Guru Dileepji
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Guru Dileepji (Yogacharya Yogabhaskara Yogiraj Yogashiromani Yogarshi Dileepkumar, Ph.D.) was born in Tripunithura, Kerala, India, also known as the capitol of Cochin kingdom, a town historically celebrated as a center of cultural and spiritual arts including martial arts, dance, and music. A practicing yogi from the womb, Dileepji learned his first lessons from his mother Kanakamma Ashaty(guru), an accomplished Headmistress whose family had a Kalari Payattu, a school where martial arts, yoga, Ayurveda, and other herbal systems were taught. His maternal family, which can be traced back to the 1800s, was respected for its knowledge of Sanskrit, philosophy, natural healing systems and spirituality. Notable members of her family include the famous writer Sarasakavi Mooloor S.Padmanabha Panicker, and Guru Nithya Chaithanya Yathi, an internationally renowned scholar-sanyasin and a regular companion of Dileepji.
Dileepji received many divine visions from a young age. He developed an intense desire to preserve and pass on the timeless wisdom existing in his native lush state of Kerala (known as God's own country) and traveled throughout India. In his journeys, he met and studied with self-realized masters according to the ancient Gurukula system. He also received training and did service in several spiritual organizations, hospitals, and clubs.
Dileepji has been active in sports and arts throughout his school and university years, and has received many awards recognizing his skill in dance and sports, and his dedication to community service. In 1984, he was trained in rock climbing in Neyyar Dam and in 1988 he received advanced leadership training in the Himalayas, with the help of Indian Military and National Cadet Corps. In 1996, he became a doctor of alternative medicines and received a diploma in acupuncture. In 1998, he completed a Ph.D. in alternative medicines.
Dileepji has been teaching yoga since 1979, and conducts yoga trainings and interfaith programs worldwide. He runs an Indian Gurukulam in Kothamangalam, and a city center in Cochin. He recently released the cd Bhajans for Eternal Bliss.
Dileepji is Honorary Life Member of the World Yoga Council of the International Yoga Federation, international ambassador for the World Yoga Community and worldwide yoga parliament, and IYF delegate to the United Nations. He is patron of the U.S. & North American Yoga Federation. He is a member of the Parliament of Religions in Argentina. [1]
[edit] Family
Dileepji's mother, Kanakamma Teacher, had a Kalari and yoga school in her family for many generations. His father Dr. Thomas Thankappan was a yogi from a young age, and after marriage, in 1957, him and Kanakamma began the Latha Clinic, an alternative treatment center which included yoga and yoga therapy, homeopathy, naturopathy, magnet therapy, acupuncture, and siddha medicine. In 1979, it was named the Perakathu Medical Center when it moved from Kottayam to Tripunithura. In 1991, with the blessings of his masters and family, Guru Dileepji renamed and expanded the Tripunithura center calling it International Gurukulam (A Divine Life Research Center for Yogic Arts, Sports, and Medicines). International Gurukulam added an ashram in Kothamangalam on the Periyar river. In 1999, International Gurukulam opened Yogabhavan in Brooklyn, New York. The location shifted to New York City in 2004. The same year, another Yogabhavan was opened in Cochin, Kerala, India.[2]
His father Dr. Thomas Thankappan Ashan(guru), was a homeopathic doctor noted for his successful treatments of all diseases including numerous cases of cancer. Also a practicing Hatha yogi, he had a vast knowledge of many subjects including alternative medicines. He comes from a long line of nadayil, the first Brahmin/Namboodhri families to convert to Christianity in A.D. 52 when St. Thomas visited Southern India. Notable members of his family include Archbishop Devanios Chepadu and Evangelical Association of the East Archbishop Gheevarghese Mar Policarpose.
[edit] Mata Nanditaji
(Stephanie Thankappan, Ph.D., M.B.A., G.G., M.Y.T.)
Yogacharini Mata Nanditaji has been practicing Yoga from childhood and has had a lifetime interest in gaining spiritual knowledge. Her mother, Anne-Marie, a native of France, comes from a family recognized for its spirituality and includes Catholic priest Rev. Father Thiebeau. After coming to the west, she later became a follower of Yogananda Paramahamsa. Her father, Donald, comes from a Russian Jewish family with a lineage of Rabbis. Currently a practicing doctor in New York City, he inspired her to seek out a scientific approach.
Growing up Nandita maintained a strong interest in spirituality, meeting and studying with masters, including Indra Devi, Swami Satchitananda, Swami Vishnu-Devananda, Guru Nitya, Dr. T. Thankappan ashan(guru) and Swami Bua. She graduated with honors from Columbia University with a degree in Psychology and concentration in Eastern Religion. Her longstanding interest in stones and their healing properties led her to obtain a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America (G.G.). She also has a Practitioner Certificate in clinical Gestalt Psychology, and is a certified Yoga Therapist with several Yoga Teacher Training certifications. Further, she received her Master of Business Administration (MBA), and completed her Ph.D. with honors from Walden University, specializing in spiritual leadership and organizational change. She is currently writing a book on yoga.
Nandita has always had an adventurous spirit, which has led her to travel to more than 70 countries around the world, including to India where she has lived, studied, and taught for several years. She has been an avid rock climber for over 15 years and has climbed in several countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. She ran the ExtraVertical Climbing Center in New York City for several years and was actively involved with the media. She is currently teaching yoga in Yogabhavans in New York and India, New York Sports Clubs, and other centers.
Mata Nanditaji is the Honorary Secretary of the International Yoga Federation for the U.S.A. and North America, a member of the World Yoga Council, president of the U.S. & North American Yoga Federation. She is a member of the Parliament of Religions in Argentina.[3]
[edit] References
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