Swami Satyananda Saraswati (1923-2009) was born in Almora (North India). In 1943, he travelled to Rishikesh, where he met Swami Sivananda and took initiation into the Dashnami sannyasa tradition. For the next twelve years he immersed himself fully in ashram life, working and training under Swami Sivananda. In 1955 he departed the ashram to wander throughout India as a parijaka (wandering mendicant), in search of his life’s mission. Inspired by Swami Sivananda’s integral approach to yoga, he founded the International Yoga Fellowship Movement (1956) and Bihar School of Yoga (1963). These two institutions formed a firm base for the dissemination of yoga. In later years, he also founded the Yoga Research Foundation (1984) and the charitable institution, Sivananda Math (1984) in memory of his guru.
For twenty years, from the 1960s to the 1980s, Swami Satyananda developed his unique system of yoga and travelled the world to spread his teachings. At the same time he conducted medical and scientific research into the benefits and various applications of yoga. This research formed the material for over eighty books on yoga, tantra and spirituality. As a result, yoga gained universal appeal and acceptance as a system that could uplift humanity, addressing the needs of a wide cross-section of society.
Swami Satyananda was largely instrumental in bringing yoga to the West. He first visited Australia in 1969, where his approach to yoga appealed immensely to the Australian mindset and culture. In subsequent years, he visited Australia a number of times, thus inspiring a continued growth of Satyananda Yoga throughout the continent.
In 1988, Swami Satyananda retired from public life to adopt the life of a paramahamsa, the highest stage of spiritual dedication, where the sannyasin remains immersed in universal consciousness. He moved to Rikhia (Jharkhand, India), an underprivileged rural area, where he lived in seclusion and performed many higher sadhanas. As an outcome of his sadhana, he entered into a new phase of service to humanity – to actively uplift the local rural community. He achieved this aim through the expansion of Sivananda Math with the ongoing support of his many dedicated followers and disciples. He also conducted the Rajasooya Yajna (which was held for twelve consecutive years) for the peace, welfare and prosperity of all.
On 5th December 2009, Swami Satyananda entered the exalted state of mahasamadhi. Thousands of followers and well-wishers travelled to Rikhiapeeth during the following weeks, to pay homage to this great spiritual master. His teachings and example continue to inspire and encourage people from all continents to live a yogic life.
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Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati was born in 1960 in Rajnandgaon (central India) to devout parents who were closely aligned with Swami Satyananda and his work. Recognized as a balyogi (yogi from birth) Swami Niranjan began his training in the ashram at the tender age of four and was initiated by his guru, Swami Satyananda, into the Dashnami sannyasa tradition in 1970. For the next eleven years he toured extensively in Europe, South America, Australia and North America to further the establishment and development of international ashrams and centres. This exposure gave him great insight into the western mind and culture, and prepared him for the years ahead as a yoga master who would convey the ancient wisdom and teachings of yoga across a broad spectrum of the global community.
Swami Niranjan has guided the activities of Bihar School of Yoga and the International Yoga Research Foundation since 1983. In 1990, he was initiated into paramahamsa sannyasa. In 1993, he was chosen as Swami Satyananda’s spiritual successor, inheriting the role of guiding the activities of Satyananda Yoga worldwide. In 1994, he founded Bihar Yoga Bharati, an Institute for Advanced Studies in Yogic Sciences. In 1995, he founded the Bal Yoga Mitra Mandal movement to introduce yoga into the lives of children.
Swami Niranjan has travelled the world for the past forty years, teaching and inspiring people from all walks of life. He has also authored over twenty books on yoga, tantra and the upanishads. Now retired from ashram administration as well as national and international travel, he has entered a new phase of service and sadhana. The directorship of Bihar School of Yoga and its affiliated activities has been passed on to his successor, Swami Suryaprakash, who has been trained for many years by Swami Niranjan to take on this role.
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