Teachers

Acharya Mangalananda

Acharya Mangalananda began his spiritual life in 1972, when he met Sri Swami Satchidananda and was inspired to follow the path of Yoga. He received initiation from Swamiji and lived in an Integral Yoga Ashram in Austin, Texas. He was able to spend several retreats with Swamiji and trained as a Yoga teacher under his guidance. After having an inner experience of the great woman Saint Anandamayi Ma (written about in Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi), he went, with Sw. Satchidananda ji’s blessing, to India to find and study with her. He travelled in India with Anandamayi Ma during the…

Amir Vahab

Amir Vahab, honored as both a peacemaker and virtuoso, is one of New York’s most celebrated and distinguished composers and vocalists of Sufi and folk music. Weaving fiery instrumentals and songs of the historic lands of the Middle East and Central Asia, his work transcends political boundaries while maintaining traditional and mystical sensibilities. His music symbolizes diversity-in-unity and, while rooted in tradition, has been influenced by contemporary sounds. Amir teaches and lectures to private and group classes in universities, libraries, museums, and cultural centers and organizes music therapy and sound healing workshops.

Amrita Sandra McLanahan, M.D.

Dr. McLanahan is a graduate with high honors from Swarthmore College, and she has an M.D. from Wayne University and a family practice specialty from the University of Massachusetts. For 20 years, she served as director of stress management for Dr. Dean Ornish’s research, using Yoga and lifestyle changes to reverse heart disease and cancer. She now practices integrative medicine at Yogaville. Dr. McLanahan has made multiple study trips to India and Asia, where she visited centers that use Yoga and other natural means to prevent and treat disease. She is the co-author of the book, Surgery and Its Alternatives and…

Amy Wheeler, Ph.D., C-IAYT

Amy is the Founder and Director of Optimal State Programs, which provides both Yoga and Yoga Therapy Training Programs. She is a Professor of Kinesiology at California State University, San Bernardino for 20+ years. Amy’s degrees include a B.A. and M.A. in Health Promotion and a Ph.D. in Education and Psychology. Amy has traveled to India many times and was certified to teach Yoga and Yoga Therapy in the Tradition of T. Krishnamacharya. Before that, she was certified by several other internationally recognized Yoga and Yoga Therapy Training Programs. She served as President for the International Association of Yoga Therapists…

Anandi Deborah Absler, Ph.D., MSW

IY Teacher, Ph.D., Research & Evaluation Consultant Anandi’s involvement with Integral Yoga commenced in 2000. Since that time, she has participated in courses and programs within Australia and the USA and has been an active member of the organizing committees of the Victorian Integral Yoga Association (VIYA) and Integral Yoga Centre Melbourne (IYCM). It has been her wonderful honor to contribute to building a robust sangha. As an Integral Yoga teacher, her focus has been to offer gentle community classes under IYCM’s Yoga for Every Body umbrella. She is dedicated to providing a culture of inclusion to students of all…

Andrew Holecek

Andrew is an author and spiritual teacher who offers talks, online courses, and workshops in the United States and abroad. As a long-time student of Buddhism, he completed the traditional three-year Buddhist meditation retreat and frequently presents this tradition from a contemporary perspective – blending the ancient wisdom of the East with modern knowledge from the West. Drawing on years of intensive study and practice, he teaches on the opportunities that exist in obstacles, helping people with hardship and pain, death and dying, and problems in meditation. He is the author of several books, including “The Power and the Pain:…

Anna Neiman Passalacqua

Anna Neiman Passalacqua has been working with eating disorders, weight loss, and body image populations for 11 years in private practice and through Peaceful Weight Loss™ and Being at Peace with Food retreats and seminars. She is the co-author of At Home With Peaceful Weight Loss and is the main teacher of Transformation, a 9-month course in Peaceful Weight Loss™. She maintains a private Yoga therapy practice in Northampton, MA, and works with a variety of issues. She is also co-director of the Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy school.

