The Gurus of Yoga
Yoga lives because it has been carried, teacher to student, across the generations. Meet the ācāryas and lineage masters through whom the traditions have been transmitted.
Guru–disciple links are shown only where historically supported. Traditional or mythic attributions are clearly marked and never asserted as fact.
Ancient & Classical
10 gurusĀdi Śaṅkarācārya
Exponent of Advaita Vedānta; organised the Daśanāmī monastic order.
- Period:
- c. 8th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Advaita Vedānta
Haribhadrasūri
Jain ācārya; author of yoga treatises incl. Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya.
- Period:
- c. 8th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Jain Yoga
Hastāmalaka
DebatedTraditionally one of the four principal disciples of Ādi Śaṅkara; namesake of the Hastāmalaka-stotra.
- Period:
- c. 8th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Advaita Vedānta
Maharishi Patañjali
DebatedCompiler of the Yoga Sūtras; date and identity debated by scholars.
- Period:
- c. 2nd c. BCE – 4th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Pātañjala Yoga
Padmapāda
DebatedTraditionally one of the four principal disciples of Ādi Śaṅkara; author of the Pañcapādikā.
- Period:
- c. 8th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Advaita Vedānta
Rāmānanda
DebatedTraditionally the founder of the Rāmānandī order.
- Period:
- c. 14th–15th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Rāmānandī
Sureśvara
DebatedTraditionally a principal disciple of Ādi Śaṅkara; author of the vārttikas on Śaṅkara's commentaries.
- Period:
- c. 8th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Advaita Vedānta
Svātmārāma
Compiler of the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā.
- Period:
- c. 15th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Haṭha Yoga
Toṭakācārya
DebatedTraditionally a principal disciple of Ādi Śaṅkara; author of the Toṭakāṣṭaka.
- Period:
- c. 8th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Advaita Vedānta
Vyāsa (Yoga-bhāṣya author)
Author of the earliest surviving commentary (bhāṣya) on the Yoga Sūtras.
- Period:
- c. 4th–5th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Pātañjala Yoga
Medieval
10 gurusAbhinavagupta
Polymath master of Trika Śaivism; author of the Tantrāloka.
- Period:
- c. 950–1016 CE
- Tradition:
- Trika / Kashmir Śaivism
Basavaṇṇa
Central figure of the Vīraśaiva bhakti movement.
- Period:
- 1131–1167 CE
- Tradition:
- Vīraśaiva / Liṅgāyata
Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Inspirer of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava bhakti movement.
- Period:
- 1486–1534 CE
- Tradition:
- Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava
Gorakṣanātha
Systematiser of the Nātha order and haṭha techniques; disciple of Matsyendranātha by tradition.
- Period:
- c. 11th–12th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Nātha Sampradāya
Madhvācārya
Founder of the Dvaita (dualist) Vedānta school.
- Period:
- 1238–1317 CE
- Tradition:
- Dvaita Vedānta
Matsyendranātha
DebatedRevered as an originary Nātha master; historicity partly legendary.
- Period:
- c. 10th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Nātha Sampradāya
Nimbārkācārya
DebatedFounder of the Nimbārka (dvaitādvaita) Vaiṣṇava lineage.
- Period:
- c. 12th–13th c. CE
- Tradition:
- Nimbārka Sampradāya
Rāmānujācārya
Principal ācārya of Viśiṣṭādvaita and the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition.
- Period:
- 1017–1137 CE
- Tradition:
- Śrī Vaiṣṇava
Vallabhācārya
Founder of the Puṣṭimārga (Vallabha) Vaiṣṇava school.
- Period:
- 1479–1531 CE
- Tradition:
- Puṣṭimārga
Vasugupta
Associated with the revelation of the Śiva Sūtras.
- Period:
- c. 850 CE
- Tradition:
- Kashmir Śaivism
Modern (19th c. onward)
39 gurusA. G. Mohan
Direct student of Krishnamacharya; co-founder of Svastha Yoga.
- Period:
- b. 1945
- Tradition:
- Krishnamacharya lineage
B. K. S. Iyengar
Developed alignment- and prop-based method; author of Light on Yoga.
- Period:
- 1918–2014
- Tradition:
- Iyengar Yoga
Geeta S. Iyengar
Daughter and foremost student of B. K. S. Iyengar; leading authority on yoga for women (author of 'Yoga: A Gem for Women').
- Period:
- 1944–2018
- Tradition:
- Iyengar Yoga
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Founder of the Art of Living; introduced Sudarshan Kriya.
- Period:
- b. 1956
- Tradition:
- Art of Living
Indra Devi
Early Western student of Krishnamacharya; a pioneering woman who spread yoga worldwide ('First Lady of Yoga').
- Period:
- 1899–2002
- Tradition:
- Modern postural yoga
K. Pattabhi Jois
Codified the Ashtanga Vinyasa method from Krishnamacharya's teaching.
- Period:
- 1915–2009
- Tradition:
- Ashtanga Vinyasa
Lahiri Mahāśaya
Revived and taught Kriyā Yoga to householders.
- Period:
- 1828–1895
- Tradition:
- Kriyā Yoga
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Introduced Transcendental Meditation (TM).
- Period:
- 1918–2008
- Tradition:
- Transcendental Meditation
Manju Pattabhi Jois
Eldest son of K. Pattabhi Jois; among the first to teach the Ashtanga Vinyasa method in the West.
- Period:
- b. 1944
- Tradition:
- Ashtanga Vinyasa
Pandit Rajmani Tigunait
Successor of Swami Rama; spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute.
