Paramhansa Yogananda

Paramhansa Yogananda (1893–1952) is a world-renowned spiritual teacher and author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi, which was voted by a panel of scholars as one of the 100 best spiritual books of the 20th century.

Yogananda came to the United States from India in 1920 to share the teachings and technique of yoga with the West. He emphasised direct inner experience of God, which he called "Self-realisation". His teachings are non-sectarian and offer a practical approach to spiritual awakening.

Yogananda transcended cultural, social, and religious boundaries. In 1927, he received an unprecedented invitation to the White House, where he was received by President Calvin Coolidge. In 1936, Mahatma Gandhi asked Yogananda to initiate him into Kriya Yoga, the highest technique on Yogananda's path of Self-realisation.