Living Yoga (2008)

Integral Yoga founder Swami Satchidananda became known as the Woodstock guru after giving the opening address to 500,000 people at the 1969 music festival. Amidst the upheaval of the 6os, he taught how to find inner peace and contentment through yoga and meditation. This enjoyable documentary divided into five sections: asanas, nature, balance, wellness, and interfaith takes us on a whirlwind tour of his life and teachings, with video footage and stories from a few of the people whose lives he touched: Peter Max, Felix Cavaliere, Dr. Oz, Dr. Dean Ornish, Rabbi Gelberman, Brother David Steindl-Rast, as well as his senior monks and ashram residents. Lively, informative, and inspirational, Living Yoga is a lovely tribute to a highly revered yogi of the 20th century. –Yoga + Joyful Living magazine

The film features archival footage from around the globe and interviews with Larry King and others who have been deeply touched by Yoga and the teachings of Swami Satchidananda. Segments with Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Mehmet Oz highlight the positive impact of Yoga practices and vegetarian lifestyle on health and wellness. Pop artist Peter Max, Felix Cavaliere (lead singer, The Rascals), Dr. Bhagavan Antle (founder, The Institute of Greatly Endangered & Rare Species), Sharon Gannon and David Life (Yoga teachers to Sting, Willem Dafoe and Russell Simmons) and Swami Ramananda (president, Integral Yoga Institute of New York) are among others also interviewed. The role of spirituality in wellness and the link between inner peace and outer peace is explored in the film. Swami Satchidananda was a pioneer in the interfaith movement and promoted world peace by bringing together people of all backgrounds and beliefs so they could learn respect for all the different paths and realize their common spirit and the universality of their spiritual foundation. He built the world s first interfaith shrine. Rev. James P. Morton (former dean of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine), Br. David Steindl-Rast, OSB and Rabbi Joseph Gelberman all leaders in the interfaith movement and close friends of Swami Satchidananda are also interviewed.