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Influential Yoga Teachers List

Introduction: Thought Leaders

The number of influential yoga teachers is surely countless! While there is no set criteria for the teachers on this list, our objective is to include teachers who have made an impact well beyond their own communities.

We want to make it easy for you to find information on teachers who, for instance:

    • Introduced yoga to the West or had a major influence on those who did.
    • Are widely-published, have large teacher training schools, or otherwise have had significant influence.
    • Teachers who were direct students of T. Krishnamacharya or of B.K.S. Iyengar, K. Pattabhi Jois or T.K.V. Desikachar.
    • Teachers who have developed specialized or therapeutic applications, or who have developed effective outreach programs.

We are absolutely not judging quality of teachers and we welcome your ideas for more teachers to add. Please email us with any recommendations.

See Also

Influential Teachers: Summary List

  1. Baitmangalkar, Arundhati
  2. Baptiste, Baron
  3. Bell, Baxter MD
  4. Benagh, Barbara
  5. Bhajan, Yogi
  6. Birch, Beryl Bender
  7. Blossom, Scott
  8. Boccio, Frank Jude
  9. Bondy, Dianne
  10. Bossart, Chase
  11. Bowen, Rane
  12. Brower, Elena
  13. Brown, J.
  14. Candea, Nancy
  15. Cardoza, Nicole
  16. Carpenter, Annie
  17. Chanterrwyn, Nam
  18. Chellaram, Hersha Harilela
  19. Chinea, Constanza Eliana
  20. Choudhury, Bikram
  21. Cole, Roger
  22. Cope, Stephen
  23. Corn, Seane
  24. Costello, Nikki
  25. Crandell, Jason
  26. Dass, Ram
  27. Degener, Maris
  28. Desikachar, T.K.V.
  29. Devananda, Swami Vishnu
  30. Devi, Nischala Joy
  31. Devi, Indra
  32. Dias, Manoj
  33. Doane, Nicki
  34. Eggleston, Pamela Stokes
  35. Ezraty, Maty
  36. Farhi, Donna
  37. Farmer, Angela
  38. Feuerstein, Georg
  39. Finger, Alan
  40. Flynn, Dana Trixie
  41. Folan, Lilias
  42. Forbes, Bo
  43. Forrest, Ana
  44. Freeman, Richard
  45. Friedrichsen, Shari
  46. Friend, John
  47. Gannon, Sharron
  48. Gates, Rolf
  49. Guest-Jelley, Anna
  50. Halpern, Gabriel
  51. Heyman, Jivana
  52. Holcombe, Kate
  53. Holleman, Dona
  54. Hong, Hien
  55. Howard, Leslie
  56. Iyengar, B.K.S.
  57. Jois, K. Pattabhi
  58. Jois, Manu
  59. Kaivalya, Alanna
  60. Kaminoff, Leslie
  61. Kest, Bryan
  62. Khalsa, Gurmukh Kaur
  63. Kraftsow, Gary
  64. Kripalu, Swami
  65. Krishnamacharya, T.
  66. Lacambra , Robin Yolanda
  67. Lappa, Andrey
  68. Lasater, Judith Hanson
  69. Le Page, Joseph
  70. Lee, Cyndi
  71. Life, David
  72. Little, Tias
  73. Lozano, Ariana
  74. Ma, Anandamayi
  75. Maehle, Gregor
  76. Maharshi, Ramana
  77. Maitland, Malaika
  78. Mehrotra, Anand
  79. McGonigal, Kelly
  80. Michaan, Nevine
  81. Miller, Chuck
  82. Miller, Elise Browning
  83. Miller, Jill
  84. Miller, Richard
  85. Miller, Tim
  86. Mitchell, Jules
  87. Mittra, Dharma
  88. Mohan, A.G.
  89. Mondestin, Janessa
  90. Muktananda, Swami
  91. Myers, Nikki
  92. Nelson, Sonia
  93. Noble, Donna
  94. Palkhivala, Aadil
  95. Paul, Russill
  96. Payne, Larry
  97. Powers, Sarah
  98. Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktidevanta Swami
  99. Pransky, Jillian
  100. Radha, Swami
  101. Rama, Swami
  102. Rangel, Luvena
  103. Ray, Kali
  104. Raye, Saul David
  105. Rea, Shiva
  106. Remski, Matthew
  107. Rivera, Julio
  108. Rosen, Richard
  109. Ross, Steve
  110. Rumbaugh, Desiree
  111. Sanford, Matthew
  112. Satchidananda,Sri Swami
  113. Schiffmann, Erich
  114. Schumacher, John
  115. Shankar, Sri Sri Ravi
  116. Sherman, Sianna
  117. Shyam, Padma
  118. Sivananda, Swami
  119. Snyder, Stephanie
  120. Stanley, Jessamyn
  121. Sterios, Peter
  122. Stern, Eddie
  123. Stonechild, Shayla
  124. Stryker, Rod
  125. Swenson, David
  126. Tigunait, Pandit Rajmani
  127. Titchkosky, Puja Singh
  128. Vernon, Rama Jyoti
  129. Vivekananda, Swami
  130. Walden, Patricia
  131. Walford, Lisa
  132. West, Alison
  133. White, Ganga
  134. Whitwell, Mark
  135. Wildcroft, Theo
  136. Yee, Colleen Saidman
  137. Yee, Rodney

