The Beginner’s Guide to… Yoga
C4 Thursday 11 October at 11pm
In the second programme in this Beginner's Guide series, Jayne Middlemiss embarks on a personal journey in search of spiritual enlightenment, with yoga scholar Jim Mallinson as her guide.
Jayne Middlemiss has been practising yoga for over a decade. She knows it's a big part of the Hindu religion but beyond that it's a bit of a mystery to her. Now she sets off on a journey that takes her along the Ganges, from Calcutta all the way to its source in the Himalayas. En route she hopes to find the spiritual enlightenment that has so far escaped her.
Yoga scholar Jim Mallinson is Jayne's guide. He takes her to sacred sites and introduces her to a series of gurus to help her on the road to enlightenment. At first she frustrated by her experience, but an extravagant purchase leads her to question her values, leaving her upset but receptive to new ideas.
The climax of her trip is a visit to the source of the Ganges, high up in the Himalayas. After a 10-hour walk, she arrives at the simple ashram of the yogi who lives there. She says she will never take her home comforts for granted again. The scenery is stunning and Jayne feels weird. Perhaps it’s the altitude. She goes into the icy water and says she does not feel cold; instead she feels electric, alive, and sees things with clarity.
Three months later, back at home in Britain, she doesn’t talk to other people about the change she feels she has undergone. She has learnt a lot and discovered that yoga can liberate you – from yourself and your possessions.
We have a signed copy of each of the following books translated into English by James Mallinson to give away: The Gheranda Samhita and The Shiva Samhita.
