Milestones in the History of

Swami Satchidananda

1914: Birth

December 22, 1914

1914:  Birth

C.K. Ramaswamy (Ramu) was born in Chettipalayam, near Coimbatore, in South India. His father, Sri Kalyanasundaram, was a landowner, village leader, Tamil scholar, and acclaimed…

Read more

1921: Higher Education

January 1, 1924

1921: Higher Education

In 1921, seven-year-old Ramu asked his father if he could accompany him to the conference, not only to listen but to give a short talk…

Read more

1934: Automobile Importer

April 11, 1934

1934:  Automobile Importer

Ramu’s uncle, Sri Krishnaswamy Gounder, owned a growing automobile business in Coimbatore and was the first importer of British cars in Madras (now Chennai). He…

Read more

1937: Temple Manager

January 1, 1937

1937:  Temple Manager

The trustees of the Perur Temple of Lord Nataraja approached Sri Kalyanasundaram with an urgent request. “Do you think Ramaswamy would take up the management…

Read more

1938: Householder Life

May 14, 1938

1938:  Householder Life

Srimati Velammai and her husband were concerned about Ramu’s future. He was twenty-three and still a bachelor when most men were married and had children….

Read more

1942: Seclusion & Study

May 1, 1942

1942: Seclusion & Study

After the loss of his wife, Ramu lived in a room in his father’s house and later in an eight-foot square hut in a field…

Read more

1946: Spiritual Pilgrimage

January 14, 1946

1946: Spiritual Pilgrimage

In 1946 Ramaswamy wandered throughout South India as a mendicant. He devised this as a test period. “If there is a God, then God will…

Read more

1947: Pre-monastic Vows

January 1, 1947

1947: Pre-monastic Vows

Ramu entered the Ramakrishna Mission at Thirupparaiturai, which was headed by Sri Swami Chidbhavanandaji Maharaj. Chidbhavanandaji was a disciple of Sri Swami Shivananda, one of…

Read more

1949: Sri Ramana Maharshi

January 1, 1949

1949:  Sri Ramana Maharshi

Prior to entering the Ramakrishna Mission in 1947, Ramaswamy had felt something drawing him north toward the Himalayas. He had made the decision to leave…

Read more

1949: Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda

April 1, 1949

1949:  Gurudev Sri Swami Sivananda

Sambasiva Chaitanya’s pilgrimage resumed. In the spring of 1949 he was able to continue on his way north to Rishikesh to the ashram of H….

Read more

1951 – 1952: All India Tour

February 8, 1951

1951 – 1952:  All India Tour

In 1951, Sri Swami Sivananda decided to send Swami Satchidananda to care for a devotee facing a medical crisis. He also said, “I want you…

Read more

1953: Sri Lanka

February 1, 1953

1953:  Sri Lanka

Srimati Selvanayagi was a young woman from a very wealthy Ceylonese family that owned many acres of land around Trincomalee. When Gurudev Sivanandaji traveled to…

Read more

1958: Himalayan Pilgrimages

June 1, 1958

1958:  Himalayan Pilgrimages

High in the Himalayan range is the majestic, glacier-capped peak of holy Mount Kailash, legendary home of Lord Siva. Along the way to the peak…

Read more

1959/1961: Hong Kong and South Asia

April 1, 1959

1959/1961:  Hong Kong and South Asia

In 1959, Swamiji accepted an invitation from Sri Vasudeva Daryanani, the secretary of the Divine Life Society, to give a series of lectures and demonstrations…

Read more

1965: An Invitation to the West

November 1, 1965

1965:  An Invitation to the West

Sri Lanka—known as Ceylon when Swami Satchidananda lived there—was a true paradise. With its lovely climate and beautiful scenery it held a great attraction for…

Read more

1966: To Europe

April 1, 1966

1966:  To Europe

On the way to Paris, in April 1966, Swami Satchidananda stopped in Cairo, Jerusalem, and Rome. Mr. Yogendra Duraiswamy, Ambassador from Ceylon to Rome, knew…

Read more

1966: New York City

July 31, 1966

1966:  New York City

Swami Satchidananda arrived in New York the summer of 1966. He was hosted by artist Peter Max, along with a close friend and designer colleague…

Read more

1967 – 1968: Interfaith Visionary

January 1, 1967

1967 – 1968:  Interfaith Visionary

During the late 1960s, Swami Satchidananda continued to foster the growth of the Integral Yoga Institute in New York, as well as to send students…

Read more

1969: Carnegie Hall, Woodstock, a Record Album & Integral Yoga Magazine

January 31, 1969

1969: Carnegie Hall, Woodstock, a Record Album & Integral Yoga Magazine

Over the next several years, the Integral Yoga Institute of New York expanded its activities, began training teachers to begin to take over classes from…

Read more

1970: Retreats, Earth Day, World Tour & Meetings with Remarkable People

April 22, 1970

1970:  Retreats, Earth Day, World Tour & Meetings with Remarkable People

By 1970, Swami Satchidananda’s popularity was growing by leaps and bounds as interest in Yoga exploded. He was invited to give talks at numerous universities,…

Read more

1972: Vogue Magazine

January 1, 1972

1972:  Vogue Magazine

In 1972, Vogue magazine became one of the first major fashion magazines to do a spread on Yoga. The article featured Swami Satchidananda teaching Yoga…

Read more

1972: Wellness & Yoga

May 1, 1972

1972:  Wellness & Yoga

Throughout 1972, Swami Satchidananda was traveling continually and speaking to a variety of audiences. Of special interest to him was sharing his teachings on disease,…

Read more

1972 – 1973: Ashrams, Pre-monastics & “Yoga for the City”

June 15, 1972

1972 – 1973:  Ashrams, Pre-monastics & “Yoga for the City”

On April 15, 1972, the first Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville opened in Siegler Springs, Lake County, California. For several years, Swami Satchidananda expressed his dream of having…

Read more

1974: Patron of Yoga, Interfaith & World Peace Organizations

January 16, 1974

1974:  Patron of Yoga, Interfaith & World Peace Organizations

By the early 1970s, as Swami Satchidananda was becoming more well known for his Integral Yoga system, for his views on holistic health and wellness,…

Read more

1975 – 1976: Integral Health Services

March 21, 1975

1975 – 1976:  Integral Health Services

In March 1975, Sandra (Amrita) McLanahan, MD, (pictured above with Swamiji) opened Satchidananda Clinic in Putnam, Connecticut. The Clinic was located in the town closest…

Read more

1977: Medical Schools and a Yoga School

January 1, 1977

1977: Medical Schools and a Yoga School

From the early-1970s onward, Swami Satchidananda received more and more requests to speak about his ideas regarding illness vs. wellness, dis-ease, preventive and integrative medicine….

Read more

More events to come. Check back soon!