in short
About Asokananda
Asokananda, born Harald Brust in 1955 in West Germany, was one of the most influential Western teachers of traditional Thai yoga massage. He studied community development and from 1978 onwards spent most of his time in Asia, researching and teaching yoga, Buddhist meditation and Thai massage. His book 'The Art of Traditional Thai Massage' was the first publication on the subject in any Western language, and he also published energy-line charts and 'Thai Traditional Massage for Advanced Practitioners'. He founded the Sunshine Network of Thai Massage, based in a Lahu hill-tribe village in northern Thailand, and studied with teachers such as Chaiyuth Priyasith and Pichest Boonthumme. He died on 24 June 2005. His legacy continues through the Sunshine Massage School in Chiang Mai and teachers of the Sunshine Network, including his son Santi Kelly-Brust and Kaline Kelly.