Swami Sarasvati, the yoga expert and instructor who pioneered yoga on Australian television, has died.
Her son, Sanjay, posted a tribute on Facebook last week:
| I am writing to share the incredible legacy left by my mother, Swami Sarasvati, who passed away on Monday. While we mourn her loss, we are also filled with an immense gratitude for all that she achieved during her time with us.
A beloved Yogi, and one of the first to bring Yoga to Australia, she inspired and guided so many of us, and she will continue to live on through her students, her teachings, and the many lives she touched. The positive seeds that my mother planted through her teachings have grown into a beautiful forest of strong and resilient Yoga trees, each one bearing the fruits of a healthy, balanced, and joyful life and are spreading their seeds too. My mother had a unique talent for making Yoga simple and accessible to all. ‘So long as you can breathe, you can do Yoga.’ Further, her philosophy is that Yoga is not about the poses, but rather it is a way of life. Her teachings helped the lives of countless individuals, and we are forever grateful for the way she brought the transformative practice of Yoga into our lives. While we will miss her deeply, we take comfort in the knowledge that her spirit will always be with us. |
Coming to Australia in the late 1960s, and years before Australian television had embraced multicultural diversity, she made an appearance to demonstrate yoga on In Sydney Tonight in 1968.
From January 1969, her self-titled show began on Sydney’s TEN10 and later extended to other stations in the 0-10 Network. Swami Sarasvati continued through most of the 1970s before appearing on SBS nationally in the mid-1980s.
She established Swami’s Yoga Retreat in Kenthurst, north west of Sydney, in 1983 and which continues to operate today.
Source: Swami’s Yoga Retreat, TV Tonight. Sun-Herald, 26 January 1969. TV Week, 7 December 1968, 30 August 1969. TV Radio Guide, 9 October 1971.
8 thoughts on “Obituary: Swami Sarasvati”
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RIP. When I was a child I used to watch her program and try out some of the poses. My mother had one or two of her books.
I am so thankful for the many cherished moments I had with Swami at her retreat – trying to follow her poses, enjoying her delicious curries at mealtime, walks through the bush, meditating on “her rock”. Her sense of humour was infectious – she would have changed many lives for the better. Truly an amazing woman.
My yoga teacher was taught by Swami Saraswati and my teacher’s classes are traditional and inspiring passing on the Swamis knowledge.
she was the queen of australian yoga RIP
Thats a shame. Used to watch it on ATV 0 in the 60s. I wondered even then who else was watching this exotic woman twisting herself into a pretzel.
I was thinking about Swami S, and this came up when I enquired if she was still active at the retreat. I did my initial training with her in the eighties and then with Satyananda Ashram.
She was a wonderful teacher. I remember Sanjay as a little boy, and her husband who worked the farm behind the scenes.
I still teach yoga. She is right, while you can still breathe, you can practice yoga.
Om Shanti
Hari Aum tat sat.
Poornajyoti ( Kim Dove)
I remember doing yoga watching swami on channel 10 with her beautiful dmbrown Siamese cats. Beautiful lady.
I saw the compass show tonight and saw you and your mum Swami Sarasvati. I remember watching Swami Sarasvati yoga half hour on channel 10 with my mum in 1969 from our lounge room in Penshurst, a suburb in Sydney’s southwest. I had childhood asthma so mum figured it would help and I am sure it did, as i eventually grew out of the asthma. In April 1970 my parents moved to Lane Cove and we continued to watch Swami Sarasvati’s show, was it later on Channel 7? Anyway, I have done yoga on and off for much of my life but at 60 i think its time for me to get back into this divine practice. I look forward to visiting your practice at Kenthurst when I am next in Sydney. Goodness to you and your family, I am sure your mum is an ascended master. God bless.