Éva Ruchpaul

Éva Ruchpaul (, born Felix

Biography

Childhood

Éva Ruchpaul was born in Béziers in the south of France in 1928. She contracted polio at the age of 18 months, which paralysed her left side and right arm. She spent her mornings at the clinic undergoing rehabilitation, and her afternoons at the beach. She then lived in Alexandria, where her father was a philosophy teacher at the French Lycée. She was unable to walk, but was a strong swimmer. From an early age, she explored the potential of her body and breath. She realised that the rehabilitation technique she was made to follow was not suitable for her. The progress she made through intensive practice was undone as soon as she fell ill. However, as her immune system was weak, she often fell ill. Rather than repeating the same movement endlessly, she tried doing it once, focusing all her attention on the movement and breathing. This method proved effective, enabling her to regain some mobility. It was only much later that she realised that what she had been doing was yoga. She did not go to school: "I taught myself to read by cutting letters out of cardboard."

Youth in Paris

Ruchpaul moved to Paris to study graphic design and painting at the École Claude Bernard. She lived with the Casadesus family of musicians for two years while she was there. They introduced her to the vibrant intellectual and artistic scene of the post-war period. She was given a consultation with Haymant Ruchpaul, an Indian Brahmin, for her 20th birthday. He practised physiotherapy in the West, but was originally an Ayurvedic doctor. He had studied in France under Boris Dolto, a leading figure in orthopaedics. Haymant assured her that she could walk just like everyone else. Two years later, they married. Due to the after-effects of polio, her two pregnancies were difficult. During her second pregnancy, she had to stay in bed for seven months to avoid the risk of miscarriage. To keep her occupied, the Casadesus family sent her a suitcase full of books. These were the writings of doctors who had practised at the Russian court and travelled to India. These works introduced her to Eastern and Far Eastern thought. She gave birth to her children in 1956 and 1957. If the pose is not quite right, her vision deteriorates. Christian Dior, Alain Afflelou, Yves Montand, André Malraux and Gérard Blitz. Between 1958 and 1968, Honoré Bonnet was the coach of the French ski team. He called on 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. especially for those who could not come to see her every week. In 1978, Éva Ruchpaul published Hatha Yoga Bien Tempéré, a book aimed at students undertaking teacher training. A veritable standard-bearer, it became known as the big black book or the bible among the hundreds of trainees who studied it to obtain their teaching diploma from the Institut Éva Ruchpaul. The IER offers yoga classes for all levels. It is accredited by the French Ministry of Higher Education. Éva Ruchpaul lived in an attic flat in the building that housed the IER, For Ruchpaul, "breathing [...] is the soul of yoga". Éva recommends a weekly session. 1969 Philosophie et pratique du yoga. Photographs by Matthieu Ricard. Planet edition 1975 Philosophie et pratique du yoga. Photographs by Matthieu Ricard. Reprint - updated. Denoël 1975 La Demeure du silence Anne Philipe (co-writer). Gallimard. . 1978 Hatha yoga bien tempéré. Contribution Hélène Bureau; demonstration of the poses by Shanti, Ananda and Éva Ruchpaul, Dominique and Bernard. Photographs by Babu Bommel. Illustrations by Arlette Loquin. Presses universitaires de France (P.U.F.). 1987 Le Hatha yoga. Demonstration of the poses by Ana Maria Magalhães; photographs by Michel Denaison. Reprint (paperback). Livre de Poche. 2004 Précis de Hatha yoga; stade fondamental. Ellebore. 2004 Précis de Hatha yoga; stade classique. Ellebore. 2005 Précis de Hatha yoga; technique avancée. Ellebore. 2005 Précis de Hatha yoga; sources et variations. Colette Poggi (co-writer). Ellebore.

Video

1984 Hatha yoga: l'art de se faire. Director: André Maurice. Yogis: Éva Ruchpaul, Ananda Ruchpaul and Shanti Ruchpaul. Production: Polygram video. Distribution: Warner home video France.

TV and radio appearances

On December 6, 1966, on France Inter radio, Madame Inter (Annik Beauchamps) interviewed Éva Ruchpaul about yoga. and explained her approach to hatha yoga. Françoise Hardy, a celebrity of the time and a student of Éva Ruchpaul, demonstrates Hata yoga before answering a few questions on the subject. 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, Éva Ruchpaul.”