Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and their son Dr Kausthub continue India. His ‘Art of Living’ courses are
his illustrious legacy through their being run all over the country and the
Krishnamacharya Healing and Yoga world by his disciples and have
Foundation also located in Chennai. become the Mantra for the upper
Sri Pattabhi Jois of Mysore another of classes and professionals. His
the great disciples of Krishnamacharya movement has been likened to a
has codified the system of Ashtanga second coming of the TM movement.
Vinyasa Yoga based on the Yoga
A recent mega Guru from South India
Korunta. This is claimed to be an
is Sri Jaggi Vasudev of Coimbatore,
ancient text that few have seen in
commonly known as Sadhguru. He
which the system is delineated.
founded the Isha Foundation, a non-
Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga has become a
profit organisation which offers Yoga
craze in the west with its vigorous
programs around the world and is also
nature ideal for those who ‘want to
involved in various social and
achieve something!’ His grandson is
community development activities,
continuing his work in taking this
which have resulted in it being
system of vigorous Hatha Yoga to the
granted special consultative status
west. Padma Vibhushan BKS Iyengar
with the Economic and Social Council
settled in Pune and his influence in
of the United Nations. The Isha
western India is described later. It is
Foundation was founded in 1992 and
interesting that these three disciples of
is based at the Isha Yoga Center near
the same lineage (Krishnamacharya)
Coimbatore, India and at the Isha
have codified quite different systems
Institute of Inner Sciences at
of Yoga though their Guru Parampara
McMinnville, Tennessee in the United
was the same.
States. It offers Yoga programs under
One of the most famous Gurus of the name Isha Yoga. The Isha Yoga
modern times has been Sri Satya Sai Center houses the Dhyanalinga Yogic
Baba of Puttaparthi in Andhra temple, a space for meditation that
Pradesh. His Prashanthi Nilayam does not ascribe to any particular faith
Ashram at Puttaparthi as well the or belief system and was consecrated
Ashram at Whitfield in Bangalore are by Sadhguru in 1999.
his main centres while he has
In Kerala the Bhakti Yoga movement
thousands of centres all over the
has flourished in Anandashram at
world. Though not a Yoga Guru in the
Kanhangad. Founded in 1928 by
true sense he has been a master of
Swami (Papa) Ramdas, this Ashram
Siddhis or psychic accomplishments.
continues to serve aspirants on the
Another recent Mega Guru, Sri Ravi
path of self-realization. Swami
Shankar at Bangalore was a disciple of
Ramdas and Mother Krishnabhai both
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and with his
attained Samadhi through Bhakti for
Sudharshan Kriya (a specialized
Lord Rama and Swami Satchidananda
breathing technique) and his new age
who has been a devotee of Ramadas
ideology has captivated the hip
since 1947 now runs this Ashram.
population of India to a great extent.
Swami Atmananda (1889-1971) was a
His Art of Living has captured the
pioneer in introducing the Yogic and
imagination of many prominant
Vendantic concepts to the Malayalam
personalities of the high society of
sports and bring forth a standard have for various medical disorders is to be
been achieved to some extent. His highly appreciated. A physicist by
work with Swami Gitananda as well as training Sri UA Asrani was another
Shri Gurupriya in Italy has paved the scientist who had a great role in the
way for the International Yoga Yoga work at BHU before he settled
Federation that conducts Yogasana down in Lucknow.
Championships all over the world
Swami Sivananda Saraswati, a
with great success.
medical doctor from south India
settled in Rishikesh after Sanyas and
NORTHEASTERN INDIA founded the Sivananda Ashram in
1932 and the Divine Life Society in
Swami Sivananda of Guwahati and the 1936. He started the Yoga Vedanta
Vivekananda Kendra have been Forest Academy in 1948 and trained
instrumental along with the many hundreds of students. Swami
Ramakrishna Mission in keeping the Shivananda tried to simplify the Yogic
Indian culture as well as Yoga alive in and Vendantic concepts in practical
the North Eastern part of India that is tips for the modern man. His disciples
sadly neglected even in the field of have spread his unique teachings that
Yoga. Animesh Dhar has also been are a combination of Yoga and
doing a good job with his time Vedanta throughout the world. Swami
effective Yoga in this zone. Chinmayananda went on to found the
Chinmaya Mission that has done great
work in bring the Bhagavad Gita to the
NORTHERN INDIA
common man. Swami
Banaras Hindu University has been Vishnudevananda founded the
actively involved in Yoga Research, Shivananda Ashram in Canada as well
therapy as well as Yoga Education as at Nayar dam in Kerala. Swami
thorough the Yoga Sadhana Kendra in Chidananda helped to establish the
Malaviya Bhawan. Prof TR Divine life society as a world order
Anantharaman who was the director, through his dedicated and selfless
Institute of Technology, BHU and the service while Swami Satchidananda
president of the Indian Academy of and Swami Jyothirmayananda took
Yoga has contributed immensely to Shivananda’s teachings to the west
the union of ancient Yoga and Modern and established centers in Yogaville
science through his literary works and and Miami respectively. Swami
lectures all over India and the world. Satyananda founded the Bihar School
He now runs the Ashram Atmadeep in of Yoga in Munger and also the
Gurgaon near Delhi. Prof Dr KN Sivananda Mutt at Ganga Darshan.
