Our Lineage
From India to Vietnam
The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, founded by Swami Vishnudevananda under the guidance of Swami Sivananda, has grown since 1959 into a worldwide network of nearly 60 centers and ashrams. Recognized for its authentic yoga teachings, the organization has trained more than 53,000 yoga teachers and offers a wide range of programs, including opportunities for personal transformation through Karma Yoga selfless service.
Sivananda Yoga has a long history in Asia. On his first journey to the West, Swami Vishnudevananda stopped in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, and the Philippines, helping establish the foundations of Sivananda Yoga throughout the region. Today, these teachings continue to flourish in those countries—as well as in Vietnam—carrying forward his vision of peace, health, and spiritual awakening.
Swami Sivananda
(1887–1963)
Swami Sivananda was a medical doctor with a deep commitment to healing who left his profession to become a monk and a “doctor of the soul.” Realizing that physical medicine alone could not fully relieve human suffering, he embarked on a spiritual quest in the Himalayas, dedicating himself to meditation, austerity, and the study of Yoga and Vedanta. He later founded the Sivananda Ashram in 1932 and the Divine Life Society in 1936.
A prolific teacher and author, Swami Sivananda wrote more than 200 books on Yoga and Vedanta, along with numerous works on health and well-being. His teachings integrate the four classical paths of yoga—Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Jnana Yoga—into a practical and accessible system for spiritual growth and daily life. His core teaching is expressed through the simple yet transformative guidance: “Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize.”
Recognizing the growing global need for Yoga, Swami Sivananda trained many disciples from around the world, including Swami Vishnudevananda, whom he sent to share these teachings internationally.
"Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize."
-Swami Sivananda-
Life of Swami Sivananda
A Soul Born for Service
Rooted in Tradition, Guided by Unity
Born on September 8, 1887, into an illustrious family in Tamil Nadu, South India, Swami Sivananda displayed spiritual tendencies from an early age. Though playful and mischievous as a child, he was also deeply loving, generous, and compassionate. He showed a natural inclination toward the study and practice of Vedanta, together with an innate desire to serve others and a profound sense of unity with all life. Despite his orthodox upbringing, he was remarkably broad-minded and free from prejudice.
From a young age, service to humanity was the guiding force of his life. Drawn by this ideal, he became a medical doctor and spent many years serving the poor in Malaysia. During this time, he also edited a health journal and wrote extensively on health and well-being. Over time, however, he came to realize that physical healing alone could not fully relieve human suffering.
Becoming a Monk
and a “Doctor” of the Soul
It was through divine grace and God’s blessing that this healer of body and mind renounced his medical career and embraced the spiritual life. He returned to India and spent a year wandering before settling in Rishikesh, in the Himalayas, in 1924. There, he practised intense austerities and spiritual disciplines. The young seeker eventually found his guru, Swami Vishwananda, and was initiated into sannyāsa, receiving the name Swami Sivananda Saraswati.
Meditating in Silence,
Serving Through Action
For the next seven years, Swami Sivananda devoted most of his time to meditation. Even during this period, however, he continued serving the sick through a small medical clinic he had established. Gradually, disciples began to gather around him. From the early 1930s onward, Swami Sivananda undertook frequent and extensive tours throughout India, inspiring thousands through his spiritual magnetism, resonant voice, and powerful oratory.
Wherever he went, he conducted saṅkīrtan (devotional chanting), delivered lectures, and taught people how to maintain strength and health through the practice of yoga āsanas, prāṇāyāma, and kriyās. Above all, he encouraged his audiences to strive constantly for spiritual growth.
Serving the World from the Himalayas
A Sanctuary of Divine Life
Meanwhile, in Rishikesh, an increasing number of disciples began to gather around Swami Sivananda, and an āśrama gradually grew around him. Through his boundless generosity, spirit of selfless service, deep devotion, and constant good humour, Swami Sivananda set a supreme example for his students. In 1932, he founded the Sivananda Ashram, and in 1936 the Divine Life Society was established. The Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy was organised in 1948. One of his central aims was the dissemination of spiritual knowledge and the training of aspirants in yoga and vedānta.
The Synthesis of Yoga is one of Swami Sivananda’s core teachings, showing the way to balance and harmonise the personality through the practice of Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Jñāna Yoga. This sacred teaching is dedicated to all seekers of Truth and Bliss.
Swami Sivananda’s life was a radiant example of service to humanity, both during his years as a doctor and later as a world-renowned sage and jīvanmukta. To serve all, love all, mix with all, and see God in all beings were ideals that he both taught and embodied.
