Swami Sivananda (1887-1963) was born in South India to a pious Brahmin family. He became medical doctor and hospital director during his pre-sannyas life in Malaysia. He found out that curing people of their physical ailments did not really solve the problem  human suffering and he started his quest to find the answers, becoming and wandering sadhu and starting practice intense tapas (austeritries) and meditation in Rishkesh, Himalayas. He became not only a doctor of the body but also a ‘’doctor of the soul’’. He founded the Sivananda ashram 1932 and the Divine Life Society in 1936 and published 200-300 books in English outlining practices for a spiritual life.

His teachings can be summarized in six words: ‘’Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realize. He attained Mahasamadhi in 1963. The government of India published a stamp in his honor for his 100 year birthday anniversary, as he is recognized as an authoritative teacher in classical Yoga. Swami Sivananda, foreseeing that the whole world would need Yoga teachings, wrote his books in English, accepted Western disciples. And sent some of his closest disciples to the West to teach Yoga. One of his foremost disciples is Swami Visnu- devanda, whome he sent to America in 1957 with the words: ‘’Go to America, people are waiting.

Swami Visnudevandna (1927-1993) was born in Kerala, South India, and took sannyas under Swami Sivananda at age 21, Master Sivananda nominated him as ”Hatha Yoga professor” at an early age, recognizing his extraordinary talents in his field. Swami Vishnu-devananda stayed with his Master in Rishikesh for 10 years before he was sent to America in 1957 to spread the teachings of Yoga and Vedanta to the masses. He was pioneer in teaching the Yogic Lifestyle of the five points, and introduced the West to the concept of Yoga Vacations, Yoga Teachers Training courses, and Yoga Children’s camp.

His approach was classical yet practical, adapted to modern needs and lifestyles. He is the author of the best selling Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, translated into more than a dozen languages around the world. He also authored  Meditation and Mantras as well as wrote commentary to Swami Swatmarama’s Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Swami founded the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers with a dozen ashrams and 30-40 centers around the world.  In 1969 he also founded the True World Order to train new leaders in inner Peace. Thus Swami Swamiji and the Sivananda organization have trained  20,000 Yoga teachers around the world and continue to reach millions. Swami was a world renowned  Peace missionary famous for his dangerous peace mission flights around the world to where the actual conflicts were taking place, such as Suez Canal, Belfast, Pakistan, Berlin Wall etc. Swamiji tirelessly brought to mankind  the message of ”Unity and Diversity” and ”Health is wealth, peace of mind is happiness, and yoga shows the way.” He attained Mahasamadhi in 1993 in India.