Today's episode is with Yogacharini Smt Devasena Bhavanani. Yogacharini Smt Devasena Bhavanani is General Secretary of Yoganjali Natyalayam and Member of the Jury Board of Pondicherry Yogasana Association. She is also Yoga, music, Sanskrit and dance teacher at the ICYER (Ananda Ashram) in Chinnamudaliarchavady, TN. She is a qualified Yoga Exponent, Bharata Natyam Artist, Nattuvanar, and Carnatic vocalist. She has a Bachelor of Performing Arts (B.P.A) from Bharathiyar Palkalai Koodam (1995) Pondicherry as well as a Diploma in Yoga, Bharata Natyam and Carnatic Music from Yoganjali Natyalayam (1999). She performed her Bharata Natyam Arangetram in 1994. She obtained a Masters Degree in Sanskrit (M.A) from Pondicherry Central University (1997) and Advanced Diploma in Yoga (ADY) from ICYER (March 2000). She has completed PG Diploma in Yoga from Annamalai University in 2005. In her career of nearly 35 years, she has performed more than 500 Bharata Natyam recitals in many places including UK, Italy, Switzerland, Australia and Germany as well as all over India (Shimla, Bangalore, Kodaikanal, Chennai, Yanam, Karaikal and Chidambaram). She has also performed the leading roles in several Dance Dramas of Yoganjali Natyalayam including: Kannappa Nayanar, Karaikal Ammaiyar, Nandanar Charitram, Kamba Ramayanam, Meenakshi Thiru Kalyanam, Nala-Damayanthi, Andal Charitram, Silappadikaaram, Karna Charitram and Trishakti. She is an expert in the traditional Natya Karanas, the acrobatic Yoga Asana-based stances of Bharata Natyam, which she performs with ease, having achieved a high degree of mastery in Yoga Asanas. She has given hundreds of Yoga Asana demonstrations and classes all over India and in UK, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Australia. She has won many prizes in Yoga Asana Competitions at State, National and International levels. She has more than 25 years of teaching experience in Yoga, having worked as a Yoga instructor at Yoganjali Natyalayam since 1993 and in that same capacity at ICYER since 1997. She has taught Yoga, Music, and Indian Classical Dance to thousands of students from all over the world. She is happily married to Yogacharya Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani who is a Yogacharya and Medical Doctor and they have a beautiful and talented daughter, Dhivya Priya Bhavanani and wonderful son, Anandraj Bhavanani. She and Dr Ananda are a dynamic Yoga and Bharatanatyam team who have composed and choreographed more than 75 Bharatanatyam compositions as five “Ananda Nartana Margams” and assisted in direction of more than a dozen dance dramas of Yoganjali Natyalayam in the past decade under guidance of their beloved Guru Ammaji, Yogacharini Smt Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani. They have traveled together on FIVE international tours to the UK, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Australia in the past years. She starred in many roles in dance dramas produced by Yoganjali Natyalayam and assisted in choreography and direction of magnificent successful productions under guidance of her Guru Yogacharini Smt Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani and with the support of her husband Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani. She was honored with “Best Yoga Teacher” award by the TN Yoga Sport Assocication and has received “Yoga Chemmal” and “Yoga Thilakam” award by Pondicherry Yogasana Association, “YOGNAT Shakti” during Golden Jubilee of Ananda Ashram as well as “Isai Yoga Natya Nattuvanga Kalaichudar” Award from Kalaimamani Pulavar I Pattabhiraman, Director Valluvar Villisai Kuzhu. She is listed in the ABHAI directory and on numerous dance and Yoga websites internationally.
