Two modern yoga questions

[Elizabeth De Michelis]

Esteemed Colleagues,

Would any of you have information about the following:

1) anyone working on, or academic/analytical publications about Swami  
Ramdev. I am especially interested in the 'yoga phenomenon' he has  
created, including its therapeutic aspects, but also more generally  
in his personal history, related institutional histories, documents  
(key primary texts or other type of statements), controversies, etc.

2) A question relating to ISKCON. Up to the early 1990s at least  
(based on my fieldwork), ISKCON used to promote interest in its work  
by offering 'yoga courses' to the public. As far as I'm aware, these  
were mainly in the form of lectures on the Gita primarily (I  
believe), maybe of other devotional texts too. Does anyone know  
whether this practice continues or not, and if so whether it has  
changed in any way. (I am fairly sure that the practice of bhakti and  
other forms of yoga would be ongoing within ISKCON; my query however  
is specifically about offering of 'yoga courses' as a way to interact  
with the public).

Many thanks in advance,

Elizabeth De Michelis


Dr Elizabeth De Michelis
Oriel College, Oriel Square,
Oxford, UK         OX1 4EW
Tel: 01865-276550
email: elizabeth.demichelis at oriel.ox.ac.uk
http://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/modernyoga/