History of Yoga in India
In 1921, a young 20-year-old Yogacharya S. Sundaram, began giving Yoga lectures, demonstrations and classes at Bangalore, India. His classes started after Shri Yogendra, who started the world’s first formal yoga class in Mumbai on December 25th 1918, and before Swami Kuvalyananda who started the Kaivalyadham Ashram at Lonavala on October 8th, 1924.
Consequently, this makes Yogacharya Sundaram the world’s second oldest Yoga teacher, and his school (Sundara Yoga Sala) the oldest Yoga school in South India. In addition to being a Yoga teacher, Yogacharya S. Sundaram was a researcher, writer, author, yoga therapist, author, composer, freedom fighter and more.
Yoga Techer Sundaram and his Yoga class
Yoga Teacher Sundaram (1901 – 1994) was born into a poor family in Madurai, in a small house on the banks of the river Vaigai. He had 3 sisters and studied in Sethupathy Higher Secondary School, North Veli Street, Madurai till SSLC (today’s 11th standard).
As a child, he was often sick. Later, when he was 14 years old, a Maharashtrian lady taught him Padmasana, Siddhasana and Sukhasana, and he took to the discipline like a duck to water. From the age of 15, he learned and practiced dandals, bhaitaks and other physical exercises. Furthermore, around age 16, he began practicing Raja Yoga after reading Swami Vivekananda’s work on the subject.
In 1919, he relocated to Bangalore, India after marriage, and began working as a law clerk in British India at the Old Residency office. In the evenings, he practiced, studied, researched and taught Yoga.
After starting his Yoga classes in 1921, he realised that Yoga was a great way to relieve people of Bharat from post-World War1 colonial induced poverty. So, he began to actively preach the practice of Yoga as a way to health.
First, he started teaching at the home of Taranath, scholar and artist at a branch of his Premashram near Lalbagh, then moved to Kengeri to a Gurukulam under Dr. Ramachandra Rao. Further, he also did social work in Malleswaram and Basavangudi. Additionally, he became a co-writer for English monthly “Brahmacharya” with Ramachandra Rao (Kavi Yogi).
Additionally, he was a Yoga Teacher for members of the Myore Maharaja’s team.
Yogacharya Sundaram, the writer
In 1928, he published the world’s first Yoga manual called “Yogic Physical Culture” through his own publishing house, “The Yoga Publishing House”.
Other firsts to his credit are – publishing the world’s first book on Yoga in Kannada (1930), and Tamil Ananda-Rahasyam with foreword by Rajaji published in 1938. Next to be printed was “Aarogya Unavu”, the world’s first book on Yoga Therapy in Tamil, “Valivum Vanappum”, “Balaheename Paavam, Noikollale Droham”.
Additionally, through his articles in Ananda Vikadan from 1936, he was instrumental in popularising Yoga in Tamil Nadu. Later, from 1950, he started a Tamil daily called “Tina Tabal” and also published a bimonthly magazine called “Sundrodayam” which dealt with eclectic subjects, ranging from culture to yoga, diet and many subject of interest specific to South India, more specifically the Tamil community.
We give herein titles of some of the books written by Yoga Teacher Sundaram
| S.N | Name of the book | Date of 1st print | Subject | Language |
| 1 | Yogic Physical Culture | 1928 | Yoga | English |
| 2 | Diet and Digestion | 1928 | Diet | English |
| 3 | Yogic Physical Culture | 1930 | Yoga | Kannada |
| 4 | Ananda Rahasyam | 1938 | Yoga | Tamil |
| 5 | Aarogya Unavu | 1940 | Diet | Tamil |
| 6 | Yoga Sigicchai | 1952 | Yoga | Tamil |
| 7 | Surya Namaskaram | Undated | Surya namaskar | Tamil |
| 8 | Nama SankeertanaM | 1952 | Devotional | Tamil |
| 9 | Jai Shivaji | 1952 | Romance | Tamil |
| 10 | Valivum Vanappum | Yoga | Tamil | |
| 11 | Sandhya Gayatri Japa Yogam | Religion | Tamil | |
| 12 | Shanthi Yogam | Yoga | Tamil | |
| 13 | Raja Yogam | Yoga | Tamil | |
| 14 | Raja Yoga | 1975 | Yoga | English |
| 15 | Yoga Therapy | 2004 | Yoga | English |
- Yoga Therapy is a translation of Ananda Rahasyam by Yoga Teacher Sundaram’s student (late) R. Balakrishnan
Yogacharya Sundaram, the publisher
From the beginning, Sundaram wrote all his books under the banner “The Yoga Publishing House”. Consequently, this makes him the first person to start a publishing house solely dedicated to Yoga.
By the early 1940’s the number of books that he’d written had grown as had their popularity. The pressure made printing a bottleneck and Sundaram decided to start a printing press – The Sundaram Press on St. John’s Road in 1948. In fact, the building of his publishing house still stands on St. John’s Road, Sivan Chetti Gardens with the faded signage of “Sundaram Press” is still faintly visible.
Yogacharya Sundaram, the freedom fighter
From 1935, Sundaram got involved in Indian Independence movement as part of Bangalore Cantonment Zilla Congress committee. In 1936 the freedom loving citizens of Civil and Military station wanted the establishment of a District Congress Committee affiliated to the Karnataka Provincial Congress Committee. Sri Sundaram became the first founder President of this District Congress Committee. From 1936 – 1942, he was the Head of District Congress committee for Bangalore Cantonment.
He participated in Quit India movement (Aug/ Sep 1942) and later resigned when Gandhiji asked all office bearers to resign.
Yogacharya Sundaram, spiritual giant
Deep spiritual change came after coming into contact with his Guru, Shri. Ananda Giri around 1940. Thereafter, the tone and tenor of his living moved from material to spiritual. Sundaram spent more time in introspection and reflection of reality of Brahman. Consequently, he changed his approach to a more classsical yoga path, using yoga as a tool for health and therapy with the final destination of liberation.
Additionally, he composed over 1400 devotional songs or kirtanas and 500 hyms or bhajans, while finding time to treat patients for illness with asana without compromising on practicing of his own asana routine and meditation of 5 hours every day.
This great Yoga teacher and spiritual giant passed away in 1994 at the age of 93.
