#42 – Keen on Yoga Podcast with Eddie Stern

Eddie Stern is a Yoga teacher, author, and lecturer from New York
City. He has been practicing Yoga since 1987, and ran his school
in SoHo from 1993-2019.


In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the school became a focal
point for Ashtanga Yoga in New York with an eclectic mix of
downtown artists and spiritual seekers practicing and meditating
next to well-known personalities such as Madonna, Gwyneth
Paltrow, Mike D, and Lou Reed, in what was also Manhattan’s first
consecrated Ganesh Temple.


Eddie has a passion for seeking out diversity in all aspects of
his work and uses a multidisciplinary approach of combining
technology, scientific research, and collaboration to help
further understanding, education, and access to yoga. He
continues to study philosophy, Sanskrit, ritual, science, and
religion, as well as maintain a passion for the daily practice
Yoga.


Eddie learned Ashtanga yoga under Sri K. Pattabhi
Jois and R. Sharath Jois, of Mysore, India.


Undertakings:


Black Yoga Teachers Alliance, Eddie is a newly appointed advisory
board member to the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance.


Author of One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of
Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life, a bestselling book that
examines from both a Western scientific perspective and an
Eastern philosophical perspective the underlying mechanisms that
make yoga an amazingly effective practice for health, wellbeing,
and spiritual development.


The Breathing App, a free app which guides the user in a
paced breathing exercise that balances the nervous system,
helping to improve sleep, and reduce stress and anxiety. Created
with his wife, Jocelyne Stern, and app programmer and
collaborator Sergey Varichev.


International Yoga and Science Conferences, an ongoing forum for
presenting rigorous scientific evidence on yoga and meditation
which is accessible, inspiring, and actionable; created with Dr.
Marshall Hagins.


Namarupa, Categories of Indian Thought, a Hindu philosophy and
art journal, and a boutique book publishing house, with partner
Robert Moses.


Engineering Health, a free, online yoga and physiology program
with the New York University Tandon School of Engineering,
created with Alexandra Seidenstein and Dr. Erich Anderer.


Urban Yogis, a yoga and meditation program for community
transformation led by Juquille Johnston, Jaytaun MacMillan,
Raheem Lewis, and Pastor NaRon Tillman, in South Jamaica,
Queens.

LIFE Camp is a gun violence reduction program in South Jamaica,
Queens, started and run by Erica Ford. The program uses a
multi-modality intervention model to interrupt violence before it
can occur. It is a city-funded program and the instigator of
the NYC Crisis Management System which has reduced
shootings by 40% in NYC. Eddie is the current co-Chairperson of
LIFE Camp.


Set/Reset (previously Breathe, Move, Rest) Eddie was
the co-founder of this health and wellness educational non-profit
that has trained school teachers in 120 schools in the US in
health and wellness practices based on yoga and meditation
(reaching approximately 70,000 school kids, K-12.) He was a
founding board member of Bent On Learning, nonprofit organization
committed to teaching yoga to New York City public school
children. As well, he led curriculum writing teams for Pure Edge,
and other yoga/health and wellness in schools non-profits.


Inner Peace Network, a new platform devoted to supporting the
teachers and teachings of the great wisdom traditions, and the
cultures that they have emerged from.


Along with Jocelyne, Eddie founded The Broome Street
Temple (2001-2015) Manhattan’s first Vedically consecrated
Ganesh Temple.