Swami Sivananda (1887-1963) is considered to be a modern-day saint of India, renowned as a formidable teacher of yoga and spirituality. He was author of over two hundred books and founder of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Forest Academy and the Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, north India. He popularised yoga as the ‘yoga of synthesis’, effecting harmonious development of the ‘hand’, ‘head’ and ‘heart’ through the practice of Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. He sent many disciples into the world to spread the teachings of yoga, amongst them Swami Vishnudevananda.