Aramati Akke Hulburt, E-RYT 500

Aramati Akke Hulburt, E-RYT 500, has been teaching Yoga for over 30 years. She also works as a Structural Yoga Therapist and Massage Therapist at her own studio. Teaching students ranging from teens to seniors has given Aramati a deep understanding of movement potential. She is an anatomy geek and loves to share her enthusiasm with her students. See more at akkesyogaplace.com

Arjun Verma

Arjun K. Verma is an Indian-American sitarist and composer. Beginning with his father, Roop Verma, and continuing with the legendary Ali Akbar Khan and his son Alam Khan, Arjun’s meticulous training has imbued him with a rich musicality that encompasses both the profound majesty and the exhilaration of North Indian classical music. Hailed by the New York Times as a “fine sitarist,” Arjun shares the jewels of his cultural heritage in a manner that is fresh, modern, and relevant, while maintaining a high standard of traditional integrity. Arjun has performed at international venues including the United Nations, the Fillmore, Prague…

Aruna Patki, BAMS, LMBT, NCBTMB, RYT 200

Aruna began her studies in Ayurveda at an early age and earned a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (B.A.M.S.), at the Ayurvedic Government College of Ayurveda at Swami Rama Nand University, Maharashtra State, India. She continued her postgraduate studies in Panchakarma, an Ayurveda course of study, from Tilak College of Ayurveda at Pune University, Maharashtra State, India. She is a Yoga teacher and has practiced Yoga since 1995. Aruna is also a Licensed Integrative Bodywork and Massage Therapist, Certified Medical Cupping Therapist, and the founding director of Ayurveda Healing Spa, LLC, in North Carolina. She has taught seminars, workshops,…

Asangan Binstock

Asangan Binstock and his wife Karuna have been students of Swami Satchidananda for 50 years and served in various roles to further the teachings of Integral Yoga. Recently retired, the Binstocks built a house and art studio in Yogaville. In the future, they plan to donate some of Asangan’s spectacular sculptures to further beautify the grounds of Yogaville.  Asangan was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. His formal fine arts education began in New York’s High School of Music and Art, followed by undergraduate studies in fine art at Hunter College. After teaching fine arts in a South Bronx…

Assisting Faculty

Avi Gordon

Avi Gordon is the director of the Integral Yoga Teachers Association, a global organization of over 10,000 yoga teachers, and is host of the Integral Yoga podcast. Avi teaches yoga and meditation and has also written a novel, A Light in the Tunnel, which is a story that imagines a better future. He’s been a school teacher in Taiwan, South Korea, Israel, and the US. He has a passion for silence, nature, writing, and self-care practices.

Barbara Prema Brown, E-RYT 500

After a career spent as an accountant on Wall Street, Barbara Prema is now an E-RYT 500 certified Yoga Teacher. Her belief is that life should be lived to the fullest at every age. Barbara’s passion is Yoga and sharing all the techniques to gain strength, vitality, flexibility, and deepest happiness through Yoga. Barbara Prema owns a Yoga studio where she teaches small groups and private classes; she also teaches at different venues in the Richmond, VA area. Barbara Prema has traveled to India and has led many retreats internationally. She helps her clients to transform into the powerful people…

Beth Frackleton, RN, BSN, CHWC, M.Ed.

Beth is a chronic health coach, wellcoaches certified health, wellness coach, triathlete, and fitness trainer. She is part of the WorkMed team for employee health at the University of Virginia. See more at medicalcenter.virginia.edu

Bharata Wingham, E-RYT 200, CLYT

Bharata Wingham, E-RYT 200, CLYT, is a longtime student of A Course in Miracles, having studied and worked with it daily since 1980. For thirteen years, he produced and hosted a television program, A Course in Miracles Study Group, which was distributed in the US and abroad. While conducting numerous programs and workshops, he authored the book, An Ancient New Idea: A Primer on A Course in Miracles. He is also the author of Laugha Yoga: Combining the Joy of Laughter with the Bliss of Yoga. A Laughter Ambassador, he has trained hundreds of Laugha Yoga Leaders and led thousands…

Bhaskar Deva

Bhaskar Deva’s love of nature has drawn him to experience and lead groups in hiking, boating and kayaking whether it is in mountains, lakes, rivers, or even in the ocean. Bhaskar was a swami (monk) for many years at Yogaville, where he served as Development Coordinator, as an Ashram board member, and as Sri Swami Satchidanandaji’s pilot. Bhaskar, with his wife, Nischala Devi, founded the Abundant WellBeing Temple, a non-profit organization dedicated to embracing the loving spirit and one light in all. Gathering friends to share the flow of the river, and the serenity of nature is one of his…

Bhavani Marcia Miller, E-RYT 500

has been teaching Yoga for over 40 years. She has taught all levels and types of students, from new beginners to Yoga teachers, and everyone in between. In 2001 Marcia was one of the founders/owners of Yoga on High where she co-directs the 200- and the 300-hour Hatha Teacher Training Program and is the lead teacher for the Therapeutic Teacher Training Program. Marcia has been studying and practicing Nonviolent Communication for 20 years from Marshall Rosenberg (the founder), Robert Gonzalez, Ike Lasater, and many others. For many years she has been bringing NVC to the Yoga community and Yoga to…

