Timeless Yoga: Origin, Tradition, Practice

Basile P. Catoméris (1930-) was born in France to an Italian mother and a Greek father.

In the mid-1950s he came to Stockholm, where he was taught and guided by the Indian Yoga master Śri Shyam Sundar Goswami for more than 20 years. Over time, a deep guru-chela relationship developed that lasted until the master's death in 1978.

A few years later, he travelled to India and received what is traditionally regarded as the final initiation of Yoga. The initiation was granted him by Śri Goswami's spiritual mother, Ma Santi Devi (1904-2002), a Bengali yogini in Bhakti Yoga and Laya Yoga.

Witnessing a unique testimony of traditional Yoga, Basile P. Catoméris has devoted most of his life to personally following and transmitting his guru's heritage, through teaching and lectures in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and India. As one of few Westerners, he was invited as a guest lecturer in the renowned Lonavla Yoga Institute outside Mumbai (Bombay), India.

In our part of the world there are but a few to enjoy the legacy of an authentic original Yoga tradition. The author of this book is one of these few. He has had the grace to be taught by a genuine Yoga master and later to become the heir of an unbroken spiritual knowledge heritage.

Basile Catoméris is a true representative of the so-called Middle Way. As such he combined his spiritual search with family life's responsibilities and a professional career in the legal area of intellectual property, inter alia as consultant to W.I.P.O. (a UN agency).

Describing himself as an autodidact, he believes that his professional success would never had been possible without Yoga.

Among so many simplified and superficial books on Yoga published today, Basile Catoméris's work stands out for its extensive description of the theoretical and metaphysical aspects of Yoga. Here, Yoga is presented in its proper cultural perspective, covering different aspects of life. Anyone wishing to become acquainted in detail with the ancient and manifold background of Yoga will gain valuable insights. The author's knowledge of the subject is truly impressive!" -CLAUDE KAYAT, author and practitioner of Yoga according to the teachings of Shri S.S. Goswami since 1959

"The Yoga traditions of India have millennia-old roots and innumerable branches, but a constantly recurring theme in their history is the importance of the teacher-student relationship. This book conveys the heritage of one of the earliest Yoga teachers in Sweden, Shri Shyam Sundar Goswami (1891-1978), faithfully transmitted by his student Basile Catoméris. As a custodian of his teacher's unique vision of the scope and significance of Yoga, the author has likewise preserved a piece of Swedish Yoga history." -MARTIN GANSTEN, Docent in the History of Religions, Lund University

"In modern times, Yoga has faced great challenges in the form of simplification and, in some cases, transformation into something that can no longer be called Yoga. For a systematic practice of Yoga, an understanding rooted in its own sources and traditions is essential. The author is exemplary in presenting the entire process of Yoga practice. It is with great satisfaction that we welcome this book on the origins and roots of Yoga. The book is a vital contribution to Swedish literature on Yoga." -MATS LINDBERG, Indologist, formerly at Stockholm University

About the author's book Foundations of Yoga (Inner Traditions): "Thank you for being a steadfast pillar of the tradition. The world is indebted to you for bringing together the greatest of teachings for the well-being of generations now and to come. You have touched a deep chord in the human psyche that needs retuning and alignment with the 'Source"," -ROOP VERMA, Indian musician and Yoga teacher