COMMUNITY had been practicing meditation on his own until he experienced this event , but now Charles had found his guru .
There are many mystical stories surrounding Sri Swami Rama . He was raised in a cave in India , oversaw an ashram and the Himalayan Institute , and impacted thousands of lives by opening hearts and minds to the discovery of human potential . The foundation of the ashram and of the Institute is based upon ancient practices and origins of yoga and meditation . These are the same principles on which Carol and Charles founded the Inner Peace Yoga Center .
Once Carol and Charles completed their education at the Institute , they worked in the Village in New York City during the 80s and 90s where they served as Directors of a branch of the Himalayan Institute , East West Books , and The Center for Holistic Medicine with Dr . Rudolph
Ballentine . Located along 5th Avenue , the East West Bookstore was famous in its time . The mission was to have a world class bookstore and the best selection of spiritual books available anywhere . They covered all elements of thought and philosophy , and all religions .
“ We carried anything you would want to read about ,” says Charles , who was the buyer for the bookstore . “ East West Books attracted Sanskrit and religious scholars , celebrities and visitors from across the globe .” A representative from the Vatican told Charles that he travels all over the world visiting bookstores like East West Books theirs was one of the best he had seen .
Charles taught asana and meditation for the Institute . He also conducted biofeedback , hypnosis , and yoga therapy sessions through the Center for Holistic Medicine . “ Amongst other things we were taught to deliver yoga as a therapy , something often overlooked in the fitness paradigm . This was a significant part of our extensive graduate program . Doing asana makes one aware of the connection between muscles and the breath , muscles and the internal organs . For example , every major muscle has an organ associated with it ,” says Charles , who gives the example that the quadricep muscle is directly associated with the small intestine . “ These are the kinds of things that yoga ’ s sister-science Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine make clear .”
Carol did promotional work for the Himalayan Institute . She wrote the mail order catalog , which was a big project in those pre-computer days . She handled all of the class scheduling and daily events as well as coordinated all of the teachers . She also taught breathing , asana , relaxation , nutrition , Ayurveda ,
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