Swami Kuvalyananda ji-The Great Yogi & Scientist

Contribution of Swami Kuvalyananda-ji
in Scientific Research of Yoga
30 August 2019
1
Presentation by Dr.Nutan Pakhare
(Kaivalyadhama)

Recognized Master Healers of Ayush
A set of Commemorative Postage Stamp released by
Prime minister on 30th August 2019
30 August 2019Presentation by Dr.Nutan Pakhare (Kaivalyadhama)
2
Wikipedia
Born Jagannatha
Ganesa Gune
30 August 1883
Dabhoi, Gujarat,
India
Died 18 April
1966 (aged 82)
Lonavla,
Maharashtra,
India
Nationality Indian
Occupation
Scientific
Researcher,
Teacher, Yogi

Swami Kuvalyanandaji’s as a scientist
3
1st Guru- 1907-1910, Rajaratna Manikrao, a professor at
the Jummadada Vyayamshala in Baroda
2nd Guru – 1919 - Paramahamsa Madhavdasji,Bengali
Yogi Malsar, Baroda.The insight into Yogic discipline,
under Madhavdasji's guidance, greatly affected
Kuvalayananda's career. He became a pioneer of a new
style of yoga Influenced by physical culture.
Though Kuvalayananda was spiritually inclined and
idealistic, he was, at the same time, a strict rationalist. So,
he sought scientific explanations for the
various Psychophysical effects of Yoga he experienced. In
1920-21.The idea of discovering the scientific basis
behind these yogic processes became his life's work. 2nd Guru
Paramahamsa
Madhavdasji

 An institute for Scientific & Philosophic Literary Research,
Training & Therapy in Yoga Est.: 1924 by Rev Swami
Kuvalayananda
 Grant in Aid by Ministry of HRD , Government of India and
Department of Higher & Technical Education Government
of Maharashtra Declared as a National Level Scientific
Research Institute by Ministry of Science and Technology,
Government of India.
 Declared as Institute of Higher Learning by the Ministry of
Education National Resource Centre for promotion of Yoga
in schools.
 Founding institute of the Indian Yoga Association supported
by Government of India
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Establishment of Kaivalyadhama 1924

KAIVALYADHAMA
LONAVLA -1924 MUMBAI-1936
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Swami Kuvalyanandji -The Yogi who started
it all
"In our Indian effort to
scientifically investigate the field
of Yoga, science is looking not
only at the heart of the human
being but also at its mind and
spirit and is trying to develop a
perfectly integrated
personality, not only for an
individual but for the whole of
mankind"-
30 August 2019
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Presentation by Dr.Nutan Pakhare (Kaivalyadhama)

30 August 2019Presentation by Dr.Nutan Pakhare (Kaivalyadhama)7
 1917- 20 - Started Research in Yoga as per scientific aspect.
 1924-Establised Kaivalyadhama Lonavla & published Yoga mimansa journal
 1930 - Kuvalayananda trained large groups of yoga teachers as a way to spread
physical education in India.
 1932- UP Government invited Swami K in Lucknow Training the teachers in Physical
education ,this attracted research fellow of Yale university of America
 1936-Established Kaivalyadhama Mumbai
 1943, he opened branch of Kaivalyadhama in Rajkot, Saurashtra, with spiritual
practices as its main focus.
 1951 & 1961 - Established GS College Of Yoga & Cultural Synthesis & SADT Hospital
in Lonavala

1. Asanas by Swami Kuvalayananda – first published in 1933
2. Pranayama by Swami Kuvalayananda – first published in 1931
3. Yogic Therapy by Swami Kuvalayananda – first published in 1963 explains
Scientific Principle –Common yoga practice
4. BONUS – Scientific Survey of the Yogic Poses – first published in 1999
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Books written by Swami
Kuvalyanandji

The first journal of scientific research in
Yoga has been published in 1924 &
continued it quarterly every year since
its inception.
It was scheduled to be indexed
by EBSCO in 2012. It has covered
experiments on the effects of asanas,
kriyas, bandhas, and pranayama on
humans.[
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Yoga Mimansa -1924

