Celebrated by many as a saint, Swami Vishnudevananda was a yoga master and spiritual teacher committed to bringing his vision to the world. Originally from India, he established the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre in Canada, which then became a global organization with centers and ashrams all over the world. The name of the nonprofit reflects Swami Vishnudevananda’s formative experience training under Swami Sivananda Saraswati in the 1940s and ‘50s.

Interviewed by a French magazine in the 1970s, Swami Vishnudevananda emphasized the importance of maintaining a connection with one’s roots and “becoming one with the guru.” To remain in touch with his Master on both the physical and spiritual planes, he visited Sivananda’s abode in Rishikesh, the place of their spiritual rebirth, whenever possible.

As he described it, spiritual life does not come into being “from thin air.” Instead, it is a continuum passed down from teacher to disciple. One example of this was the connection Swami Sivananda formed with disciples who later spread his message across the globe. Taking time to understand learners’ specific personalities, he sent them out imbued with their own unique programming, not unlike Jesus and Buddha sending out disciples with distinctly personal messages to share. Before he left his body, Swami Sivananda Saraswati spoke of sowing seeds that would sprout and take transformative form when the time was right.