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LIVING YOGA IN HOLLYWOOD

On April 5, LIVING YOGA premiered in Hollywood during the Brilliant Light International Film Festival of Los Angeles. Deepa McNulty (who with her husband, Peter Param McNulty, a Hollywood film editor) was a consultant on LIVING YOGA, represented the film at the festival, along with the film’s director Siva Kumar. Deepa sent us this report from the screening:

The Raleigh Studios was really nice. Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin had offices there in the early 20’s. It just reeked “Old Hollywood.. Very professional studio lot. Had everything you might expect: sound stages, offices, etc. even parking with the names of people who appear in certain TV shows that they film there [including “Ugly Betty” which was in production at the time of the festival].

They showed the films in the Chaplin theater, which is made up of smaller screening rooms. Some smaller than others. LIVING YOGA was shown in the largest one they had. There was a cafe set up, outside, as you entered the theater and there was food and beverages offered before the show and afterwards they offered food and drinks. They had free food for us all.

It felt like visiting a real studio, which it was and we were treated like special people, all of us. Before the film started there was a film crew in the cafe part, with food for their members. It was definitely a “real” in action, place. I have been on most of the major studio lots and I know. This was just a scaled down version. The decor was old California hacienda style, soft orangey colors, wood beams, cast iron chairs, wood tables—very clean and nicely done.

The weather was great, not too hot. Many people in the audience were from Swami Turiyasangitananda’s Sai Anantam Ashram. Shiva thanked them at the Q&A. [Swami Turiyasangitanandaji funded a large part of the film prior to her leaving the body in January 2007). There were compliments about the movie and questions, which we answered.

I did mention Nirmala Heriza as a local devotee and important person in the medical field if anyone wanted more info and she could be found at Cedars Sinai Hospital [where is a Yoga therapist working with cardiac patients].

Jennifer Corinna, the director of the festival is an angel sent directly by the higher ups.
Face like an angel and very sincere and kind. Maybe she could be interviewed for Integral Yoga Magazine about this festival. She went out of her way to accommodate
both Shiva and myself and Shiva’s relatives, who also attended the screening.

I sat way in the back and totally cried, luckily, more toward the end of the movie. I felt so blessed, all over again and loved seeing Gurudev, again. Afterwards, many people told me they loved the movie.

Another devotee, Alan Kumar Briese, emailed us after the screening with this message:

“The synergy between an education on the roots of Yoga, the benefits (physical, mental and spiritual) through personal stories, introducing the history and essence of Gurudev and his teachings were blended together like perfect facets of a brilliant diamond. It was a example of perfection in action.”

A big thanks to Jennifer Corinna, Deepa McNulty, Shiva Kumar, Tara Lynda Guber and Diane Ladd for their help with the screening. Special thanks to Shankari and the other devotees of Swami Turiyasangitanandaji and all who attended the screening.

Sister Maitreyi (Satchidananda Ashram) gave a program at the Sivananda Center in Puerto Rico. As part of their February 15th satsang, she previewed LIVING YOGA. She reported that the viewing was so enthusiastically received that the center director will organize a public screening at a local theater soon. Please check back for an update on this screening.

Swami Asokananda, president of Integral Yoga International sent this mesage via email: “On January 12, 2008, I showed the Living Yoga documentary to about 120 yogis at a mountain retreat in Taiwan. Malika Chen, who translated Sri Swami Satchidananda commentary on the Yoga Sutras into Mandarin, translated for the audience. I was keen to observe their reaction, as these were people who mostly understood yoga as Hatha Yoga–physical postures. It was very satisfying for me to see their deep interest in the mental and spiritual aspects of yoga, as well as a deeper understanding of the medical benefits of the Yoga postures. It was clear that Sri Gurudev made a deep impression on these open-hearted souls. Their probing questions after seeing the DVD, convinced me that many people at the retreat will continue on the yogic path with more depth of understanding of the goal of Yoga.”