Integral Yoga International

Sri Swami Satchidananda

| Profile | History | Beliefs | Links | Bibliography |

    I. Group Profile

    1. Name: Integral Yoga International

    2. Founder: Sri Swami Satchidananda

    3. Date of Birth: December 22, 1914

    4. Birth Place: South India

    5. Year Founded: 1966

    6. Cult or Sect:
      7. Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are employed in popular discourse. Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not carry implicit negative stereotypes. For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our Conceptualizing "Cult" and "Sect" page, where you will find additional links to related issues.

    7. Size of Group:

      Integral Yoga International (IYI) keeps no formal membership list. In 2001 they claimed seventeen Centers in the United States, twenty-one international Centers and seven Institutes.

    8. Sacred or Revered Texts: There are no sacred texts per se, but there are many works by Sri Satchidananda and other that are pertinent to understanding and practicing Integral Yoga. See the biblography below or visit the Satchidananda Ashram Bookstore for a select bibliography.

    | Profile | History | Beliefs | Links | Bibliography |

    II. History

      Origins of Integral Yoga

      Integral Yoga is a term used by many yoga associations around the world to designate the practice of a yoga that is a synthesis or combination of many different types of yoga. This web site presents separate pages on two major groups founded by Sri Satchidananda and Sri Aurobindo. While the two are believed to have met only briefly in India, their underlying beliefs and practices have many similarities. click here to access the web page of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

      Integral Yoga in the United States -- Integral Yoga Institute

      Sri Swami Satchidananda was born on December 22, 1914 in South India. After working in several different industries, Satchidananda began a spiritual quest at the age of 28. He isolated himself for several years in order to become more disciplined in yoga and then traveled around India studying with many gurus including Sri Aurobindo for a short time. In 1947 Satchidananda met Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj in the foothills of the Himalayas. Satchidananda would stud with Sivanandaji for over seventeen years, and was sent to Ceylon to spread Sivanandaji's teachings.

      Conrad Rooks, a filmmaker, met Sri Satchidananda in 1965, while filming his autobiographical movie Chappaqua. In 1966, after Conrad Rooks and artist Peter Max, who was working with Rooks on the film with him, invited Satchidananda to New York for a two day visit. When he arrived, he soon attracted hundreds of followers who convinced him to lengthen his stay.

      On October 7, 1966, the first Integral Yoga Institute was founded in New York City. In 1972, Yogaville-West, a community for those who practiced Integral Yoga, was created in Seigler Springs, California and a year later, Yogaville-East was founded in northeast Connecticut. For almost ten years it served as the USA headquarters for Integral Yoga.

      In September of 1979, through a gift from folk singer Carole King, IYI acquired 600 acres of woodlands in Buckingham County, Virginia. Sri Satchidananda decided that it would be the perfect place to construct LOTUS -- Light of Truth Universal Shrine. LOTUS is shrine to all the World's religions; it is a place where all can come to worship and pray and find the one Spirit that unites us all. Dedication of LOTUS took place on July 20, 1986 and from that point on the IYI headquarters remain in Virginia. Satchidananda, although quite old, currently travels around the world to promote religious harmony.

    | Profile | History | Beliefs | Links | Bibliography |

    III. Beliefs of the Group

      The main belief of Integral Yoga is that through yoga, it is possible for man to become aware of his True Self. Man lives within his "surface mind," his life and body, and never awakens his inner being. Through yoga, the individual peels away the layers of ordinary humanness that envelope his inner being. Once this Sadhana (the quest of self-knowledge) is complete, the individual can come to realize that all beings are united in One Self and Spirit. The word yoga, taken from Sanskrit, means Union -- a union of the self and Spirit and also a union of all beings into one Self. IYI prides itself on the fact that it is compatible with all religions because it is only interested in the one Spirit that unites all peoples of all faiths.

      Integral Yoga teaches its followers five paths to self-realization, although there are many, many other types of yoga designed for the same purpose. For a more complete list see Yoga Paths. These five paths include Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnama Yoga, and Raja Yoga.

      • Hatha Yoga: Path of the Body:

        This is the most well known school of yoga in the United States, where it is used mainly for exercise and stress management. It incorporates Asanas (postures), Pranayama (regulated breathing), meditation (Dharana and Dhyana), and Kundalini (energy) to achieve enlightenment or self-realization. At first, a yogi (someone who practices yoga) learns the necessary postures. Then he engages in breath control and visualization. When his mind is completely focused on his primary chakra (energy center) he begins to move the energy from the base of his spine, where it is stored, to the top of his skull. This energy is called Kundalini Energy and Laya Yoga is responsible for its movement.

      • Karma Yoga: Path of Selfless Action:

        Karma Yoga strives to get an individual to a state where he is no longer attached to the outcomes of his actions. It enables him to become one with what he is doing because he is not preoccupied with the material results of his behaviors; his focus is totally in the present.

