Draft:Ammaji, Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani



Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani, affectionately known as Ammaji, was born in the USA. In 1968, Ammaji travelled to India to study Yoga, met her Guru Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri and became his Rishipatni, thus forging one of the most amazing Yoga teams of the past century. A true Indian by heart, mind and soul, she received her Indian citizenship in 1992, an event that she describes as the proudest day of her life.

Career
Ammaji serves as the resident Acharya of Ananda Ashram (ICYER) in Pondicherry, India. Over the past five decades, she has led a cultural revolution, with more than 50,000 children and youth receiving free or subsidized training in Yoga, Bharatanatyam, and Indian Classical Music through initiatives such as the Sri Kambaliswamy Yoga and Fine Arts Programme and Yoganjali Natyalayam(YOGNAT). She has directed more than 50 spectacular dance dramas covering a plethora of topics related to Indian Culture and tradition. YOGNAT has developed a very popular Bharatanatyam troupe, which specializes in the performance of the difficult acrobatic Natya Karanas, which are essentially a form of Yoga Asanas.

Trained as a journalist, Ammaji possesses an exquisite ability to communicate profound concepts in a practical and meaningful way. With dozens of books to her credit including two of poetry, she has authored the History of Yoga for Ancient to Modern Times, a comprehensive work that delves into the evolution of yoga throughout history. Her writings reflect her deep understanding and insight into the ancient practice. She has served with distinction as Editor of Yoga Life, the international journal of Ananda Ashram for the past five decades, and brought to light many publications of Dr Swami Gitananda Giri and Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani as managing editor of the Ashram's publishing unit, Satya Press.

She is the Director of Studies for the annual six-month Yoga teacher training program and 1-year advanced courses at the International Centre for Yoga Education and Research. This is truly a Modern Yoga Gurukula in nature, spirit, and manifestation as students live with the gurus and learn to live and love yoga as a 24-hour Sadhana of life itself. Thousands of students from all over India and the world have been thoroughly trained in an intensive Yoga immersion starting before sunrise and ending long after sunset. She has served on various expert committees including the National Board of AYUSH, the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy, Pondicherry University Academic Council and was one of the key founders of the Indian Yoga Association.

Accomplishments/Awards
Ammaji's contributions to the world of Yoga have been recognized through numerous awards and accolades. The former President of India, Shri Zail Singh Ji awarded her the title "Yogamani" in 1986 at an International Yoga Conference held at the Asian Village, New Delhi. In 1998 she was awarded the National Award, Bhaskar Award by Bharat Nirman and Indian Trade Promotion Organisation, New Delhi, one of fifty eminent Indians so honoured during the 50th year of Indian Independence for their contribution to Indian culture and spirituality. In December 1999, Ammaji was named as an eminent yoga expert to the Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy, under the Health Ministry, Government of India, New Delhi. She was also named to the Finance Committee of this Council in March 2000. Additionally, she was named to the Academic Council of Pondicherry University, in March 2000. She has received the prestigious Kalaimamani award from the Puducherry Government for her expertise in Bharatanatyam. Additionally, her magnum opus, the History of Yoga from Ancient to Modern Times, has received critical acclaim from the global Yoga community.

Publications
Ammaji is a prolific reader and writer, well-regarded for her academic and scholarly contributions to the field of yoga. Her work includes the monumental trilogy History of Yoga from Ancient to Modern Times volumes I and II and expands into the Rishi and the Rakshasas. For over five decades, she has served as the Managing Editor of the monthly journal Yoga Life, which disseminates a wide range of yogic knowledge and insights. Apart from these publications, Ammaji has also written the following books -


 * Yoga: One woman's view
 * A heart that is distant (poetry collection)
 * Yoga and Sport (co authored with Swami Gitananda Giri)
 * Pranayama (coedited with Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani)
 * Tribute to a great guru
 * Yoga for expectant mothers
 * Yoga: World wide (co authored with Swami Gitananda Giri)

Legacy/Impact
Ammaji's legacy extends far beyond her accomplishments and awards. She has profoundly influenced thousands of seekers worldwide, earning her acclaim as the "Living Siddha of Puducherry." Ammaji is grace and dignity personified and one of the brightest lights in the world of yoga today; not for all that she has done, or for all that she continues to selflessly do, but because she exemplifies, in every conceivable way, what it truly means to live a yogic life.