- Deepak Chopra
Deepak Chopra is an Indian medical doctor and writer. He has written extensively on spirituality and diverse topics in mind-body medicine. He claims to be influenced by the teachings of Vedanta and the Bhagavad Gita from his native India, and quantum physics. He also said that he has been profoundly influenced by the teachings of J Krishnamurti. - Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo (Bangla: শ্রী অরবিন্দ "Sri Ôrobindo", Sanskrit: श्री अरविन्द "Srī Aravinda") (August 15, 1872–December 5, 1950) was an Indian/Hindu nationalist, scholar, poet, mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru. After a short political career in which he became one of leaders of the early movement for the freedom of India from British rule, … - Rodney Yee
Rodney Yee is an internationally acclaimed yoga instructor who has appeared in many publications. He studied philosophy and physical therapy at the University of California. He was also accomplished in ballet, performing with the Oakland Ballet Company and the Matsuyama Ballet Company of Tokyo, Japan. Yee became a yoga enthusiast in the Iyengar school, but now teaches a blend of Iyengar Yoga and his own invented style. - Swami Sivananda
Swami Sivananda Saraswati, was an Indian spiritual leader and a well known proponent of Yoga and Vedanta. Sivananda was born Kuppuswami in South India. He studied medicine and served in Malaya as a physician for several years before taking up monasticism. He lived most of the later part of his life in Rishikesh. He is the founder Divine Life Society and author of over 200 books on yoga, vedanta and a variety of other subjects. - Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902), whose pre-monastic name was Narendranath Dutta ("Nôrendrônath Dôt-tô"), was one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga and a major figure in the history of Hinduism and India. He was the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and the founder of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. - Paramahansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda (Bengali: পরমহংস যোগানন্দ "Pôromôhongsho Joganondo", Hindi: परमहंस योगानन्द; January 5, 1893-March 7, 1952), was an Indian yogi and guru. He was instrumental in bringing the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga to the West. His book, "Autobiography of a Yogi", has introduced several generations of readers to the teachings of yoga and Hinduism. - Denise Austin
Denise Austin (born February 13, 1957) is an American fitness and exercise expert, author, columnist and instructor. She is also a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. She is married to sports attorney Jeff Austin, with whom she has two daughters: Kelly (born 1990) and Katie (born 1993). Her sister-in-law is U.S. tennis champion Tracy Austin. Austin was born Denise Katnich in San Pedro, CA. She started gymnastics at the age of 12, … - Pattabhi Jois
Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois, (born July 26 1915) is an Indian yoga teacher. He was a student of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. He currently teaches at his school, the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, in Mysore, India. - David Frawley
David Frawley, or Vāmadeva Šāstrī (वामदेव शास्त्री) is an author on Hinduism, Yoga and Ayurveda. He has worked extensively teaching, writing, lecturing, conducting research and helping establish schools and associations in related Vedic fields over the last thirty years. He has studied and traveled widely gathering knowledge, working with various Vedic teachers and groups in a non-sectarian manner. - Milarepa
Jetsun Milarepa, (c. 1052-c. 1135 CE) is generally considered one of Tibet's most famous yogis and poets, a student of Marpa Lotsawa, and a major figure in the history of the Kagyu (Bka'-brgyud) school of Tibetan Buddhism. The facts of his life as they are popularly known come from the enormously popular romanticized account in the biography the "Mi-la-rnam-thar" by Gtsang-smyon he-ru-ka rus-pa'i-rgyan-can (1452-1507), … - Swami Rama
Swami Rama (1925 - 1996) was born Brij Kishore Dhasmana, to a Northern Indian Brahmin family and became lineage holder of the Sankya Yoga tradition of the Himalayan Masters. He was raised in the Himalayas by his master "Bengali Baba", and, under the guidance of his Master, traveled from monastery to monastery and studied with a variety of Himalayan saints and sages, including his grandmaster who was living in a remote region of Tibet. - Jillian Michaels
Jillian Michaels ' knowledge of fitness training stems from years of martial arts and intense personal training. Best known as a trainer and coach on NBC's hit TV show The Biggest Loser , Jillian Michaels is an amazing motivator, personal trainer and guide to nearly 15 million Biggest Loser viewers every week. Before she was a massive television star, Jillian struggled to maintain her own healthy weight. - Georg Feuerstein
Dr. Georg Feuerstein (born 1947) is a well-known German-Canadian Indologist, and a Western authority on Yoga. Feuerstein moved to England to do his postgraduate research at Durham University and subsequently lived for 23 years in the United States. Today, he is a resident of Canada and lives in Saskatchewan. Feuerstein is very prolific, having authored over 30 books on mysticism, Yoga, Tantra, and Hinduism. - Lahiri Mahasaya
Shyama Charan Lahiri, best known as Lahiri Mahasaya (September 30, 1828 - September 26, 1895), was an Indian yogi and a disciple of Mahavatar Babaji. He revived the yogic science of Kriya Yoga when he learned it from Mahavatar Babaji in 1861. Lahiri Mahasaya was also the guru of Sri Yukteswar Giri. "Mahasaya" is a Sanskrit word meaning 'great soul'. He was unusual among Indian holy men in that he was a householder - marrying, raising a family, … - Criss Angel
