, image = Shri Yogendra.jpg , caption = Yogendra in his early years, sitting in Siddhasana , religion =

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

, founder = The Yoga Institute (1918) , known_for = Pioneering modern yoga , alma_mater = Amalsad English School, near

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is no ...

St. Xavier's College, Mumbai , pen_name = Mastamani , birth_name = Manibhai Haribhai Desai , birth_date = , birth_place =

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the nin ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, death_date = , spouse = Sita Devi (m.1927) , children = Jayadeva Yogendra, Vijayadev Yogendra , father = Haribhai Jivanji Desai , guru = Paramahamsa Madhavdasji Manibhai Haribhai Desai (1897 – 1989), known as (Shri) Yogendra was an Indian yoga guru, author, poet, researcher and was one of the important figures in the modern revival of

Hatha Yoga Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭh ...

, both in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. He was the founder of The Yoga Institute, the oldest organized yoga centre in the world, established in 1918. He is often referred as the ''Father of Modern Yoga Renaissance''. He was one of the figures responsible for reviving the practice of asanas and making yoga accessible to people other than renunciates. Yogendra innovated modern methods to teach Yoga, initiating research in Yoga, particularly in the field of the

Yoga therapy Yoga as therapy is the use of yoga as exercise, consisting mainly of postures called asanas, as a gentle form of exercise and relaxation applied specifically with the intention of improving health. This form of yoga is widely practised in classes ...

. He authored several books on yoga and started the journal ''Yoga'' in 1933. He was also a poet, writing under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

'Mastamani'. He translated

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

Gitanjali __NOTOC__ ''Gitanjali'' ( bn, গীতাঞ্জলি, lit='Song offering') is a collection of poems by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore received the Nobel Prize for Literature, for the English translation, Gitanjali:'' Song ...

into Gujarati.

Biography

Early years

Yogendra was born as Manibhai Desai in an Anavil Brahmin family on 18 November 1897 in a village near

. He was affectionately called ''Mogha'' ("priceless one") in his childhood. His father Haribhai Jivanji Desai was a school teacher. His mother died when he was three years old. At the age of eighteen in 1916, after distinguishing himself in the Amalsad English School, Yogendra attended

St. Xavier's College A multitude of schools and universities have been named after St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Roman Catholic saint and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. This page lists notable educational institutions named after St. Xavier, arranged by country a ...

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the '' de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the sec ...

. He felt homesick and fell into depression and lost his interest in studies. At the urging of his roommate, On 26 August 1916, Yogendra visited the Dharamshala of Paramahamsa Madhavadasaji at Madhav Baug, regardless of his robust suspicion of sannyasis and

sadhus ''Sadhu'' ( sa, साधु, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female)), also spelled ''saddhu'', is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. Th ...

. However, in ''Paramahamsa ni Prasadi'' (1917), he wrote that his misgivings disappeared "as our eyes met" and as it turns out, Madhavadasaji was equally struck by Yogendra's qualities as a capable disciple. After a period of courtship through letters, Yogendra left his college and went to Madhavadasaji's Ashram in Malsar, near

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capita ...

in late 1916. He received special attention and it was clear that he was being educated and groomed to be Madhavadasaji's successor. Yogendra learned Yoga, much of the teaching being on the practical and pragmatic use of Yoga and its application in sickness and suffering. His training in the Ashram was centered around yogic 'natural health cures' administered to patients in the ashram's sick ward. Yogendra left the Ashram after more than two years.

Works

On 25 November 1918, Yogendra established The Yoga Institute at the residence of

Dadabhai Naoroji Dadabhai Naoroji (4 September 1825 – 30 June 1917) also known as the "Grand Old Man of India" and "Unofficial Ambassador of India", was an Indian political leader, merchant, scholar and writer who served as 2nd, 9th, and 22nd President of t ...

Versova Beach Versova (IAST: ''Varsovā'', pronunciation: �əɾsoːʋaː is an upmarket neighbourhood in north-western Mumbai. It is known for its beach and the Versova Fort. The beach of Versova recently undertook a massive clean-up effort, labelled as the ...

(now

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

). A year later in 1919, Yogendra left for

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and the

, with the aim of popularizing Yoga and set up a branch of the institute, The Yoga Institute of America at Harriman in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. His system of asanas, which helped to create the modern yoga movement, was influenced by the

physical culture Physical culture, also known as Body culture, is a health and strength training movement that originated during the 19th century in Germany, the UK and the US. Origins The physical culture movement in the United States during the 19th century ...

of Europeans such as

Max Müller Friedrich Max Müller (; 6 December 1823 – 28 October 1900) was a German-born philologist and Orientalist, who lived and studied in Britain for most of his life. He was one of the founders of the western academic disciplines of India ...

. Yogendra began the process of "domesticating" hatha yoga, seeking scientific evidence for yoga's health benefits. This helped to undo the negative image of yoga and asana practice. The Yoga Institute, Harriman, U

In US, among the people Yogendra met was

Benedict Lust Benedict Lust (February 3, 1872 – September 5, 1945) was a German-born American who was one of the founders of naturopathic medicine in the first decades of the twentieth century. Biography Lust was born in Michelbach, Baden, Germany.Anonymou ...

, one of the founders of

naturopathic medicine Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of pseudoscientific practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturop ...

. Benedict Lust saw the value of

for his work and studied it with him. Yogendra stayed there working with a number of

Avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

doctors such as

John Harvey Kellogg John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943) was an American medical doctor, nutritionist, inventor, health activist, eugenicist, and businessman. He was the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. ...

and

. Along with the early experiments on

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-conscio ...

