N.K.Manjunath

Vide President

Dr. Manjunath N. K., Head of the research department (Anvesana Research Laboratories), at Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana Institute, S-VYASA, Bangalore, has a long and distinguished career path in the field of yoga. His hard work and dedication helped him become an expert in the area of research in yoga and its applications. Working tirelessly over 25 years, he advanced and progressed through many positions of increasing responsibility and management at S-VYASA and other organizations. With his unique background of study based knowledge he guides and monitors the research, development and management of several projects and programs.

His journey as a yoga professional began as a Junior Research Fellow, in a project named - ‘Evoked responses in congenitally blind and normal sighted individuals’, funded by the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, in the year 1995 – 1998. Further he continued as a Senior Research Fellow in the project titled- ‘Use of Ayurveda and Yoga in the promotion of positive health in a geriatric population’ funded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, New Delhi, in the year 1999 – 2001.

He has contributed as a Research officer in a project named - Measuring consciousness fields using a random event generator’ funded by the Defence Research and Development Organization, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, New Delhi, 2001 – 2002. He progressed as a Ph.D. Scholar at Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, the title of his thesis being, ‘Yoga and geriatric care - an evaluation of positive health indicators’, 2002 – 2005.

He began his career as an Assistant Professor, at Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, 2006-2007. Continued as a Scientist III, at Indian Council of Medical Research, Centre for Advanced Research in Yoga and Neurophysiology, Government of India, at Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, from 2007 – 2009.

His journey at S-VYASA began as an Associate Professor, 2009 – present, where he held the position of Registrar, - from 2010 – 2011 and as the Joint Director (Research & Development) from 2011 – 2015.
Dr. Manjunath. N. K. holds more than 30 research publications on Yoga. He has guided more than 15 M.Sc. & 8 M.D. students in yoga research.

He has held the responsible position of Resource person, with Task force (Sub-committee- Research & Development) (Ministry of AYUSH), Government of India, 2011 onwards. He is an honourable member of Scientific Advisory Committee, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

He is member of several prestigious organizations and associations.

• Society for Psycho physiological Research, Madison, WI, the U.S.A
• Association of Physiologists and Pharmacologists of India
• Indian Science Congress Association
• Indian Association of Biomedical Scientists
• Third world Academy of Sciences, Italy
• Indian Naturopathy and Yoga Graduates Medical Association
• Member of the academic council (2002-till the present) of the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation.
• Guiding Member of the technical advisory committee (2002-till the present) of the S.D.M. College of Naturopathy & Yoga Sciences (recognized by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore), for planning the curriculum for (i) a M.D. in Yoga therapy, and (ii) a M.D. in Natural medicine. He has funded several projects as an investigator.

He has done many research paper presentations at national and international conferences and was a key-note speaker at the International Conference (2007) on Yoga Therapy at Fukuoka, Japan and the International Yoga Congress (2006) at Shiraz, Iran.

He was awarded two travel grants from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, to present research papers at two international conferences: (i) in 2000 for an international conference organized by the Centre for Positive Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, the USA (title of the paper: “sympathetic activation following the head stand based on heart rate variability spectrum”), (ii) in 2002 for an international conference organized by the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Physiological Societies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Title of the paper: “improved immediate recall and mental control following yoga training in a geriatric population”) Another travel grant awarded from the Indian Council for Medical Research, Government of India for an international Conference in 2011 organized by the Society for Psychophysiology Research, Boston, USA. (Title of the paper: "Changes in Autonomic and Cognitive functions following Yoga and Ayurveda in a geriatric population").

He is the Editor of International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), a PubMed indexed yoga research publication of S-VYASA. He is the director of VYASA Health care Global Pvt ltd. which is an outreach partner of VYASA and industry partner of S-VYASA University.