Founder Guru (1798-1921)Paramhamsa Madhavdas ji
Born in Bengal in 1798, Paramahamsa Madhavdas Ji was a true Yoga Master hailing from the Mukhopadhyaya family. His childhood and upbringing inspired in him a devotional faith towards yoga. He left home at the age of 23 to study various Hatha yoga techniques and health advantages of Yoga practices in order to promote spiritual health and growth of consciousness. During his 123 year long life, he was worked for the revival of yogic practices which were fast disappearing from India at the time.
Paramhamsa Madhavdas Ji was giving a talk in Madhavbaug, Mumbai, in 1916, when he met Shri Yogendra Ji. Shri Yogendra Ji was awestruck by his teacher’s wisdom and eminence. Madhavdas Ji, too, noticed a special spark in Shri Yogendra Ji. The first thing he told Yogendra Ji was, “I have waited for you for all these years.” Madhavdas Ji was 118 at the time. During his lifetime, Paramahamsa Madhavdas Ji selected just 2 pupils for learning Hatha Yoga. He had a keen sense of the future of yoga and, after a long search, picked Shri Yogendra Ji to carry the “Yoga torch” around the world. Paramahamsa Madhavdas Ji was a master of many different Yoga traditions. He was well-versed in holy practices, but the spiritual upliftment of the masses was his most important goal. He arranged an All-India Sadhu convention in 1909 to reform the hermit order. His outstanding contribution to Yoga continues to this day. The Yoga Institute, now nearly 100 years old, continues to practice the message of humanity, peace, and goodwill by following the values established by the Founder and his holiness Paramahamsa Madhavdas Ji.
