Swami Satyananda Saraswati was born in Almorah (UP) in 1923. He joined his Guru, Swami Sivananda Saraswati, in Rishikesh (UP), and adopted the Dashnami Sannyasa life in 1943. He served his Guru's mission for 12 years in many capacities.

In 1955 he left Rishikesh to travel throughout India as a wandering ascetic to assess the needs of modern society. In 1956 he founded the International Yoga Fellowship Movement and, in 1963, the Bihar School of Yoga. He founded Sivananda Math, a social and charitable institution to help the weaker, underprivileged sections of society in 1984 and the Yoga Research Foundation, a scientific research oriented yoga organization, in 1984.

Swami Satyananda has authored over 80 best-sellers and classical texts on yoga and spiritual life, he is the spiritual guide to thousands of aspirants and the inspiration behind many Yoga Ashrams and Yoga Mitra Mandals in India and abroad.

In 1988 he renounced his mission, adopting kshetra sannyasa, and now lives as a Paramahansa Sannyasin performing higher spiritual and vedic sadhanas, thus guiding sannyasins and house-holders in their spiritual journey to develop a universal vision.

Satyananda Yoga is a system of yoga developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati and his lineage, which incorporates practices derived from ancient and traditional sources. Satyananda Yoga uses practices in a traditional way, asanas (postures) to balance the body and mind through the physical body, pranayama (breathing practices) to work on the energy body (equated with Ki or Chi in other systems), and meditation to calm and focus the mind. It also takes a broader outlook by teaching and encouraging yogic lifestyles, not only for renunciates but also for householders and lay practitioners.

To this end Satyananda Yoga adopts the attitudes of Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge), Bhakti Yoga (the path of heart and emotion), Karma Yoga (the path of service) and other yogas which enable the practitioner to frame all aspects of their lives in a way which is conducive to spiritual growth.

The Satyananda approach incorporates the whole person, not just the body. There is an emphasis on awareness and practitioners are encouraged to learn about all aspects of their personality through Yoga. Change is a process that takes place naturally as a consequence of regular practice with full awareness, rather than by forcing the mind and body to the limit and beyond.