Eva Ruchpaul

Eva Ruchpaul (born March 13, 1928, in Béziers) is one of the first yoga teachers in Europe, a French yoga teacher trainer, and author of books on Hatha yoga. She has developed a method of Hatha yoga adapted to Westerners.

Eva Ruchpaul was born in Béziers in the south of France in 1928. She contracted severe polio at the age of 18 months, which paralyzed her left side and right arm. She spent much of her time undergoing rehabilitation at the hospital. From a very early age, she explored the potential of her body and breath. She then lived in Alexandria (Egypt), where her father was a philosophy teacher at the French Lycée. At the age of 12, she was finally able to walk ^[1][2][3][4].

When she was 20, she married an Indian Brahmin in France^[2][3]. He introduced her to yoga, but forbade her from studying with a teacher. She had to figure out the technical aspects of Hatha yoga independently; 'They learned it all on their own — why would you want to copy someone else?'^[4] She relied heavily on a book of photographs of postures performed by Swami Vishnudevananda, a Hatha yoga teacher at Forest University in Rishikesh^[5][4]. The couple had two daughters: Ananda, born in 1956, and Shanti, born in 1957^[2].

Eva Ruchpaul developed her own method of Hatha Yoga, and in 1958 her husband encouraged her to teach this method, which she continued to refine as she taught. “I explore with my fellow human beings how to live in harmony with the body that carries me through life. That sums up the whole approach: I own nothing, I control nothing, I negotiate everything” ("j'étudie avec mon semblable comment me comporter amicalement avec mon appareil à vivre. Tout le programme est là : je ne possède rien, je ne domine rien, je négocie tout)^[1]. The success was as considerable as it was unexpected^[2]. Many famous people wanted to attend his classes. Among them were Françoise Hardy^[6], Christian Dior, Alain Afflelou, Yves Montand, and André Malraux^[2]. Between 1958 and 1968, Honoré Bonnet was the coach of the French ski team. He called on Eva Ruchpaul to help prepare the athletes. The French team had never won so many medals before. Those trained during this period included Jean-Claude Killy, Marielle Goitschel, Christine Goitschel, Guy Perillat, François Bonlieu, Isabelle Mir and Annie Famose^[7][8]. These numerous victories in such a short space of time have served to further strengthen Eva Ruchpaul's reputation.

In 1965, she published her first book, 'So That People Could Help Themselves', especially for those who could not come to see her every week^[9].

In order to cope with the growing number of students in her classes, Eva Ruchpaul started training teachers in her method of Hatha yoga. The Institut Eva Ruchpaul (IER) and its legendary blue carpet^[10][2] was founded by her in 1971 for this purpose^[2]. The training program lasts three years. For each yoga posture, the training covers anatomy, psychophysiology, pedagogy and Indian philosophy^[11]. The IER also offers yoga classes for all levels. The IER is accredited by the French Ministry of Higher Education^[1][4].

Eva Ruchpaul’s Hatha Yoga is secular and agnostic, with no ritual elements: there are no Sanskrit names for the postures, OM mantras or hand mudras. However, aspects of Indian culture are covered in the teacher training programme. The method emphasises paying attention to the body, breath and posture. For Eva Ruchpaul, "breathing [...] is the soul of yoga"^[1]. Breath suspension is central to her method. "The ancient yogis dared to venture into the practice known as Kumbhaka [...] very difficult for our sapiens [...]. It seeks to halt and block the movement of breathing. So, if a yoga teacher can convey this fluid clarity in this exercise, that is the true sign of their calling" ^[1]. Most postures are performed while suspending the breath, either with full lungs or empty lungs. Each posture is held for the duration of the breath suspension, which should always be comfortable. Each posture is performed only once. Three breathing cycles are interspersed between each posture. The third cycle consists of suspending the breath with full lungs, followed by suspending the breath with empty lungs. At the end of the yoga class, there is a series of breath suspensions with full lungs^[12].

• 1965 Hatha yoga, la méthode d'enseignement d'une des premières femmes yogis d'Europe^[13] [Hatha yoga, the teaching method of one of Europe's first female yogis]. 211 p. Denoël
• 1969 Philosophie et pratique du yoga^[14] [Yoga philosophy and practice]. Photographs by Matthieu Ricard. 256 p. Planet edition
• 1975 Philosophie et pratique du yoga^[14] [Yoga philosophy and practice]. Reprint - updated. 255 p. Denoël
• 1975 La Demeure du silence^[15] [The House of Silence]. Anne Philipe (co-writer). 248 p. Gallimard. ISBN 9782070292127
• 1978 Hatha yoga bien tempéré^[16] [Well-tempered Hatha yoga]. Hélène Bureau, Babu Bommel, Arlette Loquin (photography and illustrations). 317 p. Presses universitaires de France (P.U.F.). ISBN 9782130358138
• 1985 Le Hatha yoga^[13]. Photographs by Michel Denaison. Reprint - updated. 192 p. Denoël. ISBN 9782207200810
• 1987 Le Hatha yoga^[13]. 220 p. Livre de Poche. ISBN 9782253041184
• 2004 Précis de Hatha yoga ; stade fondamental^[17] [Hatha yoga Manual; Fundamental stage]. 222 p. Ellebore. ISBN 9782868980809
• 2004 Précis de Hatha yoga ; stade classique^[18] [Hatha yoga Manual; Classical Stage]. 240 p. Ellebore. ISBN 9782868980793
• 2005 Précis de Hatha yoga ; technique avancée^[19] [Hatha yoga Manual; Advanced technique]. 204 p. Ellebore. ISBN 9782868980816
• 2005 Précis de Hatha yoga ; sources et variations^[20] [Hatha yoga Manual: Sources and Variations]. Colette Poggi (co-writer). 414 p. Ellebore. ISBN 9791023001457
• 2019 Dans la confidence du souffle, rencontre avec Eva Ruchpaul, une yogini impertinente^[21] [In the confidence of breath, meet Eva Ruchpaul, a cheeky yogini]. Colette Poggi. 272 p. Almora. ISBN 9782351184073

• 1984 Hatha yoga: l'art de se faire^[22] [Hatha yoga: the art of doing yourself]. Director: André Maurice. Yogis: Eva Ruchpaul, Ananda Ruchpaul and Shanti Ruchpaul. Production: Polygram video. Distribution: Warner home video France.

• On December 6, 1966, on France Inter radio, Madame Inter (Annik Beauchamps) interviewed Eva Ruchpaul about yoga^[23].
• On March 29, 1970, Eva Ruchpaul was invited to appear on the program “L'invité du dimanche” on the Office National De Radiodiffusion Télévision Française  ORTF [French national television network]. She demonstrated exercise for beginners to yoga^[24] and explained her approach to Hatha yoga^[25]. Françoise Hardy, a celebrity of the time and a student of Eva Ruchpaul, demonstrates Hata yoga before answering a few questions on the subject^[26]. Eva Ruchpaul then discusses yoga with another celebrity of the time, Georges Moustaki^[27].
• On October 6, 1978, the program “C'est la vie” on France 2 television aired a “report devoted to a yoga class taught by one of the first female yogis, Eva Ruchpaul.”^[28]