Foundation of BYB

Bihar Yoga Bharati has its roots in the ancient past. Thousands of years ago, the state of Bihar was the home of two great spiritual universities. The university at Nalanda at one time housed more than 10,000 students, monks and scholars, many coming from far off lands to study there. It was also famous for its library, which was ten storeys high. The university at Vikramshila, near Bhagalpur, emphasised the study of tantra.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati founded the Bihar School of Yoga (BSY) in 1963 in order to carry out the mission given to him by his guru to spread the message of yoga from door to door and from shore to shore. Under the banner of BSY, he propagated yoga for people of all ages from all countries, races, religions and cultures. Under his guidance, the ancient science of yoga was taught on a scientific basis with clarity and vision. Thousands of people were trained in the short and long term in yoga therapy, yoga teacher training, sannyasa and advanced sadhana (regular yoga practice) courses. Today BSY has become internationally recognised and respected as a teaching institution of the highest standard. Bihar Yoga Bharati is thus a natural continuation of the teaching activities of BSY.

After Swami Satyananda Saraswati entered the stage of kshetra sannyasa (renunciation of the establishment) in 1988, the responsibility of realising the vision of Swami Sivananda and Swami Satyananda was passed on to Swami Niranjanananda. For five years he developed Ganga Darshan and laid the groundwork for the realisation of his guru’s vision. In 1994 he founded and established BYB as a registered and accredited institution for advanced studies in yogic sciences at Ganga Darshan.

This gurukul based institute, the first of its kind in the world to impart a comprehensive yogic education, is currently undergoing course restructuring and presently offers fully residential courses in Yogic Studies, of four months duration.

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