Rajneesh Raveendran is the quintessential ninja and has been practising martial arts, including wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and wushu for 20 years. He’s a former kickboxing gold medallist and state boxing bronze medalist and aims to set up a high-altitude training academy for Indian combat sports athletes.
The journey to becoming a sportsperson was not easy. As a child, Rajneesh had asthma and had several attacks in school, which made him avoid any activity lest they reoccur. His peers began to see him differently, affecting his confidence. He was determined to recover from this phase at the earliest. His mother gifted him a bicycle and he started cycling, followed by participation in a taekwondo workshop. He happened to watch the Bruce Lee movie End of the Dragon and Dragon Ball Z. A visit to Nehru Stadium’s boxing hall at 13 was the catalyst that spurred him into practicing martial arts.
Rajneesh, who owns Knox studios, initially set this space up in a small garage with a few friends who used to train with him. He grew famous through word of mouth, attracting a gentry interested in learning the art of boxing. Rajneesh says training is “a constant pursuit of getting the best out of everybody. I don’t want to kill you, but I want to push you. I want to make you uncomfortable. That’s when the magic happens.” This is the spirit he loves to see in his clients and mentees too.
Rajneesh has been associated with Steadfast Nutrition since the beginning. His favourite product from the portfolio is Power Protein, which has been a companion in his recovery after hardcore workouts.
His second love is riding bikes. Along with that, he loves animation, jazz music, and reading- both fiction and non-fiction- in his free time. His favourite books are Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules For Life, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, and Miyamoto Musashi’s The Book of 5 Rings.
Rajneesh also listens to podcasts. Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, and Jocko Willink are his favourite podcasters. Rajneesh turns to stand-up comedy when he wants to have fun.
As a person, Rajneesh likes to push himself in different areas to perfection. He has recently started running half marathons and wants to see a better version of himself there- he is taking coaching and guidance to improve his timing.
Rajneesh is inspired by pilot-turned yoga instructor Vaibhav Singh Rana since the latter is a husband and a father, and is also following his passion.
