PRANAVA
Praṇav Śāstrī seated with palms joined beneath the Praṇava emblem, his class seated in front of him

Center for Indian Culture & Yogic Studies

A space for the study, practice and transmission of Yoga and India’s living knowledge traditions.

Pranava is a centre dedicated to approaching Yoga as a complete discipline of study, practice and living: rooted in tradition, sustained through practice and explored through inquiry.

A study circle with notebooks open
A woman folding forward on her mat with a dowel, then rising to standing
Two practitioners in dancer’s pose side by side
A group seated in meditation on the grass

01 Introduction

Yoga is more than a practice on the mat.

Yoga is a vast body of knowledge, encompassing practice, philosophy, self-observation, discipline and ways of understanding life.

At Pranava, we seek to engage with this knowledge with both reverence for its traditions and responsibility towards its contemporary practice.

Our work brings together structured learning, sustained practice, teacher education, continuing inquiry and community.

We believe that Yoga is best understood not merely by collecting techniques, but through a relationship between study, practice and experience.

02What is Praṇava?

  • A teacher seated in a study circle with students holding notes on a veranda

    A place to learn.

  • Praṇav Śāstrī seated beneath the Praṇava emblem with his class

    A place to practise.

  • The cohort seated in meditation together on the grass under the trees

    A place to grow.

Pranava – Center for Indian Culture & Yogic Studies was established as a space for people who wish to engage with Yoga more deeply.

This includes those beginning their journey, practitioners seeking a sustained Sādhana, teachers wishing to deepen their understanding, and those interested in exploring India’s wider knowledge traditions.

Our programmes may take different forms, from regular practice and teacher education to workshops, intensives, retreats and study, but they share a common intention:

To create the conditions for deeper understanding through learning, practice and lived experience.

03 Our approach

Rooted in tradition. Alive in practice. Open to inquiry.

  1. A Bharatanatyam dancer in a low stance with both arms raised in a mudra

    Tradition

    We approach Yoga as part of India’s long and living traditions of knowledge and practice. Tradition gives us a foundation: not a collection of ideas to preserve untouched, but a body of knowledge to study, understand and practise responsibly.

  2. Three practitioners lying back over folding chairs in supported backbends

    Practice

    Yoga cannot be understood through intellectual study alone. Practice allows knowledge to become experience. It requires consistency, observation, refinement and time.

  3. A teacher supporting a student in an inversion against the wall, then helping her down

    Inquiry

    We encourage students to ask questions. To understand why something is practised, not simply how it is performed. Study, questioning and reflection are integral to the learning process.

  4. Praṇav Śāstrī beside a student balancing on her forearms, her legs arched over to the wall

    Transmission

    Yoga is not simply information that can be packaged and delivered. It has traditionally moved through teacher, student, practice and lived experience. We therefore place importance on mentorship, sustained learning and the relationship between teacher and student.

Praṇav Śāstrī steadying a student's hip as she reaches into a standing side bend

04 How we teach

Learning happens over time.

We do not believe that a certificate alone makes someone a Yoga teacher, nor that collecting techniques necessarily leads to deeper understanding.

Our educational approach encourages students to:

  1. Practise consistently
  2. Study the foundations of Yoga
  3. Observe their own experience
  4. Understand the principles behind practice
  5. Ask questions
  6. Learn from experienced teachers
  7. Develop the ability to teach responsibly
  8. Continue learning beyond a single course

Teacher education, for us, is not only about learning how to conduct a class. It is about developing the understanding, discernment and responsibility required to guide another person’s practice.

A row of practitioners in downward-facing dog on mats in an open hall

What we value

  1. SādhanaConsistent practice over quick results.
  2. AdhyayanaStudy and continued learning.
  3. VivekaDiscernment and thoughtful application.
  4. SevāUsing knowledge in service of others.

06The Praṇava journey

Praṇav Śāstrī standing with palms joined on a mat by a river at sunrise

07 The founder

Founded by Praṇav Śāstrī

Yoga Teacher · Educator · Practitioner

Praṇav Śāstrī began his Yoga practice in 2012 and gradually moved from a career in technology into full-time work in Yoga.

His teaching journey has included work in large-scale Yoga education and wellness organisations, teacher training, curriculum development and the training of Yoga teachers.

Over the years, his work has increasingly centred around Hatha Yoga, Asana, alignment, biomechanics, Yoga philosophy, Prāṇāyāma, Yoga therapy and teacher education.

His approach draws from traditional Yoga teachings while engaging with contemporary understanding of anatomy, movement, health and education.

Through Pranava, he seeks to create a space where Yoga can be studied with depth, practised with sincerity and transmitted responsibly.

The role of a teacher is not to create dependence, but to help the student develop the capacity to see, understand and practise for themselves.

08 Faculty

Learning is a shared journey.

Pranava brings together teachers and practitioners with different areas of experience and expertise. Our faculty contribute to teaching, mentorship, workshops, teacher education and specialised programmes.

Each teacher brings their own experience while working within the larger intention of Pranava: to support sincere study and sustained practice.

09 Praṇava & Seva

From individual practice to collective responsibility.

Pranava operates within a larger intention of service to the Yoga community.

Praṇava Seva Trust works towards supporting the Yoga community and preserving India’s living knowledge traditions.

Its work includes initiatives around:

  • Teacher development
  • Scholarships and access to education
  • Continuing learning
  • Mentorship
  • Community practice
  • Knowledge-sharing initiatives
The Yoga Mandala community gathered for a group photograph in a studio, some standing and some seated on the floor

Yoga Mandala is one such community initiative under Praṇava Seva Trust, bringing Yoga teachers and serious practitioners together to connect, learn, collaborate and share.

Visit Yoga Mandala
Four practitioners in side bends and a seated pose beneath a banyan tree and bamboo

10 Begin

There is always more to learn.

Whether you are beginning your journey with Yoga, seeking to deepen an established practice, preparing to teach, or simply wishing to understand these traditions more deeply, Pranava is a space to learn, practise and enquire.

Begin where you are.

Or simply enquire