Criss Angel (born Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos on December 19 1967) is a Greek-American magician, musician, mentalist, hypnotist, escapologist, stunt performer, and actor. He is best known for starring in his own television show, "Criss Angel Mindfreak". - Bikram Choudhury
Bikram Choudhury (born 1946) is an Indian yoga guru and the founder of Bikram Yoga, also known as "Hot Yoga", a copyrighted series of 26 hatha yoga postures that are performed in a hot (105 degrees Fahrenheit or greater) environment. Bikram is a disciple of Bishnu Ghosh (brother of Paramahansa Yogananda, author of "Autobiography of a Yogi"). - Jai Uttal
Jai Uttal is an American musician and singer-songwriter born in New York City. Often performing with his "Pagan Love Orchestra," Jai's music is influenced by his R&B roots of the 1960s and 70's and by traditional Indian music which he first became familiar with at age 19. When he was 19, Jai moved to California to become a student of Khansahib for traditional voice training and to learn the sarod, a 25-stringed Indian instrument. - Dharma Mittra
Sri Dharma Mittra is a Yoga teacher, and a student of Sri Swami Kailashananda Maharaj. Best known for creating the "Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures," his "influence on the yoga world extends far beyond the nearly 50,000 copies of that poster that have been printed since Mittra completed the laborious project in 1983." He has been teaching since 1967, and is Director of the Dharma Yoga Center in New York City. Dharma Mittra was born in 1939 in Minas Gerais, Brazil, … - B. K. S. Iyengar
Belur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, (aka Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar) (Born December 14 1918 in Belur, Karnataka, India) is the founder of Iyengar Yoga. He is considered one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world and has been practicing and teaching yoga for more than 60 years. He has written many books on yogic practice and philosophy, and is best known for his books "Light on Yoga", "Light on Pranayama", … - Anodea Judith
Anodea Judith (born Judith Ann Mull, December 1, 1952, Elyria, Ohio) is an American author, therapist, public speaker and expert on the Chakra system, bodymind (body/mind integration), somatic therapy, and Yoga. Judith is best known as the author of "Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System". Judith's academic background includes a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Rosebridge School of Integrative Therapy, … - Lotte Berk
Lotte Berk was a dancer and teacher. Her parents was a Russian born father who owned a chain of quality menswear shops and a German mother both Jewish. She is born Liselotte Heymansohn in Cologne, Germany. Lotte as a child was chauffeured around a six seated Mercedes and would wear a Russian cape. She became a modern ballet dancer which was regarded in the 1920’s and 30’s as a profession almost like prostitution. - Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Swami Shivalingam Saraswati , Master of Yoga (Yogacharya), initiated into the Original Yoga (Tantra), has been practicing Yoga for 60 years and teaching Yoga for 35 years in many countries. Swami ji is from Kathmandu, Nepal where he is widely known, having taught Yoga on national television for four years. - Jaggi Vasudev
"Sadhguru" Jaggi Vasudev is an Indian yogi and mystic. He is the founder of Isha Foundation which administers yoga centres around the world, including India and the United States. Jagadish Vasudev was born in Mysore, Karnataka and claims that he had a deep spiritual experience at the age of twenty-five. Sadhguru developed a series of programs called Isha Yoga Programs and started the Isha Yoga Centre and Ashram near Coimbatore in 1992, dedicated to that purpose. - Gopi Krishna
Gopi Krishna of India was a yogi, mystic, teacher, social reformer, and writer. His autobiography is known under the title "Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man". In the 1970s he founded together with Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker a research foundation "for western sciences and eastern wisdom". He chose the path of yoga due to his circumstances. - Erich Schiffmann
Erich Schiffmann (born 1953, Los Angeles, California) is an accomplished American Yoga Master widely known for his award-winning video, "Yoga Mind & Body", featuring actress Ali MacGraw. He is the author of a best-selling book, "Moving into Stillness". He has been teaching yoga for more than twenty years. At age 18 Schiffmann sent a handwritten letter to Krishnamurti and was accepted to study with him in England. - Michael Roach
Geshe Michael Roach is an American teacher of Tibetan Buddhism and the founder of Diamond Mountain University, the Asian Classics Institute, the Asian Classics Input Project , the Three Jewels Outreach Center, the Enlightened Business Institute, the Yoga Studies Institute, and the Godstow Retreat Center. He was born in Los Angeles in 1952 and was raised in Phoenix, AZ. - James Morrison
James Morrison (born April 21, 1954 in Bountiful, Utah) is an American actor. A professional theater actor, Morrison has been on the professional stage since the early 1980s and has won awards such as the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Performance. He has also directed theater productions. His most recent role is that of Counter Terrorist Unit Director Bill Buchanan on "24". He began as a guest star mid-way through the fourth season (2005), … - Sunny Lane