Biff Mithoefer, E-RYT 500

Biff teaches Yin Yoga throughout the US and internationally. He is the author of The Yin Yoga Kit, coauthor of The Therapeutic Yoga Kit, and a founder-director of the Jamste Sponsorship Program for the support of Tibetan refugee children. He is an E-RYT 500 Yoga Alliance registered teacher and has trained and taught extensively with Don and Amba Stapleton, and has studied Yin Yoga and anatomy with Paul Grilley. Biff has studied shamanism with teachers of the Shapibo tradition of Eastern Peru and is a student of cross-cultural shamanism, as taught by Angeles Arrien. See more at biffmithoeferyoga.com

Bill Geoghegan

Bill Geoghegan is a photographer and video producer who served as the marketing manager at Satchidananda Ashram from 2014–2021. His responsibilities included creating and managing ad campaigns for social media, email marketing, and photography. He currently serves in the Ashram’s A/V department creating video content for program promotions and recording video classes for its streaming service, IYTV.online. For the past 8 years Bill has maintained a photo/video blog documenting life at Yogaville. See his photo/video blog at wavesofnow.com.

Bob Butera, Ph.D., M.Div.

Bob is director of The YogaLife Institute in Devon, PA, and trains Yoga Therapists and Yoga Teachers. He publishes Yoga Living magazine in the Philadelphia area. His Ph.D. in Yoga from The California Institute of Integral Studies (1997) and training at The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, India (1989) certified him as a Yoga therapist. Bob has a Masters of Divinity from The Earlham School of Religion (Quaker). His books include The Pure Heart of Yoga, 10 Steps to Transformation (2009), Meditation for Your Life: Creating a Plan That Suits Your Style, (2012) and Yoga Therapy for Stress and Anxiety: Create a Personalized Holistic…

Boris Bhagavan Pisman, LMHC

Boris Bhagavan Pisman is a New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Prior to opening his private practice, he worked for over nine years as a therapist at White Plains Hospital, Westchester, NY. He was featured on NBC’s Today Show. Boris has over twenty years of Yoga teaching experience. He is on the Board of Directors of the New York Integral Yoga Institute.

Brandt Bhanu Passalacqua

Brandt Passalacqua is the creator of Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy and Peaceful Weight Loss™ through Yoga. He has been enjoying Yoga and the healing arts since 2002 after overcoming obesity and a life-threatening autoimmune illness. His personal journey serves as an inspiration to countless others and informs his compassionate, humorous, and down-to-earth teaching style. His practice integrates a background of Yoga Therapy in the tradition of Krishnamacharya and Structural Yoga Therapy, Thai Yoga Massage, Medical Massage, a variety of meditation lineages, and plain-old common sense to help people realize their goals. Brandt spends much of his time working with individuals…

Brie Burbank, E-RYT-200, CMT, LE

Brie Burbank is a seasoned practitioner and educator in the realms of yoga, massage, and healing. She firmly believes in cultivating a movement practice of both bliss and nourishment. With a career spanning over two decades as a massage therapist and a decade-long commitment to movement instruction since 2009, she brings a wealth of experience to her teachings. Brie’s professional journey is marked by deep immersions into fascial science, unconventional anatomy and physiology, and advanced myofascial techniques. In every class, Brie seamlessly integrates sound physiological adaptations to classical understanding, and a poetically curious inquiry toward reflection in each experience. Her…

Caryna Wong, RYT 200, B.S.

Caryna has worked and studied with Dr. Fishman for over 6 years. Her 15 years in IT manifests itself in her analytical and structured approach to helping students progress through their practice. She utilizes various types of Yoga in order to help achieve results, including Hatha, Vinyasa, Aerial, and Restorative.

Chandra/Jo Sgammato

Chandra/Jo Sgammato served for more than two decades in numerous capacities at the Integral Yoga Institute of New York, where she obtained her first teacher training certification in 1998. A former book publishing executive and bestselling author, she is an enthusiastic student of the history of Swami Satchidananda and Integral Yoga. The creator of the Integral Yoga At School program, Chandra is also a founding member of the Integral Yoga Global Network and continues to work with the international sangha on a variety of initiatives, including the Integral Yoga Global Conference, to be held virtually in October 2023.

