 Yogendra in his early years, sitting in Siddhasana | |
| Personal | |
| Born | Manibhai Haribhai Desai 18 November 1897[1] |
| Died | 24 September 1989 (aged 91) |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Spouse | Sita Devi (m.1927) |
| Children | 2, including Jayadeva Yogendra |
| Alma mater | Amalsad English School, near Surat St. Xavier's College, Mumbai |
| Known for | Pioneering modern yoga |
| Pen name | Mastamani |
| Organization | |
| Founder of | The Yoga Institute (1918) |
| Religious career | |
| Guru | Paramahamsa Madhavdasji |
Manibhai Haribhai Desai (1897–1989), known as (Shri) Yogendra was an Indian yoga guru,[2] author, poet, researcher[3] and was one of the important figures in the modern revival and transformation of Hatha Yoga, both in India and United States. He was the founder of The Yoga Institute, the oldest organized yoga centre in the world, established in 1918.[4][5] He is often referred as the Father of Modern Yoga Renaissance.[6][7] He was one of the figures responsible for reviving the practice of asanas and making yoga accessible to people other than renunciates.[8]
Yogendra innovated modern methods to teach Yoga, initiating research in Yoga, particularly in the field of the Yoga therapy. He authored several books on yoga and started the journal Yoga in 1933. He was also a poet, writing under the pen name 'Mastamani'. He translated Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali into Gujarati.[3]
- ^ Singleton, Mark; Byrne, Jean, eds. (30 June 2008). Yoga in the Modern World: Contemporary Perspectives. Routledge. p. 64. ISBN 9781134055203.
- ^ Singleton, Mark; Goldberg, Ellen (2014). Gurus of Modern Yoga. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 60–79. ISBN 978-0199938728.
- ^ a b Goldberg 2016, pp. 2–74.
- ^ "World's oldest yoga centre still going strong". The Times of India. 5 February 2015.
- ^ Jhangiani, Diipti (22 November 2013). "Neighbourhood Haven The Yoga Institute". DNA India.
- ^ Mishra, Debashree (3 July 2016). "Once Upon A Time: From 1918, this Yoga institute has been teaching generations, creating history". Mumbai: Indian Express.
- ^ Sadhaka (2015). A Spiritual Path That Led to Arunachala. p. 11.
- ^ Barrett, Jennifer (December 1997). "Householders Yoga". Yoga Journal (137). Active Interest Media: 24.