André Bérard (1922–2019), known as Pamphile, was one of the pioneers of yoga in France. A teacher of yoga and Indian philosophy, he held institutional positions, notably as president of the Fédération Nationale des Praticiens du Yoga (National Federation of Yoga Practitioners). A renowned poet and laureate of the Académie Française, his poetic work has been compared to that of Paul Fort (L’Orientation littéraire) and Baudelaire (R. Pierret). He is also the author of a collection of stories praised for their literary quality, which some critics compare to Voltaire or Villiers de l’Isle-Adam (Maurice Delorme). In addition, he wrote several practical and educational works, including Méthode de relaxation, Pour vivre en yoga, L’art d’être deux, and Voies de sagesse chrétienne, which reflect his focus on lived wisdom and applied metaphysics.
His personal journey was particularly varied, marked by a diversity of commitments: a former seminarian who became a father, he was also a divisional inspector at Charbonnages de France, an amateur pilot, gardener, astrologer, and even an apprentice actor at the EPJD directed by Jean-Marie Conty. His entire career illustrates the symbolic significance of his pseudonym, Pamphile — “he who loves everything and everyone” — through a life and work that defy classification and offer lessons that can answer the questions of our time.
Contents
PART ONE. A LIFE
Chapter I. A family like any other
Chapter II. Childhood and adolescence – 1922-1949
Chapter III. Early life – 1950-1960
Chapter IV. The things that matter – 1960-2019
Chapter V. A hundred gurus for a Gemini
PART TWO. A LIFE IN YOGA
Chapter VI. Yoga for life
Chapter VII. Yoga gurus
Chapter VIII. Living yoga
PART THREE. A WORK
Chapter IX. The poet
Chapter X. The storyteller
Chapter XI. The humorist
Chapter XII. The instructor
Chapter XIII. The Metaphysician
Detailed Bibliography
Excerpt
Pamphile did a great deal to develop the teaching of yoga, particularly in eastern France, when he lived in Nancy, i.e. during the quarter of a century from 1950 to 1973. Here are the main points:
– Between 1955 and 1964, in Nancy, hatha yoga was practiced by the group Les Amis de l’Arche de Lanza del Vasto (1901-1981).
Lanza del Vasto (March 1956)
It was Lanza himself—or rather his disciple Roland Marin1 – who taught exercises and postures during his visits, then Father Déchanet (1906-1992), the “yogi of Christ,” took over, with Pamphile leading several sessions and adding relaxation according to the method of Maurice Martenot.2
Father Déchanet (circa 1958)
– In 1964 and 1965, Pamphile and François Chenique published the Cahiers du yoga chrétien (Christian Yoga Notebooks) in Nancy at the request of Father Déchanet, then prior of a monastery in Katanga (Zaire). Eight issues were published.
– On October 15, 1965, the association “Les cercles de yoga de Nancy” (The Yoga Circles of Nancy) was created, with Dr. Jean Michel as president, Paul Friederich as vice-president, and Pamphile as secretary. The aim of this association is to promote everything that contributes to the unity of human beings and their inner peace, through the practice of relaxation and yoga, as well as the study of Hindu metaphysics, biblical spirituality, the symbolism of the zodiac, the Hebrew and Sanskrit languages, dietetics, and more.
Footnotes
- founder of the branch of the Ark: Nonviolent Civic Action. His daughter, Clotilde Marin (Tournier, 1949), the goddaughter of Shantidas (Lanza), summed up her experiences at the Arche as follows: “From my contact with Shantidas and Chanterelle, I retain a sense of commitment, the conviction that there is greatness in realizing one’s soul’s project, whatever the cost. Online.[↩]
- Pamphile, “History of the introduction of hatha yoga in France and Lorraine. Some points of reference: 1936-1978”; Pamphile archives.[↩]