Chandrika Shrobe

Chandrika Shrobe is a certified Integral Yoga Level I, Prenatal and Special Child Yoga instructor. Born into the New York Integral Yoga Institute family, Chandrika has, unsurprisingly, ended up teaching at IYI. She is the daughter of the Zen master Wu Kwang (Richard Shankar Shrobe), who was the first head of Teacher Training at Integral Yoga, and Brenda Uma Shrobe, who is a family therapist and former Yoga instructor at IYI. Chandrika is also a mom, jewelry designer, teacher/private coordinator, and buyer for the IYI bookstore.

Chitra Kate McDevitt, RYT 500, C-IAYT

Chitra began teaching Integral Yoga in 2003 and managed her studio, Cat Cow Yoga, in Pennsylvania from 2007–2009. She teaches Restorative Yoga twice a week at the nonprofit Common Ground Healing Arts in Charlottesville, VA, where she also has a private practice. She also specializes in Yoga of Recovery, a combination of Ayurveda, Yoga philosophy, and 12-step principles designed to bring the healing power of Yoga to those in recovery for addictive and self-destructive behaviors. She is a Certified Yoga Therapist through Phoenix Rising, which combines Yoga and modern mind/body techniques. Her meditation training is from the Wise Earth School…

Chris McCooey, M.A.

Chris was introduced to Yoga practice and philosophy as a teen. Pursuing it through his undergraduate degree in religious studies, he first became certified as a Yoga teacher in 2009 at the University of Hyderabad. While pursuing his master’s degree at Naropa University, he received requests to share Yoga with children. Chris sought out Kidding Around Yoga (KAY) and received certification from Haris Lender in 2013. Chris was a KAY teacher trainer from 2014-2017, sharing the method of kids’ Yoga with adults and kids across the US and internationally. He’s been a camp counselor at Camp Yogaville since 2014 and…

Christie Lenée

Christie is the 2017 International Fingerstyle Guitar Champion and a captivating performer with a devoted following among instrumental, folk-pop and rock band audiences. Combining guitar mastery, contemporary singer/songwriter and a passion for storytelling, she thrives on bringing people together through the language of music. Christie’s unique guitar work and profound instrumental compositions are well described as ‘Michael Hedges meets Joni Mitchell and Dave Matthews.’ Among the vast community of fingerstyle and tapping guitarists, her niche is the integration of melodic pop lyricism with catchy hooks that excite both modern commercial listeners and classic purists. With a menu of percussive and…

Cinmayi Cynthia Moore, RDN, CDE, FAND, M.S.

Cinmayi (Cynthia) has a diverse wellness background in Western and integrative health disciplines. Cynthia is a Duke-trained Integrative Health Coach, Integral Yoga instructor, Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and Diabetes Educator. She’s been a speaker for spas and resorts, communities, scientific and Fortune 500 companies, and has served as faculty for undergraduate and medical education. Cynthia’s passion for mind-body skills including Yoga for treating type 1 and type 2 diabetes began with her work at the University of Maryland Medicine and continued during her roles as nutritionist and educator at the University of Virginia. Currently, she offers classes, Nourishing Resilience training and 8…

Dana A. Smith, E-RYT 500, CLC

Dana A. Smith is the founder and owner of Spiritual Essence Yoga and the creative visionary behind the international YES! Yoga Has Curves movement. She is a wife, mother, certified yoga instructor, author, yoga teacher trainer, master life coach and holistic health practitioner. For almost 20 years, she has been a pioneer for inclusive yoga in the West with a simple, yet profound, message: “Yoga is for EVERYbody!”. As the creator of Jiivana (L.I.F.E.) Yoga®, a National Yoga Alliance approved and registered yoga style, Dana guides students and teachers-in-training in a dynamic experience of yoga as a powerful tool for total life transformation. Even…

Daniel Hickman, E-RYT 500, YACEP

Daniel is a mind-body educator with over 30 years experience. He has worked for over 11 years in the Military Advanced Training Center (MATC) at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) in Bethesda, Maryland. He teaches meditation and adaptive yogic practices for those affected by warfare, severe trauma, and other maladies. He is the son of Peter J. Hickman, a US Navy veteran of the Iowa-class battleships in the conflict in Korea. Peter experienced more war in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, after becoming a US Foreign Service officer. Daniel’s mother, Elida Lourdes Hickman de Martín Ulloa, was a…

Daniel Scruggs

Daniel Scruggs is a world traveling musician, yogi and educator who shares interactive cultural enrichment programs that feature traditional rhythms and over 200 rare musical instruments from around the world. Daniel has performed, studied and facilitated workshops throughout the USA and abroad for over twenty years, with Montessori schools and educators throughout the USA, & Canada, Ghana, Egypt. Daniel spent eight years in formal music studies and performance with the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps, and continued his formal music studies in percussion at the College of Charleston in South Carolina and in Arabic Language immersion in Sana’a Yemen.…

David Deva Barrett, Esq.

