List of yoga schools explained

Yoga schools are as diverse as the meanings of the bracket term yoga. Within the major branches of yoga such as haṭha, lāya, rāja, jñāna, and bhakti there are many different schools and lineages, both extant and defunct. Since the late 19th century, a great number of distinct new styles of "Yoga" have been introduced by individual teachers. Some schools and traditions are occasionally referred to as yoga or yogic for their similar practices, despite having no foundation in the Indian tradition; these include Shin Shin Tōitsu-dō, and Daoyin.

Modern Hinduism and Neo-Hindu revival

The term "Yoga" has been used for various philosophies and concepts in the context of Hindu revivalism and Neo-Hindu religious and philosophical movements.

• 1918: The Yoga Institute - Shri Yogendra^[1]
• 1920: Agni Yoga - Nicholas Roerich and his wife Helena Roerich (theosophy)^[2]
• 1920: Self-Realization Fellowship - Paramahansa Yogananda^[3]
• 1921: Integral Yoga - Sri Aurobindo, The Synthesis of Yoga^[4]
• 1924: Kaivalyadhama Health and Yoga Research Center^[5]
• 1948: Divine Life Society - Swami Sivananda^[6]
• 1950s: Satyananda Yoga - Swami Satyananda Saraswati^[7]
• 1955: Ananda Marga - Shrii Shrii Anandamurti^[8]
• 1960s: Transcendental Meditation - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi^[9]
• 1970: Bikram Yoga - Bikram Choudhury^[10]
• 1971: Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy - Swami Rama^[11]
• 1970s: Siddha Yoga - Swami Muktananda^[12]
• 1970s: Sahaja Yoga, a new religious movement founded by Nirmala Srivastava^[13]
• 1981: Art of Living - Ravi Shankar^[14]
• 1991: Shiva Yoga – Shankarananda^[15]
• 1997: Ananda yoga - Swami Kriyananda^[16]

Styles of yoga as exercise

India and other Asian countries are home to thousands of yoga schools founded over the last century to teach yoga as exercise, which unlike all earlier forms consists in large part of asanas. Below are some and their style of yoga.

• 1948: Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga - Sri K. Pattabhi Jois^[17]
• 1963: Bihar School of Yoga - Swami Satyananda Saraswati^[18]
• 1960s: Sivananda Yoga - Swami Vishnu-devananda^[17]
• 1960s: Iyengar Yoga - B.K.S. Iyengar^[17]
• 1970s: Yin Yoga - Paulie Zink^[19]
• 1971: Bikram Yoga - Bikram Choudhury^[17]
• 1980s: Viniyoga - tradition of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya^[17]
• 1980s: Rocket Yoga - Larry Schultz^[20]
• 1982: Forrest Yoga - Ana T. Forrest^[17]
• 1986: Jivamukti Yoga - David Life and Sharon Gannon^[17]
• 1992: Isha Yoga - Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev^[21]
• 1995: Power Yoga - Beryl Bender Birch^[22]
• 1990s: Power Yoga - Bryan Kest^[23]
• 1997: Anusara Yoga - formerly John Friend^[24]

Eclectic styles

Several eclectic styles, some with Western audiences, are partially based on Hatha yoga:

• 1969: Kundalini Yoga - Yogi Bhajan^[17]
• 1975: Zen Yoga
• 1985: Body & Brain ("Korean Yoga") - Ilchi Lee
• 1995: Laughter Yoga - Madan Kataria

Yoga in other religious traditions

With the widespread reception of the concept of "Yoga" in the west, the term has also been transferred to similar systems of meditation and exercise which are not of Indian origin, mostly without global reach:

• Tsa lung Trul khor, a concept in Tibetan Buddhism described as "Yantra Yoga" by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu (2000)
• Kum Nye, Tibetan practice, sometimes dubbed "Kum Nye Yoga"
• Shin Shin Tōitsu-dō, a system of "mind and body unification" created by Nakamura Tempu in the 1940s which is also known as "Japanese Yoga".
• Daoyin is a similar Daoist practice in China, part of a broader meditation system which includes Qigong and Taijiquan
• Kemetic yoga, an ancient Egyptian yoga system

Notes and References

1. News: Nargish . Sunavala . World's oldest yoga centre still going strong . . 5 February 2015.
2. Web site: Agni Yoga . highest-yoga.info . https://web.archive.org/web/20181023071905/http://www.highest-yoga.info/en/yoga/agni-yoga.html . 23 October 2018 . live .
3. News: When Being a Yogi Had an Exotic Air . . 10 October 2014 . 7 July 2017 .
4. Book: O'Connor, June . 2005 . Aurobindo Ghose . Jones . Lindsey . MacMillan Encyclopedia of Religions . . 634.
5. Web site: The Oldest Scientific Yoga Research Institute in the World - Kaivalayadhama . 2024-06-03 . Kaivalyadhama . en-US.
6. Web site: H. H. Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati . . 25 August 2019 . 2011.
7. Bihar School of Yoga . satyanandayogacenter.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150721233536/http://www.satyanandayogacenter.com/id1.html . 2015-07-21 .
8. Web site: Ananda Marga . 5 March 2022.
9. News: Rooney . Ben . Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, guru to Beatles, dies . . 6 February 2008 . London.
10. Book: Syman, Stefanie . The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America . registration . 2010 . . New York . 978-0-374-23676-2 . 268-279 .
11. Web site: Our Teaching Legacy . 15 September 2016 . . 5 March 2022.
12. Web site: Swami Muktananda . SYDA Foundation . 5 March 2022.
13. Book: Sahaja Yoga . Encyclopedia of Religion . . 2005 . Jones . Lindsey . 2nd . Detroit . 978-0-02-865997-8 .
14. Web site: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar . 22 November 2018 . . 17 December 2018.
15. Web site: The Ashram Mount Eliza: Swami Shankarananda - Meditation and Yoga . 5 March 2022 . The Ashram Mount Eliza.
16. Book: Walters, J. . Ananda yoga for higher awareness . Crystal Clarity Publishers . Nevada City, California . 1967 . 978-1-56589-078-7 . 41846560.
17. Web site: Anon . Which Yoga is Right for You? . 13 November 2012 . . 1 June 2019.
18. News: Mishra . Dipak . City of yoga remembers biggest fan . https://web.archive.org/web/20150808005824/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150729/jsp/bihar/story_34155.jsp . dead . August 8, 2015 . . 29 July 2015.
19. Web site: Teacher Spotlight: Paulie Zink The founding master of Yin yoga . March 2009 . Conference Connection . . February 12, 2013.
20. Web site: Iconic Bay Area Yoga Teacher Dies / Yoga Buzz / Yoga Blog / Yoga Journal . 4 March 2022 . 2 March 2011.
21. Web site: The most powerful Indians in 2009: 80–84 . 9 March 2009 . 25 January 2011 . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110128080021/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-most-powerful-indians-in-2009-8084/432810/ . 28 January 2011 .
22. Web site: Power Yoga . . 28 April 2019 . The original Power Yoga was developed and founded by Beryl Bender Birch, but is now a term used to describe many vigorous vinyasa styles..
23. Web site: Pizer . Anne . Power Yoga . 7 February 2013.
24. News: Swartz . Mimi . The Yoga Mogul . . 21 July 2010.