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Biography

Yogi Maharaj, Dr Malik is a teacher of Yoga and The Editor of YOGA Magazine – Mind Body Spirit, sold in the UK, USA and Italy. The title of Yogi Mahraj was bestowed upon Dr Malik by Jai Matha. Yogi Maharaj has written many articles and books on yoga, and is the founder of Malik-Laya yoga, a style of yoga based on his training in the Himalayan Region of Kashmir, his birthplace (www.yogimalik.com) Dr Malik speaks several languages of the Indian sub-continent, including Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi and Gujrathi. He is also Editor YOGA, a monthly glossy magazine dedicated to the subject of yoga and healthy lifestyles.

Yogi Maharaj’s practice of yoga started at a very young age when he was six years old, in the Kashmir Valley, during his childhood.

Dr Malik came to the United Kingdom and pursued his academic studies in the legal profession and qualified as a Barrister. He also continued to teach yoga and has taught at several establishments. Dr Malik is qualified to teach people of differing ability, from the novice to advanced student. He has been researching and writing about the subject for over 30 years.

He is a regular visitor to the Himalayas in Kashmir, Pakistan and India where he has continued to train, teach and research the subject of yoga. Yogi Maharaj Dr Malik has written over 30 authoritative, definitive articles and columns, published in various media outlets including YOGA Magazine and Today’s Therapist and the Times. His work includes how yoga delays the onset of male andropause, detailed analysis of advanced yoga postures, how yoga can help overcome anorexia. He has interviewed and had his work published on leading contemporary yogis/Gurus including Swami Ram Dev (2007) and Sadhguru Shree Shivkupanand Swami, the founder of Samarpan meditation. His yoga books are due for publication in the near future by Unique Books and cover a spectrum of subjects such as Kundalini and Laya yoga.

Yogi Maharaj is an advanced yoga practitioner and teaches all advanced asanas, including Sheershasana, Padmasana and Crow pose. He also qualified as a yoga teacher with the Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association. His monthly column in YOGA magazine answers readers question regarding all aspects of yoga.

Areas of specialism

Yogi Maharaj is a specialist in the following styles:

Laya yoga combines Hatha and Kundalini style of yoga techniques. It is an ancient science made accessible to a contemporary audience using a range of techniques, including asanas, pranayama, meditation and netis (cleansing exercises). This style of yoga can be traced to Patanjali’s Yog Sutras, where yoga is described as the ‘stilling of the senses.’.

Kundalini yoga: An ancient style with roots in antiquity. The word is

He also regularly provides workshops on Netis (cleansing exercises).

About Yoga

The origins of yoga can be traced to the Indus Valley region, Pakistan (formerly India). Stone seals depicted deities sitting in yogic postures. This led academics to believe that this basin of the world was one of the earliest civilizations practising yoga, over four thousands years ago.

Over the centuries, yoga has evolved. Patanjali, coined the ‘Father of Yoga’ is credited as the first person to codify the subject of yoga, which was hitherto an oral tradition, passed from Guru to disciple. His book the Yog Sutras was complied around the second century B.C. era. It contains instructions for the practice of yoga.

The subject of yoga is so ancient it is impossible to link it to any religion as it predates even many of the world religions. However, references to yoga can be found in ancient religious texts such as the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. There were only a handful of classical styles.

With the progression of time, the classical yoga styles evolved and today there are more than 100 styles of yoga, tailored to differing needs. Some styles of yoga are based on religious practice, i.e. Raj Yoga (the Brahma Kumaris) but many are not.

Some styles follow the name of teachers, for example Iyengar Yoga or Kundalini Yogi, as taught by Yogi Bhajan.