The '
Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy
'' (HIYSP) is an international

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, which promotes

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

and

holistic health Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices ...

through yoga retreats, residential programs, health products and services, media publications including ''Yoga International'' magazine, and humanitarian projects. The institute's main campus is located on (1.6 km²) in the

Pocono Mountains The Pocono Mountains, commonly referred to as the Poconos (), are a geographical, geological, and cultural region in Northeastern Pennsylvania. They overlook the Delaware River and Delaware Water Gap to the east, Lake Wallenpaupack to the nort ...

of northeastern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and is the site of most of its residential programming. Branch centers also operate in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It formerly had centres in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Programs

The organization was founded in 1971 by the Indian

yoga guru Modern yoga gurus are people widely acknowledged to be gurus of modern yoga in any of its forms, whether religious or not. The role implies being well-known and having a large following; in contrast to the old guru-shishya tradition, the modern ...

Swami Rama Swami Rama (; 1925 – 13 November 1996) was an Indian yoga guru. He moved to the US in 1969, initially teaching yoga at the YMCA, and founding the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Illinois in 1971; its headquarters moved t ...

. A range of educational programming for yoga teachers is offered by the Himalayan Institute including training workshops, online courses, seminars, and certifications. The institute publishes additional media through the Himalayan Institute Press, including the magazine Yoga International, and sells health products such as the Varcho Veda line of

herbal extract An extract (essence) is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures or absolutes or dried and powdered. The aromatic principles of many ...

s, and the

Neti Pot Nasal irrigation (also called nasal lavage, nasal toilet, or nasal douche) is a personal hygiene practice in which the nasal cavity is washed to flush out mucus and debris from the Human nose, nose and sinuses, in order to enhance Obligate nasal ...

Philanthropy

The Himalayan Institute runs humanitarian projects in different areas of the world. In

Kumbo Kumbo, also known as Kimbo, is the second-largest city in the Northwest Province, Cameroon, North West Province of Cameroon and the capital of Bui (Cameroon department), Bui Division. It lies about 2000m above sea level and is situated approximate ...

, Cameroon, the institute has implemented

vocational training Vocational education is education that prepares people for a Skilled worker, skilled craft. Vocational education can also be seen as that type of education given to an individual to prepare that individual to be gainfully employed or self em ...

courses in agriculture, holistic medicine, and carpentry. In Jonotla, Mexico, a Himalayan Institute branch center holds

sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is agriculture, farming in sustainability, sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an ...

workshops. The institute has also supported Tibetan refugees in India, with projects in the

Bylakuppe Bylakuppe (བྷ་ཡ་ལ་ཀུཔེ།) is a region in Karnataka which is home to the Indian town Bylakuppe and several Tibetan settlements, established by Lugsum Samdupling (in 1961) and Dickyi Larsoe (in 1969). Bylakuppe is the l ...

and Rabgayling settlements, and has hosted

Samdhong Rinpoche () is a Tibetan religious title. ''Rinpoche'' means "precious one". The current Samdhong Rinpoche is Lobsang Tenzin,

, prime minister of the

Tibetan government in exile The Central Tibetan Administration (, , ) is the government-in-exile of Tibet, based in Dharamshala, India. It comprises a judiciary branch, a legislative branch, and an executive branch, and offers support and services to the Tibetan exile ...

. The Himalayan Institute has been responsible for several notable sustainability and

alternative energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

initiatives, including the cultivation of

biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from Biomass (energy), biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels such as oil. Biofuel can be produced from plants or from agricu ...

crops in India, Cameroon and Mexico. In 2010, the organization received a government grant to install a

solar thermal Solar thermal energy (STE) is a form of energy and a technology for harnessing solar energy to generate thermal energy for use in Industrial sector, industry, and in the residential and commercial sectors. Solar thermal collectors are classified ...

system at its headquarters.Solar Water System to be Installed at Institute
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Himalayan Institute Of Yoga Science And Philosophy Yoga organizations Modern Denominational Yoga Organizations based in Pennsylvania