Norman Sjoman
Encyclopedia
Norman Sjoman is a Canadian painter, writer, yoga
teacher and Sanskritist. He has published on art and art history, the techniques of yoga, and also lectured on these subjects as well as Sanskrit
at universities in various countries.
from the University of British Columbia
, a Filosofie Kandidat from Stockholm University
.
He has a PhD
from the Centre of Advanced Studies in Sanskrit at Pune University, a pandit degree from the Mysore Maharaja’s Mahapathasala and a Diploma from Alberta College of Art
. Over a 14-year period in India he studied four different sastras (traditional philosophical disciplines), in Sanskrit, with several individual pandits. From 1970-1976 Sjoman studied yoga
under B.K.S. Iyengar.
Sjoman has taught yoga in several countries and is accredited by yoga studios in Canada, the Netherlands and Japan. In 1982 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Yoga by the Nippon Yoga Gakkei. At present he resides mainly in Calgary
, Canada, while making frequent visits to India, Europe, Mexico and South America.
As a visual artist, Sjoman has illustrated his own books and books by others. He has prepared exhibition catalogues for various artists, including Druvinka, Shehan Madawela, and Raghupati Bhatta.
In 2006 Sjoman was invited to the first panel on yoga at the American Academy of Religion
in Washington, DC, where he presented a paper entitled Summary of Research on Yoga. In 2006 he presented a monograph "The Yoga Tradition" at India's Lonavla Yoga Institute.
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
teacher and Sanskritist. He has published on art and art history, the techniques of yoga, and also lectured on these subjects as well as Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
at universities in various countries.
Biography
Born July 6, 1944 in Mission City, British Columbia, Sjoman has a BA HonoursBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, a Filosofie Kandidat from Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
.
He has a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the Centre of Advanced Studies in Sanskrit at Pune University, a pandit degree from the Mysore Maharaja’s Mahapathasala and a Diploma from Alberta College of Art
Alberta College of Art and Design
-History:The Alberta College of Art & Design is a Canadian degree-granting, publicly-funded art and design college located in Calgary . It was known as the Provincial Institute of Technology and Arts, which was part of SAIT until 1985...
. Over a 14-year period in India he studied four different sastras (traditional philosophical disciplines), in Sanskrit, with several individual pandits. From 1970-1976 Sjoman studied yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
under B.K.S. Iyengar.
Sjoman has taught yoga in several countries and is accredited by yoga studios in Canada, the Netherlands and Japan. In 1982 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Yoga by the Nippon Yoga Gakkei. At present he resides mainly in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Canada, while making frequent visits to India, Europe, Mexico and South America.
As a visual artist, Sjoman has illustrated his own books and books by others. He has prepared exhibition catalogues for various artists, including Druvinka, Shehan Madawela, and Raghupati Bhatta.
In 2006 Sjoman was invited to the first panel on yoga at the American Academy of Religion
American Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,...
in Washington, DC, where he presented a paper entitled Summary of Research on Yoga. In 2006 he presented a monograph "The Yoga Tradition" at India's Lonavla Yoga Institute.
Selected Publications
- An Introduction to South Indian Music (with H.V. Dattatreya). Publication accompanied by approximately 75 hours of recorded Carnatic musicCarnatic musicCarnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
. Saraswati Project, Netherlands. 1986. - The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace Abhinav Publications. New Delhi, India. 1996, 1999. ISBN 8170173892.
- A South Indian Treatise on the Kamasastra (with Swami Sivapriyananda). Abhinav Publications. New Delhi, India. 2000. ISBN 8170173884.
- Yoga Touchstone (with H.V. Dattatreya). Black Lotus Books. Calgary, Canada. 2004. ISBN 0-9736162-0-2
- Artists in Mysore (under the pseudonym Naramani Somanath). Black Lotus Books. Calgary, Canada. 2006. ISBN 0-9736162-1-0
- Dead Birds (with H.V. Dattatreya on accompanying DVD). Black Lotus Books. Calgary, Canada. 2007. ISBN 0973616229
- Art: The Dark Side. Black Lotus Books. Calgary, Canada. 2010. ISBN 978-0-9736162-3-1
Selected References
- Jagannātha's Definition of Poetry: An Analysis of the Introductory Verses of Rasagangādhara and the Definition of Poetry. Journal of Indian Philosophy. Volume 9, Number 14. Delhi, India. 1981.
- The Memory Eye: An examination of memory in traditional knowledge systems. Journal of Indian Philosophy. Volume 14, Number 2. Delhi, India. 1986.
- Yogis and Mendicants. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bombay. Vol. 70. Bombay, India. 1995.
- The Necessity of Holy Cows: Contemporary Master Artists in Indian Folk and Tribal Arts. The Triangle Gallery of Visual Arts. Calgary, Canada. 2001.
- Yoga in Modern India: The Body between Science and Philosophy by Joseph Alter. Princeton University Press. Princeton, New Jersey, USA. 2004. ISBN 13: 978-0-691-11874-1
- History of Modern Yoga: Patanjali and Western Esotericism by Elizabeth de Michelis. Continuum. London, England. 2005. ISBN 0826487726
- Encyclopedia of Traditional Asanas. Lonavla Yoga Institute. Bombay, India. 2006. ISBN 8190161725.
- Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, Vol. XII. Yoga: India’s Philosophy of Meditation. Delhi, India. 2008.
- Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice by Mark Singleton. Oxford University Press. Oxford, England. 2010. ISBN 978-0-19-539535-8
- Learned reviews of the SritattvanidhiSritattvanidhiThe Sritattvanidhi is an iconographic treatise written in the 19th century in Karnataka by the then Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III . The Maharaja was a great patron of art and learning and was himself a scholar and writer. There are around 50 works ascribed to him...
("The Illustrious Treasure of Realities"), an iconographic treatise written in the 19th century in KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
by the then Maharaja of Mysore, credit Norman Sjoman with having written one of the more important works on the genre covered, namely his book The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace. - Not as Old as You Think by Meera NandaMeera NandaMeera Nanda is an Indian writer, historian and philosopher of science and was a visiting fellow at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi during 2009. She is a John Templeton Foundation Fellow in Religion and Science , with a Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an initial training in...
. OPEN magazine. February 12, 2011.
External links
- Inaugural Fridhandler Lecture on Non-Western Art
- Indian Tribal Arts
- The Yoga Studio of Calgary
- New Light on Yoga The Yoga Journal, by Anne Cushman.
- Black Lotus Books