VaYU and Siddhanta Sign MoU to Advance Indian Knowledge Systems in Yoga Online Education and Research

Los Angeles, CA, USA & Chennai, TN, India | May 27, 2025 – Vivekananda Yoga University (VaYU), Los Angeles, USA, the world’s 1^stYoga university outside India (www.vayuusa.org), and Siddhanta Knowledge Foundation (SKF), (www.siddhantaknowledge.org) Chennai, India, a leading organization promoting Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on education, research, and curriculum development in alignment with India’s New Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

This partnership aims to strengthen IKS curricula across Indian universities, ensuring that students gain foundational knowledge in Yoga philosophy, therapy, medicine and research. Under the terms of the MoU, SKF will offer Yoga courses developed by VaYU in the form of Electives and Minor Degree Programs, as part of its IKS course-offerings, at Higher Educational Institutions in India, aligned with the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Further, SKF and VaYU will collaborate on joint research, publishing, scholarship and teaching, benefiting students and faculty globally.

Prof. Murali Venkatrao, Provost of VaYU, stated, “This collaboration marks a significant step in bridging ancient wisdom with modern education, creating opportunities for deeper exploration of Indian traditions through structured online academic programs in Yoga.”

Shri G. Vishnu Vardhan, Director, SKF, emphasized, “Our mission is to revive and develop India’s rich intellectual heritage. Partnering with VaYU allows us to bring authentic content in Indian Knowledge Systems into higher education in India.”

Prof. Sree N. Sreenath, President of VaYU said, “VaYU has developed an online curriculum in Yoga studies since 2020 with students across 4 continents and 8 countries. Our foray into the Indian university space taps into a tremendous potential and democratizes an important aspect of IKS education for students to study anytime, anywhere, at affordable cost while preserving their lifestyle.”

Shri T.N. Sudarshan, Executive Director at SKF elaborated, “SKF is curating 100+ provenance driven transdisciplinary courses in IKS addressing a global audience with an initial focus on India’s school, college and university ecosystems. Bringing Yoga Studies and Yoga Minors in partnership with VaYU to Indian colleges and universities as part of IKS curriculum, opens

access to world-class Yoga education in contemporary academic settings”.

This partnership reflects a broader movement towards integrating traditional wisdom into contemporary learning, ensuring students worldwide access India’s vast intellectual legacy.

SKF is a pioneer in research and development in IKS and is an IKS Division – Ministry of Education, Government of India approved IKS Centre.

VaYU is a 501(3) nonprofit in the USA and is licensed by the State of California to offer M.S. (Yoga) and Ph.D. (Yoga) degrees online. VaYU’s M.S. (Yoga) degree is accredited by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (www.iayt.org).

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