Eddie Stern unfiltered

Yoga teacher and author Eddie Stern on India’s spiritual pull and the West’s misguided view of yoga

- Anushka Jagtiani

Known as the yoga instructor to stars like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, Eddie Stern opens up about why he dislikes the "celebrity" label and dives deep into the traditional roots of yoga. He shares his incredible spiritual journey from a young Jewish boy in New York to the ashrams of India.

Excerpts from the interview:

You've been coming to India for decades now. I started coming to India in the late 1980s, and I spent a lot of time traveling through India, going to all the big temples and the smaller temples, and I would stay in each of them. So every time I'm India, which is every year or twice a year, I make sure I can go to any of the holy places I can and just keep connecting to this, spirit of India, which has really guided my life.

In what way has India guided you and changed your life?

So there is a very deep tradition of listening in India, and I feel that that's one of the things that when I go to these holy places, I want to be receptive. India teaches me how to try to be receptive on different levels.

Can you tell us about What made you take that decision to pursue yoga and then travel to India?