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In Honor of Walt Baptiste's Life
Memorial Service and Celebration of Walt Baptiste's
life
August 4, 2001 - 11am
The First Unitarian Universalist Church
1187 Franklin St. at Geary - San Francisco
For more information, contact: Magaņa Baptiste (415)
387-6833
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A Leader and Pioneer in Physical Culture, Health and
Yoga
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Born 1917, Walt Baptiste a renowned and much loved San
Francisco legend, passed away on July 6, 2001. Walt Baptiste, a former Mr.
America, was an international authority and leader of the Physical
Fitness, Yoga and Human Potential Movement. He was a patriotic American, a
leader, and a pioneer inspiring hundreds of thousands to embrace the world
of body mind & spirit, Walt was one of the foremost authorities and
teachers of Yoga in the World. He opened with his wife Magaņa San
Francisco's first Yoga Center in the 1950's. |
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Walt was editor of Body
Moderne magazine. This magazine has become a rare
collectors item due to the value of its timeless content and
valuable information. |
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San Francisco''s Mayor Willy Brown
officially proclaimed September 25, 1999 as Walt Baptiste Day for
his outstanding contributions to the health and spiritual
consciousness of San Francisco residents and hundreds of thousands
of people nationally and internationally. Walt Baptiste was known as
a catalyst for creating extraordinary change in people's lives.
Mayor's
Proclamation
Walt was highly acclaimed by the Physical Culture World including
Bill Pearl and Frank Zane for pioneering new areas of thought,
research, and development in the areas of physical culture, human
potential and body mind mastery. With the use of concentration,
breath, and visualization his weight resistance training program
developed coordination between body and mind.
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In 1934 Walt established the
first center of it's kind combining the disciplines of physical
culture, yoga, weight training meditation, and the science of
breath, as an integral part of higher health, peak performance, and
constructive personal psychology. Walt was a pioneer in establishing
the valuable benefits of having a sound nutritional program and
integrated purification diets as a part of his program for highest
health and vitality.
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As television and radio personalities Walt and Magaņa have
attracted many including Herb Caen and Cyril Magnin as well as reknowned
poets, dancers, athletes, creative artists, psychologists, corporate
leaders, educators, philosophers, spiritual teachers and householders from
all over the Bay Area and around the world. |
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They have hosted and presented many of the
greatest master teachers.
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Richard C. Miller wrote: "He has been such a
wonderful light to many who know him and all those touched by him
who may never know that it was he who was touching them".
Haridas Chaudhuri founder of the California Institute of Integral
Studies wrote: Walt Baptiste has always been eager to hold aloft the
authentic Yoga ideal of harmonious self-development, emphasizing the
need for integrating the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of
personality. He has helped countless numbers of people in their
search for mature growth and spiritual fulfillment, He deserves to
be complimented for his appreciative insight into the spiritual
heritage of India as well as of the West.
Walt Baptiste was the opening speaker at the world convocation of
spiritual leaders during the great Kumbha Mela of
1974. | |
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Swami Veda Bharati invited Walt and his daughter
Sherri to the ceremony and celebration in India March 1999 that
conferred Swamiji to the position and spiritual role as the most
respected swami; Mahamandalesvar, of India.
Sant Kirpal Singh has said: "Walter Paul Baptiste has realized
the way of the Masters. . .
I need not say that he is further
and more on the Way than any in California."
Swami Sivananda, wrote: "I greatly appreciate your Yoga exercises
so perfectly performed. . . you have the blessings of the sages and
saints. . . You are a dynamic Yogi. . . You have a divine mission...
Your yoga will be a wonderful success....." Walt Baptiste was given
the sacred title of Yogi Raj by Swami Sivenanda and the Forest
Vedanta University in Rishakesh India.
Walt's Uncle, Dr. Joseph Baptiste sponsored India's great teacher
Paramahansa Yogananda. Walt's Uncle Joseph was said to have been one
of Yogananda's most outstanding students and Yogananda traveled up
to San Francisco to the Oakland hills to be at Joseph's bedside
during his death.
Bernarr Mac Fadden, father of physical culture in the world,
described Walt as: "the prince of teachers and a constant resource
of inspiration to other teachers." |
Magaņa, Indra Devi and
Walt | |
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Baptiste Center |
Walt and his wife founded the Baptiste Health & Fitness
Center 1971-1989 Arguello and Clement in SF. This dynamic center
provided the bay area with the most complete Health and Fitness
Center of its kind. Four stories,half a block long devoted to the
health and wellbeing of all that entered. People traveled from all
over the bay area to receive the quality of information, education
and guidance that was offered. This center included "Baptiste
Natural Foods Store", "Hungry Mouth Health Food Restaurant",
"Magaņa's Bazaar Boutique", a comprehensive Dance studio, gymnasium,
and a huge Yoga room with forty foot stained glass ceilings. |
In 1975 Walt and his wife Magaņa
founded the first school of yoga and health in the tropical country
of El Salvador "El retiro del Espiritu". An idyllic setting on the
beach accommodating 30 people, with pools, a yoga studio, gym,
meditation pyramid, a zoo with tropical birds, monkeys, horses and
many other animals. The family retreat has been given to his
children, Sherri & Baron to use for their work.
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Walt Baptiste is survived by his wife of 56 years
Magana Baptiste and their two daughters and son.
Magaņa Baptiste was 1st runner up in the 1951 Miss U.S.A.
contest. She is the founder and director of the Magana Baptiste
International School of Dance in San Francisco and has been honored
for her contributions in the Dancers Hall of Fame. With her husband
Walt has helped to popularize yoga into what it has become today.
Magana helped to take the science of bodybuilding mainstream, and to
introduce bodybuilding to women. Magana teaches sacred dance from
around the world, Having taught mudra classes since the 1950's,
classical Hindu dance and approaches the Yoga of Movement and Dance
as a practice that combines the physical, mental and emotional
aspects of our human existence. Magana was given the honorary title
of Yogi by Swami Sivenanda and the Forest Vedanta University in
Rishakesh India | |
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Daughter Sherri Baptiste Freeman is an inspirational and motivational
instructor teaching Baptiste Power of Yoga™ widely throughout Marin County
and the San Francisco Bay Area. She leads workshops, retreats, and yoga
vacations nationally and internationally. She has four children. http://www.PowerofYoga.com |
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Daughter Devi Ananda Baptiste teaches yoga and dance at various
health centers, throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area.
Son Baron Baptiste presents Baron Baptiste Vinyasa Yoga trainings,
workshops, bootcamps, and retreats nationally and internationally. He was
the former NFL's Peak Performance Coach to the Philadelphia Eagles and is
the founder of the Baptiste Institute of Yoga in Cambridge, Ma. He has
three children.
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Walt Baptiste's children are carrying on with the family
work, as is Magaņa his wife.
Walt has left a legacy of teachers
throughout the United States
teaching the Walt Baptiste Method
for Body Mind & Spirit.
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Walt Baptiste |
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