Through the years of discipleship under Swami Sivananda, Swami Vishnudevananda, acquired a deep knowledge of hatha yoga and raja yoga. Close observation of the lifestyle and needs of people led him to synthesise the four paths of yoga into five basic principles that can be easily incorporated into daily life to provide the foundation for healthy living. It is on these five principles that the activities of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres are based.