Sivananda Ashram

Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya !

"service to the suffering humanity is true service to god" -Swami Sivananda.

The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers is a nonprofit organization founded by Swami Vishnu-devananda to spread the teachings of Vedanta worldwide.

Upon the instruction of his guru, Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, India, Swami Vishnu-devananda (in photo at right, demonstrating the scorpion pose for his guru on the banks of the Ganges river in India) headed to the West and began travelling and teaching throughout the United States in 1957. He established the first Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Montreal, Canada, in 1959.

There are now close to 80 Sivananda locations (ashrams, yoga centers, and affiliated centers) around the world. The organization has trained more than 10,000 yoga teachers. The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers are recognized worldwide for teaching yoga authentically, preserving its purity and tradition, which dates back several thousand years.

A Wealth of Information

On this website, you can learn about the various techniques and teachings of yoga and Vedanta and the different activities of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers, such as the Yoga Teachers Training Course, Yoga Vacations, and residential, temporary and full-time staff programs.

We also post news regarding the different Sivananda locations around the world. The Yoga Life magazine, which is published twice a year by our organization, is now available online as well. It contains a great deal of useful information and wonderful articles. And please don't forget to visit the "Spiritual Utilities" page.

Swami Sivanandha:

Swami Sivananda, one of the greatest Yoga masters of the 20th century, is the inspiration behind the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers.

His Early Life

Born in 1887 in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, South India, Swami Sivananda whose name was then Kuppuswami, was a brilliant boy at studying as well as gymnastics and naturally inclined toward spiritual and religious practices.
His parents were very devoted to Lord Siva and Kuppuswami was eager to join them twice daily for worship (Puja) and Kirtan (Mantra chanting).
His natural selfless spirit lead him to a career in the medical field. His amazing eagerness and ability to learn and assimilate his studies earned him the respect of his professors who invited him to attend surgeries while still in his first year of medical school.

Dr. Kuppuswami
The young Dr. Kuppuswami felt a strong urge to go to Malaysia where he felt there was great need. In a short time he was given the responsibility of running a hospital. During these years Dr. Kuppuswami was renowned as being both an excellent doctor and a true humanitarian. Very often he waived consultation fees for patients too poor to afford his services and on many occasions provided medicine for free to his neediest patients.

One day Dr. Kuppuswami had the opportunity to cure a wandering Sannyasin (renunciate or Monk) who then gave the doctor instruction on Yoga and Vedanta. From that day on his life changed, and gradually Dr. Kuppuswami became more introspective and could not stop pondering the great questions of life. Now he felt the need to help people on a more profound level, not just healing their physical body, but helping them to find a cure for all suffering.

The Great Sannyasin Swami Sivananda
Filled with a tremendous desire for spiritual growth and enlightenment Kuppuswami went to North India in search of his Guru. After spending time in Varanasi (Banaras) he travelled north to the Himalayas. There in the holy town of Rishikesh (which means "the abode of the sages") Kuppuswami discovered his Guru who gave him Sannyas (a monk's vows of renunciation). After taking these vows, Swami Sivananda Saraswati, as he would be known henceforth, started an extremely intense daily Sadhana (spiritual practices) and Tapas (austerities) for the next 10 years or so. By the end of that period many co-Sadhus felt drawn to Swami Sivananda for his instruction and his spiritual inspiration.

Swami Sivananda, The World Teacher
From that time Swami Sivananda became one of the most prolific Yoga teachers who has ever existed. Although he rarely left the little town of Rishikesh (with only 2 India tours and no visits abroad) Swami Sivananda's teachings spread quickly throughout our entire planet. He personally wrote - by hand, no computers at the time :-) - more than 200 books on topics connected to Yoga and Philosophy. He wrote in a style that is very direct and bursting with dynamic, spiritual energy. As a result many who read his books felt their lives deeply touched and transformed and so came from all of India, all of the world, to learn from him directly, and to bask in his holy presence. The teachings of Master Sivananda are summarized in these 6 words:

"Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize".
In 1957, Swami sivananda sent his devoted and industrious disciple, Swami Vishnu-devananda to the West where he then established the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers.

Sivanada eye hospital
It was established in 1957,six years prior to the passing away of this visionary doctor.