Quick Facts
Biography
Swami Vachananand, commonly known as Shwaasa Guru, is a yogi, social activist, philanthropist from Karnataka, India. He took sannyasa at a very tender age. He founded Shwaasa, a non-profit organization which offers yoga programs in India and around the world. The foundation conducts yoga camps and is involved in various social and community development activities creating health awareness among people irrespective of age, religion, language, and cast.
Early life
He was born in a small village, Tanvashi (Athani Taluk, Belagavi District, and Karnataka State, India). At the age of eight he was sent to his Guru Sri Marulashankara Shivayogi's monastery where he studied Yoga, Sanskrit, philosophy and ancient Indian scriptures along with conventional academics under different Gurus and teachers. After completing his studies he went to the Himalayas to do austere practice of yoga and followed the path of Ashtanga Yoga as laid by sage Patanjali. He says that people are worried and concerned about their mind and body but very few take into account their breath. Many diseases can go away by proper control of breath. This is the technique he teaches and professes through his organization, Shwaasa.
Work
He founded Shwaasa Yoga center in 2012. In 2009 TV9 began featuring him in morning yoga slot in “Yoga Yoga” program. He ardently longs for a disease free society in which his organization Shwaasa has taken a predominant role. He has rightly understood the needs of the modern times and has been conducting Yoga courses for all sections of the society and for all age groups.
He is into social service where he intends to bring happiness through practice of Yoga. He professes "Yoga Yukta-Roga Mukta" which means one will be free of diseases if one is associated with the practice of yoga.
On 21 June 2015 International Yoga day was celebrated in Karnataka and the chief Minister invited him to conduct mass Yoga programmes at Kanteerava stadium where 10,000 participants performed yoga including actress Shilpa Shetty and other well-known Kannada film personalities. This Yoga event has got most enthusiastic response in Karnataka.
Along with propagating Yoga, he is also into introduction of the ancient science of Ayurveda and counseling of depressed and the disturbed minds. In a nutshell his organization strives to bring a balance between the mind - body – spirit, through the ancient practices of Vedic techniques. He has not confined himself only in India, his birthplace but across continents.
He has conducted thousands of innovative and specialized yoga events. He has been conducting Corporate yoga, yoga for ministers and MLAs, yoga for Cardiologists, yoga Training for Advocates and Judges, yoga Training for Film stars, Yoga Training for Media Persons, Yoga Training for children and youth across India and abroad, yoga training for HIV+ children (Joint venture with Samvedana institute), yoga education for Prisoners (Bijapur Central Jail), yoga education for police personnel in Bangalore city, yoga awareness campaigns across India, National Integration Yoga Training at temples, mosques and churches, Free Yoga Science Camps (State, National and International), Yoga for Women (Across Karnataka and other States), Lifestyle Training for NRIs, foreigners and citizens of India.
Other noted activities
- 'YogaYoga' Program aired on TV9 (Kannada)News Channel.
- Yoga Programmes on 'SriSankara' TV Channel.
- Yoga Coach for Celebrity Cricket League's Karnataka Bulldozers Team
- Columns and articles Published in Vijaya vani, Kannada Prabha and Bodhivruksha which is supplementary of Vijaya Karnataka Newspaper
- Written Columns for 'Yuva Karnataka' (Monthly magazine run by Youth and Sports Department of state Government, Karnataka)
- Kengulabi Movie Launch
- "TV9 Segment : "CCL Yoga" - Yoga Training For "Karnataka Bulldozers Team" - Full". YouTube. 2013-02-16. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
- "Kengulabi Movie Launch Stills". Entertainment.chennaipatrika.com. 2015-05-19.