Mark Whitwell

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Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

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Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

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Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

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Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

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Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

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Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

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Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

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Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

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Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

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Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

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Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

In this episode, Mark Whitwell sits down (over Zoom) with his dear long-time friend Ana Berry: musician, media presenter, actress, Yoga teacher and mother.

Ana describes growing up in Oklahoma and the saving influence of jazz and gospel, and the imprint of culture upon her mother as a beauty queen and TV personality.

From Hollywood to New York, her search for Yoga that didn’t just exacerbate body self-hatred culminated in meeting Mark Whitwell in a class in LA, followed by initiation into the ancient roots of Yoga with Mark Whitwell at the Kumbh Mela in India.

• What does Yoga look like when taken out of these deep usual patterns of “I’m not good enough, I need to be skinnier / fitter / stronger / younger / smoother / more flexible / happier / better”?
• What is missing from the vast majority of Yoga?

It’s difficult, but with love and gratitude, delight and humour, Melissa and Mark Whitwell reminisce about their unusual friend - Melissa travelled with UG for the last five years of his life as his companion and “balance.”

She speaks about the power of art to help people use their right brain instead of the dominant left-brain, her obsession with spirals as the form of the cosmos and UGs resolution of this, and how he changed her Yoga from strenuous Astanga style to fluid participation in the spirals.

Learn more about The Heart of Yoga Online Studio and join us here:

https://www.heartofyoga.com/studio

Mark Whitwell author Yoga of Heart Music The Pure Love Project (iTunes) click link: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZ...
Mark Whitwell speaks on the democratization of Yoga. Yoga is your direct intimacy with Nurturing Source AnyOne can do a real Yoga. It is easily adapted to individual need, body type, age, health AND cultural background.

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Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

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Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

In this episode, Mark Whitwell speaks with Frederic Ballario, his long-time friend, on his process of discovering the breath and the Yoga of wine and Tea. Frederic describes moving from Champagne, France to California, USA, many years ago and searching for the truth in wine.

Frederic is a master of Tea and Wine, and he explains how these ancient arts have been purified and made useful in the context of Yoga understanding and practice.

What do our sacred substances look like when we remove the cultural habit of looking for stimulation?

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Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

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In this episode, Susan Swan and Mark Whitwell talk about Susan’s experience as a Yoga teacher, including suffering a stroke and continuing to teach while rehabilitating.

Susan speaks about recovering language through breath, swearing, and the sound of OM, coming face to face with the reality that we live one breath at a time, and teaching yoga in the hospital to help other patients recover.

Together, long-time friends Mark Whitwell and Susan discuss the inevitable decline of the body, finding contentment despite it all, the pain of facing judgment and abandonment, and some possible positive outcomes from the impact of the pandemic on yoga teaching.

They also discuss what kept Susan going as a teacher during the most difficult times, and meetings with UG Krishnamurti. 

Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

In this Part 2 (you don't need to listen to part 1 first!) of God and Sex discussion, Mark Whitwell and Rosalind talk about:

• Why we need both strength and receptivity
• How we develop receptivity via our asana
• Why we must address the denial of the feminine and put a spotlight on sex as a topic rather than avoid it
• How a Yoga practice is the context in which we become receptive in relationship with another
• How sex and intimate relationships are a direct participation of Mother Nature's grand plan
• But do you have to be in an intimate relationship to have a good spiritual life?
• Is polarity the same as attraction or sexual "chemistry"?
• How yoga helps us develop the discernment of the 3 L-s: who we Like, Love, and Lust
• What asana does to actually release the drama out of your relationships

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Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

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Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Croatian yoga teacher Domagoj Orlić joins Mark Whitwell and Rosalind to speak about his twenty-year friendship with Mark Whitwell, his evolution from a gymnast to a yogi, the influence of J Krishnamurti, and the confluence of Sri Vidya and yoga in his life.

What a precious conversation with a dear friend and holder of yoga.

“Powerful peace and peaceful power of a life lived straight from the Heart, for the Heart.” - Domagoj Orlić

Domagoj Orlić first met Mark Whitwell in about 2000, following an interest in yoga since his teenage years.

