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 the University of 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
