THE LINEAGE
The teachings of the Yoga Academy of North America are part of an authentic lineage from India.
Satyananda Yoga draws inspiration from Adi Shankaracharya, the codifier of the Dashnami Sannyasa Tradition, and from the three spiritual masters who make up the current Satyananda Yoga lineage:
Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati, Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati and Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati.
Adi Shankaracharya was born in the 8th Century AD. He is recognized to be the undisputed spiritual leader of India, and propagated the Advaita Vedanta philosophy which leads directly to the experience of higher yogic life. During the course of his life, he established the Dashnami Sannyasa tradition in order to unify the various and diverse groups of sannyasins which were scattered throughout the country, bringing them all under the banner of sanatan dharma.
Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Swami Sivananda Saraswati was a spiritual visionary of the 20th Century and an inspiration for the Satyananda tradition. He was born in Tamil Nadu, India in 1887. In 1924, Swami Sivananda renounced his longstanding medical practice in Malayasia and went to Rishikesh where he was initiated into Dashnami Sannyasa by Swami Vishwananda Saraswati. Inspired to bring yoga to the masses, Swami Sivananda tirelessly toured throughout India, inspiring people to practice yoga and lead a divine life. He founded the Divine Life Society at Rishikesh in 1936, the Sivananda Ayurvedic Pharmacy in 1945, the Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy in 1948 and the Sivananda Eye Hospital in 1957. During his lifetime Swami Sivananda guided thousands of disciples and aspirants all over the world and authored over 200 books. He inspired countless disciples who spread yoga throughout the world, including Swami Satchidananda (founder of Yogaville in the USA) and Swami Sivananda Radha (founder of Yasodhara Ashram in Canada).
Paramahamsa Niranjanananda Saraswati
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati is a modern master of yoga, whose understanding spans both the scientific Western culture and the mystical wisdom of the East.
Swami Niranjanananda was born in 1960.
He is considered by his followers to be a yogi from birth. He began his training at Bihar School of Yoga at the age of four, and from 11-23 toured extensively in Europe, America and Australia.
In 1983 he returned to India and was appointed the Preceptor of Bihar School of Yoga. For the next eleven years, he spearheaded the research and development activities at Ganga Darshan, Sivananda Math and the Yoga Research Foundation.
In 1990, he was initiated in the tradition of Paramahansa and in 1993 he was designated as the successor of Paramahansa Satyananda. In 1994, he established Bihar Yoga Bharati an institute for higher studies in the field of Yoga.
In 2009, he embarked on a new phase of sannyasa life. Author of many classic books on yoga, tantra and the upanishads, Swami Niranjan is a magnetic source of wisdom on all aspects of yogic philosophy, practice and lifestyle.
Paramahamsa Satyananda Saraswati
Swami Satyananda Saraswati is a spiritual guide to tens of thousands and the founder of the Satyananda Yoga® tradition. He was born in 1923. At the age of nineteen he came to live and take sannyasa from his guru Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh. There he tirelessly served in the ashram for over 12 years. Upon leaving, he wandered through India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Burma and Ceylon for the next 8 years, extending his knowledge of spiritual practices. He eventually found his way to Munger, Bihar. In 1963 he founded the International Yoga Fellowship Movement and the Bihar School of Yoga a year later. He traveled around the world for the next twenty years teaching yoga ‘shore to shore and door to door,’ and authored over 80 books on Yoga, Tantra and Spirituality.
In 1988, he retired from active involvement in yoga teaching and handed over all he had created to his disciple Swami Niranjanananda. He went on to live in seclusion in his ashram in Jarkhand, India, where he continued to inspire others to support the local community and improve their quality of life.
In 2009, he bid final farewell and entered into Mahasamadhi at midnight on December 5th.
Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati
Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati is a yogic master and scholar who embodies compassion with clear reason. From the age of 22, Swami Satsangi experienced a number of inner awakenings which led her to her guru, Swami Satyananda. From 1981, she traveled ceaselessly with Swami Satyananda in India and overseas, developing into a scholar with deep insight into the yogic and tantric traditions as well as modern sciences and philosophies. Swami Satsangi’s mission has been the establishment of Sivananda Math in Rikhia, where she guides all its activities. Swami Satsangi has dedicated herself to fulfilling her guru’s vision of uplifting the neglected, impoverished and downtrodden villagers in the surrounding areas of the ashram. On January 1st 2007, she was appointed as the Peethadhishwari of Rikhiapeeth by Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Presently she resides at Rikhia, working tirelessly for the material and spiritual upliftment of the local community, as shown in the photos below.