| Swami Ramdev Ji: Ramdev [1965 - ] was born as Ramkishan at Alipur, in Mahendragarh district of Haryana; he studied up to Class 8 in Shahjadpur and then joined a gurukul in Khanpur village to learn Sanskrit. From there he went to Jind district and joined the Kalva gurukul and later imparted free Yoga training to villagers across Haryana.It is said that he travelled the Himalayas for several years before he settled in Haridwar. He discovered several medicinal plants in the Himalayas which he uses in treating his patients. Swami Ramdev started relentless efforts to popularise Yoga in 1995 with the establishment of Divya Yoga Mandir Trust, along with Acharya Karamveer and Acharya Balkrishna. | |
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Profile - In 1995, Swamiji joined the order of ancient-monks. - Swami Ramdev
was initiated into the ascetic order by Swami Shankerdevji Maharaj.
- In the course of pursuing his ascetic endeavors, Swamiji spent
many years undertaking a thorough study of ancient Indian scriptures.
At the same time, he also practiced intense self-discipline and
meditation. - He teaches that God resides in every human being and
that the body is God's temple. He is a firm believer in the concept
of Vasudaiv Kutambakam (the whole World is one family) and decries
practices that discriminate on the basis of caste, creed or gender.
His fundamental belief is that expressions of love, affection and
compassion towards all living things are the true worship of the
Creator. - Swamiji has taught several aspects of traditional Indian
scriptures such as Ashtadhyayee, Mahabhashya and Upanishads along
with six systems of Indian Philosophy in various Gurukuls (traditional
Indian systems of education). He has helped establish Gurukuls in
Kishangarh, Ghashera, and Mahendragarh in India. Swamiji has also
founded the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust which has built several institutions.
In addition to helping people learn about Yoga and spirituality,
these institutions also provide a comprehensive facility that promotes
the practice of Ayurveda - the traditional system of holistic medicine
developed in India. - Swamiji's unique contribution has been in
helping ordinary people lead a healthy life through the practice
of Pranayama. In very simple terms, Pranayama can be thought of
as a series of techniques for breath control that were developed
as a part of the ancient Indian system of Yoga. Heretofore, these
techniques were often thought of as being esoteric and complex and
portrayed as being unsuitable for lay people. Consequently, their
use was often limited to advanced practitioners of Yoga and undertaken
only under the strict supervision of an experienced teacher. Swamiji
has worked diligently to break these barriers and help make the
practice of Pranayama achievable by the ordinary layperson. - -
He has devised a set of six simple Pranayama breathing exercises
as listed in the section below. These techniques have been readily
embraced by the general public as evidenced by the following facts:
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