He is a yoga teacher in the traditional mode of “no more than a friend, no less than a friend,” the author of multiple books on yoga and philosophy in Croatian and English,

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Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

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Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Mark Whitwell Medium: https://markwhitwell.medium.com/

Mark Whitwell has taught yoga for over three decades throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, Australia, Fiji, and Aotearoa-New Zealand. Mark Whitwell’s simple mission is to give people the principles of practice that came through Tirumalai Krishnamacharya and his teacher TKV Desikachar, to make their Yoga authentic, powerful, and effective.

Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Mark Whitwell Medium: https://markwhitwell.medium.com/

Mark Whitwell is a master Yoga teacher and has taught yoga for over three decades internationally and is the editor and contributor to TKV Desikachar's book The Heart of Yoga. Mark Whitwell is interested in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual, based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and his son TKV Desikachar, with whom he enjoyed a relationship for more than twenty years. Mark’s teachings clarify the profound passion and relevance of ancient wisdom to contemporary life.  Mark Whitwell teaches Ha-Tha Yoga, which against common understanding means all physical forms of Yoga practice, not a specific "style". Hatha means the merging of the sun and moon, the male and female, prana and apana (two energies), and is a purificating and re-balancing practice where breath and body movement are one. The practice includes Asana (postures), Pranayama (breathing exercises which move, activate and increase Prana, vital energy), Bandha (energy locks), Meditation, Relaxation and Chanting.  He is the author of 6 profound books including his latest book 'God and Sex: Now We Get Both.' Join us as we discuss this book among other things. I truly feel that this book is a vital piece to assist humanity in awakening to a more harmonious balance. I highly encourage you get a copy for yourself and dive into the wisdom.  This is the second time Mark has been on the podcast.

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Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

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Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Mark Whitwell Medium: https://markwhitwell.medium.com/

Where are my siddhis?! In this episode Rosalind grills Mark Whitwell on the promises made by the Yoga tradition, Yogananda’s classic ‘Autobiography of a Yogi,’ the lust for superpowers and supernatural experience and how it affects everyone, and what Mark’s favourite superpower is.

• What are siddhis anyway?
• What is the "psychic greed" that we may be numbed into by culture?
• Understanding spiritual promises as the axiom of modern society
• Mark talks about Gurus and miracle-makers he met in India and his response
• "Autobiography of a Yogi": truth or fiction?
• The transformational power of despair. How the yoga teacher extracts life-denying hopes and fantasies like the pulling of teeth.
• How can it be true that "All is one" when there are so many contradictory things and beliefs in the world?
• Siddhis as a marketing technique for spiritual business people
• Does belief in "mind over matter" deny science?
• UG Krishnamurti: forget about it, you’re not qualified, give up now.
• Are we tired of years of struggle in linear programs of "spiritual self-improvement"?
• The relieving "post-surgical" effects of yoga practice and realizing life itself

Mark Whitwell is interested in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual, based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989). He is the author of four books including ‘Yoga of Heart’ and ‘The Promise’ and was the editor and contributor to TKV Desikachar’s classic yoga text ‘The Heart of Yoga.’ Mark Whitwell continues to facilitate teacher training and workshops in the heart of yoga all over the globe.

Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Mark Whitwell Medium: https://markwhitwell.medium.com/

Water flows like existence flows as the substance of your life. That’s all there is really. That’s what is. It is nurturing, regeneration, beauty, harmony, not division, not two, only One.
This is the basis of al existence. All are in the All. This has been given to you.

Existence is sacred, flowing water nurturing all, the context of all.

Watch these waters for a while flowing from Kailas soon merged with all waters everywhere. Sip these waters and sprinkle your sacred body with holy water, which is all water.

From Kailas just before we all went on this global retreat so we all get home to the water, to existence... as it is.

“Immersion into the heart of Yoga”.

