Sivananda

Sivananda Saraswati (or Swami Sivananda) (8 September 1887 – 14 July 1963) was a Hindu spiritual teacher and a proponent of Yoga and Vedanta.

He was the founder of the Divine Life Society (DLS) in 1936, Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy (1948) and author of over 200 books on yoga, Vedanta, and a variety of subjects. He established Sivananda Ashram, the headquarters of the DLS, on the bank of the Ganges at Sivanandanagar, 1.9 miles from Rishikesh.

Sivananda Yoga, the yoga form propagated by his disciple Vishnudevananda, is now spread in many parts of the world through Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres. These centres are not affiliated with Sivananda's ashrams, which are run by the Divine Life Society.

The Sivananda training system aims to retain the vitality of the body and decrease chance of disease, by simply and naturally cultivating the body.

The system philosophies are summarized in 5 principles.

* Proper exercise: Asanas

* Proper breathing: Pranayama

* Proper relaxation: Savasana

* Proper diet: Vegetarian. A yogic diet is encouraged, limited to sattvic foods, void of rajasic foods as well as tamasic foods

* Positive thinking and meditation: Vedanta and Dhyana

The Universal Doctrine

The Universal Path
of Spirituality