David Barrett is an attorney licensed in the state of New York and practicing law with an emphasis on wills and trusts, family law, and business law. In the late 1960s he had the pleasure of representing many famous musicians including James Brown, The Four Seasons, The Rolling Stones, Donovan, and many more. In the early 1970s, he was In-House Counsel for Apple Records. He had the extreme honor and pleasure of meeting and developing a relationship with Swami Satchidananda in 1966 and was instrumental in obtaining his citizenship in the U.S., as well as in securing the IYI purchase…

David Newman "Durga Das"

David Newman is a renowned sacred mantra artist, singer-songwriter, and author and inspirational teacher. David has released numerous acclaimed world music albums, including the #1 iTunes World Music bestseller Love is Awake on which he collaborated with members of Paul Simon’s band. In addition to his mastery of the ancient yogic mantra practice known as kirtan, David’s adventurous musicality, and poetic intimacy as a vocalist and songwriter, bring a unique and exhilarating musical experience to his devoted fan base around the world. Along with his musical gifts, David is also a celebrated teacher and guide for many on the spiritual…

Debora Nitya Jackson, E-RYT 500

Debora Nitya found inspiration and tools for conscious evolution in Yoga and Ayurveda. She has been practicing and sharing the teachings ever since with people from all walks of life. Debora has over a decade of teaching experience and has taught the therapeutic applications of Yoga and meditation in a number of diverse settings, including private sessions, studios, teacher trainings, retreats, and medical facilities. She brings her sense of humor to every class she teaches and is committed to helping her students realize their full potential. Debora Nitya is certified in Integral Yoga® Hatha, Himalayan Institute 500-hour Teacher Training, and…

Dhāraṇī Diana Díaz

Dhāraṇī is a 500-hour Yoga teacher passionately dedicated to serving marginalized communities. She is a published author specializing in personal essays, memoirs, and creative nonfiction and conducts Yoga-writing workshops and retreats throughout the United States. By combining the grounding and spirituality of Yoga with the discipline and self-reflection of writing, she teaches participants to embrace vulnerability in writing through the safety and strength of their Inner Peace. Dhāraṇī holds advanced certifications in Holistic Sound Healing, Yoga for Stress Management, Healing Relationships, Yoga for Cancer and Chronic Illness, Accessible Yoga, among others. She holds a BFA in Writing from NYU and…

Dianne Bondy, E-RYT 500

Dianne is a celebrated Yoga teacher, social justice activist, and leading voice of the Yoga For All movement. Her inclusive view of Yoga asana and philosophy inspires and empowers thousands of followers around the world regardless of their shape, size, ethnicity, or level of ability. She applies over 1000 hours of training to help her students find freedom, self-­expression, and radical self-­love in their Yoga practice. She shares her message and provides millions of followers with affordable access to online Yoga classes, workshops, and tutorials at her virtual studio: Yogasteya.com. Dianne contributes to Yoga International, Yoga Journal, Do You Yoga,…

Dianne Rashmi Galliano, M.S., C-IAYT, E-RYT 500

Rashmi Galliano has been teaching at one of the world’s most prominent Yoga organizations, the New York Integral Yoga Institute, since 2006. She is a lead Yoga teacher trainer at IYINY and student advisor and mentor for the Integral Yoga Therapy training program. Dianne specializes in Yoga for Stress Management, Yoga for Bone Health, Yoga for Breast Cancer, breathing techniques and awareness, and individualized application of Yoga poses and principles. She has a Master of Science Degree in Yoga Therapy from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Just before the pandemic shutdown, she was leading a 200-hour teacher training program with…

Dilip Sarkar, M.D., FACS, CAP, C-IAYT

Dilip Sarkar is a retired vascular surgeon turned Yoga acharya, certified Yoga Therapist, and certified Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist. He retired as an associate professor of surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Virginia, and now teaches Yoga Therapy and Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy both nationally and internationally to healthcare providers, with a focus on integrating yogic and Ayurvedic wisdom with the science of Western medicine. Dr. Sarkar started the first category one ACCME-approved CME (Continuing Medical Education) course in the USA for physicians, “Yoga Therapy for Medical Professionals.” He serves on several local and national healthcare boards as: past president of…

Dr. Alice Kerby, DPT, SEP, Resiliency Coach

Dr. Alice Kerby specializes in Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapy and Resiliency Coaching. She holds a clinical doctorate in physical therapy and is an expert in movement and working with the nervous system and body to unwind past patterns of trauma and chronic stress.