“Yoga for a Better World”
Give your Self these gifts... donation only. heartofyoga.com

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Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Mark Whitwell Medium: https://markwhitwell.medium.com/

Mark Whitwell is a master Yoga teacher and has taught yoga for over three decades internationally. He was the editor and contributor to TKV Desikachar’s book "The Heart of Yoga." and is the author of "God and Sex: Now We Get Both", a book that clarifies the old cultural division of the sacred and the profane and how it has affected all of our lives.  Mark Whitwell shares the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and his son TKV Desikachar, with whom he enjoyed a relationship for more than twenty years.  Mark’s teachings clarify the profound passion and relevance of ancient wisdom to contemporary life.

Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Mark Whitwell Medium: https://markwhitwell.medium.com/

Producer, creator, model, Yoga and Qi Gong teacher, and advocate for empowered aging and beauty at all ages, Karen Williams joins Mark Whitwell from New York City to talk yoga, healing, transforming attitudes to aging, embracing difference and emotionally surviving the US elections.

Karen Williams is equally at home in front of or behind the camera. She is on a mission to revitalise global attitudes toward aging and embodiment, sharing the obvious truth that each one of us is already the beauty of life.

A resident of New York City, Karen is leading the way to a society of love and compassion. Her most recent major project was the ‘I AM’ series, a digital project to celebrate and empower women over 40, have a look HERE.

• How Karen and Mark met at J Krishnamurti's home in Ojai, California
• Each person as participant in their own healing and what we need to tap into our own healing powers
• How our subtle energy and intuitive abilities communicate without words
• The yogic shift from embracing beauty to knowing you ARE the beauty
• The power of the breath to come home into your body and emotions - no matter who you are, no matter where you are at physically.
• Her experiences sharing yoga in the traditional one-to-one way as part of holistic caring, not as a career.
• The process of accepting yourself and the "feast" of your own life
• Can we bring wisdom culture to spaces like the beauty industry? Reflections from either side of the camera.
• The impact of phrases like “anti-aging” on our psyche – dealing with the world’s corrupted age ideals and taking leadership on ageism.
• The return to love as an urgent world matter, the need to treat each person with respect
• The US elections and how to go forward
• Meeting Bob Marley
• A visualization to release ancestral trauma

Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Mark Whitwell Medium: https://markwhitwell.medium.com/

Tune into Mark Whitwell's work at: https://www.heartofyoga.com

About Mark Whitwell 

Mark Whitwell has taught yoga for over three decades across the globe and is the founder of the Heart of Yoga foundation and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project. Mark Whitwell is interested in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual, based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) and his son TKV Desikachar (1938-2016), with whom he enjoyed a relationship for more than twenty years. 

Mark Whitwell is the author of four books: ‘Yoga of Heart,’ ‘The Promise,’ ‘The Hridayasutra,’ and, ‘God and Sex: now we get both.’ He also edited and contributed to his TKV Desikachar’s classic yoga text, ‘The Heart of Yoga.’ Mark Whitwell is a father of three and a grandfather. He now resides between New Zealand and Fiji and continues to write, teach, and speak.

Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Mark Whitwell Medium: https://markwhitwell.medium.com/

Mark Whitwell | Heart of Yoga

Sriram is my Gurubhai – brothers of the same teacher. He is particularly interesting to me in that he is indigenous to South India, born into the society and language of Krishnamacharya and Desikachar. Whereas I migrated into that culture and knew nothing of it in my early life.

As a modern man in the West, Sriram is an extremely informed Yoga teacher who is able to communicate the nuance of the culture of our teachers in modern and useful ways.

Sriram speaks of growing up in South India as a radical young explorer of life and his journey into Yoga — a riveting and a brilliant window into how radical Desikachar himself was, absolutely not a traditionally religious or conservative yoga school.

About Mark Whitwell 

Mark Whitwell has taught yoga for over three decades throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, Australia, Fiji, and Aotearoa-New Zealand. Mark Whitwell’s simple mission is to give people the principles of practice that came through Tirumalai Krishnamacharya and his teacher TKV Desikachar, to make their Yoga authentic, powerful, and effective.

