 
Yogacharya Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, Director of the Centre for Yoga Therapy Education and Research (CYTER), and Professor of Yoga Therapy at the Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Pondicherry, was awarded the prestigious DSc (Yoga) award by the SVYASA Yoga University in Bangalore on the 12th January 2019.
He received the DSc (Yoga) award from Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, and Michael Nobel co-founder and former Chairman of the Nobel Charitable Trust in presence of the Chancellor of SVYASA Yogashri Dr HR Nagendraji at the university campus during a glittering 16th convocation held on the birth anniversary of Swamy Vivekananda, the 12 January.
Dr Ananda becomes only the second Pondicherrian to receive this coveted academic honur after his illustrious Yoga research guru, Prof Madanmohan who had received the award 8 years ago.
A Gold Medallist in Medical Studies (MBBS) and a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Yoga, he has authored 19 DVDs and 23 books on Yoga as well as published more than two hundred and fifty papers, compilations and abstracts on Yoga and Yoga research in National and International Journals.
He is an Honorary Advisor to International Association of Yoga Therapists (www.iayt.org), Australasian Association of Yoga Therapists (www.yogatherapy.org.au), World Yoga Foundation (www.worldyogafoundation.in) and Gitananda Yoga Associations worldwide (www.rishiculture.in).
A recognized PhD guide for Yoga Therapy he was recognized as an IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) by the International Association of Yoga Therapists, USA in September 2016. It is notable that he is the first Indian to receive this honour.
He is currently member of numerous expert committees of the Ministry of AYUSH including its National Board for Promotion of Yoga and Naturopathy, Scientific Advisory Committee & Standing Finance Committees of CCRYN, Technical Committee of the Yoga Certification Board, Expert Committees for Celebration of International Yoga Day and the Yoga & Diabetes program. He is Consultant Resource Person for the WHO Collaborative Centre in Traditional Medicine (Yoga) at MDNIY, New Delhi. He is also EC member and Director Publications of the Indian Yoga Association (www.yogaiya.in) and Board of Directors of the Council for Yoga Accreditation International (www.cyai.org).
