Yoga is a way of exploring the best of the physical, mental, and spiritual being of one within oneself through specific training under guidance of a qualified teacher. Any male who practices it is called a yogi, while its female practitioner is known as a yogin. The importance of yoga is emphasized during a discourse between Krishna and Arjun as ‘The Yogi is greater than the ascetics; he is thought greater than even men of knowledge. The Yogi is greater than men of action. Therefore, O Arjuna, be a Yogi.’ A yogi can control his breathing and his mind and senses too through it. Its practical explanation is to inhale for five seconds through the left nostril while keeping the right nostril closed by pressing the right thumb upon it, then to close the right nostril too and hold the breath for 20 seconds followed by exhaling through the opened left nostril for 10 seconds. It is then repeated with the left nostril closed to complete one cycle. The beginner is recommended to practice it for five times a day. It is a safe yoga practice known as Kumbaka pranayama and can be self-taught, but others must be performed under the guidance and supervision of a teacher to avoid any adverse effects.

1.  Swami Nigamananda

Swami Nigamananda was born to Swami Bhaskarananda Saraswati and Manikya Sundari Devi in Kutubpur, Nadia, Bengal, British India on August 18, 1880 and died in Kolkata, Bengal, British India on November 29, 1935. He achieved perfection in the four disciplines of Tantra, Gyan, Yoga, and Prema. He laid great emphasis on the need for the teacher to succeed in the way of yoga. He said, ‘I would ramble like a mad chap caring little for bodily comforts for god and guru (master). God never descended for a moment to assist me. The day I traced my guru and received His blessings, things turned in my favor…the blessing of the guru is very essential for success in spiritual sadhana.’

2. Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya

Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya was born in Chitradurga, Mysore, India on November 18, 1888 and died in Madras, India on February 28, 1989 at the age of 100 years. He is best known for the revival of Hatha Yoga and as the master of modern yoga. Under patronage of Maharaja of Mysore Krishnaraja Wadiyar, he traveled far and wide in India lecturing about yoga. He believed in the unique identity of individuals and said ‘Teach what is appropriate for an individual’. In addition to many essays and his poetic works, he wrote four books on yoga, including; Yoga Makaranda, Yogaasangalu, Yoga Rahasya, and Yogavalli.

3. Swami Pranavananda Saraswathi

Swami Pranavananda Saraswathi was born to Nagamuthu and Kannagi in Alavaddi, Sri Lanka, on August 28, 1908 and died in Batu caves, Malaysia on August 28, 1982 at the age of 74. He was one of the founders of the Divine Life Society in Malaysia. He became aware of Yoga Marg under the guidance of K. Satkunasingam. By virtue of his good deeds, he was known in and all around Kuala Lumpur. During his visit to India in 1946, he saw many great masters of yoga and was adopted as the godson by Yogi Sudhananda Bharatiar who revealed to him the secrets of Yoga asanas. He founded an Ashram on three acres at the foot of Batu Caves

4. Swami Krishnananda Saraswati

Swami Krishnananda Saraswati was born in India on April 25, 1922 and died in Shivanandanagar, India on November 23, 2001 at the age of 79. He received his early education at the high school in Pttur, Karnataka. He was a Hindu saint and disciple of Swami Sivananda. On January 14, 1946, he was initiated by Sivananda into Sanyasa, the Hindu Monastic order and he was titled as Swami Krishnananda. He was author of more than 200 books and other writings on yoga, religion, and metaphysics. For 20 years, he had been the editor of Divine Life Society’s monthly publication Divine Life. He was appointed by Sivananda as President of the Sivananda Literature Dissemination Committee.

5. Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar

Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar was born in Jamalpur, Bihar, British India on May 21, 1921 and died in Kolkata, West Bengal, India on October 21, 1990 at the age of 69. He was known by his disciples as Shiri Siri Anandamath, meaning ‘the embodiment of blessing.’ He was also affectionately known as Baba. He was an Indian author, linguist, and philosopher. He founded Ananda Marga in 1970, and the organization continued functioning after his death. His philosophy is considered a Vedic and Tantric synthesis.

6. Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Swami Satyananda Saraswati was born in Almora, Uttaranchal in the foothills of the Himalayas in India on December 24, 1923 and died on December 5, 2009. He was a practitioner of Sanyasa Yoga and known throughout India and in the Western countries. He founded the International Yoga Fellowship in 1956 and the Bihar School of Yoga in 1963. He has written more than 80 books and is best known for his book Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha which earned him international fame. The book has been translated into many languages and has been reprinted 17 times. He enlightened many people on yoga, and in this connection visited many countries including; Europe, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Australia, North America, and Colombia.

7. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was born in Jabalpur, Madhya Perdesh, India on January 12, 1918 and died in Vlodrop, Limburg, Netherlands. He received the honorific Maharishi Yogi, meaning the enlightened, spiritual person. He is best known for his introducing transcendental meditation, ‘TM’ at an international level in 1955. His devotees called him as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, His Holiness, and sometimes as the Giggling Yogi, on account of his laughing habit in TV shows. In the early 1970s, he was famous for being the guru of the Beatles. He trained more than 5 million people and more than 40,000 TM teachers. He initiated the study of TM in many schools, colleges, and universities of India, Canada, U.S., U.K., and Switzerland.

8. Bikram Chaudhury

Bikram Chaudhury was born in Calcutta, West Bengal, India on February 10, 1946. He is best known for the development of hot yoga from Hatha Yoga. He started learning yoga at the age of only 4 and practiced it for 4-6 hours daily. He won the All India Yoga Champion ship at the age of 13. His style, known as Bikram yoga, involves practicing 26 postures and 2 breathing sessions in an environment of 40.6 C at 40% humidity within 90 minutes. By the year 2006, he had developed 1,650 yoga studios all over the world. Bikram Yoga is practiced by many celebrities including: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lady Gaga, Andy Murray, Madonna, Elton Brand, George Clooney, David Robinson, and Lea Michele.

9. Belur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar

Belur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, better known as B.K.S. Iyengar, was born in Belur, Karnataka, India on December 14, 1918. He faced poverty, deprivation, and many illnesses including influenza, malaria, typhoid, and tuberculosis in his childhood. At the age of 93, he was a different person from a health and wealth point of view probably by virtue of practicing yoga. The violinist Yehudi Menuhin introduced him at an international level, and he taught yoga to many people in England, Switzerland, and France. His book Light on Yoga was a best seller in 1966. He founded Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, India. In recognition of his services in the field of yoga, the government of India awarded him the Padma Shree in 1991, and the highest civil award Padam Bhushan in 2002.

10. Swami Sivananda Saraswati

Swami Sivananda Saraswati was born in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, and India on September 8, 1887 and died in Rishikesh in July, 1963 at the age of 75. For many years he served in Malaysia as a physician before becoming a yogi. He founded the Divine Life Society in 1936 and Yoga- Vedanta Forest Academy in 1948. He is the author of more than 200 books on Yoga and other subjects. He believed in action and said, ‘An ounce of practice is better than tons of theory. Practice yoga, religion and philosophy in daily life, and attain self-realization.’

Conclusion:

According to Yoga, breathing is controllable, and through it one can control one’s mind and senses and also can improve the longevity and quality of life. The number of breaths is destined, and no one can decrease or increase them. However, by decreasing the rate of breathing, one can increase his/her life span. According to yogis, a normal person breathes 15 to 20 times per minute, and they recommend a 1:4:2 pattern of breathing (5 seconds: 20 seconds: 10 seconds).