Dr Vijaya Kumar Manja
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Vijaya Kumar Manja was born in a traditional Brahmin family in the small town of Pandeshwar near Udupi in Karnataka, South India. Following the Vedic tradition, at the age of 8 he underwent ‘Upanayanam’, the sacred thread ceremony, initiating his spiritual education. After completing high school, he joined the legendary Sringeri Sharada Peetham, one of the four Advaita centers of education established by Shankaracharya (800 AD), famous for the high standard of teaching of the Vedas and Shastras. Vijaya completed studies here, achieving the sahitya degree and thereby getting deep knowledge of Sanskrit literature and the text of Rig Veda.
" Yoga is not just asanas, it is a life time practice. A way to live."
After completing his studies in Sringeri, he went to Mysore to study at the Maharaja Sanskrit University College, one of the most ancient and well-acclaimed institutions of education in India. Here he studied Sanskrit and philosophy with his respectable guru Vidwan Gangadhara Bhat.
He earned the ‘Vidwat’ degree in the disciplines of Nyaya (medieval Indian logic) and Advaita Vedanta (the system of metaphysics expounded by Sri Sankara) and also achieved distinction in both subjects.
He also completed his Masters Degree in Sanskrit from the Karnataka State Open University. During this period, Vijaya attended various elocution competitions all over India and won many prizes, the most significant being the first prize in the national elocution competition in the subjects of Sankhya and Yoga.
Vijaya has also has a Ph.D. with a subject of 'Yoga Cikitsa';
'curative procedures prescribed in Yoga and Upanishads'.
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Vijaya started his yoga asanas practice at the age of 16 and in Mysore he started practicing the ashtanga vinyasa yoga system, during which time he also practiced the advanced series. He started teaching yoga in a small yoga-shala in the Shankara Vilas Sanskrit School in Mysore, gaining many devoted students. During this time, Vijaya also started teaching Sanskrit and yoga at a Teacher Training courses arranged in different countries in Asia as well as in Europe.
He is the main priest in the village temple called "Shankaranarayana Temple" where he performs the daily pujas. His family includes his wife Bhavya, their son Virochana and his mother Amma who are also important part of the Yogagurukula by taking care of students and preparing delicious South Indian food.
To share his knowledge within the field of yoga, Vijaya started a Yogagurukula in 2009. His teaching includes every aspect of yoga; the study and understanding of the philosophy, the Sanskrit language, the traditional texts, the ashtanga vinyasa practice, pranayama, meditation and rituals, the spiritual aspect – every feature that is enclosed in the understanding of practicing yoga.
