Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashrams & Centres, India is dedicated to the teaching of classical yoga and vedanta to promote physical, mental and spiritual health. Recognised as one of the most important and authentic yoga institutions in the world, our network of Ashrams and City Centres in India offer teachings on all aspects of yoga and meditation-including our world-renowned teacher training courses and yoga vacation. Our founder Swami Vishnudevananda synthesised the four traditional paths of yoga into five principles that could be easily incorporated into daily life. Our core teachings, passed from guru to disciple in an unbroken chain to the present day, make the wisdom of the ancient sages easily accessible to beginners and the more experienced alike. These traditional teachings have been and are the mainstay of the teachings of our organisation.

Swami Sivananda, the inspiration behind our organisation, had disciples around the world, owing largely to his having written so many books in English. Swami Vishnudevananda was later able to further his guru’s vision by travelling to the west in steps, teaching and establishing communities of dedicated yoga practitioners everywhere he visited.

Swami Sivananda served the poor as a medical doctor in Malaysia for many years. It was here that a chance encounter with a Sadhu ignited the dormant spirituality in him and he felt that he wanted to serve humanity in a deeper way than just caring for the physical body.

Swami Vishnudevananda visited and taught in Malaysia as he made his way towards North America in the late 1950s, teaching classes for army personnel. It is here that Swamiji was taught to fly and obtained his pilot’s license. This important step set the stage for Swamiji’s later peace missions in the 1970s and 80s.

While in Malaysia, Swamiji began writing a book which would later become The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, a comprehensive book on the practices which is sometimes referred to as the “Bible of Yoga”.

For the first time we are offering dedicated yoga programmes online for students in Malaysia. These programmes provide an opportunity to connect with teachers and students from India to learn and practice yoga together.