Rod Stryker (born Nimrod Andre Gross; 19 October 1957) is an American yoga and meditation teacher, author and speaker. He is the founder of ParaYoga, the author of The Four Desires: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom (2011 Random House). He has been teaching yoga since 1982. He is a former actor on the soap opera Capital [3] and an actor in two 1980s action adventure shows (Riptide and The A-Team)[4]

Rod Stryker
Born
Nimrod Andre Gross

(1957-10-19) October 19, 1957 (age 67)
OccupationYoga teacher
Years active1976–present
Spouses
(m. 1998; div. 2001)
Gina D'Orazio
(m. 2006)
[1]
Children4[2]
Parent(s)Joseph and Marion Gross[1]

Professional life

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Raised in Los Angeles, California, Stryker attended Beverly Hills High School and the University of Denver, in addition to studying abroad. Stryker began studying and practicing yoga at the age nineteen. He taught his first class in 1980 and led his first teacher training in 1987. Following nearly two decades of study[5] with Yoga master, Kavi Yogiraj Mani Finger and his son, Yogiraj Alan Finger he achieved the title Yogiraj, or master of Yoga. In 1999, Stryker was initiated into the tantric tradition of Sri Vidya, by his current teacher, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute. Stryker currently serves on the board of Give Back Yoga Foundation and is a featured faculty member of Yoga International.[6]

Stryker founded ParaYoga, a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School,[7] in the early 2000s.

In August 2021, Stryker acknowledged having had a one-time consensual intimate encounter with a student two years earlier.[8]

Personal life

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Stryker has been married twice. His first marriage (from 1998 to 2001) was to his private student, former supermodel Cheryl Tiegs. They had twin sons, Jaden and Theo, who were born via surrogacy in 2000. Stryker's second marriage (2006–present) is to Gina D'Orazio.[1] The couple has two children. He is brother to ESPN mixed martial arts writer Josh Gross. He currently lives in Colorado.

Works

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Books

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  • Stryker, Rod (July 26, 2011). The Four Desires: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom. Delacorte Press. p. 400. ISBN 978-0-553-80398-3.
  • Stryker, Rod (2015) The Four Desires Workbook: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom
  • Meditations for Inner & Outer Peace (Audio, 76 minutes)
  • Meditations for Life (Audio, 73 minutes)
  • Relax Into Greatness (Audio, 88 minutes)
  • Tantra: The Radiant Soul of Yoga (Audio 23-CD set)
  • The Four Desires (Audio 2-CD Set)

References

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  1. ^ a b c "The Challis Messenger Online". challismessenger.com. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  2. ^ "learn/rodstrykerbio". parayoga.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  3. ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083397/fullcredits/bio [user-generated source]
  4. ^ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1119769/bio [user-generated source]
  5. ^ Anderson, Diane. "YJ Interview: Bold Soul". YogaJournal.
  6. ^ "Rod Stryker | Profile | Yoga International". yogainternational.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-09.
  7. ^ "School Profile | Yoga Alliance". Yoga Alliance.
  8. ^ "Communications 2021 - 2022". 17 September 2021.
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