I have been teaching yoga for many years in many countries. It has been a side-gig for me along with my teaching of regular subjects like risk management, finance and economics. [I have taught two dozen distinct classes over four decades on these subjects.]
45 Years in Two Paragraphs
Nowhere have I charged anybody for yoga classes. I have taught yoga mainly at the universities where I was teaching. That means at the University of Minnesota, Ripon College (Wisconsin), National University of Singapore, Bond University (Australia) and ITAM (Mexico). I taught yoga at some hospitals.
https://www.pindaraprivate.com.au/
[Back in 1992, Pindara was a modest nonprofit establishment. That was the main motivation for me to conduct yoga there back then.]
In my last workplace at ITAM in Mexico, I taught yoga the longest. It all started with some masters students who wanted to de-stress back in 1998. It grew from there. Mine was a modest venture. Now yoga and mindfulness have become an integral part of ITAM’s institutional wellbeing program.
Reflection on a job I never really had
It is gratifying to see that the baby is now an adult and thriving. ITAM has formally recognized 25 years of yoga in ITAM.
I am asking *not* to look back upon it wistfully but think of it as a prelude to the next quarter of a century of promoting wellbeing at ITAM - for the students, for the academics and for the administrative people who toil behind the scenes. Give them time off to take care of their physical wellbeing. Reward them financially for using the gym or attending mindfulness or yoga classes.
All of that is happening right now. It was not a hard sell. The conglomerate that funds ITAM runs the biggest insurance company in Mexico. It does not hurt that their current chief actuary was one of my students.
Here is the video of Fran and Me about Yoga at ITAM
Executive message: Invest time in your well-being! This is for the next quarter of a century.
[It appears in the poster below.]
Here is what it says (in English)
[Know the history of Yoga and Mindfulness in ITAM
INSTITUTIONALIZED IN A TEAM EFFORT
Invest time in your well-being!
DAE ITAM – Sub-directorate of Comprehensive Wellbeing, ITAM Sports
DAE - Department of Student Affairs at ITAM
25 YEARS OF YOGA AT ITAM!
Tapen Sinha is the pioneer of Yoga at ITAM for a quarter of century.
He was an Academic and Director of the Master's Degree in Risk Management.
He is currently the Director of Yoga in Alondra Residences, Australia.
10 YEARS OF RESTORATIVE HATHA YOGA AND MINDFULNESS IN ITAM!
Françoise Brailovsky, Deputy Director of Comprehensive Wellbeing in the DAE, followed up and started classes of Restorative Yoga in 2006 after Tapen.
She later integrated Mindfulness and the use of the BackMitra. With the support of Dr. Horacio Vives Segl, Director of Student Affairs, for 5 years Yoga and Mindfulness has reached more community members through the ITAM Program of Wellbeing.]