My yoga story with TV shows in Canada & Germany
By Kareen Zebroff
I never took one proactive step toward my yoga career on television! My adventuresome mother had taken lessons early at a college in Utica, N.Y. for menopausal problems. She loved it and urged me to do it.
I lived in Hudson’s Hope way up north at the time, but found ONE book—with photos—by Jess Stearn about Marcia Moore. Being a teacher, I made a lesson plan and taught myself. (Fortunately my body was the flexible mesomorph type).
We moved to Agassiz, and as it had helped me so dramatically, I wanted to teach yoga at night school. The school board said yes, but needed a minimum of 10 in the classes, but never got that. So I wrote a blurb in the local paper and 74 people paid! Yoga’s time had come!
I audited Dr. Bina Nelson’s classes; got myself a Swami from India (Shyam Acharya); got an invaluable book for teachers on poses, by the eminent B.K.S. Iyengar from London, England; and went to Tecate, Mexico, and learned all I possibly could from the famed Indra Devi both there, and in my home.
A Harrison Resort Hotel assistant asked me to teach yoga during their Slimming Weeks after I greatly helped the manager with his shoulder bursitis. They went on a local afternoon show on BCTV—the Jean Cannem Show—and I stood on my head during the interview.
The Director of Programming, Bill Elliott, phoned me the next day to do a pilot that had to compete with four others. Our friends came and helped hubby Peter—who was a school principal at the time—and I to make a lesson plan that included the cat, and Hey Jude performed by the Beatles. We won!
The show went network after half a year, and we taped over 1000 daily, half hour shows (more than M.A.S.H.), with expert interviews, for 10 years. After that it was seen for six years more.
I got 227,000 letters; wrote 9 books; and went on German TV for 3 years—becoming a cover girl on the Spiegel best seller list.
I am enormously grateful to have had the chance to be an “instrument” of the Higher Powers with my yoga show. NAMASTÉ