Dr. Edwin Bryant, Ph.D

Edwin Bryant received his Ph.D in Indic languages and Cultures from Columbia University, where his thesis culminated in his first book: The Quest for the Origins of Vedic Culture (Oxford University Press, 2001). He taught Hinduism at Harvard University for three years and is presently the professor of Hinduism at Rutgers University where he teaches courses on Hindu philosophy and religion. He has received numerous awards and fellowships, published eight books, and authored a number of articles on the earliest origins of the Vedic culture, yoga philosophy, and the Krishna tradition. These include a Penguin World Classics translation of the…

Dr. John Murphy IV, DO

Dr. John Murphy, IV, is an osteopathic family physician practicing in Dayton, Ohio. John completed his undergraduate degree at Case Western University, his medical degree at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine, and his residency in family medicine at Grandview Hospital. During the next twelve years, he worked in private practice, taught anatomy and pathophysiology to medical students, and precepted numerous students, interns, and residents. As a third-generation D.O., John strives to incorporate the osteopathic philosophy of treating the whole patient — mind, body, and spirit — into all patient care and integrate these teachings into his own life. In 2020…

Dr. Marc Rosenbaum, Psy.D.

Dr. Marc Rosenbaum has been pursuing his vision of making social and emotional learning an integral part of education since 1992. In addition to his international work, his Self-Mastery programs have been presented to more than 4000 New York City parents, teachers and students. Dr. Rosenbaum holds an advanced degree in Applied Psychology and is the founder and director of Education for Excellence, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children and their families.

Dr. Shirley Telles, Ph.D., M.Phil.

Dr. Shirley Telles has a degree in conventional medicine (MBBS) and an M.Phil. and Ph.D. in neurophysiology. Both her M.Phil. and Ph.D. theses focused on the effects of Yoga practice. Dr. Telles received a Fulbright fellowship in 1998 and in 2007 she received an award from the Indian Council of Medical Research Center for Advanced Research to study the effects of meditation through autonomic variables, evoked and event-related potentials, polysomnography and fMRI. Dr. Telles has been the director of the Patanjali Research Foundation in Haridwar, India, since 2007.  Dr. Telles has over 160 research papers cited in major databases and is…

Durga Leela, E-RYT 500

Durga Leela is a person in long-term recovery, a certified Ayurveda Practitioner, yoga teacher and yoga therapist (IAYT certified) and author of “Yoga of Recovery: Integrating Yoga and Ayurveda with Modern Recovery Tools for Addiction” published in 2022. She is certified as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist and has shared Yoga as a Recovery Pathway in several Recovery Conferences over the last 20 years. She has also served as the Director of the Ayurveda Programs at the Sivananda Ashram in California since 2003, and is a professional member and speaker for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). Learn more about…

Eben Alexander III, M.D.and Karen Newell 

After decades as a physician and teacher at Harvard Medical School and elsewhere, renowned academic neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander thought he knew how the brain, mind, and consciousness worked. A transcendental near-death experience (NDE) during a week-long coma from an inexplicable brain infection changed all of that – completely. Since his NDE, Dr. Alexander has dedicated himself to sharing information about near-death experiences and other spiritually-transformative experiences, and what they teach us about consciousness and the nature of reality. He continues to promote further research on the unifying elements of science and spirituality, and encourages people to be inspired by…

Ellynne Skove, LCAT, NCC, BC-DMT, BCPP, E-RYT, M.A.

Ellynne is a licensed movement therapist focusing in pre- and perinatal psychology and health. She has worked for over 30 years with babies, children, and adults in birth trauma healing work and preventative work to help families establish strong foundations in body, mind, and spirit. Her background includes extensive study of infant developmental movement with Nancy Topf and Body/Mind Centering®, as well as completing a 200 hour Yoga teacher training. Ellynne brings her depth of knowledge in Polarity therapy, infant massage and Reiki to her work. She is the developer of GoGo Babies® Baby Yoga and Developmental Movement. Ellynne teaches…

Eric Archer

Eric is a multi-instrumentalist, visual artist, and poet drawing inspiration from nature and its bounty. He has performed throughout the United States and Europe and is happy to call the Hudson Valley of New York his home. Eric collaborates regularly with Prema Mayi and Radharani during their workshops and frequently accompanies Biff Mithoefer on his Yoga Teacher Trainings. Contributing music to these deeply meditative and educational settings, Eric guides listeners through a collective experience of insights, heartbeats, and breath. See more at ericarcherarts.com

Erich Schiffmann

Erich Schiffmann developed his own approach to Yoga through a lifetime of dedicated study. He is world-renowned for his approach, and travels extensively to hold workshops, retreats, lectures, and teacher trainings. He is the author of Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness and is featured on the award-winning DVD Yoga Mind & Body. See more at www.ErichSchiffmann.com.