Physical education & Yoga
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Swamiji says, if physical education is to
play its parts in evolving world
citizenship, yoga must have a definite
and important place in the syllabus of
physical education
and the yogic exercises must be properly
taught and practiced (Gharote &
Gharote, 1999).
Hence the National Curriculum
Framework, 2005, adopted a holistic
definition of health, in which yoga is an
integral part.
Thus, both yoga and physical education
contribute to the physical development
and also to the psychosocial and mental
development of the children.
It is interesting to note that the
first book “Āsanas” by
Swami Kuvalayananda is
written specially for physical
Culturists, It is
inferred that the book written
by Swami Kuvalayananda
might be suitable for college-
going students who want to
keep fit and cannot devote long
hours to practice many
asanas due to lack of time.

Probing the human mind
deeper
The effects of pranayama exercises- Kuvalayananda was trying to establish
the relationship between the subtle and gross features of physiology.
Swami Kuvalayananda called it ‘nerve culture’. According to him, deep
breathing exercises were not only to take in large quantities of oxygen to
vitalize the system, but its primary value was in how it affected the
nerves.
Swami Kuvalayanandas prime objective, as stated by him : “The main effort of
Kaivalyadhama is in scientifically probing the human mind and to dig
deeper and deeper in the inner space, till the effort to conquer the outer and
inner spaces converge and ultimately meet to solve the riddle of the cosmos.”
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Brain wave & Kriya
Swami Kuvalayananda and others conducted experiments on brain waves,
pulse rates and blood pressure to discover the subtle flow of ‘prana’ in the
gross bodily functions.
Important effect of kriyas had more to do with ‘akasa’ and ‘prana’..ether
and subtle air. This was more linked to the theory of Yogic Physiology
rather than to the theory of functional biology and structural
anatomy.
The focus was on the ‘subtle’ as laid out in the yogic texts. And
Kuvalayananda and his team tried to establish the subtle through its
relationship with the gross
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Chakras are factual rather than
magical.
 Swami Kuvalayananda;
Scientist Educator carried on
with his experiments in an
ashram laboratory trying to
prove that Yoga is real, that
chakras are factual rather
than magical.
 Yoga was analysed in such a
way that it has come to
harmonize with the modernity
manifest in science to create
an alternative.
30 August 2019
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Attracted National Leaders & Foreign
Universities Towards Yoga.
Swamiji was of the opinion
that, the ideal propagation of
yoga three dimensionally can
be best achieved by
coordinating yoga with
modern science and by
bringing it in relation with
everyday life.
It drew attention of Indian
national leaders & foreign
universities towards Yoga.
30 August 2019
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Scientific Research Studies In
Kaivalyadhama
Swami Kuvalayananda got an x-ray
machine and an experts with Rs.5000/-
and conducted his first experiments
on the digestive tube.
Yogic exercises were studied under
X ray. The results were very
encouraging which was shown to Nobel
laureate Rabindranath tagore and
Scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose.
They reacted favourably.
30 August 2019
Presentation by Dr.Nutan Pakhare (Kaivalyadhama) 15

Madhavdas Vaccum
Discovery of partial
vacuum in colon during
Nauli against the
hypothesis of anti-
peristaltic movements of
colon
Partial vacuum termed as
MADHAVDASA VACUUM
after his Guru Madhavdas
Maharaj
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Shuddhikriyas
X-ray experiments of pressure
changes in dhauti.
Pressure changes and x-ray
studies in Gajakarni.
Kymographic and x-ray studies
of pressure changes in
Agnisara.
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Swamiji investigated the
effects of the Yogic
practices of uddiyana
bandha and naulion the
human body with the help
of some of his students in
a laboratory at the State
Hospital, Baroda
Story of Yogi by Swami
K-Urine to flame lamp

