yoga stars | Interview with Lillias Fullan

Yoga teacher Lilias Fullan, who introduced thousands to the practice through her long-running television show, died on March 9, 2026. Lilias, yoga, and you, It was one of the most successful programs in PBS history, according to a 1985 article in Cincinnati Post.

Decades before yoga was made a concept, Phoolan made it part of her daily teaching. Memorable aspects of her method include accessibility, easy-to-follow instructions, and the ability to make an ancient practice relevant to contemporary life. Unlike many Yoga in the 1970sHer classes were open to anyone and could be done in the privacy of one’s home. It also costs nothing and does not require any special clothing (although its contributions to… Yoga fashion It was undeniable.) We will remember her lessons for a long time.

The following article, including an interview with Fullan, was published in 2023.

At a time when yoga was a counterculture activity—the domain of rock stars and hippies—Lilias Fullan brought yoga into the living rooms of ordinary Americans through public television. Her long-running PBS series Lilias! Yoga and you It first aired in 1970 as a local program for the Cincinnati area, but quickly went national. For another 29 years, her signature clothes and long braids became familiar to viewers who bend, breathe and stretch with her.

Between the show, 11 videos and five books, Fullan has introduced yoga to thousands of people across the country. Her gentle, open-hearted style has conveyed the true spirit of the practice to viewers across the country, demonstrating that yoga is for everyone. She was inspired to teach yoga on television after watching Richard Hittleman’s yoga programs, and added a spiritual element, meditative silence, and her cheerful personality.

While her show made yoga accessible to the mainstream public, Phoolan’s own practice was founded on what she learned from yoga icons. I learned Vedanta philosophy and meditation with Swami Chidananda of the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, India. I also studied with TKV Desikachar and BKS Iyengartwo of the most influential yoga teachers in India. In 1998, Goswami Kriyananda, founder of the Kriya Yoga Temple, bestowed on her the title of Swami Kavitananda, “one who knows bliss through energy, movement and poetry.”

“You and I are about finding our spiritual hearts and giving them life,” she said in an interview with Yoga Journal. “Constant yoga practice blurs the boundaries that separate us from who we truly are—those boundaries that water cannot sink and fire cannot burn.”

Here, her thoughts on connecting with your inner “friend,” confronting body challenges, and finding joy in the journey.

Do you call yourself a spiritual seeker?

definitely. I have been an avid spiritual seeker since I was a little girl. My upbringing was very difficult. When it got really hard, I would go to the center of my chest, meeting my inner friend who would calm me down and connect me to something I had no words for. This is where I will heal. But when I was a teenager, I forgot my friend. Then I had a big crisis and thought: “I can solve this problem. I’ll go back inside.” When I did that, I couldn’t find my friend. Yoga brought me back to that inner friend that was always there. Yoga brought me home again.

How and when did you discover yoga?

I went to my doctor with a series of problems. He just said, “Ma’am, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re suffering from depression. Exercise.” I had a wonderful husband, two beautiful boys, a golden retriever, and a squeaky boat, and the question was, “Why am I not happy? What am I missing?” I decided to go to a Sivananda yoga class at the YWCA in Stamford, Connecticut. I stopped smoking, slept better, and gained more energy.

How did your TV show come about?

I was watching Richard Hittleman’s black and white shows with two beautiful, perfect women demonstrating yoga poses. And I thought: “I can do it better.” Then the wife of a local PBS producer took yoga classes. She told her husband that I would be perfect for a TV show.

What was it like to be part of something so groundbreaking?

I had a very good education from Sri Swami Chidananda, a teacher from the Sivananda lineage, and some wise teachers like Angela Farmer, Goswami Kriyananda, and Dr. Jane Houston. Their advice was that this was the service. Don’t hold on to the fruits of your actions, people write and get recognized on the streets, that kind of thing. It has become and continues to be a practice. It is sadhana, the spiritual practice.

Do you ever worry about how much yoga has grown since you started your show?

Is it losing its connection with the Sufis of the past in India? No, it will be as it will be. I really think everything is fine. Joy belongs to everyone.

What prompted you to write your book? Yoga gets better with age?

I wanted to share my journey. In 2005, I was 70 years old, and I practiced yoga differently. Some modes no longer meant much to me, but others did. The essence of the book is to show you how to intelligently work with your midlife body and beyond in a pain-free way. Then published in 2011 Lilias! Yoga: Your Guide to Enhancing Body, Mind, and Spirit in Midlife and Beyond.

Then came the cancer diagnosis in 2012.

About a year before I was diagnosed, my doctor said, “Lilias, slow down. You have to slow down; it’s starting to show up in your health.” Then to my great surprise, I had a mammogram and they found that cancer was knocking on my door.

As someone who has spent his life pursuing health and teaching others about it, what was your response?

I got into it like he was a teacher. And I was very serious about it. Cancer is a teacher. And they call them names teacher– They are the people in your life who teach you lessons you never thought you would have to learn. Nothing comes by chance. I made a promise over 40 years ago that if there were things I had to learn here, I would do them.

How do you maintain your high outlook?

How amazing to make this part of the journey – SadhanaThis practice. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel frustrated about it at all. If you leave this body tomorrow, glory, hallelujah. I know there is a next step. If you can breathe, we can do something. That’s always been kind of my motto. We will move forward and upward. Truly, joy in the journey.

Originally published on January 24, 2010. Updated and modified from articles by Andrea Ferretti (January 24, 2010) and Holly Hammond (August 28, 2007). The interview has been edited for clarity and length.