What a fascinating read this is! Robert Love is a journalist who just happened to move into a home in Nyack, New York along the Hudson River; a home that was part of the Clarkstown Country Club, the first Ashram in America. The artifacts in the home inspired Love to research the life of Pierre Bernard, a skilled Tantra Yogi during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s who wooed the wealthiest of followers in order to sustain his lavish Ashram. What unfolds is an incredible history of yoga, including how the practice of yoga asanas created suspicions, fears and rumors of orgies.

Robert Love has traced a meticulous path through the life of Pierre Bernard. Many famous yogis such a Paramahansa Yogananda were his guests, and his most devout followers included Leopold Stokowski, the Vanderbilts, Goodriches, Blanche DeVries, and Sir Paul Dukes to name a few. In 1917 he charged $100 for his yoga classes, the equivalent of $2,000 today, making his Yoga limited to society’s elite.

The book is full of surprises, including everything from Bernard running a race track, a professional baseball team, and a circus while steadily maintaining the teachings and practices of yoga. At one point he owned seven elephants! Truly a “must read”! And if you want a real treat, visit http://www.omnipotentoom.com for more about Pierre Bernard and his Clarkstown Country Club!