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 those of 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.
About Yogacharya Sundaram
Yogacharya 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.
As a child, he was often sick. Later, when he was 14 years old, a Maharashtrian lady taught him Padmaasana, 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. Later, he became a lawyer and practiced the profession for 27 years, from 1927 to 1951. However, no matter how hard the day, he practiced, studied, researched and taught Yoga in the mornings and evenings.
Yoga Techer Sundaram and his Yoga class
After starting his Yoga classes in 1921, Yoga Teacher Sundaram 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.
Yoga Teacher Sundaram established Sundara Yoga Sala, where yoga was taught in 1930, but more importantly Yoga Therapy was practiced. His first classes were at Venkatappa Road, off Queens Road in Bangalore, and later shifted to Payappa Gardens, off Queens Road in the later 1940s where the building still stands.
He was best known for Yoga Therapy and cured many people of a variety of illnesses using Yoga and diet. In fact, often people stayed with him for over 3 months to be cured of illnesses ranging from kidney ailments to diabetes and other digestive ailments. This makes Yogacharya Sundaram the world’s first yogic therapy pioneer.
Yogacharya Sundaram, the writer
In 1928, at age 27, 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 Yogacharya 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 | |||
| 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 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, started 1945, he composed over 1400 devotional songs or kirtanas and 500 hyms or bhajans. What makes this achievement significant is that he had no formal training in Carnatic music. He composed in multiple ragas (scales) and talas (meters) in multiple languages such as Tamil and Sanskrit.
He did all this while finding time to treat patients for illness with asana and diet, and without compromising on practicing of his own asana routine and meditation of 5 hours every day. His advice to anyone who complained that they were too busy to practice yoga (especially the author) was, “only a busy man finds time!”
This great Yoga teacher and spiritual giant passed away in 1994 at the age of 93.
Today, Yogacharya Sundaram’s legacy is carried forward by his family through their website, www.schoolofyoga.in, and by the family of his student, late Sh. A.R. Balakrishnan (1931-2015), who conduct classes and sells his books.
