Swami Kuvalayananda biography
Swami Kuvalayananda (30 August 1883–18 April 1966) was named Jagannatha Ganesa Gune when he was born. He was a teacher, researcher, and well-renowned pioneer in the scientific foundation for his ground-breaking studies into the scientific aspects of Yoga. Political figures like Lokmanya Tilak’s Indian Home Rule Movement and Sri Aurobindo greatly influenced him during his youth. He devoted his life to serving humanity due to his national idealism and patriotic enthusiasm. He published his first yoga journal, Yoga Mimamsa, in 1924. Swami Ji has done great work in the domain of yoga as exercise. His modern scientific yoga influenced the West.
Teachers and Gurus
Rajaratnam Manikrao, a professor at the Jummadada Vyayamshala in Baroda, served as Kuvalayananda’s first teacher. Manikrao taught Kuvalayananda about the Indian System of Physical Education between 1907 and 1910. Swami Kuvalayananda met the Bengali yogini Paramahamsa Madhavdasji in 1919, who taught him more insights into complex yogic practices.
Kaivalyadhama Health and Yoga Research Center
He founded Kaivalyadhama Health and Yoga Research Center in Lonavla in 1924 to set up a lab for his scientific study of Yoga. He also initiated his first scientific journal during this period named ‘Yoga Mimamsa.’ After 1932, he focused on spreading the values of Yoga and worked for society’s welfare. He dedicated many of his later years to expanding Kaivalyadhama’s network of locations and its Lonavla centre. He also started a branch of his centre in Rajkot, the College of Yoga, and a Yogic hospital.
Yoga research by Kuvalayananda
Kuvalayananda ji founded Kaivalyadhama Health and Yoga Research Center in Lonavla in 1924 to study the scientific aspects of yoga. His research revolves around the physiological elements of various components of yoga, such as asana, pranayama, kriyas, etc. His research also includes yoga Vs. Oxygen consumption, systolic pressure, heart rate, adrenocortical activity, cardiac endurance, cholesterol, obesity, and other conditions. Swamiji’s research acumen invited many Western researchers to visit Kaivalyadhama. K T Behanan from Yale University visited in 1937 and published Yoga: Scientific Evaluation. D,r. Josephine Rathbone, a Columbia University health and physical education professor, saw Kaivalyadhama from 1937-38.
Yoga Mimamsa
Kuvalayananda ji initiated the yoga journal Yoga Mimamsa in 1924 to advance scientific research in yoga. It’s a quarterly journal, indexed in EBSCO, and is essential before the yoga fraternity.
Books
- Asanas, Kaivalyadhama; 1993
- Pranayama, Kaivalyadhama; 2005 (1931)
- Goraksa-Satakam (translation), Kaivalyadhama; 2006 (1954)
- Vashishtha Samhita (translation), Kaivalyadhama; 1969.
- Vision and Wisdom (letters), Kaivalyadhama; 1999.
Teaches yoga to politicians
Swami Kuvalayananda ji taught yoga to renowned leaders like Pandit Motilal Nehru, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Pandit Madanmohan Malviya, and many more. Mahatma Gandhi’s health advisor guided him to specific exercises and diets for his ailments.
