Nonfiction author and novelist Gudjon Bergmann has a varied background. You could refer to him as an author, a professional speaker, a mindful yoga teacher, a devoted father, a meditation practitioner, a logical thinker, a recovering alcoholic, a loving husband, an entrepreneur, a music enthusiast, an avid reader, or a nature aficionado. Al.... more
Nonfiction author and novelist Gudjon Bergmann has a varied background. You could refer to him as an author, a professional speaker, a mindful yoga teacher, a devoted father, a meditation practitioner, a logical thinker, a recovering alcoholic, a loving husband, an entrepreneur, a music enthusiast, an avid reader, or a nature aficionado. All terms would describe the Icelandic-born US citizen. He has evolved over the years, from being rebellious during his music years, to becoming a practical teacher during his how-to years, to his current position, as an instigator of dialogues, both in person and in print.
At the beginning of his career in the nineties, Bergmann got involved in all things music. He was a radio DJ, a singer, songwriter, PR liaison, music critic, and agent. If it had something to do with music, Bergmann was involved. He even played Riff Raff in a production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Alas, his love for music and theater meant that he also fully embraced the rock ‘n roll lifestyle—a fact that eventually caught up with him.
When Bergmann quit smoking in 1996 and began helping others to do the same, he slowly started revising the course of his life. Instead of spending his time puffing cigarettes, he read books. That turned into hundreds of books devoured years down the road. The real turning point, however, came on September 11, 1999, when Bergmann realized that his Jekyll and Hyde lifestyle—teaching yoga and taking care of children at a daycare center during the week, while partying hard on the weekends—could not go on anymore. He quit drinking alcohol and embraced healthier ways of living.
Bergmann began studying motivational methods, such as goal setting and time management, alongside Eastern practices, such as yoga and meditation. Answering a call to serve others, he soon became a well-known yoga teacher and motivational speaker in his home country of Iceland. He made an effort to provide the best available self-improvement techniques in a down-to-earth manner. Appearing in all forms of media, his passion for service quickly made him well-known within the 300,000 plus island nation.
Ever the book lover, Bergmann continued reading a variety of books, and, in 2005, he was turned onto the integral work of Ken Wilber. In the years that followed, he read every one of Wilber’s books and began substituting simple motivational techniques for an integral approach. By 2012, Bergmann was no longer content with presenting one-size-fits-all solutions. Rather, he promoted nuanced approaches to personal development and emphasized self-reliance.
After turning forty, Bergmann realized that he was no longer the how-to teacher that he was in his late twenties and throughout his thirties. Rather than approaching people by saying, “Do this,” he found himself saying, “Hey, have you thought about this?” He also realized that techniques fell short if they were not embraced with intellectual understanding and that stories were often the best medium for complete comprehension. As a result, he turned to writing fiction. His first novel, titled The Meditating Psychiatrist Who Tried to Kill Himself (2016), reflects varied experiences and encourages the reader to think about spirituality and personal development from several different angles. Bergmann still teaches mindful yoga and meditation when asked, but prefers to engage in lively dialogues about modern spirituality and the dark sides that few other teachers and authors seem to be addressing.
Gudjon was born in 1972 in Reykjavik, Iceland, to parents Gudlaugur and Gudrun Bergmann. He met his wife, Johanna Boel, in 2000 and they got married in 2001. Together, they have two children, Daniel, 2002, and Hanna, 2008. In 2009, they found out that Johanna had been a US citizen from birth without knowing it—Bergmann wrote about this in his memoir titled You Can’t Have the Green Card—and consequently they decided to move to the USA in 2010. Bergmann became a US citizen in 2013. He currently lives in Kyle, TX.
Bibliography
- Jóga fyrir byrjendur (Yoga for Beginners) 2001, Iceland
- Jóga og íþróttir (Yoga and Sports) 2002, Iceland
- Jafnvægi í gegnum orkustöðvarnar (Balance Through the Chakras) 2002, Iceland
- Jóga með Guðjóni Bergmann (Yoga with Gudjon Bergmann, DVD) 2003, Iceland
- Þú getur hætt að reykja (You Can Quit Smoking) 2003, Iceland
- Hreysti, hamingja, hugarró (Health, Happiness, Peace of Mind) 2004, Iceland
- The Seven Human Needs, 2006
- Þú ert það sem þú hugsar (You Become What You Think About) 2007, Iceland (best seller)
- Dropinn (The Drop, a children’s book) 2008, Iceland
- Living in the Spirit of Yoga, 2010
- Create a Safe Space, 2010
- Know Thyself: Yoga Philosophy Made Accessible, 2011
- Yes! You Can Manage Stress, 2011
- Quit Smoking and Be Free, 2011
- The Author’s Blueprint, 2012
- Balance: The Seven Human Needs Simplified, 2013
- The Presenter’s Blueprint, 2013
- Empowerment Basics, 2013
- You Can’t Have the Green Card, 2014
- Baby Steps to Meditation, 2014
- More Likely to Quote Star Wars than the Bible, 2015
- Trans-Rational Spirituality, 2015
- The Meditating Psychiatrist Who Tried to Kill Himself: A Novel, 2016