 1960s, Swami Vishnudevananda (1927-1993) became one of the most beloved and influential teachers of hatha and raja yoga in the world. A friend of the Beatles and numerous other celebrities, he made it his mission to popularize traditions of classical yoga for Westerners. Swami Vishnudevananda also led an adventure-filled life as he used his skill as a pilot to travel the world with his message of peace. In 1989 the Swami made one of his many “peace flights” to conflict regions when he flew his private plane over the Berlin Wall, perhaps the most prominent relic of the Iron Curtain. This was the year when everything changed in the Soviet Bloc, with one country after another breaking away in hopes of achieving freedom and democracy. The Swami had determined that flowers and good wishes, not guns, were what the world needed. But he did not underestimate the situation, telling the media that he was prepared to lay down his life for what he believed in. When Swamiji landed in East Berlin from the West, East German society was in turmoil. After hours of questioning, he was released unharmed back to West Berlin, and he set up a Global Peace Village Festival right next to the Berlin Wall. Events included a walk over hot coals, a classic yogi technique for demonstrating the power of the mind over matter. After the wall fell, the Swami revisited Berlin to personally thank outgoing Communist leader Egon Krenz for allowing events to unfold peacefully. via WordPress https://ift.tt/3vvSh07
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April 2021
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