Ravi Dykema studied a comprehensive style of Yoga in Pondicherry, India with Swami Gitananda at his Yoga school, called Ananda Ashram, from 1972-76. Gitananda taught a traditional Tantra Yoga and Hatha Yoga system using the rigorous gurukula system, which involved students living in a monastic setting and studying eight hours per day, seven days a week for six months at a time.

Ravi earned the rarely-given title, "Yogiraj," which means, "master of Yoga," and the title, "Yoga Chikitsaka," which means, "Yoga therapist." He became an instructor at Ananda Ashram in 1973 while studying there.

Ravi has maintained a private practice in Yoga therapy and taught Yoga classes since then in Colombo, Sri Lanka (where he ran a Yoga center for 9 months), Milwaukee, WI, Madison, WI, Green Bay, WI (where he was a Specialist in Physical Education at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay), and Boulder, CO, where he resides currently. Ravi specializes in helping those with kundalini energy issues. Please see his site: www.kundaliniproblems.com for more information.

Ravi was an adjunct professor at Naropa University from 1989-2005 where he designed a Bachelors of Arts degree in Traditional Eastern Arts with a Concentration in Yoga. He is also a member of the advisory committee of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).

Ravi authored Yoga For Fitness and Wellness for Wadsworth Publishing. It is a textbook for university Yoga classes, and for everybody else. It provides information on:

What is Yoga?
Yoga History and Philosophy
Theories of Hatha Yoga
Breathing Practices
Stretching and Strengthening Poses
Relaxation and Meditation
Using Yoga Therapeutically
Choosing a Yoga System, Becoming a Professional Yoga Teacher
Guides to Yoga Organizations, Sanskrit Pronunciation, Yoga Literature

Ravi's book may be purchased through Wadsworth Publisher or Amazon.com

In addition to his Yoga work, Mr. Dykema owns and edits NEXUS, Colorado's Holistic Journal. He has interviewed many of today's Yoga experts for his magazine.

Back to Canoe Trip info