Udupa who was the professor of Swami Venkateshananda also took his
surgery and director of the Institute of teachings to various part of the world
Medical Sciences and Prof RH Singh while Swami Krishnanada carried on
the Professor of Kaya Chikitsa have the Guru’s tradition at Rishikesh itself.
contributed early research works on These are only are a few of the very
Yoga that have set a standard for other well known disciples who have carried
researchers in the field. Their work in forth the name and fame of their great
establishing Yoga therapy protocols Guru.
deemed university. He was assisted in the three bodies (physical, subtle, and
this work by numerous disciples, both causal) by incorporating selected
Indian and American, including asanas and pranayams along with
MahamandaleshvaraSwami Veda chanting of mantras. These Pragya
Bharati (1933-2015) who built his own Yoga asanas and Pragya Sadhana were
ashram, Swami Rama Sadhakagram, proposed by Yug Rishi Pt. Shriram
in Rishkesh in 2004, Pandit Rajmani Sharma Acharya (1911-1990; Patron
Tigunait, who assumed spiritual founder-Shantikunj) to deal with
directorship of the Honesdale Institute contemporary health and stress related
in the U.S., Swami JnaneshvaraBharati issues. The university under the aegis
the creator of the excellent Yoga and teachings of its Guru, Pt. Shriram
website www.swamij.com, and Swami Sharma Acharya, and his discipline
Veda Bharati’s successor Swami Dr. Pranav Pandya (Chancellor,
Ritavan Bharati, the current Ashram DSVV) is achieving many accolades on
Pramukh of Swami Rama Sadhaka the academic and applied fronts in the
Gram and spiritual preceptor of the field of Yoga and is duly recognized
Association of Himalayan Yoga and well accredited by UGC, ISO, and
Societies International (AHYMSIN) NAAC for its achievements.
founded by Swami Veda Bharati.
One of the biggest influences on Yoga
Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya in india during the past few decades
(DSVV) in Haridwar is a university has been Baba Ramdev who was born
dedicated towards the confluence of as Ramkrishna Yadav in 1965, in
traditional education with science and Alipur village of Mahendragarh
spirituality. It aims to promote and district, of Haryana. He is famous for
propagate the scientific and popularizing Yoga among Indians
philosophical aspects of Yoga through through the medium of television and
its several courses (Certificate, his mass Yoga camps. His Yoga camps
Diploma, UG, PG, and PhD), are attended by thousands of people
researches, conferences and and he has taught many celebrities.
workshops. The university has three
He became a very well-known Yoga
designated centers-Center of Human
teacher and in 2003 he began
Consciousness & Yogic Sciences,
appearing on Aastha TV in a series
Center of Holistic Health
promoting Yoga. The show proved to
Management, and the Center of
be very popular with the audiences
Complementary & Alternative
and he gained a large following. He
Medicine, focusing on Yoga, Yagya,
established Divya Yoga Mandir Trust
Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Panchkarma,
in 1995 along with Acharya Balkrishna
Pranic Healing, Psychotheraphy,
who is an Ayurveda expert. The
Biofeedback, Homeopathy, Unani,
headquarters of the trust is at the
Diet-Nutrition, Spiritual healing and
Kripalu Bagh Ashram of Haridwar. He
modern medicinal techniques to
founded Patanjali Yogpeeth in
spread awareness, prevent, and fight
Haridwar which is one of the largest
disorders.
Yoga institutes in India.
The signature Yogic tradition followed
The main purpose of the institute is to
and propagated here is Pragya Yoga, a
promote and develop Yoga and
holistic system for healthy tuning of all