Pranava Yogadhama

Yogacharya Shri Jayakumar Swamysree, was born in 1964, in a middle class family in Srirangapatnam, near Mysore. He started his yogic practices along with his friends at the age of 16, under the able guidance of Shri Naadananda Swameeji who was imprisoned many times during the freedom movements of India. He is very happy to tell that he did not start yoga for any kind of illness but for the overall personality development.

After practicing yoga for three years with Swameeji, he moved to Yogaacharya Professor K. Keshavamurthy to continue his practices as Swameeji went abroad. By then, he had completed his basic degree in natural science, joined B.P.Ed., and then completed M.P.Ed with the optional subject as yoga with exercise physiology.

With the timely advice of the staff of the university college of physical education he then did his post graduate diploma in yoga education from the world renowned Scientific Research Institute at Kaivalyadham, Lonavala near Pune, Maharashtra, India and also did the Yoga Therapy Housemanship Program course from the Vivekananda Kendra, Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore.

He started his career as a yoga cum physical education teacher in a public school at Ananthapur, Andra Pradesh, and served as a yoga coach at Thriveni Academy, Chennai for three years and joined SDM College of Naturopathy and Yogic sciences, Ujire, Karnataka, as a Lecturer in Yogic Sciences, and he was soon promoted to H.O.D of Yogic Sciences.

Meanwhile he underwent courses like Vipasanna Meditation, Sudharshana Kriya, Kundalini Meditation, Transcendental Meditation, Cyclic Meditation, and other useful, special and advanced yogic techniques like Yoganidra in Vipasanna way and Shavasana in various methods.

During this period he was called for an all India level interview from Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi, and was selected as the best among many and was deputized to Moscow, to work with the JNCC, Embassy of India, Moscow, Russia.

Though the initial deputation was for one year, seeing his quality of work and caliber and the standard of teaching, counseling and yogic method of treatment, and due to the requests of many students, director of JNCC and also the Indian ambassador at Moscow, his tenure was extended to four years.

During his stay in Moscow, he visited different parts of Russia officially, to conduct seminars, workshops, and yoga therapy and practical classes of yoga. In about four years he taught yoga to, more than 1000 students. He had students not only from Russia but also students belonging to other countries such as France, Germany, USA, Guyana, Chile, Peru, Italy and South Asian Countries (from the various embassies in Moscow).

On his return to India in 2000, he has settled in Mysore close to his home town of Srirangapattanam. He has established and manages and teaches in Pranava Yoga Dhama. This is an institution through which Sri Jayakumar hopes to transmit his knowledge and skill in yoga for the benefit of all from beginners to advanced practitioners and both international and local students. Since 2001 he also teaches yoga in University of Mysore in the department of Yoga, Meditation and Spirituality.