It is important to remember yoga's long tradition and to know that the philosophy and techniques were brought in light by the rishis, the sages of ancient India. They have given us this science and enlightened people have dedicated their lives to evolve the yogic tools, to experiment with them and to spread them all around the world. Tradition allows us to develop certainty and depth as our efforts are in line with the continuous flow of knowledge.

Swami Sivananda was born at Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, in 1887. After serving as a medical doctor in Malasya, he stopped practising, went to Rishikesh and was initiated into Dashnami Sannyasa in 1924 by Swami Vishwananda Saraswati. He toured extensively throughout India, inspiring people to practise yoga and lead a spiritually devoted 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 he guided thousands of disciples and aspirants all over the world and authored over 200 books.

Swami Satyanananda was born at Almora, Uttar Pradesh, in 1923. In 1943 he met Swami Sivananda in Rishikesh and adopted the Dashnami Sannyasa way of life. In 1955 he left his guru's ashram to live as a wandering mendicant and later founded the International Yoga Fellowship in 1963 and the Bihar School of Yoga in 1964 (Munger, Bihar, India). With an international reputation, he is a great specialist of Yoga and Tantra. Ancient yogic technics such as yoga-nidra, kriya yoga and many other meditation practices have been updated and widely spread throug his teachings. He has created a link between the knowledge of the Rishis, the Sages of India, and contemporary science.
Over the following 20 years he toured internationally and authored over 80 books. In 1987 he founded Shivananda Math, a charitable institution for rural development, and the Yoga Research Foundation. He has retired from all organizations since 1988, living the sadhana he has chosen for himself, enlighted by a timeless and universal vision. He is living kshetra sannyasa and the life of a Paramahamsa.