Jean Claude Garnier was born on 10 March 1948 at Rouen in Normandy, France. Seriously ill during his childhood, he discovered yoga by reading Indra Devi’s book; she was the first American to study yoga with Sri Krishnamacharya. He was then 14 years old.
Krishnamacharya, Desikachar & Indra Devi
He followed his path with the companions of the “Communauté de l’Arche”, founded by Lanza Del Vasto, the first Christian disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. He was 20 when, on their recommendation, he met Jean-Paul Boudon (Satyananda Bihar School) and B.K.S. Iyengar.
At the beginning of his first two-year trip to India, while digging wells and improving land for agriculture, he met Vinoba Bhave, Gandhi’s successor. He studied yoga with Swami Gitanandha in Pondicherry and then stayed for a time at Sri Aurobindo’s ashram where he met “The Mother”.
Jean Claude, digging the foundations of the Matrimandir, Auroville, India
He came back to France in 1972, and lived for a few months in Father Dechanet’s hermitage. In 1973 he started his first yoga classes in Rouen. At the same time, he pursued his yoga teacher training with Denise and André Van Lysebeth in Switzerland.
He then studied with Jean-Bernard Rishi who at that time was one of Pattabhi Jois’s students. He met BKS Iyengar through Noël Perrez and was so impressed that he went to Puna to study with him for several years.
On a trip in South India in 1978 he met Sri Pattabhi Jois who became his Master. He studied with him every year until 1998.
To better understand anatomy and the locomotor system, Jean Claude decided to learn general and cranial osteopathy. He then began psycho-corporal psychotherapy in accordance with W. Reich’s theories, and followed several courses to become a psychotherapist.
JC en1973 en Eka Pada Shrisasana
He then learned energetic osteopathy, acupuncture and dietetics. He has been a vegetarian for 47 years.
Jean Claude enjoys combining all his knowledge and experience. He divides his time between teaching yoga – in Brussels, at the Institute he has lovingly created in Uccle, and in France, Greece and India – and giving treatment in energetic, general and cranial osteopathy, and acupuncture.
The yoga teaching he gives is faithful to the Yoga Korunta transmitted by Sri Pattabhi Jois at the “Asthanga Research Institute” in Mysore.
Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
