To stay balanced through a variety of pursuits, Peter has practiced yoga since the 1980’s. In 2003, he became a teacher in the lineage of ISHTA yoga, and in November, 2011, he was initiated Yogiraj (yoga master) by Alan Finger. Peter is blessed to be married to yogiraj and teacher Wendy Newton.

Peter Ferko began practicing yoga more than twenty years ago at Alan Finger’s Yoga Works in Los Angeles. He studied there with Rod Stryker and Patricia Townsend. He studied meditation with Paramahansa Yogananda’s Self Realization Fellowship where he learned Kriya Yoga techniques. Peter sampled Iyengar and Ashtanga styles before landing back with Alan Finger’s ISHTA Yoga (Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra, and Ayurveda) upon moving to New York in 1999. After decades of practice, he obtained the Yoga Alliance ERYT-500-hour teaching certification and now teaches both students and teacher trainees. Peter’s approach uses the tools of yoga to expand our awareness of the perfection we all share at our core. With attention to breath, alignment and the elemental essences described in tantra yoga, Peter guides students to a grace and efficiency in their practice that carries over into every aspect of life.

I began writing at a young age. First I wrote stories, then I wrote songs, then I wrote poetry, and the pattern repeated. At some point I decided to write the book for an opera. I loved the form, I loved writing dialog. I followed up with a screenplay, “My Son’s Father.” Another script idea became my first novel, Wally and Kali. My second novel, The Black Hole of the Heart explores how quickly and deeply our emotions carry us away. Incarnation, my third novel is about the great wheel of life that yoga talks about as reincarnation, and what that might look like for a group of people in the 21st century. My latest novel, Love Song, is about two musicians in love and the challenges that emerge as they try to balance affection and competition.

I also wrote two books on yoga and meditation. Yoga for Artists is a guide to yoga with a focus on how the practice serves creatives. The Genius of Yoga describes the power of meditation beyond mindfulness to help you tap your inner radiance and insight; it’s written with my teacher Alan Finger.

You can find all of them at Amazon.com

Peter’s Podcast is about real yoga, actual happiness, and deep living. Through personal musings and interviews with students, colleagues, and people I admire, I aim to create an experience where learning something new comes from good conversation.

Where to Listen

You can listen to Peter’s Podcast using your favorite podcast app or podcast providers like Spotify. You can also listen on the web where Peter’s Podcast is hosted, at Simplecast. If you like it, please subscribe on iTunes or your podcast app on your phone, tablet, or computer.

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I think of the podcast as a pay-what-you-want class. The tip jar is digital, at Patreon.com. Please support the podcast at whatever level you can!

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Peter Ferko is an artist in several media. His artwork often utilizes photography to explore perception. He engages in action-oriented projects as a means of engaging other artists in ways that encourage community and dialog. He plays bass and sings and has blended his music with yoga in Psych Rock Kirtan, which you can hear wherever you stream music. He was director of the board of Artists Unite, Inc., an arts presenter in uptown Manhattan and the cofounder of The Table, and arts and yoga space in Brooklyn.