The primary branches or paths of yoga are Bhakti, Jnana, Raja, Tantra and Hatha. The various yoga styles may clearly follow one of those paths or may use techniques from multiple branches.
In yoga terminology, lineage refers to the historical succession of knowledge passed from teacher to teacher. With the foundation of lineage, a disciple of yoga gains insight not only from his/her own teacher, but from all the teachers that came before.
Lineage provides unity between a disciple of yoga and the historical origin of the practice. Also referred to as parampara, a Sanskrit term meaning "an uninterrupted row or series," lineage is the foundation of yoga's heritage - humble, subtle and free from the pitfalls of individual ego.
The firm foundation provided by lineage exposes the yoga disciple to yoga's traditional philosophy and its undiluted practice, but, more importantly, it exposes the disciple to a depth of wisdom gained only from a succession of awakened minds.
A world renowned physical trainer and culturist established Ghosh’s College of Physical Education on the ground floor of his north Calcutta residence in 1924. As an extremely witty, jovial and down to earth non egoist person he was always open to new ideas and learning processes. As Buddha Bose’s Hatha Yoga Guru he along with his father Bhagwati Charan Ghosh guided his first and “star” pupil Buddha Bose to establish Yoga Cure Institute in 1937 at the same premises where his own Ghosh’s College of Physical Education used to nm.He was a genius being highly proficient equally in Hatha Yoga and Physical Culture. He and Buddha Bose received from Paranihansa Yogananda the higher Yoga training in spiritual development known as Kriya Yoga. Being the two Gurus of Buddha Bose, both Paramhansa Yogananda and Bishnu Charan Ghosh are considered as the 2nd generation Yoga Masters in the lineage tree of the Institute.
Bishnu Charan Ghosh
At the age of sixteen he learnt Hatha yoga under Swami Kuvalananda. Within a short while young Buddha Bose made such rapid progress that Bishnu Charan Ghosh took him under his tutelage and within six months was asked to give a demonstration of Yoga postures in front of a large audience in Calcutta. Thereafter he was invited to give exhibitions of Yoga postures in India, Burma and America at the Columbia University, New York accompanying his Hatha Yoga Guru, Sree Bishnu Chaxan Ghosh. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Indian Prime Minister after seeing his demonstration wrote “Mr.Buddha Bose is a remarkably successful exponent of the ancient Indian system of Yoga”. The Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote a message to him after seeing him perform “My son, I feel happy and grateful to my creator that I have lived long enough to witness the amazing feats which you have shown me this day”. Later Buddha Bose and Bishnu Charan, his Hatha Yoga Guru went together to take initiation from Bishnu Charan’s elder brother the world renowned Kriya Yoga Guru Paramhansa Yogananda. Practising Kriya Yoga and advancing to become a Kriya Yoga Master changed Buddha Bose’s demonstrative Hatha yoga style to the complete Yoga style with which he conceived the concept of Yoga therapy and ultimately the formation of Yoga Cure Institute . He is the author of two books one on Yoga named “Key to the Kingdom of Health” and the other is named “Holy Kailas and Manasorovar” which is the companion to his silent documentary film by the same name. He has been to the Holy Kailas and Himalayas for thirteen times staying for long durations each time gathering from various sages living in soltitude further gems of Yoga.
Buddha Bose
Late Rooma De & Shibnath De
Rooma De , was the Chief Yoga Therapist of the Institute and renowned contributor to leading dailies and periodicals on Yoga. She was trained in Hatha Yoga by her mother’s father Yogindra Bishnu Charan Ghosh personally. Under his guidance she attained perfection in postures, simple and advance, to give many spellbounding demonstrations of Yoga Postures and Yoga feats in India and Japan. She has been interviewed many a times in television, dailies and leading periodicals. After the demise of her maternal grandfather Bishnu Charan Ghosh in 1970 she continued to take tutelage under her father Yogiguru Buddha Bose in the philosophy of Yoga and it is to her that her father gave all his knowledge of Yoga Therapy which she developed to perfection during her lifetime.
A highly able teacher, perfectionist and competent administrator she has been constantly assisting her father since 1970 in all the daily activities. In 1982 her father handed over the Chief Yoga Therapist position to her. In 1983 when Yogiguru Buddha Bose passed away Rooma turned to her spiritual Guru ,Saint Sree Sree Sarbani Ma for spiritual upliftment. Since then the Kriya Yoga Guru has been constantly advancing Rooma De and guiding her for the betterment of the Institute.
Shibnath De, the present Chief Yoga Therapist of the Institute is a direct disciple of Yogiguru Buddha Bose under whom he spent long years of tutelage was guided to become a highly competent Yoga Therapist. His teachings involve the combing of Hatha and Raja Yoga when prescribing a yoga chart on an individualized basis. After the passing away of his Guru Buddha Bose he was initiated by Saint Sree Sree Sarbani Ma into Kriya Yoga. Under her guidance he has matured further to give his good energy to his clientele who do sessions with him. From 1986 he has been going to different parts of America like Houston and San Fransisco to deliver lectures on Yoga on a regular twice a year basis. Presently, Shibnath De runs the Yoga Therapy Institute at Kalighat area in South Kolkata, West Bengal, India.