.
Shri Yogendra and
his wife Smt. Sitadevi Yogendra
" That thousands of people the world over continue to
benefit from the pioneering work of the Founder of The Yoga Institute
, Shri Yogendraji, is in a large measure due to the love, devotion
and loyalty of his life partner, Smt.Sitadevi. Founder has himself
paid tribute to her, saying "Without Sita the Institute's
work would not have been possible".
Smt. Sitadevi Yogendra was born on 1st June 1912. She was married
to Shri Yogendraji on 29 th September 1927. She was introduced
to yoga soon after her marriage; after two years of continuos
study, was made Secretary of the Institute and later, in charge
of the ladies section. She contributed with articles to the Journal
of Yoga, since its beginning, her first work appeared under the
title Easy Postures forWomen . She is also the author of a book
Yoga Simplified for Women which has been hailed the world over
as the first authoritative book on yoga for women written by
a woman. It has been translated in several languages."
She was the first woman to do yoga after a long period when women
were discriminated and prohibited to practice.
"Not until 1918 did anyone systematically try to revive
Hathayoga , to make it useful and easily available in the daily
life of the individuals in society. It was in this year - during
a very chaotic stage of prejudice and ignorance - that the modern
scientific yoga movement was launched by Shri Yogendraji. His
silent revolution in the field of applied yoga in relation to
a layman did not end here. For contrary to the orthodox concept,
special emphasis was laid by the Founder on the application of
yoga for and by women. Historically, this pioneer work brought
about a great transformation in the orthodox outlook towards
yoga as is reflected in the popular enthusiasm for the study
of yoga not only by men but also by women."
Even been a young girl, married at fifteen, Smt. Sitadevi was
lucid enough to face a stablished tradition where women were
deeply discriminated. She has to face public criticism not only
because she was a woman doing yoga, but because she was a wife
of a yogui. They were the first yogui couple, they were revolutionary
facing not only the society of their time but an old tradition
which caracterizes indian society. Their argument is very logical,
integrated and rooted in their culture; they were since the early
days of their lives (beginning of this century) able to have
a full life, spreading their message and example with dignity.
The discourse of Shri Yogendra, for that matter, is very meaningful,
specially if we think that it was made decades ago:
In the words of Shri Yogendra: " Primitive Sex-prejudice:
from what still remains of the old traditions and customs even
in the midst of our civilization advocating personal liberty
and equal treatment for sexes, it becomes evident that, in the
past, women might have been subjected to cultural insults and
injustices. Consequently, many things were probably denied to
them, even self-culture and emancipation. The criticism of women
by men in the orthodox Sanscrit literature, especially where
matters spiritual were discussed in the social context, is indicative
of the popular inhibition which took its ugly form that a woman
is a useless appendage to a spiritually healthy man. Advocates
of brahmacarya (continence) and renunciation (vairagya) were
violent in their criticism of women, picturing them as filthy
beings clothed with dirty skin over a chunk of flesh. These authors
had in their mind the picture only of a spiritual man hampered
by a world-loving wife, forgetting that this may be equally true
of a spiritual woman who is hindered by a materialistically-minded
husband.
"Myth of Feminine Disabilities: It may be interesting
here to record that in the early age of Aryan Culture, salvation
or mukti was supposed to be possible only to persons of higher
castes or especially to those who were enlightened or favoured
by gods or had any special merits which allowed them the study
of the Vedas and other sacred literature or the practice of such
rituals as were considered to be helpful in the final achievement
of liberation. It has been even stated that, in order to achieve
ultimate liberation, a woman had to be born (in her next birth)
as a ksudra or a member of the low caste, then (in her third
birth) as a vaisya or a member of the merchant caste, and so
on (in her fourth birth) as a kstriya or a member of the military
caste, and (in her fifth birth) as a brahmana or a member of
the intellectual caste. After this long and painful waiting for
her reformatory evolution, all the while depending upon the will
of god to help her emancipation, she, of course, not as a female
but only as a male brahmin, may attempt for salvation through
the prescribed methods of Brahmanism.
"To me it is evident that what was urgently needed at this
stage was some course of infallible training which should be
first of all universal in its application, i.e. free from prejudices
against caste, creed, religion, nationality, sex etc, and secondly
should definitely assure immediate salvation, i.e. during the
course of this very life. Hathayoga took up this challenge, it
introduced the element of self-reliance and the aid of physical
sciences for absolute freedom - without god (upayenaiva) .
"Texts Sanctioning the Study of yoga by Woman: Elsewhere
in our other works, we have already observed that "the association
of the idea of continence or brahmacarya regarded as an essential
requisite in the achievement of yoga, however, gave rise to a
variety of misconceptions. It has thus been wrongly supposed
that a married life is not particularly suitable for the practice
of yoga; that such an engagement obstructs the path of higher
pursuits and, even if pursued, under such conditions, does not
lead to the ultimate achievement. This fallacy was further exploited
to indirectly suggest that a woman is debarred from undertaking
the course of yoga". This indeed is a gross misrepresenation
of the universal application of Hathayoga. In the yogabija we
are definitely informed that yoga can be practised both by man
as well as woman of any caste or religious belief. In a passage
quoted by the same authority from the Mahabharata we are further
assured that yoga does not bar a married man or even a woman
from undertaking its study. On the contrary, the authority boldly
asserts that yoga is nor limited to only a chaste woman (dharmakanksini)
but that even a prostitute (vargavakrsta nari) can also take
to its study and thus attain the highest aim of life (paramam
gatim) by following the practical course recommended by Hathayoga.
"Yoga is non-sectarian and its application or study is not
restricted to any particular sex or section of humanity. That
there have not been many women well acquainted with yoga is no
excuse for doubt or for limitations, since, as in every other
art and science, women have been victims to men's greed for power
in every age, country and community."
Shri Yogendra was born on 1897, at Surat, Gujarat,
Smt.Sitadevi was born on 1912, at Bangalore,
They had two sons: Dr. Jayadev Yogendra, Head of The Yoga
Institute, Mumbai (Bombay),
and Shri Vijayadev Yogendra, Founder-President of a children
school, Australia
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