Swami Sivananda’s teachings crystallised the essential truths underlying all religions, integrating the various paths of yoga into one — the Yoga of Synthesis. He expressed this vision in the words: “Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise.” His own life was a shining example of selfless service and karma yoga. To Swami Sivananda, all work was sacred, and no task was too humble. He tirelessly sought opportunities to serve and help others, never postponing what needed to be done.
Swami Sivananda was the author of more than two hundred books, through which he spread his message of love and service throughout the world. He attained Mahāsamādhi in 1963. In recognition of his immense contribution, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in honour of the centenary of his birth, acknowledging him as one of the great authorities on classical Yoga.
Foreseeing that the whole world would one day need Yoga, Swami Sivananda wrote his books in English, welcomed Western disciples, and sent some of his closest students to the West to teach Yoga. Among his foremost disciples was Swami Vishnudevananda, whom he sent to America in 1957 with the words: “Go to America, people are waiting.”
Swami Vishnudevananda
(1927–1993)
Swami Vishnudevananda was sent by his Master, Swami Sivananda, to America in 1957 to spread the teachings of Yoga and Vedanta to the wider world. He was a pioneer in teaching the yogic lifestyle based on the Five Points of Yoga and introduced the West to the concepts of Yoga Vacations, Yoga Teacher Training Courses, and Yoga Camps for Children.
His approach was both classical and practical, thoughtfully adapted to modern needs and lifestyles. He was the author of the best-selling The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, which has been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide.
Swamiji founded the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and also established the True World Order to help train a new generation of leaders grounded in inner peace. He was also a world-renowned peace missionary who tirelessly shared the message of “Unity in Diversity” and “Health is wealth, peace of mind is happiness, and Yoga shows the way.” He attained Mahāsamādhi in India in 1993.
"Health is wealth, peace of mind is happiness, and Yoga shows the way"
—Swami Vishnudevananda
Life of Swami Vishnudevananda
Intensive Practice
Seclusion in Uttarkashi, Himalayas
Shortly after taking sannyāsa, Swamiji felt a strong need for solitude and intense spiritual practice. With the permission of his Master, he travelled on foot to Uttarkashi in the Himalayas. There, he found a small cottage in which to pursue his sādhana. He practised āsanas and prāṇāyāma four times daily, each session lasting four hours. The Ganges flowed before the cottage, where he bathed and performed kriyās. His diet consisted only of rice and lentils.
After three months of intense austerities, it was time to return to the āśrama. Swamiji then threw himself into his work with renewed energy and enthusiasm. He was filled with creative ideas and possessed the determination to bring them into action.
Once, his Master said to him, “Vishnu Swami, now I see your kuṇḍalinī rising. When this happens, the mind is flooded with inspiration.”
The Journey West: “People Are Waiting”
One day, Swami Sivananda gave Swamiji a ten-rupee note (worth less than a dollar at the time) along with his blessings to travel to the West and spread the teachings of Yoga and Vedānta. “People are waiting,” were the words of the Master.
After leaving India for the West, Swami Vishnudevananda spent a year travelling before arriving on the west coast of America in 1957. It soon became apparent to him that many people in the West were so caught up in the whirlwind of modern life that they neither knew how to relax nor how to maintain healthy lifestyles. In response, Swami Vishnudevananda developed the concept of the Yoga Vacation and set about creating places where people could find complete rest for body, mind, and spirit.
By closely observing the lifestyles and needs of people in the West, Swami Vishnudevananda distilled the ancient wisdom of Yoga into five basic principles that could easily be incorporated into daily life as the foundation for health and inner balance: Proper Exercise, Proper Breathing, Proper Relaxation, Proper Diet (vegetarian), and Meditation and Positive Thinking.
A Vision for Peace, A Life of Unity
In 1969 he found the True World Order to help create unity and understanding between peoples of the world. A unique Yoga Teacher Training Course was developed with the aim of training future leaders and responsible citizens in the basics of yoga discipline. Swami Vishnudevananda emphasized the importance of first finding individual inner peace which could then lead to establishing global peace and harmony.
The first Sivananda Yoga Teachers' Training Course was held in 1969 at the Sivananda Yoga Camp headquarters in Val Morin, Quebec, Canada and to date more than 45,000 people have graduated successfully from the course – many having gone on to spread the teachings of yoga around the world.
