Since the counter culture revolution of the 1960s, there have been an increasing number of western devotees of various Hindu lineages and practices.
These have come about, not only through the assistance of the Hare Krishnas, but also through the Universalist teachings of such Hindu figures as Sri Ramakrishna and the yoga teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar. The growing number of Indian immigrants that are now relocating into the west, and the subsequent building of Hindu temples to meet the spiritual needs of these newly established Hindu communities, has also been the results of westerns having ready access to the traditional teachings.
Many western converts were introduced to Hinduism after they had attended the western temples and then they began embracing the tradition. There can also be no doubt that the fitness revolution's ecstatic love affair with yoga in the 1990s has also helped to spur on new interest in the teachings of Hinduism in the west.
Today, there are more and more texts that are being written by western born Hindu converts. These texts are aimed specifically at a new Western audience, the vast bulk of which have little to no experience with Sanskrit, which renders traditional literature all but useless. Some of the more notable instructional texts are the Shaivistic teaching series of the western born Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's Himalayan Academy, which includes a book on how to convert to Hinduism.
Along with the more traditional Hindu lineages, which are now opening their doors to westerners, there are also many non traditional spiritualities that are also embracing the beliefs and practices of Hinduism to varying extents. The Unitarian Universalist Church will often times make room in their schedule to host events that are tied to the Hindu holidays and celebrations. During these Hindu holidays and celebrations, non Hindus have the ability to learn more about the tradition and begin to take an active part in the observances. There are also several Neopagan and Wiccan traditions, such as Sharanya, which teach traditional Shakta Tantra within a western, Wicca influenced context.
The German Indologist, Axel Michaels, in his 1998 book about Hinduism distinguished founding, proselytizing religions, and guru-ism as religious groups, which originated in India, but also wide spread in the west, and was founded by charismatic persons with a corpus of esoteric writings of gurus predominantly in English. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Transcendental Meditation, Sathya Sai Baba and the Sathya Sai Organization, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and ISKCON, Guru Maharaj Ji and the Divine Light Mission, Rajneesh Chandra Mohan and the Sannyasi movement in Poona, and many more helped this movement.
These founding, proselytizing religions, guru-ism are, according to the book, one of the three subgroups of founded religions of Hinduism. The other two being sectarian religions and syncretically founded religions. The founded religions in turn are, according to the book, one of the three Hindu religions that comprise Hinduism. The other two Hindu religions that comprise Hinduism are Brahmanic-Sanskritic Hinduism, and folk religions, and religions of social communities such as subcastes, castes, and tribes, Hindu folk or tribal religions.