Connect with Mark Whitwell on Social Media

Mark Whitwell Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yogaofheart/

Mark Whitwell Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markwhitwell

Mark Whitwell Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/mark-whitwell

Mark Whitwell Medium: https://markwhitwell.medium.com/

About Mark Whitwell 

Mark Whitwell has taught yoga for over three decades across the globe and is the founder of the Heart of Yoga foundation and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project. Mark Whitwell is interested in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual, based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) and his son TKV Desikachar (1938-2016), with whom he enjoyed a relationship for more than twenty years. Mark Whitwell is the author of four books: ‘Yoga of Heart,’ ‘The Promise,’ ‘The Hridayasutra,’ and, ‘God and Sex: now we get both.’ He also edited and contributed to his TKV Desikachar’s classic yoga text, ‘The Heart of Yoga.’ Mark Whitwell is a father of three and a grandfather. He now resides between New Zealand and Fiji and continues to write, teach, and speak.

About Mark Whitwell

Mark Whitwell is interested in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual, based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989). He is the author of four books including ‘Yoga of Heart’ and ‘The Promise’ and was the editor and contributor to TKV Desikachar’s classic yoga text ‘The Heart of Yoga.’ Mark Whitwell continues to facilitate teacher trainings and workshops in the heart of yoga all over the globe.

In this episode, Rosalind takes the position of the everywoman yoga teacher, interviewing Mark Whitwell on a lot of the questions and concerns people have as yoga teachers in our modern yoga scene.

Rosalind and Mark Whitwell discuss:

• The initial habit to put teachers on a pedestal and how we undermine it.
• What is “the Mick Jagger effect”?
• Dealing with the embarrassment of being associated with the ‘yoga industrial complex’ and fear of not being able to give people what they have been led to believe yoga is.
• Do people really want their breath? Do they want intimacy? Or just stimulation?
• Toxic positivity and "yoga speak" in the yoga industry
• What is the “yoga teaching voice”?
• What does it mean for a yoga teacher to be ‘vulnerable’?
• Is charging for your yoga classes bad?

Mark Whitwell has taught yoga for over three decades across the globe and is the founder of the Heart of Yoga foundation and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project. Mark Whitwell is interested in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual, based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) and his son TKV Desikachar (1938-2016), with whom he enjoyed a relationship for more than twenty years. Mark Whitwell is the author of four books: ‘Yoga of Heart,’ ‘The Promise,’ ‘The Hridayasutra,’ and, ‘God and Sex: now we get both.’ He also edited and contributed to his TKV Desikachar’s classic yoga text, ‘The Heart of Yoga.’ Mark Whitwell is a father of three and a grandfather. He now resides between New Zealand and Fiji and continues to write, teach, and speak.

Mark Whitwell has spent a lifetime dedicated to sharing the wisdom tradition of Yoga that he discovered in India as a young man in the 1970s. He was shocked to discover that the breath-based "whole-body prayer" Yoga as spiritual practice learned with his teachers T.K.V. Desikachar and T. Krishnamacharya was not represented in the US and European "yoga scene." Since then, Mark has dedicated his life to sharing the transformative teachings of Yoga as embodied practice with modern people around the world. Mark was deeply influenced by his friendship with the sage UG Krishnamurti, who helped him ensure that the yoga he was sharing was participation in Life only, not seeking for a future result (and therefore a denial of the present). Mark has offers trainings and workshops in Europe, India, China, Bali, Australia, Fiji, Japan, the US, SE Asia, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East, and Mexico. He is the author of four books, translated into many languages, and founder of the Heart of Yoga Foundation, a non-profit that offers scholarships and educational resources to those who would otherwise not have access to Yoga learning. Mark is renowned for being a "voice crying in the wilderness," staying true to the non-commercial heart of yoga whilst moving freely without reaction in the modern circus, unafraid to gently criticize aspects of modern Yoga that mislead or exploit the public. Mark Whitwell has a deep love for the wisdom realization culture of India and is forever grateful to his teachers for the treasure of Yoga they passed on. He has three children and four grandchildren and lives with his partner Rosalind between Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji, and the US.

