Yoga in France

{{further|Yoga as exercise}}

Yoga was brought to France in the early 1930s by Maryse Choisy, Cajzoran Ali and Constant Kerneiz.{{efn|Constant Kerneiz was the pseudonym of Félix Guyot.}} Choisy taught meditation and wrote books on the philosophy of yoga; Ali published the 1928 book {{Lang|fr|Les divines postures}} ("The divine [yoga] postures"); and Kerneiz founded what was probably the first yoga school in France. A pupil of Kermeiz, Lucien Ferrer, opened the {{Lang|fr|Académie occidentale de Yoga}} ("Western Yoga Academy") in 1950. From the 1960s, with growing interest in yoga as a philosophy, the number of French yoga books, journals, and courses increased rapidly.{{cite web |last=Descamps |first=Marc-Alain |title=L'histoire surprenante de l'arrivée du Hatha-Yoga en France |url=http://www.europsy.org/marc-alain/histyog.html |publisher=Marc-Alain Descamps |access-date=25 March 2022}}{{cite book |last=Descamps |first=Marc-Alain |title=Histoire du hatha-yoga: en France, passé et présent |language=fr |trans-title=History of Hatha-yoga: in France, Past and Present |publisher=Almora |publication-place=Paris | year=2011 |isbn=978-2-35118-070-9 |oclc=780319273}}

In Brussels, from 1968 until his death in 2004, the French-speaking André Van Lysebeth single-handedly published a monthly yoga magazine, Yoga. He became widely-known in France and across Europe as a yoga teacher, running yoga holidays, publishing books including the 1968 {{Lang|fr|J'Apprends le Yoga}} (published in English as Yoga Self-Taught), and training many teachers.{{cite web |last=Pandya |first=Haresh |title=Krishna Pattabhi Jois, Leading Expert in Yoga, Dies at 93 |quote=Mr. Jois's first exposure to the West came in the form of a student from Belgium, André Van Lysebeth, whose 1967 book 'Yoga Self-Taught' highlighted Mr. Jois |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/world/asia/21jois.html |date=21 May 2009}}

In 1971, Eva Ruchpaul founded the Institut Eva Ruchpaul in Paris; it has trained over 1000 yoga teachers.{{cite web |url=https://yoga-eva-ruchpaul.com/|title=Formations Enseignement Cours Yoga Paris - Institut Eva Ruchpaul |website=Institut Eva Ruchpaul - Hatha Yoga |language=fr |access-date=25 March 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.liberation.fr/france/2018/04/18/eva-ruchpaul-mamie-yoga_1644319 |title=Eva Ruchpaul, mamie yoga |last=Piquemal |first=Marie |date=18 April 2018 |website=Libération |language=fr |access-date=25 March 2022}}

In the 1990s, yoga grew to have millions of practitioners in France, as it continues to do in the 21st century.{{cite news |last=Anctoville |first=Patrick Guillier |title=Le yoga, école de liberté |lang=fr |trans-title=Yoga, School of Freedom |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/a-la-une/article/2010/04/17/le-yoga-ecole-de-liberte_1335230_3208.html |access-date=25 March 2022 |work=Le Monde |date=17 April 2010}}

{{further|Yoga nidra}}

In 1973, Dennis Boyes published his book {{Lang|fr|Le Yoga du sommeil éveillé; méthode de relaxation, yoga nidra}} ("The Yoga of Waking Sleep: method of relaxation, yoga nidra") in Paris.{{cite book |last=Boyes |first=Dennis |title=Le Yoga du sommeil éveillé; méthode de relaxation, yoga nidra |lang=fr |trans-title=The Yoga of Waking Sleep: Method of Relaxation, Yoga Nidra |date=1973 |publisher=Épi |location=Paris |oclc=2283047}} This is the first known description of yoga nidra in a modern sense as a method of systematic relaxation in any language, preceding Satyananda Saraswati's popularisation of the technique.{{cite web |last1=Birch |first1=Jason |author-link=Jason Birch |last2=Hargreaves |first2=Jacqueline |title=Yoganidrā |url=https://www.theluminescent.org/2015/01/yoganidra.html |website=The Luminescent |access-date=11 March 2022 |date=January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116034513/https://www.theluminescent.org/2015/01/yoganidra.html |archive-date=16 November 2018 |url-status=live}} In the book, Boyes makes use of relaxation techniques including the direction of attention to each part of the body:{{cite web |last1=Godefroy |first1=Christian H. |title=La Dynamique Mentale |url=https://myreussite.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/la-dynamique-Mentale.pdf |website=My réussite |access-date=13 March 2022 |page=37 |language=fr |date=March 2019}}

{{further|Yoga teacher training}}

Yoga has remained largely unregulated in France, without either state control or official instruction in state schools. Four French institutions are members of the standard-setting body, the {{lang|fr|Union Européenne de Yoga}}/European Union of Yoga, namely the {{lang|fr|EU Recherche sur le Yoga dans l'Éducation}} ("EU Research on Yoga in Education"), {{lang|fr|Fédération Inter Enseignements de Hatha-Yoga}} ("International Federation of Teaching Hatha Yoga"), {{lang|fr|Fédération Nationale des Enseignants de Yoga}} ("National Federation of Yoga Teachers"), and {{lang|fr|Institut Francais de Yoga}} ("French Yoga Institute").{{cite web |title=40 Years European Union of Yoga |url=https://www.europeanyoga.org/downloads/EUY%2040th%20Anniversary%20Brochure.pdf |publisher=European Union of Yoga |access-date=25 March 2022 |date=2013}}

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• Selvarajan Yesudian (in Switzerland)
• Yoga in Britain
• Yoga in Germany
• Yoga in Italy
• Yoga in Russia
• Yoga in Sweden
• Yoga in the United States

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{{Yoga as exercise}}

France

Category:Culture of France