Yogarishi Dr. Rakesh Pandey

Internationally Renowned Yoga Guru | Founder & Director – Yogayatan International, Varanasi

Yogarishi Dr. Rakesh Pandey is an internationally renowned yoga guru, practitioner,
trainer, and yoga therapist with over four decades of dedicated service to the field of yoga.
He has been actively engaged in teaching and promoting Sankhya Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga (Raja Yoga),
Kriya Yoga, and Hatha Yoga in India and across the world. For him, yoga is not merely a physical
discipline but a complete way of life focused on self-development, balance, and social well-being.

Born on 20 February 1965 in Chandauli district, Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Pandey received higher education
in yoga and literature. His academic qualifications include a PhD in Yoga, M.A. in Hindi, B.Ed.,
and several diploma and certificate courses in yoga from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, and
Kaivalyadhama, Lonavala (Pune). He has also served in the education sector as a teacher at
Harishchandra Intermediate College, Varanasi.

Dr. Pandey is the Founder and Director of Yogayatan International, Varanasi.
Through this institution, he has provided free yoga training to more than 50,000 Indian and
international students. Many of his disciples have established yoga centers in India and abroad,
contributing significantly to the global spread of Indian yoga traditions.

His work in yoga therapy has been especially impactful. Across Varanasi, Ghazipur, and nearby
regions, he has helped thousands of individuals overcome addiction, mental stress, physical
ailments, and lifestyle disorders through yogic therapy. Most of these services have been
offered selflessly and free of cost, earning appreciation from society and medical professionals.

Dr. Pandey has conducted yoga training programs, workshops, and seminars in several countries,
including Russia, Suriname, Singapore, Nepal, China, and South Africa. In 2004, he served for one
year as a yoga instructor at a yoga center in Singapore. His yoga demonstrations and training
sessions during international events such as the 135th and 140th Indian Arrival Day received
wide recognition in global media.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he continued his service by offering free online yoga and
pranayama training, supporting immunity and mental health. His programs and discussions have
been broadcast on Doordarshan, Akashvani, and All India Radio.

Known for remarkable yogic demonstrations such as pulse control, advanced pranayama,
and difficult physical feats, his work has been appreciated by eminent personalities including
Padma Vibhushan Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Padma Bhushan Prof. Ram Shankar Tripathi, Padma Shri
Prof. Bhagirath Prasad Tripathi (Kashi Shastri), and Padma Shri Swami Shivanand Maharaj.

Widely covered by print and electronic media, Yogarishi Dr. Rakesh Pandey continues to work
tirelessly to establish Indian yoga traditions on the global platform and to build a healthy,
balanced, and conscious society.