only on a physical level, but on a spiritual level. He
became a monk and founded the Divine Life Soci-
ety. His teachings can be summarized as “Serve,
Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize.”
B.K.S. IyengarBorn in 1918, B.K.S. Iyengar is one of the world’s
most recognized yoga practitioners. He has written
many books on the subject, including Light on Yoga,
(New York: Schocken Books, 1995) and Light on
Pranayama, (New York: Crossroad/Herder and
Herder, 1995). He was a sick child, who survived
bouts of malaria, tuberculosis, and typhoid. At 15
he was introduced to yoga by his brother-in-law,
Sri T. Krishnamacharya, who offered him basic
instruction to improve his health.
By 1937 he was ready to teach yoga himself. In
1952 he met the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who
arranged for him to teach in Europe. His popular-
ity soared in 1966 when Light on Yogabecame an
international best-seller. The culmination of more
than 60 years of dedication to yoga is his most
recent book, Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health,pub-
lished in 2001.
Branches of YogaThe physical aspect of yoga called Hatha yoga has
been incorporated into mainstream fitness and
health programs. Sanskrit for Sun and Moon,
Hatha yogafocuses on balancing yin and yang, or
opposite universal forces, for the purpose of
improving respiration, circulation, and digestion
and boosting the immune and nervous systems.
Although yoga instructors offer various types of
Hatha, along with meditation and pranayama
(breathing), all branches seek to unite the body,
mind, and spirit through deep breathing. The fol-
lowing are types of Hatha yoga:
- Ananda yoga: a system of “energization exer-
cises” that incorporates the use of silent affirma-
tions. The concept is that the affirmations
consciously direct energy and raise the individ-
ual’s level of awareness. Ananda (Sanskrit for
bliss) was founded in the 1960s by Swami
Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters), who became a
disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda in 1948. The
Ananda Sangha organization offers instruction
in Kriya yoga and yoga techniques according to
Yogananda. Currently there are five Ananda
communities on the West Coast, retreat centers
in northern California and Rhode Island, a
retreat/community in Italy, and affiliated medi-
tation groups throughout the world.- Anusara yoga: A blend of hatha yoga techniques
and biomechanics; Anusara, meaning “to step
into the current of divine will,” was developed
in 1997 by John Friend, who studied yoga with
Sri K. Patabhi Jois, T.K.V. Desikachar, and B.K.S.
Iyengar. Anusara yoga is based on the philoso-
phy that all people are divine in body, mind, and
spirit regardless of their individual limitations,
and that it is best to see the good in all things.
Friend cited attitude, alignment, and action as
components of every asana(posture). - Ashtanga yoga: First described in an ancient
hatha yoga text, the “Yoga Korunta,” and later
rediscovered by the sage Patanjali in the “Yoga
Sutras,” ashtanga is called the “eight-limbed
yoga,” which is based on stamina, strength, and
flexibility. The goal is to cleanse and purify the
internal organs with forward and backward
bends. - Bikram yoga: Developed by the brother of
Yogananda, Bishnu Ghosh, and Bikram Choud-
hury, Bikram yoga requires that the 26 postures
and deep breathing exercises be done in a room
heated to approximately 104–105°F and
repeated twice. - Integral yoga: A meditative practice structured
to lead from the physical body (asana) and the
vital body (pranayama) to the mental, that is, a
mindful balance of effort and relaxation; it is a
scientific system developed in 1966 by the Rev-
erend Sri Swami Satchidananda. Integral yoga
has evolved into an international organization,
with more than 40 institutes and centers
throughout the United States and abroad that
offer Hatha yoga, meditation, yoga philosophy
and various branches of yoga practice, and veg-
etarian diet. - Integrative yoga therapy: The use of gentle
postures, guided imagery, and breathing tech-
niques for the treatment of heart disease,
psychiatric disorders, and acquired immuno-
deficiency syndrome (AIDS), integrative yoga
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