Swami Visnu Devananda
A leading figure
in Sivananda Yoga, Swami Visnu Devananda was an pioneer of hatha yoga
in the West as well as becoming famous as the notorious ‘flying
swami’.
Born to a devout, middle class family, he
grew up in Kerala , India . His path towards yoga began in the early
1940s began when he came across a pamphlet from legendary Swami Sivananda
of Rishikesh (TTC manual p 93).
Reading it, the young man was intrigued. He chose to travel to the
Himalayan spiritual centre to see the famous Swami. At this point
Sivananda was a well-known figure and - unnerved by the crowds surrounding
the great man – when they passed close to one another Visnu Devananda
hid behind a pillar. Sivananda seems to have spotted the young man,
however: leaving his followers behind he appeared beside him and prostrated
himself. It was, Visnu Devananda said later, ‘my first lesson
in humility.’
He returned again to the ashram. This time, he stood sceptical as
Sivananda conducted a ceremony praising the river Ganges . ‘I
was proud of my scientific education,’ he said, ‘and here
was this supposedly great man praising a flow of H2O’. Sivananda
gave the young man a glance and he looked again at the river. He said
later ‘instead of the flow of water I saw a flow of consciousness.’
He was initiated six months later, at around 20 years old. He stayed
under Sivananda’s guidance – and it was during this time
he developed his practice of at postures, breathing exercises and
mental control at one point practicing for 15-16 hours a day, the
experience of which led him later to becoming the first Sivananda
Professor of yoga. As well as delving deeply into asana, pranayama
and meditation he later said this period was when he got the energy
to build up collection of Sivananda institutes around the world.
After ten years under his guru, Sivananda said to him ‘go to
the West. People are waiting.’ Eager to travel, Visnu Devananda
journeyed to the Americas via Asia (on the way picking up a pilot’s
licence in return for classes to the Philippine army), arriving in
San Francisco in 1957. Due to visa restrictions he was unable
to stay in the US and instead continued to Montreal , Canada , where
he would base himself for the rest of his life.
By the early 60s he was teaching regularly and had gathered a following
of devotees. With the largesse of one he was able to purchase land
in the Val Morin mountains where he soon set up the first Sivananda
Ashram outside India . Inspired by a vision of the world burning,
the young swami resolved to built as many Ashrams as he could –
and to train as many yoga teachers as he could, believing that they
were a good chance for the betterment of the world. The Sivananda
teacher training course follows from this moment.
More ashrams followed.. Five years later another gift brought the
organization land in the Bahamas , flowed by California and Catskills
, New York . Subsequent Ashrams and centres developed in India , Austria
as well as in many cities around the world.
As well as his work with yoga, Visnu Devananda also became quite
a celebrity in his time, know all over the world as the ‘flying
swami’. He flew his small plane over trouble spots – including
Belfast , Suez and the Berlin Wall (after smuggling his plane into
west Berlin in parts) on his ‘missions for peace’. He was
arrested and released several times.
Yet his love of flying and driving would ultimately lead to disaster.
During his life he had four serious car accidents; the result of which
he had a stroke in 1989 and was paralysed. He died in Madras in 1993.
His body was returned to the Himalayan Ashram where he’d perfected
his hatha yoga – to be immersed in the river he’d seen earlier
as a flow of consciousness.