Erin Lila Singh, RYT 500

Erin is a Yoga teacher and educator specializing in Yoga for teens. Her passion lies in making the ancient practice and philosophy of Yoga accessible, fun and transformative for teens. She is the Founder and Executive Director of RISE Yoga for Youth, a San Francisco Bay Area non-profit that brings Yoga and wellness programming to over 2,000 teens each year in public schools. Lila has worked with youth for over 12 years, teaching Yoga and meditation in schools, studios, and incarceration facilities. See more at www.yogaforteens.com

Errol Ishwara Cowan, Ph.D.

Errol Ishwara Cowan, Ph.D., was initiated by Swami Satchidananda in 1970 and was one of his first students in California. Ishwara was co-founder of Integral Yoga Institute (IYI) California Inc, San Francisco IYI, Yogaville West, and Yogaville–Santa Barbara. “Ish” formerly served as a Yoga instructor and speaker, one of the first Integral Yoga ministers, Integral Yoga Health president and operator, Doe Bay Retreat developer, and Lotus Inn and Yogaville Community Association (YCA) president. Ishwara served as Swami Satchidananda’s chauffeur and companion and hosted him in Marin County and Santa Barbara. Dr. Cowan holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and was…

Evelyn Beck

Evelyn (“Evi”) Torton Beck has been dancing all her life, but when she found Sacred Circle Dance three decades ago, she knew she had come home to her spiritual practice. Evi has studied dance with a wide variety of teachers, including the founders of sacred dance at Findhorn in Scotland. She has wide experience teaching this form of dance across the United States, Europe, and Mexico. For decades she has facilitated dance circles in the tri-state DC/ MD/ VA area and currently holds a weekly circle in Washington, DC. During the worst of the covid years she offered twice weekly…

Faith Hunter, E-RYT 500

Faith is a Yoga teacher and lifestylist, sprinkled with a dash of Louisiana charm. Faith began her life-long love affair with Yoga in the early 90s as a way to cope as her beloved brother Michael was dying from a complication related to AIDS. Through meditation and mindfulness, Faith was able to release her fears and experience an awakening from within. From that day forward, she committed herself to sharing these practices with the world. Always eager to learn, explore, and share, Faith is an inspiring and generous mentor to Yoga practitioners of all skill levels. She is the creator…

Gabriella Barnstone, C-IAYT, RYT 500

Gabriella Barnstone is a certified Yoga therapist and has been working at Manhattan Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation under the guidance of Dr. Loren Fishman since 2015. Her teaching is largely influenced by her studies with Judith Lasater, Carrie Owerko, and Jonathan Fitzgordon. Gabriella has taught courses with Dr. Fishman on Yoga for Back Pain, Yoga for Osteoporosis, and Yoga for Arthritis at Kripalu, Yogaville, and Omega Institute. She currently serves on the faculty of Prema Yoga Institute’s Yoga Therapy Program in which she has developed her own course on practical anatomy. She continues to learn in New York with Dr. Fishman,…

Gail Parker, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, Ph.D.

Gail is a psychologist and a certified Yoga therapist. She is a faculty member in the Beaumont School of Yoga Therapy in the Department of Integrative Medicine at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, where she teaches mind/body strategies for reducing stress and healing emotional trauma to aspiring Yoga therapists. Dr. Parker is a lifelong practitioner of Yoga and is well-known for her pioneering efforts to blend psychology, Yoga, and meditation as effective self-care strategies that can enhance emotional balance and contribute to the overall health and well-being of practitioners. Dr. Parker has a special interest in utilizing and…

Gary Kraftsow, M.A., E-RYT 500, C-IAYT

Gary Kraftsow is the founder, director, and senior teacher of the American Viniyoga Institute. He is the author of Yoga for Wellness and Yoga for Transformation as well as the educational DVD series: Viniyoga Therapy for Low Back, Sacrum and Hips; Viniyoga Therapy for Upper Back, Neck and Shoulders; Viniyoga Therapy for Anxiety; and Viniyoga Therapy for Depression. He began his journey as a student, practitioner, teacher, and therapist at age 19 when he traveled to Madras (now Chennai) India, to study. He later received a Viniyoga Special Diploma from Viniyoga International in Paris, France. Gary graduated from Colgate University in 1976 and received his…