About the Teachers

Anand Mehrotra

Anandamayi Ma

Arundhati Baitmangalkar

Baron Baptiste

  • Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga  link
  • About.com interview  link
  • Yoga Journal article 2018  link
  • Books & Media  link

Baxter Bell, MD

  • Baxter Bell MD website  link
  • Books & Media  link

Barbara Benagh

  • The Yoga Studio  link
  • Interview  link
  • Books & Media  link

Yogi Bhajan

  • Yogi Bhajan Library of Teachings  link
  • NY Times article link
  • Books & Media  link

Beryl Bender Birch

  • Beryl Bender Birch bio  link
  • About.com interview  link
  • Books & Media  link

Scott Blossom

  • Shunyata Yoga  link
  • Yoga Journal article  link
  • Media  link

Frank Jude Boccio

  • Mindfulness Yoga bio  link
  • Yoga Journal interview  link
  • Books & Media  link

Dianne Bondy

  • Dianne Bondy Yoga  link
  • Yoga and Body Image Coalition interview  link
  • Books & Media  link

Chase Bossart

  • Yoga Well Institute  link
  • Article  link
  • Yoga Well Podcast  link

Rane Bowen

Elena Brower

  • About Elena Brower  link
  • Books & Media  link

J. Brown

  • About J. Brown  link
  • J. Brown Yoga Talk Podcast  link

Nancy Candea

  • About Nancy Candea  link
  • Website  link

Nicole Cardoza

  • About Nicole  link
  • Yoga Journal article  link
  • Website  link

Annie Carpenter

  • About Annie Carpenter  link
  • LA Yoga article  link
  • Books & Media  link

Nam Chanterrwyn

  • About Nam  link
  • Yoga International  link

Hersha Harilela Chellaram

  • About Hersha  link
  • YogaWalla article  link

Constanza Eliana Chinea

  • About Constanza  link
  • YogaWalla article  link
  • Media  link

Bikram Choudhury

  • Yoga Journal interview  link
  • UK Telegraph article  link
  • Books & Media  link

Roger Cole

Stephen Cope

  • Yoga Journal interview:  link
  • Elephant Journal article link
  • Books & Media  link

Seane Corn

  • About Seane Corn  link
  • Deepak Chopra Interviews Seane Corn  link
  • Media  link

Nikki Costello

  • Nikki Costello bio  link
  • Article  link

Jason Crandell

  • Jason Crandell bio  link
  • Yoganonymous article  link
  • Media  link

Ram Dass

  • Yoga Journal Lifetime Contributors  link
  • Ram Dass website  link
  • Books & Media  link

Maris Degener

  • About Maris  link
  • Advisor at Phoenix Project  link
  • I Am Maris: Portrait of a Young Yogi,”  link

T.K.V. Desikachar

  • Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram Founder bio  link
  • Mark Whitwell In Remembrance  2016  link
  • Leslie Kaminoff Interviews T.K.V. Desikachar in Madras, October 1992  link
  • Books & Media  link

