Practice of the Month
IYA plays key role in Women Empowerment seminar at SD College of Commerce 
The Indian Yoga Association (IYA), Uttar Pradesh Chapter, played a significant role in the Women Empowerment Seminar organized by the Institute Innovation Council (IIC) at SD College of Commerce. The event was a resounding success, bringing together experts and dignitaries to discuss critical issues surrounding...
Rajasthan SCC elects new executive committee 
A meeting of the Rajasthan State Executive Committee of the Indian Yoga Association (IYA), the primary organization uniting all yoga institutions in India, was held at Bappa Rawal Auditorium under the chairmanship of National General Secretary and Member of the Governing Council, Ministry of AYUSH,...
Grand Surya Namaskar program held across Rajasthan on Surya Saptami 
Under the joint initiative of the Government of Rajasthan and the Directorate of Education, Rajasthan, a statewide Surya Namaskar event was organized on the auspicious occasion of Surya Saptami on Monday, February 3, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM. This grand initiative aimed to...
Chandigarh SCC advances yoga initiatives and community welfare programs 
The Chandigarh State Chapter Committee (SCC) of the Indian Yoga Association (IYA) convened a meeting on February 1, 2025, under the chairmanship of Sh. Ajit Handa Ji. The session saw the active participation of a dedicated team of seven members, all committed to expanding yoga...
Yoga Shakti Sangamam: Celebrating Yogic Woman Power 
Women are the foundation of society, embodying strength, wisdom, and compassion. Their role in shaping families, communities, and cultural traditions is invaluable. Yoga Shakti Sangamam was an extraordinary gathering that celebrated the role of women in yoga, focusing on empowerment, equality, and transformation.The event brought...
Puducherry SCC celebrates International Women’s Day 2025 
The Indian Yoga Association (IYA), Puducherry Chapter organized a Regional Workshop on Women’s Health through Yoga on the March 15, 2025 in collaboration with College of Nursing, Indira Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute (CON, IGMC & RI), the Society of Midwives India – Puducherry...
UP SCC conducts State Conclave on Yogic Practice and Diet 
The Uttar Pradesh State Chapter Committee (UP SCC) of the Indian Yoga Association (IYA) successfully organized the State Conclave on Yogic Practice and Diet on February 15, 2025, at Udyan Bhavan, Sapru Marg, Lucknow. The event, held under the leadership of the newly appointed Chairperson,...
Yogmay Maharashtra: A grand Yoga Conclave by Maharashtra SCC 
The Indian Yoga Association – Maharashtra Chapter proudly hosted its first Yoga Conclave post-COVID on Sunday, 23rd February 2025, at Rama & Sundri Watumull Auditorium, K.C. College, Churchgate, Mumbai. The event witnessed an overwhelming response, with over 450 participants gathering to celebrate the essence of...
Anandam – Blissful Life: A Transformative Yoga Session in Utah 
The Nepalese Association of Utah (NAUT), USA, in collaboration with YogaPeace Sansthan, an Associate Centre of the Indian Yoga Association, successfully hosted a yoga session at the Krishna Temple, Utah. Led by renowned Yogacharya Dhakaram, the event, titled “Anandam – Blissful Life,” aimed to help...
Chandigarh SCC successfully organizes Yoga Events 
The Indian Yoga Association (IYA), Chandigarh Chapter, continues to inspire the community by successfully organizing two impactful yoga events in February 2025.The State Chapter conducted Yog Shivir in the open Green Public Park, Block-C, Aerocity, GMADA, under the leadership of Dr. Pardeep Agnihotri, Secretary, IYA...



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22 Apr 2025

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Swami Vishnudevananda (1927 – 1993) – Founder
Legacy Series

Swami Vishnudevananda (1927 – 1993) – Founder 

Born in 1927 in south India Swami Vishnudevananda was sent as a young man to the West in 1957 by his guru H.H. Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati Maharaj to spread the teachings of yoga, with the words ‘People are waiting…’ He founded, in Swami Sivananda’s name, the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres in 1959 in Canada and from there worked tirelessly as a spiritual teacher and peace missionary, setting up yoga centres and ashrams throughout the world.

The first ashram in India was set up in Kerala in 1978. He was the first to introduce the concept of a yoga vacation and the first to establish yoga teachers’ training courses in the West. Swami Vishnudevananda worked tirelessly to instill a strong, practical understanding of yoga and vedanta in the people who came to him. Through his dedication, his infinite love and kindness, his devotion to his Guru and his sheer undaunted fearlessness, he planted the seeds for yoga to grow into the world-wide phenomenon that it is today. His motto ‘Health is Wealth. Peace of Mind is Happiness. Yoga Shows the Way’ continues to inspire all who come to learn about yoga at the Sivananda Ashrams and Centres around the world.

As a peace activist during the 1970s he flew over war-torn countries of the world in his brightly-coloured two-seater plane dropping flowers and leaflets for peace. Recognised as a pioneering world authority on hatha and raja yoga, he is author of the bestselling The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga and Meditation and Mantras. His motto ‘Health is wealth. Peace of mind is happiness. Yoga shows the way’ underpins all the teachings of the organisation.


Lineage

Swami Sivananda (1887 – 1963)

A revered saint of modern times H.H. Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati Maharaj, a kaivalya advaita vedantin in the line of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, is the inspiration behind the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres. Born in south India he served for many years as a medical doctor before renouncing worldly life and establishing an ashram in Rishikesh in 1932. His mission was to serve humanity through yoga and in 1936 founded the Divine Life Society. He developed the Yoga of Synthesis, an amalgamation of the four paths of yoga that he summarised as: ‘Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realise.’ He is the author of more than 300 books on all aspects of yoga providing spiritual guidance to millions around the world. Though he never left his native India his teachings quickly spread internationally, leaving a legacy of love, peace and knowledge still unfolding today.

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