“Your heart is the size of an ocean.

Go find yourself in its hidden depths.”

The Unfolding Life's Journey of Yogi Amrit Desai

The historical origin of Vedanta and Yoga in North America started with the arrival of great Yogi’s such as H.H. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) followed by H.H. Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952). Amritji (b.1932) followed in the footsteps of these great beings. He was the first Yoga Guru to bring his inner dimension of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga to the practice of Hatha yoga to the West. In 1980 in New Delhi, India, The World Religious Parliament founded by Swami Vivekananda (1894) honored Shri Amritji with the esteemed title of Jagadacharya (World Teacher). This title is considered the equivalent to Jagadaguru Shankaracharya.

Deepak Chopra said, “Yogi Amrit Desai is a pioneer in introducing Yoga to the West, but more significantly through his unique style, his method of teaching draws upon the original spiritual depth that is missing in the popular practice of Hatha Yoga.” 

Gurudev Shri Amritji is one of a handful of Gurus who came to America in the early 1960's pioneering a Yoga craze that has grown into the massive worldwide yoga practices we have today. He is the last living Guru from this initial wave.

Smithsonian Publications (2014), Yoga: The Art of Transformation, page 100: “The sixties brought an infusion of Indian gurus to the U.S., including Swami Muktananda...and Amrit Desai (b. 1932), who established the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania and Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, named for his guru, Swami Kripalvanandji.”

America’s Alternative Religions, State University of New York 1995: "Yogi Desai understands the meaning of 'yoga' in a very broad and inclusive sense, and as a result his American movement has been dynamic and experimental through its history, At the same time, he has maintained respect for the roots of his branch of yoga in India."

Over the past 57 years he founded some of the largest non-profit yoga centers in North America. The seeds of yoga he planted grew into the Yoga Society of Pennsylvania, founded in 1966. It became the largest of its kind by 1970. He started training yoga teachers in the early 1960’s and today there are more than 10,000 certified Yoga and Yoga Nidra teachers trained in his Inner Dimension of Yoga teaching in more than 40 countries around the world.

State University of New York published in 'Homegrown Gurus' 2013: “...(sic) Desai's most noted innovation is that he was the first Indian-born ancient "American Yogi" to introduce systematic teachings and techniques on Prana in the U.S. Desai remains at the forefront of the English-speaking Yoga Revolution in America for almost four decades. He also exports his teaching of Yoga to more than 40 countries and has acquired thousands of worldwide adherents...He has aguably been one of the most influential and sought-after figures in the development of Hatha Yoga in America over the last 40 years.”.

Kripalu and Lord Lakulish Lineage

Gurudev Shri Amritji is the first carrier of the Lord Lakulish and Kripalu Shaktipat Lineage to the West. Over the years his charismatic presence and powerful teachings of this Lineage of Prana have spread worldwide. His teachings through this Shaktipat Lineage ignited the fire that began the initial renaissance of the Inner Dimension of Yoga in the 20th century.

Gurudev’s 1970 Kundalini awakening experience revealed to him that Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are not just meant to be the philosophy of Yoga but a manual for the practice of Ashtanga Yoga. Patanjali says, “Yoga means witnessing the modifications of the mind.” Patanjali’s Eight Limb Ashtanga Yoga is the simultaneous holistic practice of Hatha and Raja Yoga. This is why the Integrated Amrit Method (I AM Yoga) is called Meditation in Motion. As a result, the inner dimension of Yoga creates powerful therapeutic and transformative benefits that are missing in the mainstream approach to the practice of Hatha Yoga.

Dr. David Frawley, (Padma Bushan) stated, “Yogi Desai revived the ancient teachings of the millennial old Shaivite Yoga, rooted in the Lakulish tradition from Kayavarohan in Gujarat, one of the greatest centers of India’s older Yoga practices...Yogi Desai made these secret teachings once more alive and relevant to the entire world. He has left an indelible influence on modern Yoga, particularly in the West...Yogi Desai has demonstrated a Prana Siddhi in which he can allow the Universal Prana to move not only through his mind and body but also through his environment and into the audience around him, awakening their own inner prana and spiritual intelligence.”

​On Dec. 10, 1992, the late Prime Minister of India Chandra Shekhar wrote to India’s then Prime Minister Shri Narasimha Rao: “Shri Amritji is an internationally renowned authority in the field of Yoga and exponent of the spiritual heritage for more than 30 years. He has dedicated his life not only to the in-depth study and practice of Yoga but to spreading the ancient wisdom of India and its universal teachings throughout the world. Through his efforts, the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, MA, USA, has grown fast and has received increased response from people around the world. In fact, I visited the center when I was in the USA and was deeply impressed by the dedication of the Yogacharya... I feel that Yogacharya Amritji deserves the honor for his work and therefore, recommend “Padma Vibhushan” for him as a special case.” This request received a positive response from Prime Minister Rao.

Yogi Amrit Desai is known as Gurudev Shri Amritji, or simply Gurudev, which means Beloved teacher. Gurudev reveals the ancient secrets for the modern times to reshape our lives and redesign our destinies. Gurudev is a Modern Master of Ancient Wisdom.

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