Sir Paul Dukes 1889 to 1967
submitted by Trevor Pengelly August 2009
At the turn of the twentieth century Imperial Russia, despite its shortcomings, was the place for intellectual and spiritual stimulation with ideas from the likes of Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy and the mad monk Rasputin - intense Orthodox spirituality, and freedom to consider daring ideas.
Enter a talented young concert pianist, conductor and linguist from England called Paul Dukes, son of a clergyman, searching for greater meaning - and thus began a lifetime of Yoga. There is an extraordinary exchange between Lev, a pioneer in hypnotism, and a certain Prince Orzay, who pointed out that The Lords Prayer was a mantra of great power when chanted in one breath. Here we find the link between breath and wholeness so much a part of his philosophy. Yoga, he says, is - “Reunion with our divine source.”
While teaching and playing music he took on the dangerous task of master spy for MI6 in Russia, until 1919. He was known as a master of disguises and a brilliant linguist who managed to infiltrate the Communist Party and the inner circle Comintern, as well as the secret police called the Cheka, bringing valuable documents copied onto toilet paper back to England under hair raising conditions. (Operation Kronstadt, part of the story, was one of the most daring naval rescue attempts which netted 3 Victoria crosses) One of his exploits was to spirit many white Russians out of jails and into Finland. He is the only person ever to be knighted in England solely for spying and described by his commander as ‘the perfect spy’.
His first marriage was to Margaret Rutherford the famous actress known particularly as Miss Marples in the Agatha Christie detective films and later Mrs. Ogden Mills a member of the Vanderbilt family and also a serious student of yoga. At the time of their marriage both were members of Omnipotent Ooms Mystic Colony at Nyack USA.
England and India’s centuries old love affair meant some contact with yoga and also The Theosophical Society started by Madame Blavatsky which embraced ancient Greek philosophical ideas, particularly Plato, with some Yoga too. But Sir Paul wanted it popularized, so in 1950, his series of BBC television broadcasts show ordinary people mastering the slopes of Hatha Yoga. Later he would use television again in India to teach Yoga, and also consulted the Indian government on Yoga exercises for the army.
Later he set up studios in London, Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Apart from the Divine Life Society of Swami Sivananda in Durban set up in the 40’s, he is probably the earliest one to popularize Yoga in South Africa.
Sir Paul explains “… to the Westerner with an eye on externals, physical Yoga makes the strongest, because the most visible, appeal. …In India, on the other hand, the stress is heavily on the spiritual side … This book is an attempt to present the subject in a balanced perspective.”
He explains that “Hatha” does not mean physical Yoga but its literal meaning is ’sun and moon’ indicating that you cannot separate out the spiritual, mental and physical spheres even though sometimes convenient to do so.
Despite being a yoga master himself, he believed it should be practiced by as many as possible, so the poses in his classes were never held for too long nor were they too extreme, because that required an ascetic life that ordinary business men or housewives could not devote enough time to do. He brought the practice of Yoga out of the monastery to benefit all.
His philosophy is simple: he stresses the importance of ‘wholeness’ which is another word for health. “Yoga is for us to live our lives … to the fullest purpose and benefit to ourselves and those around us.” That to me is the spiritual dimension.
Jose Ainge met Sir Paul in her bookshop in Rissik Street when he noticed his books displayed in the window, and as a result of this chance encounter she joined his studio. Sometime thereafter she opened her own studio under Sir Paul’s guidance in Greenside Joburg and later, when he died in Cape Town in 1967, took over the school and still adheres to the basic philosophy and concentrates on a general routine with the accent on breathing and relaxation, remembering Jose’s dictum: “Be still and relax”. Things have moved on and Yoga is not a dark mysterious system anymore but practiced by millions, as Sir Paul would have liked. Her classes include a variety of movements, including the use of sticks and belts in double movements. Central is the study of the Chakras as Sir Paul wanted and the routines are still simple. Now the insights from Pilates, which owes much to yoga, is included as well.
References: Wikipedia
Sir Paul Dukes “The Yoga of Health Youth and Joy”
Paul Beekman Taylor “Gurdieff and Prince Orczy”
Harry Ferguson Operation Kronstadt
Trevor Pengelly’s text contains one unsubstantiated statement and three name errors.
1. The Margaret Rutherfurd (not Rutherford) who was Sir Paul Dukes’ first wife was a daughter of American millionairess Mrs Vanderbilt. Both women were married several times.
2. There is zero connection with the British actress Margaret Rutherford who famously portrayed Miss Marple (not Marples).
3. The other name error relates to ‘Prince Ozay’, misspelt twice. The identity of the ‘Prince’ is unclear, and is probably not Gurdjieff.
4. The statement — ‘One of his exploits was to spirit many white Russians out of jails’ — is pure rumour. The only unquestioned case (recounted by Dukes himself) relates to an Englishwoman whom he helped to escape from a Cheka prison in Petrograd..
There are other errors on the Web regarding Sir Paul, such as his being educated at Charterhouse, when in fact it was Caterham. And he ran away from home at the age of 18, not 16 (when he was still at school), to make his way — it took him two years — to St Petersburg to study music.