- Period:
- b. 1953
- Tradition:
- Himalayan Tradition
Paramahansa Yogananda
Brought Kriyā Yoga to the West; founded SRF/YSS.
- Period:
- 1893–1952
- Tradition:
- Kriyā Yoga
Prashant S. Iyengar
Son and senior student of B. K. S. Iyengar; teacher and author on the philosophy and inner practice of āsana.
- Period:
- b. 1949
- Tradition:
- Iyengar Yoga
R. Sharath Jois
Grandson and designated successor of K. Pattabhi Jois; lineage holder of Ashtanga Vinyasa in Mysore.
- Period:
- 1971–2024
- Tradition:
- Ashtanga Vinyasa
Rajarshi Janakananda (James J. Lynn)
Foremost American disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda; second president of Self-Realization Fellowship.
- Period:
- 1892–1955
- Tradition:
- Kriyā Yoga
Ramana Maharshi
Sage of Arunachala; taught self-enquiry (ko'ham / ātma-vichāra).
- Period:
- 1879–1950
- Tradition:
- Ātma-vichāra / Advaita
S. N. Goenka
Popularised Vipassanā in the U Ba Khin tradition worldwide.
- Period:
- 1924–2013
- Tradition:
- Vipassana (Goenka)
Sadhguru (Jaggi Vasudev)
Founder of the Isha Foundation; teaches classical haṭha and Inner Engineering.
- Period:
- b. 1957
- Tradition:
- Isha Yoga
Shri Yogendra
Founder of The Yoga Institute (1918); pioneer of yoga for householders.
- Period:
- 1897–1989
- Tradition:
- The Yoga Institute
Shrii Shrii Ānandamūrti (P. R. Sarkar)
Founder of Ananda Marga; taught tantric meditation and Neohumanism.
- Period:
- 1921–1990
- Tradition:
- Ananda Marga
Sri Aurobindo
Developed Integral Yoga; co-worker 'The Mother'.
- Period:
- 1872–1950
- Tradition:
- Integral (Pūrṇa) Yoga
Sri Daya Mata
Direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda; long-serving president of Self-Realization Fellowship.
- Period:
- 1914–2010
- Tradition:
- Kriyā Yoga
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Mystic whose teaching inspired the Ramakrishna movement.
- Period:
- 1836–1886
- Tradition:
- Vedānta / Śākta
Swami Brahmananda (Rakhal)
Direct disciple of Ramakrishna; first president of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
- Period:
- 1863–1922
- Tradition:
- Vedānta / Ramakrishna Order
Swami Chinmayananda
Founder of Chinmaya Mission; studied under Sivananda and Tapovan Maharaj.
- Period:
- 1916–1993
- Tradition:
- Vedānta
Swami Dayananda Saraswati (Arsha Vidya)
Traditional Vedānta teacher; disciple of Chinmayananda; founded Arsha Vidya Gurukulam.
- Period:
- 1930–2015
- Tradition:
- Advaita Vedānta
Swami Kripalvananda
Namesake of Kripalu Yoga; teacher of Amrit Desai.
- Period:
- 1913–1981
- Tradition:
- Kripalu Yoga
Swami Kuvalayananda
Founder of Kaivalyadhama; pioneer of scientific research on yoga.
- Period:
- 1883–1966
- Tradition:
- Kaivalyadhama
Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
Successor of Swami Satyananda; head of the Bihar School of Yoga and Bihar Yoga Bharati.
- Period:
- b. 1960
- Tradition:
- Satyananda / Bihar Yoga
Swami Rama
Founder of the Himalayan Institute; taught meditation & yoga nidrā.
- Period:
- 1925–1996
- Tradition:
- Himalayan Tradition
Swami Satchidananda
Disciple of Sivananda; founded Integral Yoga and Yogaville.
- Period:
- 1914–2002
- Tradition:
- Integral Yoga
Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Disciple of Sivananda; founded the Bihar School of Yoga; systematised Yoga Nidrā.
- Period:
- 1923–2009
- Tradition:
- Satyananda / Bihar Yoga
Swami Sivananda Saraswati
Founder of the Divine Life Society; teacher of many 20th-c. masters.
- Period:
- 1887–1963
- Tradition:
- Sivananda / Vedānta
Swami Sri Yukteswar
Disciple of Lahiri Mahāśaya; guru of Yogananda.
- Period:
- 1855–1936
- Tradition:
- Kriyā Yoga
Swami Tapovan Maharaj
Vedānta master; guru of Chinmayananda.
- Period:
- 1889–1957
- Tradition:
- Vedānta
Swami Vishnudevananda
Disciple of Sivananda; founded the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres.
- Period:
- 1927–1993
- Tradition:
- Sivananda Yoga
Swami Vivekananda
Disciple of Ramakrishna; reframed Rāja Yoga for the modern world.
- Period:
- 1863–1902
- Tradition:
- Rāja Yoga (Vedānta)
T. K. V. Desikachar
Son of Krishnamacharya; developed the individualised Viniyoga approach.
- Period:
- 1938–2016
- Tradition:
- Viniyoga
Tirumalai Krishnamacharya
Teacher of Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, Desikachar, Indra Devi; a fountainhead of modern āsana.
- Period:
- 1888–1989
- Tradition:
- Modern postural yoga
Yogi Bhajan (Harbhajan Singh Khalsa)
Introduced 'Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan'; founded 3HO.
- Period:
- 1929–2004
- Tradition:
- Kundalini Yoga (3HO)