Swami Vishnudevananda

A visionary and tireless yogi, Swami Vishnudevananda worked to bring insights of yoga and Vedanta to people around the globe. Originally from rural India and of a humble background, Swami Vishnudevananda pursued more than a decade of studies and training under Swami Sivananda in Rishikesḥ before launching the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in the late 1950s.

After establishing the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Camp in Val Morin, Quebec (in the Laurentian Mountains) in 1962, Swami Vishnudevananda worked to expand the scope of the organization. He was successful in awakening thousands of likeminded practitioners who adhered to the five fundamental points of yoga: proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet, and positive thinking and meditation.

In the mid-1960s, Swami Vishnudevananda was in Nassau, Bahamas, and had the opportunity to meet the Beatles and present them with The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga. This opened doors that led to musical and spiritual synergies, as well as a connection with the burgeoning counter culture of the era.

Throughout the next two decades he spearheaded the creation of dozens of city centers and ashrams. These included the Sivananda Ashram Members Association (SAMA) Yoga international community project. Launched in Val Morin, Quebec, in the early 1980s, SAMA was a spiritual community of house-holder students of Swami Vishnudevananda adjutant to the ashram in Val Morin.