      • Bhakti Yoga: Path of Devotion:

        Bhakti Yoga is the simplest of all yogas. It is the practice of self surrender to a point where an individual comes to identify with a higher self. This is accomplished by a yogi who, after selecting a Saint, guru, or other figure to direct his "devotional love," visualizes his loved, all the while repeating a mantra (sounds, words, or phrases) over and over again. "OM" (pronounced a-u-m) is popular mantra.

      • Jnama Yoga: Path of Transcendental Knowledge:

        This type of yoga is geared towards individuals who like to analyze and reason. The goal is to rid oneself of the ordinary mind so one can know the Ultimate and Absolute. Often this is done by meditating on the question of "Who Am I?" until the ordinary mind reveals its true nature.

      • Raja Yoga: Path of Stillness:

        The goal of Raja Yoga is to quiet the mind through meditation. During meditation an individual's attention is focused on a specific object, mantra, or concept. Once the mind has stopped wandering and has completely focused on the object, the yogi will emerge with his higher self. Depending on the yogi, the entire process of realizing the True Self may take anywhere from hours to years.

      Integral Yoga seeks to go one step farther. Ordinary yoga tries only to get an individual to find his true self. Sri Aurobindo taught his followers to first reach self-realization, but then to bring in that new power of consciousness, which he called the supramental, and use it in daily life to change the way you see the world. He also felt very strongly that there was not one particular type of yoga that would allow an individual to reach this state in a better way than another type; this is the essence of Integral Yoga -- it is a synthesis of several different schools of yoga.

    | Profile | History | Beliefs | Links | Bibliography |

    IV. Links to Integral Yoga Web Sites

      The Satchidananda Ashram -- Yogaville Home Page
      Home page of Satchidananda Ashram -- Yogaville located in Buckingham, Virginia. Yogaville serves as the National IYI headquarters. Great site with lots of information on classes, retreats, and workshops.
      http://yogaville.org/

      Integral Yoga Institute of New York
      http://www.integralyogaofnewyork.org/

      San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute
      http://www.integralyogasf.org/

      Yoga.
      This site contains a personal narrative on yoga, with many links to different yoga paths, and other yoga related web sites.
      http://www.talamasca.org/avatar/yoga.html

      Yoga Paths.
      10/09/97 This site contains extensive information about many yoga paths. It is very informative and comprehensive. There is also an in-text link from this page located in the Beliefs section.
      http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/Yoga/Overview.html

      Glossary of Sanskrit Words
      Provides definitions of some of the most commonly used Sanskrit words. If the word you are looking for isn't here, then it must not be very common.
      http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/Yoga/yoga-sanskrit-terms.html

      Sri Aurbindo Web Pages

      The Integral Yoga Home Page
      Provides general information about Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The site is a good place to begin.

      Within the Home Page, there is a list of recommended readings for beginners.
      http://www.miraura.org/lit/rec.html

      And also a list of Journals and Newsletters with information about subscriptions.
      http://www.miraura.org/lit/desc.html
      http://www.miraura.org/

      Auroville Home Page
      Founded by the Mother in 1965, Auroville is a community for IYI followers in Tamil Nadu, South India. This is an incredibly comprehensive site that should be able to answer any questions you have about Auroville. And if not, the site also includes contacts (email addresses and telephone numbers).
      http://www.auroville.org/

      The Sri Aurobindo Center of Los Angeles Home Page
      The East-West Cultural Center is a sibling organization based on the work of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. Another user friendly site with lots of information. This site may be mainly of interest to those who live on the West Coast.
      http://home.earthlink.net/~ewcc/

      The Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
      Provides general information about Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The site is a good place to begin.
      http://www.miraura.org/

    | Profile | History | Beliefs | Links | Bibliography |

    V. Selected Bibliography

      Books by Sri Swami Satchidananda:
      Satchidananda, Sri. 1978. [translation and commentary]
      The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Yogaville, VA: Integral Yoga Publications.

      Books About Sri Swami Satchidananda:

        Bordow, Sita. 1984.
        The Master's Touch. Yogaville, Virginia: Integral Yoga Publications.

        Bordow, Sita and others. 1986.
        Sri Swami Satchidananda: Apostle of Peace. Yogaville, Virginia: Integral Yoga Publications.

        Mandelkorn, Philip (ed).1978.
        To Know Yourself: The Essential Teachings of Swami Satchidananda. Garden City, New York: Anchor Books.

        Weinca, Sita. 1972.
        Swami Satchidananda. New York: Bantam Books.

      Other Resources:

        Melton, J. Gordon. 1996.
        The Encyclopedia of American Religions. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Co. Fifth Ed. pp. 846, 856

      | Profile | History | Beliefs | Links | Bibliography |

      VI. Contacts

        IYI headquarters in the United States
        Integral Yoga International
        c/o Satchidananda -- Yogaville
        Route 1 Box 1720
        Buckingham, VA 23921
        Email: iyi@moonstar.com

        Integral Yoga Magazine -- IYI News
        227 West 13th Street
        New York, NY 10011

      | Profile | History | Beliefs | Links | Bibliography |

      Created by Sarah O. Meadows
      For Sociology 257, FALL, 1997
      Last updated: 11/25/01