(est. 1972)
The Swami Kuvalayananda Foundation (SKY) of Philadelphia is devoted to the study and practice of HATHA YOGA. It was founded in 1972 as a nonre-ligious organization by Dr. Vijayendra Pratap, who received a Ph.D. in applied psychology from Bom-bay University. Dr. Pratap studied YOGA as a stu-dent of Swami Kuvalayananda (1883–1966), who founded the noted yoga center Kaival yadhama in Bombay, where Pratap was assistant director before moving to America.
The SKY Foundation holds HATHA YOGA classes, from basic to the most advanced levels; trains teachers; and focuses on teachings from the ASHTANGA YOGA system of PATANJALI. One of the significant objectives of the foundation is to investigate the ancient as well as the more recent developments of yoga as they interface with contemporary times. Dr. Pratap’s foundation has sponsored academic conferences to review what is known about science and yoga. At this point, he and his supporters consider the foundation an academic and research organization seeking ways that science and yogic practice can work together for the good of all humanity. The headquarters are in Philadelphia over the Garland of Letters book-store, which is sponsored by the foundation.
Further reading: Vijayendra Pratap, Beginning Yoga (Rutland, Vt.: Chares E. Tuttle, 1997).
Encyclopedia of Hinduism. A. Jones and James D. Ryan. 2007.