Electro- Myo graphic studies on
Asanas
A : EMG changes when asana
is done with lot of efforts and
tense muscles.
B : EMG changes when same
asana is done effortlessly, in a
relaxed way.
(Ref: Bhole M.V. Yoga
Mimamsa Vol 12: 1&2, 1-13,
1969)
30 August 2019
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Ardhsmatsyendrasan Paschimottanasana
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Effect Of Asana On Stress
Recovery
To asses magnitude of physical stress recovery
from Sitting, Lying
down and Shavasana Postures.
Hypothesis: Shavasana practice leads to earlier
recovery from stress.
Method:
Study on 21 males and 6 females revealed that
the recovery in terms of Heart Rate (HR) and BP
was significantly faster (8 min) in shavasana than
in sitting (24 min) and in supine posture (32 min).
Ref: Bera TK, Gore MM, & Oak JP (1998).
Recovery from stress in two different postures
and in shavasana. Ind J Physiol & Pharmacol; 42
(4):473-478.
30 August 2019
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Effects of Yoga Danda on
breathing
It is seen that the nostril
opposite to the side on
which the Yoga Danda is
applied opens or the nostril
on the same side starts
working less than previous
one.
Ref: Bhole MV and
Karambelkar PV (1968).
Significance of Nostrils in
Breathing Yoga-Mimamsa 10
(4);1-12.
30 August 2019
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Influence of emotional stress on
smooth muscles - Stomach (Xray in
Normal Condition)
30 August 2019
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Stomach after
barium meal
After 10 min rest

30 August 2019
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Stress disturbs muscular
tone, size and shape of
stomach
Relaxation and meditation regain
the size, shape & muscular tone of
stomach
Ref: Bhole M.V. ‘Gastric tone as influenced by
mental state and meditation’.Yoga Mimamsa.
Vol 22: 1&2, 54-58, 1983

Recording of EEG Experiments on
Bhugarbha ,Bhava and Laya Samadhi
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Subject undergoing the
trial
experiment in the pit
Laya Samadhi State
Recording of EEG and ECG during Laya
Samadhi on 8 channel Polygraph

Findings are as follows
Bhoogarbha Samadhi
 Exposed to false spiritual claims
 Closed pits are not air tight at all
 Slowly developed practice of respiration a man breathe
comfortable even in in high percentage of CO2 in the air
Bhava Samadhi
Yogi goes into Samadhi Voluntarily for predetermined time
not affected by any external stimuli but maintains full
internal awareness tested on EEG (Rich contribution to
modern science & experimental psychology)
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Philosophy
 He left a message on the blackboard in his bedroom at
Kaivalyadhama, Bombay (now Mumbai) “The wise who look
inward, they get permanent peace – not others. One should
accept whatever comes one’s way, without losing heart”.
 He left a message on his office table, carved into the wooden
paperweight, as follows: (If you) want to live then learn to die.
 And also in his prayer room, a framed picture on the wall states:
For the Yogi, praise and insult are verily poison and nectar. The
wise declare that insult is nectar and praise the gravest poison.
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Swami Kuvalyananda says that
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Happy state of equanimous
mind & intelligence leads to
health, wealth, whereas, the
default a disturbance in mind,
leads to disease.
Yoga aims at bringing about
complete equilibrium of
intelligence by controlling
emotions, and by restoring
perfect harmony between body
and mind

Knowledge & Truth
 I have brought up this institute out of nothing.
If it goes to nothing, I do not mind,
but Yoga should not be diluted.“
 Survival or popularity may misguide us & take us
away from this goal but important is remind self
again & again about this.
 We must not dilute knowledge for the sake of temporary
things, even if our institutes go "to nothing".
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Students of Swami
Kuvalyanadaji
]
30 August 2019
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Padma Shri awardee, S. P.
Nimbalkar –Founder of Yoga Vidya
Niketan1974.
Krishnamacharya - Father of Modern
Medicine & he created style of Vinyasa
Krama Yoga

Shri O P Tiwariji – Direct Students &
disciple of Swami
Kuvalyananda
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Shri O.P. Tiwari is one of
the world’s leading
authorities in pranayama
and the Secretary General
of Kaivalyadhama
Author of book-
Asana - Why & How
Pranyama
He is a highly respected
teacher of all Pranayama
and Hatha Yoga
practices.

Presentation By Dr.Nutan Pakhare (Kaivalyadhama)
Contact for query - 9821842424
30 August 2019
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Swami Kuvalyananda ji-The Great Yogi & Scientist

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