, he finished his first books while in US, ''Light on Hatha Yoga'' and a volume on

. He went back to India less than 5 years later, proceeding to go back to the USA, however thwarted through the restrictive immigration legislation of 1924. The yoga researcher Elliott Goldberg described Yogendra's system of asanas as "safer, more comprehensive, and more effective than Müller's system", and commented that Yogendra "helped strip hatha yoga of .. what he called 'mysticism and inertia'", enabling people to think about asanas "unencumbered by traditional ideology".

Research

In 1921, Yogendra conducted X-Ray studies on Sutra Neti kriyas, a yogic technique to clean the nasal cavity. He conducted research on

Prana In yoga, Indian medicine and Indian martial arts, prana ( sa2, प्राण, ; the Sanskrit word for breath, " life force", or "vital principle") permeates reality on all levels including inanimate objects. In Hindu literature, prāṇa is s ...

with

Surendranath Dasgupta Surendranath Dasgupta (18 October 1887 – 18 December 1952) was an Indian scholar of Sanskrit and Indian philosophy. Family and education Surendranath Dasgupta was born to a Vaidya family in Kushtia, Bengal (now in Bangladesh), on Sunday, ...

, an orientalist and philosopher in 1924. In 1930, manuscript 'Yoga Personal Hygiene', authored by Yogendra, is the first book on intricate Yoga processes listing research on the yoga breathing techniques

Uddiyana bandha A bandha ( sa, बंध) is a kriyā in Hatha Yoga, being a kind of internal mudra described as a "body lock," to lock the vital energy into the body. ''Bandha'' literally means bond, fetter, or "catching hold of".Iyengar, 1976: pp.435–437 Mah ...

and

Pranayama Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, '' prana'' means "vital life force", and ''yama'' means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with ''prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the '' prana'' ''sha ...

Contribution to literature

Shri Yogendra authored his first book named ''Prabhubhakti'' (meaning "Devotion to the Lord"), published by Diamond Jubilee Printing Press in Ahmadabad. His second book was ''Hrudayapushpanjali'' (meaning "Prayer from the Heart"), a collection of his poetry composed in 1917. Principal A. B. Yagnik, a Gujarati critic wrote in an article, ''Poetic Versatility of Shri Yogendra'', published in 1979, Shri Yogendra also translated

Ravindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

from

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the ...

to Gujarati; it was published in 1918, with Tagore's permission. He was inspired and influenced by the

works of Rabindranath Tagore The works of Rabindranath Tagore consist of poems, novels, short stories, dramas, paintings, drawings, and music that Bengali people, Bengali poet and Brahmo philosopher Rabindranath Tagore created over his lifetime. Tagore's literary reputation ...

. The country was full of

Indian nationalism Indian nationalism is an instance of territorial nationalism, which is inclusive of all of the people of India, despite their diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious backgrounds. Indian nationalism can trace roots to pre-colonial India, ...

, and his 1919 poetry collection ''Rashtriyagita'', speaks of the homeland, the citizens and the struggle for freedom. Other books of his poetry collection includes ''Pranay Bansi'', ''Sangita Dhvani'' (2017) and ''Urmi'' (2014).

Bibliography

Books on Yoga

Yogendra published many books on yoga, and they have often been reprinted. * ''Memorabilia'' (1926) * ''Yoga Asanas Simplified'' (1928) * ''Yoga Physical Education'' - Volume 1 (1928) * ''Yoga Personal Hygiene Simplified'' (1931) * ''Hatha-Yoga Simplified'' (1931) * ''Simple Meditative Postures'' (1934) * ''Rhythmic Exercises'' (1936) * ''Way to Live'' (1936) * ''Breathing Methods'' (1936) * ''Yoga Personal Hygiene'' (1940) * ''Yoga: Physical Education'' (1956) * ''Yoga Essays'' (1969) * ''Facts about Yoga'' (1971) * ''Why Yoga'' (1976) * ''Yoga–Sutras'' (1978 * ''Life Problems'' (1978) * ''Guide to Yoga Meditation'' (1983) * ''Yoga in Modern Life''

Poetry collections

* ''Prabhubhakti'' * ''Hrdayapushpanjali'' * ''Pranay Bansi'' * ''Sangita Dhwani'' (1917) * ''Rashtriya Gita'' (1919) * ''Gitanjali of Tagore'' (1917) * ''Urmi'' (1924) * ''Kavi Tagore'' (1926)

Personal life

He married Sita Devi in 1927. The couple had two sons, named Jayadeva Yogendra and Vijayadev Yogendra. Yogendra died on 25 September 1989 at the age of 91 in

Legacy

In 1994, The

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC; IAST: ), also known as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), is the governing civic body of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. It is India's richest municipal corporation. The B ...

renamed the TPS 5 Prabhat Colony as Yogendra Marg (road) after Yogendra. A Chowk named ''Shri Yogendra Chowk'' located in Santacruz, Mumbai, is named after him, was inaugurated by

Suresh Prabhu Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu (born 11 July 1953) is an Indian politician, India's Sherpa to the G7 anChancellor of Rishihood University who was the Minister of Civil Aviation, Railways, Commerce & Industry in the First Modi ministry. He is a ...

, the Minister of Railways, Govt. of India in April 2017. His son Vijayadev Yogendra (1930–2005) immigrated to Australia and continued his father's work through the establishment of the Total Health and Education Foundation in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...

and The School of Total Education in

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and W ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

References

Sources

* *

External links

Official website of The Yoga InstituteThe First Yoga Class
on ''Do Yoga'' (by Doug Keller)
Yogendra
on ''Yoga Vidya'' (in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Yogendra, Shri 1897 births 1989 deaths Indian Hindus Indian spiritual writers Scholars from Mumbai Indian yoga gurus Modern yoga pioneers People associated with physical culture Translators of Rabindranath Tagore Modern yoga gurus