Friends of Asian Art and the Museum of Fine Art, Houston's department of Learning and Interpretation host world-renowned yoga instructor and practitioner Sri N. V. Raghuram for a talk about the great Indian epic the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is an ancient Indian historical text written in Sanskrit approximately 5,000 years ago. Attributed to the sage Veda Vyasa, this epic poem contains 100,000 shlokas (verses) and 1.8 million words, making it roughly seven times longer than Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey combined, and it's considered literature's longest single poem.

The text most familiar to Westerners from the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita, which emphasizes selfless, nonviolent service and was a prime inspiration for Mahatma Gandhi.

Focusing on the value of a holistic and integrative approach to the practice of yoga as described in the Mahabharata, this program takes place in the museum's Nidhika and Pershant Mehta Arts of India Gallery amidst sculptures of Hindu gods depicting various positions of yogic practice.

Following the discussion, guests are invited to join in a yoga meditation session in the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden. Camp seating is provided. Please bring a yoga mat for al fresco portion of the event.