Swami Vishnu Devananda

  • International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres  link
  • Books & Media  link

Indra Devi

  • Yoga Journal article  link
  • NY Times article  link
  • Books & Media  link

Nischala Joy Devi

  • Nischala Joy Devi bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Manoj Dias

  • Founder of A-Space   link
  • Still Together 2020  link

Nicki Doane

Pamela Stokes Eggleston

  • Yoga2sleep.com  link
  • Yoga Journal interview  link

Maty Ezraty

  • Maty Ezraty bio  link
  • Kathryn Budig Interviews Maty Ezraty  link

Donna Farhi

  • Donna Farhi bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Angela Farmer

  • Victor and Angela bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Georg Feuerstein

  • Traditional Yoga Studies  link
  • Books & Media  link

Alan Finger

  • ISHTA Yoga Lineage  link
  • Yoga Journal article  link
  • Books & Media  link

Dana Trixie Flynn

  • About Dana Trixie Flynn  link
  • Yoga Journal article  link

Lilias Folan

  • Yoga Journal article  link
  • Books & Media  link

Bo Forbes

Ana Forrest

  • Forrest Yoga  link
  • Books & Media  link

Richard Freeman

  • Richard Freeman bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Shari Friedrichsen

  • About Shari Friedrichsen  link
  • Media  link

John Friend

Sharron Gannon

  • About Sharron Gannon  link
  • Books  link

Rolf Gates

  • Rolf Gates bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Anna Guest-Jelley

  • About Anna Guest-Jelley  link
  • Books & Media  link

Gabriel Halpern

  • About Gabriel Halpern  link
  • Yoga Journal article  link

Jivana Heyman

  • About Jivana Heyman  link
  • LA Yoga interview  link

Kate Holcombe

  • About Kate Holcombe  link
  • Yoga International article  link

Dona Holleman

  • International Centered Yoga Association  link
  • Books  link

Hien Hong

Leslie Howard

B.K.S. Iyengar

  • B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga: The Official Website  link
  • Books & Media  link

Manu Jois

  • About Manu Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, South India link

K. Pattabhi Jois

  • K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute bio  link
  • Yoga Journal article  link
  • Books & Media  link

Alanna Kaivalya

  • About Alanna Kaivalya  link
  • Books & Media  link

Leslie Kaminoff

  • Leslie Kaminoff bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Bryan Kest

  • About Bryan Kest  link
  • Books & Media  link

Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa

  • Yoga Journal Lifetime Contributors  link
  • Books & Media  link

Gary Kraftsow

  • About Gary Kraftsow  link
  • Books & Media  link

Swami Kripalu

  • Yoga Journal article  link
  • Books  link

T. Krishnamacharya

  • Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram  link
  • Yoga Journal article  link
  • Books  link

Robin Yolanda Lacambra

  • Founder of GoodbodyFeel  link
  • Yoga Walla article  link
  • About Robin  link

Andrey Lappa

  • About Andrey Lappa  link
  • Media  link

Judith Hanson Lasater

  • About Judith Hanson Lasater  link
  • Books  link

Joseph Le Page

  • About Joseph Le Page  link
  • Books & Media  link

Cyndi Lee

  • About Cyndi Lee  link
  • Books & Media  link

David Life

Tias Little

Ariana Lozano

  • About Ariana  link
  • POC meets Rainbow: Restorative Yoga, in Sacramento link

Gregor Maehle

  • About Gregor Maehle  link
  • Books  link

Ramana Maharshi

  • Sri Ramana Maharshi Website  link
  • Hridaya Yoga  link
  • Books  link

Malaika Maitland

Kelly McGonigal, PhD

  • Kelly McGonigal bio  link
  • Books  link

Nevine Michaan

  • Nevine Michaan bio  link
  • Yoga Journal article  link

Chuck Miller

  • Chuck Miller Bio  link

Elise Browning Miller

  • Yoga Journal interview  link
  • Books & Media  link

Jill Miller

Richard Miller

  • Yoga Journal Lifetime Contributors  link
  • Books  link

Tim Miller

  • Tim Miller bio  link
  • Yoga Journal interview  link
  • Books  link

Jules Mitchell

  • About Jules Mitchell  link
  • Article  link
  • Books & Media  link

Dharma Mittra

  • Sri Dharma Mittra Yoga Bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Janessa Mondestin

