Georg Feuerstein, 1947-2012

by Nina

Doorways by Nina Zolotow

Just the other day in my post Why You Should Study Yoga Philosophy I wrote about how much I valued the work of yoga scholar Dr. Georg Feuerstein. Then yesterday I learned that he died on August 25. Even though I never met him, I consider him to be one of my most important teachers, so I wanted to take a moment to honor him.

It was always the work of Dr. Feuerstein that I turned to (and will continue to turn to) when I wanted answers to questions I had about yoga history and when I wanted a very literal translation—one in which I could see the relationship between the original Sanskrit and the English—of a yoga scripture. I felt I could always rely on him for a relatively unbaised perspective. But the most important single lesson I learned from him is this one:

“Yoga is like an ancient river with countless rapids, eddies, loops, tributaries, and backwaters, extending over a vast, colourful terrain of many different habitats. So, when we speak of Yoga, we speak of a multitude of paths and orientations with contrasting theoretical frameworks and occasionally incompatible goals.” —Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D.

Dr. Feuerstein’s wife, Brenda L. Feuerstein, announced his death on Facebook this way:

It is with great sadness that I announce that my husband and spiritual partner, Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D., left his body on August 25, 2012 at 9:10 PM.

At this time, I would like to request prayers from the worldwide community for Georg's transition through the afterlife states and for a swift rebirth.

In lieu of flowers and gifts, Georg had requested a scholarship fund be set up to enable incarcerated people the opportunity to participate in our distance learning courses. More information about the fund will be available this week.