Mark Whitwell was born in 1949 in Auckland, Aotearoa/ New Zealand. In 1973, he traveled to India and began a life-long study of yoga with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) and his son, T.K.V. Desikachar (1938–2016). Mark Whitwell’s simple mission is to give people the principles of practice that came through Tirumalai Krishnamacharya to make their Yoga authentic, powerful, and effective. Mark Whitwell is the founder of the Heart of Yoga foundation and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project, an organization dedicated to developing yoga communities in conflict zones around the world. Mark Whitwell lives between New Zealand and Fiji.

Mark Whitwell is interested in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual, based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989). He is the author of four books including ‘Yoga of Heart’ and ‘The Promise’ and was the editor and contributor to TKV Desikachar’s classic yoga text ‘The Heart of Yoga.’ Mark Whitwell continues to facilitate teacher training and workshops in the heart of yoga all over the globe.

Mark Whitwell
Founder, Heart of Yoga

About the Author

Mark Whitwell was born in 1949 in Auckland, Aotearoa/ New Zealand. In 1973, he traveled to India and began a life-long study of yoga with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) and his son, T.K.V. Desikachar (1938–2016). Mark Whitwell’s simple mission is to give people the principles of practice that came through Tirumalai Krishnamacharya to make their Yoga authentic, powerful, and effective. Mark Whitwell is the founder of the Heart of Yoga foundation and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project, an organization dedicated to developing yoga communities in conflict zones around the world. Mark Whitwell lives between New Zealand and Fiji.

Mark Whitwell was born in 1949 in Auckland, Aotearoa/ New Zealand. In 1973, he traveled to India and began a life-long study of yoga with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) and his son, T.K.V. Desikachar (1938–2016). Mark Whitwell’s simple mission is to give people the principles of practice that came through Tirumalai Krishnamacharya to make their Yoga authentic, powerful, and effective. Mark Whitwell is the founder of the Heart of Yoga foundation and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project, an organization dedicated to developing yoga communities in conflict zones around the world. Mark Whitwell lives between New Zealand and Fiji.

Mark Whitwell has spent a lifetime dedicated to sharing the wisdom tradition of Yoga that he discovered in India as a young man in the 1970s. He was shocked to discover that the breath-based "whole-body prayer" Yoga as spiritual practice learnt with his teachers T.K.V. Desikachar and T. Krishnamacharya was not represented in the US and European "yoga scene." Since then, Mark Whitwell has dedicated his life to sharing the transformative teachings of Yoga as embodied practice with modern people around the world. Mark Whitwell was deeply influenced by his friendship with the sage UG Krishnamurti, who helped him ensure that the yoga he was sharing was participation in Life only, not seeking for a future result (and therefore a denial of the present). Mark Whitwell has offers trainings and workshops in Europe, India, China, Bali, Australia, Fiji, Japan, the US, SE Asia, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and Mexico. He is the author of four books, translated into many languages, and founder of the Heart of Yoga Foundation, a non-profit that offers scholarships and educational resources to those who would otherwise not have access to Yoga learning. Mark Whitwell is renowned for being a "voice crying in the wilderness," staying true to the non-commercial heart of yoga whilst moving freely without reaction in the modern circus, unafraid to gently criticise aspects of modern Yoga that mislead or exploit the public. Mark Whitwell has a deep love for the wisdom realisation culture of India, and is forever grateful to his teachers for the treasure of Yoga they passed on. He has three children and four grandchildren, and lives with his partner Rosalind between Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji and the US.

Mark Whitwell was born in 1949 in Auckland, Aotearoa/ New Zealand. In 1973, he traveled to India and began a life-long study of yoga with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) and his son, T.K.V. Desikachar (1938–2016). Mark Whitwell’s simple mission is to give people the principles of practice that came through Tirumalai Krishnamacharya to make their Yoga authentic, powerful, and effective. Mark Whitwell is the founder of the Heart of Yoga foundation and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project, an organization dedicated to developing yoga communities in conflict zones around the world. Mark Whitwell lives between New Zealand and Fiji.