A.G. Mohan

Indra Mohan

Swami Muktananda

Nikki Myers

  • About Nikki Myers  link
  • Yoga Journal interview  link
  • Black Enterprise article  link
  • Media  link

Sonia Nelson

  • About Sonia Nelson  link
  • Huffington Post interview  link
  • Media  link

Donna Noble

Aadil Palkhivala

  • Aadil Palkhivala bio  link
  • Book  link

Russill Paul

  • Biography   link
  • Books & Media  link

Larry Payne

  • About Larry Payne  link
  • Books & Media  link

Sarah Powers

  • About Sarah Powers  link
  • Books & Media  link

A.C. Bhaktidevanta Swami Prabhupada

  • ISKCON – The International Society of Krishna Consciousness  link

Jillian Pransky

  • Jillian Pransky bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Swami Radha

  • Yasodhara Ashram bio  link
  • Swami Radha  link
  • Books  link

Swami Rama

  • Himalayan Institute bioy  link
  • Books & Media  link
  • See also: Biographies  link

Luvena Rangel

  • About Luvena  link

Kali Ray

  • Kali Ray bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Saul David Raye

  • Saul David Raye bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Shiva Rea

  • Shiva Rea bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Matthew Remski

  • About Matthew Remski  link
  • Books  link

Julio Rivera

Richard Rosen

  • Richard Rosen Website  link
  • Books  link

Steve Ross

Desiree Rumbaugh

  • Desiree Rumbaugh bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Matthew Sanford

  • Matthew Sanford bio  link
  • Yoga Journal interview  link
  • Books & Media  link

Sri Swami Satchidananda

  • Satchidananda Ashram Yogaville  link
  • Books  link

Erich Schiffmann

  • Erich Schiffmann bio  link
  • Article by Erich Schiffmann  link
  • Books & Media  link

John Schumacher

  • John Schumacher bio  link
  • BBC article  link
  • Media  link

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

  • Sri Sri Ravi Shankar bio  link
  • The Art of Living  link
  • Books & Media  link

Sianna Sherman

  • About Sianna Sherman  link
  • Media  link

Padma Shyam

  • Padma Meditation & Yoga  link

Swami Sivananda

  • International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres bio  link
  • Yoga Journal article  link
  • Books  link

Stephanie Snyder

  • Stephanie Snyder website  link
  • TEDx Talk  link
  • Media  link

Jessamyn Stanley

  • About Jessamyn  link
  • The Under Belly website  link
  • Yoga Journal article  link
  • Book  link

Peter Sterios

  • Peter Sterios website  link
  • Media  link

Eddie Stern

  • About Eddie Stern  link
  • Huffington Post article by Eddie Stern  link
  • Books  link

Shayla Stonechild

Rod Stryker

David Swenson

  • Ashtanga Yoga Productions Bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Pandit Rajmani Tigunait

  • Himalayan Institute bio  link
  • Yoga Journal interview  link
  • Books & Media  link

Puja Singh Titchkosky aka Prince Puja

Rama Jyoti Vernon

  • Rama Jyoti Vernon Website  link
  • Seattle Yoga News interview  link
  • Books & Media  link

Swami Vivekananda

  • Swami Vivekananda bio  link
  • Books  link

Patricia Walden

  • Patricia Walden bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

Lisa Walford

  • About Lisa Walford  link
  • Iyengar Yoga Institute of Los Angeles  link

Alison West

  • About Alison West  link
  • NY Times article  link

Ganga White

  • White Lotus Foundation  link
  • Books & Media  link

Mark Whitwell

  • Mark Whitwell bio  link
  • Huffington Post articles by Mark Whitwell  link
  • Books  link

Theo Wildcroft

  • Wild Yoga website  link
  • Yoga Alliance interview  link

Colleen Saidman Yee

  • Colleen Saidman Yee bio  link
  • Yoga Journal interview link
  • Books & Media  link

Rodney Yee

  • Rodney Yee Bio  link
  • Books & Media  link

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