Mission
Beyond
Borders
In 1968, Swami Vishnudevananda had a vision of the world engulfed in fire, with people fleeing in turmoil and breaking down the barriers between nations in an attempt to escape. From that moment onward, he embarked on a series of peace missions to demonstrate that “the idea of nationalism or patriotism must disappear, and only one unity should exist.”
Swamiji tirelessly shared with humanity the message of “Unity in Diversity” and taught that “Health is wealth, peace of mind is happiness, Yoga shows the way.”
Before entering Mahāsamādhi in 1993, he appointed a board of seven senior disciples as Āchāryas to guide and uphold the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres worldwide.
An Enduring Legacy
Swami Vishnudevananda was an innovator and pioneer in the dissemination of the classical Yoga teachings he learned from his Master, Swami Sivananda, to whom he dedicated his life’s work. He demystified Yoga and offered clear, practical techniques to help people spiritualize their lives and attain health, mental balance, and inner peace.
Perhaps his greatest contribution was the popularization of Yoga philosophy and practice throughout the West through the establishment of a worldwide network of Centres and Ashrams that made Yoga accessible to all. A key element in bringing Yoga into mainstream culture was the founding of the Sivananda Teachers’ Training Courses in 1969, designed to train students in the essence of Yoga and Vedanta. He encouraged his teachers to be practitioners, not mere preachers, and today thousands of graduates are teaching throughout the world.
Swami Vishnudevananda often said, “Before you can change the world, first you have to change yourself. The only way to change society is like changing a cotton cloth to a silk one — by changing each thread one by one.” Through this vast network of Yoga teachers, positive change continues to spread throughout society.
The International Sivananda Organization has actively carried forward his teaching mission in many countries, including Vietnam, where Swami Sitaramananda — a devoted disciple since 1982 — continues to carry the light of his mission forward with unwavering dedication.
Swami Sitaramananda
Born in 1953 in Dalat, Vietnam
Swami Sitaramananda, a native of Vietnam, has been a disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda since 1982 and serves as the Āchārya of Asia for the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, overseeing Sivananda Centres across East and Southeast Asia, as well as on the West Coast of the United States.
She is especially dedicated to supporting mental and emotional well-being through the transformative practices of Yoga and meditation.
Her life reflects more than 40 years of teaching, dedication, and service to spread the ancient methods of yoga to bring Health and Peace to the world, motivated by a profound love for humanity.
As a guiding light for many yogis in Vietnam and across Asia, she offers spiritual strength and clarity, bringing hope and healing to those seeking peace amid the stress and challenges of modern life.
"Remembering who we are is the path to Self Healing.
Every practice is aimed at this purpose."
— Swami Sitaramananda
A Life of Dedication
Four Decades of Continuous Teaching
Swami Sitaramananda has more than 40 years of experience teaching classical Yoga around the world. She is the author of several books, including Essentials of Yoga Practice and Philosophy — translated into Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese — as well as The Positive Thinking Manual, The Meditation Manual, 108 Health Tips in Yoga, Guru’s Grace, Selfless Love: 4 Truths and 7 Practices, and two volumes of poetry. She also recently authored Yoga Sadhana for Self-Healing, a 400+ page guide rooted in the Sivananda lineage.
Carrying the Flame of Her Guru
Planting Seeds of Peace
Swami Sitaramananda has played a significant role in spreading Sivananda Yoga throughout Asia, continuing the mission of her Guru, Swami Vishnudevananda. Over the decades, she has taught extensively in Japan, home to two Sivananda Centres; Taiwan, which hosts an affiliated Ashram; and China, where several Teachers’ Training Courses have been conducted, training many Yoga teachers. She also taught regularly in India over a period of 18 years.
Since 2010, the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Resort and Training Center in Dalat, together with its affiliated centres, has trained thousands of Yoga teachers each year and become a sanctuary for people from Vietnam and around the world — a place for retreat, self-healing, recovery, and the rediscovery of peace amid the stresses and challenges of modern life.
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life
Training Health Educators, Inspiring Seekers
Swami Sitaramananda founded the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training Program, an 800-hour, two-year course that equips students with traditional yogic tools for natural healing and holistic well-being.
She is also the author of Yoga Sadhana for Self-Healing, a comprehensive guide rooted in the Sivananda lineage. Drawing from Vedantic wisdom and her own healing journey, the book offers a practical and spiritual approach to health, balance, and inner well-being, empowering seekers to heal and find peace through conscious yogic living.