Mark Whitwell has spent a lifetime dedicated to sharing the wisdom tradition of Yoga that he discovered in India as a young man in the 1970s. He was shocked to discover that the breath-based "whole-body prayer" Yoga as spiritual practice learnt with his teachers T.K.V. Desikachar and T. Krishnamacharya was not represented in the US and European "yoga scene." Since then, Mark Whitwell has dedicated his life to sharing the transformative teachings of Yoga as embodied practice with modern people around the world. Mark Whitwell was deeply influenced by his friendship with the sage UG Krishnamurti, who helped him ensure that the yoga he was sharing was participation in Life only, not seeking for a future result (and therefore a denial of the present). Mark Whitwell has offers trainings and workshops in Europe, India, China, Bali, Australia, Fiji, Japan, the US, SE Asia, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and Mexico. He is the author of four books, translated into many languages, and founder of the Heart of Yoga Foundation, a non-profit that offers scholarships and educational resources to those who would otherwise not have access to Yoga learning. Mark Whitwell is renowned for being a "voice crying in the wilderness," staying true to the non-commercial heart of yoga whilst moving freely without reaction in the modern circus, unafraid to gently criticise aspects of modern Yoga that mislead or exploit the public. Mark Whitwell has a deep love for the wisdom realisation culture of India, and is forever grateful to his teachers for the treasure of Yoga they passed on. He has three children and four grandchildren, and lives with his partner Rosalind between Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji and the US.

Mark Whitwell has taught yoga for over three decades across the globe, and is the founder of the Heart of Yoga foundation, and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project. Mark Whitwell is interested in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual, based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) and his son TKV Desikachar (1938-2016), with whom he enjoyed a relationship for more than twenty years. Mark Whitwell is the author of four books: ‘Yoga of Heart,’ ‘The Promise,’ ‘The Hridayasutra,’ and, ‘God and Sex: now we get both.’ He also edited and contributed to his TKV Desikachar’s classic yoga text, ‘The Heart of Yoga.’ Mark Whitwell is a father of three and a grandfather. He now resides between New Zealand and Fiji and continues to write, teach, and speak.

Mark Whitwell was born in 1949 in Auckland, Aotearoa/ New Zealand. In 1973, he traveled to India and began a life-long study of yoga with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) and his son, T.K.V. Desikachar (1938–2016). Mark Whitwell’s simple mission is to give people the principles of practice that came through Tirumalai Krishnamacharya to make their Yoga authentic, powerful, and effective. Mark Whitwell is the founder of the Heart of Yoga foundation and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project, an organization dedicated to developing yoga communities in conflict zones around the world. Mark Whitwell lives between New Zealand and Fiji.

Mark Whitwell has spent a lifetime dedicated to sharing the wisdom tradition of Yoga that he discovered in India as a young man in the 1970s. He was shocked to discover that the breath-based "whole-body prayer" Yoga as spiritual practice learnt with his teachers T.K.V. Desikachar and T. Krishnamacharya was not represented in the US and European "yoga scene." Since then, Mark Whitwell has dedicated his life to sharing the transformative teachings of Yoga as embodied practice with modern people around the world. Mark was deeply influenced by his friendship with the sage UG Krishnamurti, who helped him ensure that the yoga he was sharing was participation in Life only, not seeking for a future result (and therefore a denial of the present). Mark Whitwell offers trainings and workshops in Europe, India, China, Bali, Australia, Fiji, Japan, the US, SE Asia, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and Mexico. He is the author of four books, translated into many languages, and founder of the Heart of Yoga Foundation, a non-profit that offers scholarships and educational resources to those who would otherwise not have access to Yoga learning. Mark Whitwell is renowned for being a "voice crying in the wilderness," staying true to the non-commercial heart of yoga whilst moving freely without reaction in the modern circus, unafraid to gently criticise aspects of modern Yoga that mislead or exploit the public. Mark Whitwell has a deep love for the wisdom realization culture of India, and is forever grateful to his teachers for the treasure of Yoga they passed on. He has three children and four grandchildren, and lives with his partner Rosalind between Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji and the US.