Sivananda is a world-famous spiritual teacher and doctor from India. He lived from 1887 to 1963. He was known for his courage, his generosity, his strict discipline and his humor, as the following text testifies. His students, in particular Vishnudevananda, Andre van Lysebeth and Boris Sacharow, promoted the spread of Sivananda’s yoga philosophy worldwide, as well as the practice of yoga exercises, the “asana”.

Sivananda writes about the spiritual discipline of the seeker of God as well as the power of discernment in his work “Bliss divine”:

” … Only the fruit that is allowed to ripen on the tree will be very sweet. But that takes a long time. The best wood comes from the trees that grow the slowest. Similarly, the aspirant who patiently practices intense sadhana for a long time with perseverance and diligence, who persists in spiritual practices despite various obstacles in his path, who admits his faults and weaknesses and tries to remove them by the most appropriate means, will be able to awaken his Kundalini and become a dynamic and perfect yogi.
Oh touching, enthusiastic, young aspirants ! Do not mistake the movements of rheumatic winds in the back, which come from chronic lumbago, for the rising of Kundalini. Do your sadhana with patience and perseverance until you reach samadhi. Master every phase of yoga. Don’t do any more difficult courses until you have fully mastered the basic steps. … “

A documentary from 1961 by French director Arnaud Desjardins shows Swami Sivananda and his place of work, the ashram in Rishikesh (Min 7:40 – 13:57)