Sunny Lane (born March 2, 1980 in Georgia) is an American pornographic actress and nude model. She was born in Georgia and raised in Florida. Her parent are Shelby and Mike, who worked in air-freight. In her youth she was a competitive roller skater and ice skater, and later worked as a instructor teaching as well as yoga and pilates. While working as a professional skater, she required bunion surgery that kept her from skating so she started dancing to support herself. - Uddhava
Uddhava (also known as Pavanayadhi) is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, wherein his is the friend and counsellor of Krishna the avatar. He plays a significant role in the Bhagavata Purana, being taught the processes of yoga and bhakti directly by Krishna. The principle of these discussions is often referred to as the "Uddhava Gita", similarly to the Bhagavad Gita wherein Krishna instructs Arjuna. - Rachel Brice
Rachel Brice is a contemporary innovator in Tribal Fusion Style Belly Dance based in San Francisco. She is the artistic director and choreographer for The Indigo Belly Dance Company and frequent performer with the Bellydance Superstars. Having performed and toured nationally and internationally since 1990, Brice has also made numerous guest appearances on Bellydance Superstars DVDs, and a mulititude of television and radio appearances worldwide, … - Yogi Ramacharaka
Yogi Ramacharaka was a pseudonym of William Walker Atkinson, an American writer who was influential in turn-of-the-century (1890s-1900s) spiritual/philosophical movements such as 'New Thought' (a precursor to today's New Age movement) and Theosophy. Titles by Ramacharaka/Atkinson can be found in a Brazilian organization Círculo de Estudos Ramacharaca (Ramacharaka Studies Circle) and from the American publisher: Kessinger Publishing's Rare Reprints. - Indra Devi
Indra Devi (May 12,1899 - April 25,2002) born as Eugenie Peterson in Riga, Latvia was an early disciple of Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, and herself became a renowned yoga teacher. She also acted in some Hindi films. Born in Riga to Vasili Peterson, a Swedish bank director and Alejandra Labunskaia, a Russian noble woman, Eugenie attended drama school in Moscow as a girl and escaped to Berlin with her mother as communists came to power in 1917. - James Spader
James Todd Spader (born February 7, 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-nominated American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as "sex, lies, and videotape" (for which he won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival), "Stargate", and "Secretary", as well as his role as the lead character in the TV series "Boston Legal". - Yogaswami
Jnanaguru Yogaswami of Jaffna was Thamil Eelam's most renowned contemporary spiritual master (1872-1964), a "Śivajnani" and a "natha siddhar" revered by both Hindus and Buddhists. Yogaswami was trained in and practiced kundalini yoga under the guidance of Satguru Chellappaswami, from whom he received guru diksha (initiation). Sage Yogaswami was in turn the Satguru of Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, … - Swami Janakananda
Swami Janakananda is a Danish yogi who was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1939. He learned to use simple yoga poses as a child, and decided when he was 19 that he wanted to be a yogi. In the years that followed he explored the possibilities of using yoga on himself, body and mind. In 1968 he met Swami Satyananda and followed him to India. After the preliminary intensive training he stayed and travelled around India with his teacher. - Swami Prabhavananda
Swami Prabhavananda (December 26, 1893 – July 4, 1976 was an Indian philosopher and religious figure. Born in India, he joined the Ramakrishna Order afer graduating from Calcutta university in 1914. He was initiated by Swami Brahmananda. In 1923, he was sent to the United state of America. Initially he worked as an assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of San Francisco. After two years, he established the Vedanta Society of Portland. - Vanessa Lane
Vanessa Lane (born October 14, 1983) is an American pornographic actress, and exotic dancer. Vanessa grew up in upstate New York with four brothers. Her family was conservative, with only Christian or country music played in their home. Athletic throughout her life, Vanessa participated in many sports, including wrestling (on the boys' wrestling team), track, cross country, and cheerleading. She currently practices kick boxing, pilates, and yoga to maintain flexibility. - Paramahamsa Hariharananda
Paramahansa Hariharananda (May 27, 1907 - December 3, 2002), was an Indian yogi and guru. He was instrumental in spreading the message of Kriya Yoga in the West. - John Woodroffe
Sir John Woodroffe (1865-1936), also known by his pseudonym Arthur Avalon, was a British "Orientalist" whose work helped to unleash in the West a deep and wide interest in Hindu philosophy and Yogic practices. - Swami Niranjanananda
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati (born 14 February 1960) is the successor of Paramahamsa Satyananda, founder of Satyananda Yoga, who passed on the worldwide coordination of Satyananda Yoga to Swami Niranjanananda in 1988. Born in Rajnandgaon, Madhya Pradesh, India, Swami Niranjanananda is considered by his followers to be a yogi from birth. He began his training at Bihar School of Yoga in India at the age of four. In 1971, at the age of ten, he toured extensively in Europe, …
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