History of Integral Yoga Natural Foods
By 1972, the Integral Yoga Institute of New York was growing rapidly under the guidance of Sri Swami Satchidananda. Many people had become students of Hatha Yoga and were living a lifestyle in accordance with the teachings of Yoga. With so much interest in following a vegetarian diet, there developed a real need for a store that could supply fresh whole foods at reasonable prices. This issue was presented to Sri Gurudev, and he suggested that the Institute start a store itself, as a service to the students and the community.
On March 26, 1972, Sri Gurudev performed a special service asking God’s blessings on this endeavor, and the first Integral Yoga Natural Foods opened its doors. It was designed as a nonprofit operation, staffed by residents of the Institute who were serving there in exchange for their room and board, and by volunteers called “Karma Yogis”. Though the store was only a small space on the ground floor of the Institute’s 13th Street building, it was an immediate success. Among the staff of those early years was a young man, newly given monastic vows, named Swami Asokananda. He went on to manage the store and eventually became the President of the Institute, a position he retained for more than 15 years. In 1977, Asokananda became the President of the Satchidananda Ashram in Virginia, which is now the headquarters of the Integral Yoga organization.
IYNF and its clientele continued to grow and by 1979 had all but outgrown the original space. A larger location was rented at 250 West 14th Street, just around the block from the Institute. This also became a success. As the business expanded, it became necessary to hire employees from outside the Institute membership. This was a major turning point, as it changed the store to a “for-profit” business, which in turn began the process of learning how to apply the teachings of Yoga to the operation of a business. In addition, it became an opportunity for members of the community to experience Yoga and the teachings of Sri Gurudev as employees of IYNF. The store continued to grow and its success became a way of introducing both Yoga and a vegetarian diet to many people, as well as a means to support the growth of the Integral Yoga organization as a whole.
In 1987, another turning point occurred: The entire Institute building on 13th Street underwent renovation to create a new and bigger space for the store. The manager at the time, Krshna Gillespie, had been a student of Sri Gurudev and Integral Yoga for nine years. Krshna was instrumental in planning and creating the current home of IYNF, a 2,200 square foot space at the new address, 229 West 13th Street. By 1989, Krshna again faced a similar problem, as both the product selection and number of customers continued to grow, the store needed to grow once more. That year, a small space across the street was rented for Integral Yoga Natural Vitamin, a new store with Manu Dawson as its manager. Manu was a Hatha Yoga teacher, a student of Sri Gurudev, and had educated himself to become an expert in the study of diet and nutrition and the use of natural supplements. With Manu’s knowledge and Krshna’s guidance, the Vitamin Store also flourished until it became necessary to expand again. Finally, in 1996, the adjacent space was rented, walls were knocked down, and after a complete renovation a new store twice the size of the first one had been created, designed in the fashion of a turn-of-the-century apothecary.
We now have two wonderful stores, and a radio show as well, allowing us to continue as one of the leading natural food stores in the tri-state area, and the only vegetarian natural vitamin store of its size in this area. With its motto, “Whole Foods for the Whole Person,” IYNF strives to provide the purest food possible to its community, in order to support the spiritual and physical well-being of its customers. Over the years, it has always attempted to adhere to the principles of Yoga in every aspect of operation. It is IYNF’s hope that all those employed here find it a place that supports their personal growth and well-being, and enables them to experience the spirit of unity and love that is at the core of the Yogic teachings.
