Satyananda Yoga Lineage

Historically in ancient India yogic teachings were kept secret and only ever passed on orally, from guru to disciple. While things are different today in that teachings are now more widely available, there still exists in Satyananda Yoga a lineage of spiritual masters who continue to pass on their knowledge and inspire thousands of people around the world. The current spiritual head of Satyananda Yoga is Swami Niranjananda Saraswati. The following Swamis make up the Satyananda Yoga Lineage:

Swami Sivananda

Swami Sivananda was born in Tamil Nadu, India in 1887. After serving as a medical doctor in Malayasia, he left his profession, went to the town of Rishikesh (which means “the abode of the sages”) in search of a guru and was initiated into Dashnami Sannyasa* in 1924 by Swami Vishwananda Saraswati. He toured intensively throughout India, inspiring people to practise yoga and lead a divine life. He founded the Divine Life Society at Rishikesh in 1936, the Sivananda Ayurvedic Pharmacy in 1945, the Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy in 1948 and the Sivananda Eye Hospital in 1957. Swami Sivananda died on 14th July 1963. During his lifetime he guided thousands of disciples and aspirants all over the world and authored over 200 books.

One of Swami Sivananda’s main goals was to break down the barriers which separated the needy from the teachings that could help them, whether this took the form of yoga for health, peace of mind or spiritual aspiration. This ideology continues to guide the work of the Satyananda branch of his lineage. Swami Sivananda’s teachings can be summed up in 6 words:

“Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise”

*In India ‘sannyasa’ is an ancient tradition in which people leave society to follow spiritual pursuits, and have no ties with society in any way. For a more comprehensive explanation see this article by Swami Niranjananda.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Swami Satyananda Saraswati is regarded as being one of the main forces responsible for bringing yoga to the west. Throughout his life his mission was the development of an integrated yoga system that is accessible to people of all ages, nationalities and creeds. He entered into Maha Samadhi on 6th December 2009 but continues to inspire thousands of yogis in India and around the world.

Swami Satyananda was born on 26th July 1923 in the village of Almora in the Himalayan foothills. He had a reasonably normal childhood but from a young age he had spiritual insights and experiences which were to inspire him throughout his life. At the age of 19 he left his home to go travelling in search of a guru. He wandered for many months before eventually reaching Rishikesh, where he met a man who advised him to go to Swami Sivananda. Upon hearing his name “Swamiji was filled with peace and he felt as if he had found his real home. So he immediately set out for Sivanandashram and arrived there on the morning of March 19th 1943“. Swami Satyananda adopted the sannyasa way of life and stayed in the ashram for 12 years, serving his guru and Swami Sivananda’s mission, The Divine Life Society.

In 1956 Swami Satyananda left the ashram in Rishikesh to travel throughout India as a wandering ascetic. He eventually found his way to Munger, Bihar, where in 1963 he founded the International Yoga Fellowship Movement and then a year later, the Bihar School of Yoga. Over the next 20 years Paramahamsa Satyananda toured internationally and became one of the world’s leading exponents of yoga and tantra. He had a vision to establish yoga as part of mainstream society. During this time he also authored over 80 books on yoga and spiritual life and initiated and trained thousands of sannyasins and karma sannyasins to further the yoga movement in India and abroad.

In 1987 Swami Satyananda founded Sivananda Math, a charitable institution for aiding rural development, and the Yoga Research Foundation, a medical and scientific institute. In 1988, after completing his duty to the yogic mission, he renounced all that he had created and opted to live the life of a paramahamsa sannyasin. From that time to his entering into Maha Samadhi on 6th December 2009, he lived a secluded life in Rikhia performing higher spiritual and vedic sadhanas. However, for one month a year he has opened his doors for festivals and satsangs when thousands of people would travel simply to hear him speak.

If you are interested in reading more about Swami Satyananda’s life click on the following links to articles in the online Satyananda yoga magazine:

• http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1993/djuly93/child.shtml
• http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1993/djuly93/seva.shtml

Swami Niranjananda Saraswati

Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati was born in Rajnandgaon (MP) in 1960. Both of his parents were disciples of Swami Satyananda, who foretold his birth and karma. When he was born he gave him his name ‘Niranjan’, meaning the’ untainted one’ or ‘the one who is simple and free from any kind of falsehood'. At only four years of Niranjan entered the ashram at Munger of his own accord and began his yogic training. He was initiated into the Dashnami Sannyasa tradition in 1970 by Swami Satyananda, and in 1971 he began travelling overseas, establishing Ashrams and Yoga Centres in Europe, Australia, North and South America.

In 1983 Swami Niranjananda returned to India and was appointed by Swami Satyananda as the Head of the Bihar School of Yoga. Over the next eleven years he spearheaded the research and development activities at Ganga Darshan, Shivananda Math and The Yoga Research Foundation. In 1990 Swami Satyananda initiated Swami Niranjananda in the tradition of Paramahamsa and in 1993 named him as his successor. A year later Swami Niranjananda founded the Bihar Yoga Bharati, an Institute for Advanced Studies in Yogic Sciences, and the Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal movement in 1995 to introduce children to yoga.

Author of many classic books on Yoga, Tantra and the Upanishads, Swami Niranjanananda at present divides his time between management of institutional activities (including the Bihar Yoga Bharati), national and international tours and residence at the Indian Head Office, Munger. He appointed Swami Surya Prakash as his successor, though the latter currently holds the administrative duties of the Ashram, while Swami Niranjan remains the spiritual guide.

Swami Niranjananda Saraswati early life:

http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1992/esep92/swan.shtml

Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati (Satsangi)

Please Note: The following text is taken from the Bihar School of Yoga website :

Swami Satsangi was born in 1953, in Chandorenagore, West Bengal. From the age of 22 she experienced a series of inner awakenings which led her to her guru, Swami Satyananda. From 1981 she traveled ceaselessly with her guru in India and overseas and developed into a scholar with deep insight into the yogic and tantric traditions as well as modern sciences and philosophies.

She is an efficient channel for the transmission of her guru's teachings. The establishment of Sivananda Math in Rikhia is her creation and mission, and she guides all its activities there, working tirelessly to uplift the weaker and underprivileged areas. She embodies compassion with clear reason and is the foundation of her guru's vision.