Yogi Amrit Desai, one of the pioneers of modern yoga in the West, is currently traveling through India with a number of American disciples and made a quick visit to Vrindavan, staying at Vatsalya Gram. Desai sought out Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji, Mahant of the Jiva Institute. Babaji has on many occasions given courses at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, which Desai founded in Massachusetts in 1983.
Now 84 years old, Amrit Desai looks very fit and calm. He has developed his own yoga system over the years, which he calls “Integral Amrit Method” or IAM Yoga. In his discourse to his disciples, Desai described his understanding of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. “Patanjali is not speaking philosophy alone, but is giving a method whereby one can transcend the ego-driven mind,” he said.
The IAM yoga method teaches one to do the practice without ego-mind.” Satyanarayana Dasji also spoke to the group afterwards on Yogiji’s invitation. Babaji immediately began to explain about the process of bhakti yoga. Expressing a little regret that the group is going through Vrindavan, which is one of the most sacred places in all of India, without visiting the temples or learning a little about the yoga of love.
