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Born in South India in 1887,Swami Sivananda’s driving force, even as a young man, was the service of humanity. For this reason, he became a medical doctor. He served the poor in Malaysia for many years, but felt that this was not enough.
In 1923, God prompted the young doctor to renounce the world. He returned to India and spent a year wandering before settling in Rishikesh (in the Himalayas) to do intense spiritual practices. For the next 7 years,Swami Sivananda spent most of his time in meditation. Yet even during this period he served the sick in a small medical clinic which he established.
Slowlydisciples started to gather around him. In 1936 the Divine Life Society was founded to disseminate spiritual knowledge.
Swami Sivananda wrote more than 300 books.. Swami Sivananda entered
Mahasamadhi (left his physical body on july 14,1963. |
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Born in south India in 1927, Swami Vishnu-devananda “accidentally” came to know of the teachings of Sivananda while looking for a lost paper. He founded a copy of the Master’s Sadhana Tattwa (Spiritual Instruction) which began with: “An ounce of practice is wosrth tons of theory. Practice Yoga , religion and philosophy in daily life and attain Self-Realization”.
This impressed the young man so much that he went to Rishikesh to meet his Master. He took Sannyas and stayed at the Sivananda Ashram for 12 years. In 1957 Swami Vishnu-devananda was sent to the West by his teacher with the words “People are waiting”. Swami Vishnu-devananda is the founder of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres with headquarters in Val Morin, Quebec, Canada (50 miles north of Montreal). He was also the inspiration behind the ‘Sivananda Companion to Yoga’ (also know as the ‘Book of Yoga’).
Swamiji attained Mahasamadhi on November 9,1993. |
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To know more about them visit www.sivananda.org
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Vishnu Bharath Yoga Kalai Koodam.
Centre opened in Chennai in 1997. by yoga Acharya N.K Marudha Muthu, follower of Swami Sivananda. It’s aim is to promote the use of the ancient science of Yoga for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being and to thereby create a more peaceful world.
Whilst following the traditional teachings, Swami Sivananda and Swami Vishnu-devananda created practical approaches to Yoga that can be easily adopted in daily life as little or as much as one wishes according to individual circumstances.
What Is Yoga?
Yoga Means Union
Although many people think this term refers to union between body and mind or body, mind and spirit, the traditional acceptance is union between the Jivatman and Paramatman that is between one's individual consciousness and the Universal Consciousness.
Therefore Yoga refers to a certain state of consciousness as well as to methods that help one reach that goal or state of union with the divine.
The 5 Points of Yoga :
There are hundreds or more of such techniques and therefore as many different Yogas. In order to simplify and clarify the topic, Swami Vishnu-devananda summarized the vast science of Yoga into 5 principles of Yoga which are easy to understand and to include in one's daily life.
These five points are: Proper Exercise; Proper Breathing; Proper Relaxation; Proper Diet; and Positive Thinking & Meditation.
The Four Paths of Yoga:
The various Yogic practices have been traditionally classified into the four Margas (paths). These four paths are:
Jnana Yoga or Jnana Marga which is the Yoga of wisdom and develops the Intellect or will Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of devotion, opens the heart Karma Yoga, the path of action of selfless service.
Raja Yoga, the royal or psychological which involves the mind. A branch of Raja Yoga which is Hatha Yoga which prepares the Yogi for the higher stages of Raja Yoga.
Sivananda Yoga, the Yoga of Synthesis
Swami Sivananda recognised that every Yogi, or human being for that matter, possesses and identifies with each of these elements: Intellect, heart, body and mind. He therefore advocated everyone to practice certain techniques from each path. This came to be known as the Yoga of Synthesis. He also taught that in accordance with individual temperament and taste one can emphasize the practice of certain Yogas over others.
"HEALTH IS WEALTH, PEACE OF MIND IS HAPPINESS, YOGA SHOWS THE WAY" - Sri Swami Vishnu-devananda
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