Gaura Vani

Gaura Vani is a multi-disciplinary artist—fluent in music, film, and visual arts. He is best known for his mantra music performances. Gaura Vani’s events are unifying and transporting—a mix of participatory rhythm and song, story and dance. He has traveled in Africa, the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia performing both as a solo artist and with his sacred music ensembles, “The Hanumen” and “Juggernauts”. Gaura Vani began studying sacred Indian music at the age of six in the ancient temple town of Vrindavan at a traditional Gurukula school. He continues to share the magic he received and performs at festivals…

Giselle Mari, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, YACEP

Giselle’s introduction to Yoga in the early 90’s was a natural progression from her gymnastics/dance background, her passion for music, and her childhood; she was raised by a bohemian flamenco dancer. Today all of these influence her style and approach to teaching and to life. An E-RYT 500 and YACEP, Giselle flavors her classes with spunk, grit, and spirit. Her light-hearted but comprehensive teaching style weaves yogic philosophy, Sanskrit, anatomy, skillful hands-on assists, funky, eclectic music, and unabashed authenticity into her classes. Her offerings are not only designed to make you move, sweat, and reflect, but also to empower fearless…

Gita Catherine Brown, RYT 500

Gita began teaching kids using the Yoga for the Special Child method in 2006. She teaches private and group classes at South Shore Conservatory (SSC) and in public schools, day habilitation programs, autism resource groups, and after-school programs throughout the South Shore. Gita is training with Sonia Sumar to become a Yoga for the Special Child teacher trainer, and she serves as a co-teacher for the Basic 1 Program. She is the Accessible Yoga Program Coordinator in the Creative Arts Therapies department at SSC in Massachusetts. See more at gitabrown.com

Gita Kali Natarajan, RYT 500

When Gita chants you can feel the devotion through her voice and heart. She chants as much as she can in and around DC, MD, and VA, and occasionally tours abroad. She started chanting when it became an integral part of her work with children with special needs and hasn’t been able to stop. She never had a harmonium lesson or a workshop on how to lead kirtan but was led by her heart to just do it and see if anyone showed up. Over 8 years of leading kirtan, creating the DC Kirtan Festival, touring with Swami Gurusharanananda from India, and chanting…

Govind Das

Govind Das is a California-based Bhakti Yogi and Kirtan singer and his spiritual name suggests “servant of the divine”. He is the co-director and owner of Bhakti Yoga Shala in Santa Monica, CA. Govind Das’s commitment to Bhakti Yoga and the ideals of love, service, and devotion is the essence which is reflected and transmitted through his music and teachings. His intention is to share kirtan in the spirit of celebrating life and developing a personal and intimate connection with the Divine. He leads evenings of kirtan and Bhakti Yoga workshops, presents at festivals, and leads transformative retreats throughout the…

Hannah Levin, NAMA, E-RYT, YACEP

Hannah Elizabeth Levin is the founder of Heartfelt Wellbeing LLC. She is an Ayurveda Practitioner (NAMA), yoga teacher (E-RYT, YACEP), and potter who also holds a masters degree in teaching. Her own healing path through chronic allergies, anxiety, sleep struggles, digestive issues, and chronic hip pain led her to the healing found in yoga and Ayurveda. Her mission is to alleviate unnecessary suffering in the world. Today, Hannah specializes in women’s health, expertly guiding women to regain their optimal health and vitality through her online coaching programs: The Vitality Circle, Evolve and seasonal detoxes, and retreats. She guides her clients…

Haris “Harini” Lender, E-RYT 200, RYT 500, RCYT, YACEP

Haris “Harini” is the founder of Kidding Around Yoga, a certified Integral Yoga teacher at the 500-hour level and is also certified in Prenatal, Raja, Children’s Yoga, and Stress Management. In 2020, Harini retired from Kidding Around Yoga and now lives full-time in Yogaville. During her 11 years of running Camp Yogaville, Haris wrote songs and skits, managed counselors, teachers, and kitchen staff, and developed skills that would help her along the way to creating Kidding Around Yoga. Haris is extremely grateful to her teacher Swami Satchidananda, and to all of the Swamis, friends, and teachers at Yogaville that have helped…

Harmanjot Kaur

HARMANJOT began practicing, studying and teaching Kundalini yoga in 2008 when she met her teacher Guru Jagat. She worked side by side with Guru Jagat until her passing in August 2021. During this time, Harmanjot was instrumental to opening and growing the three RA MA Institutes (Los Angeles, New York City, Palma de Mallorca), and developing the creative programming that made RA MA the unique blend of sacred and secular it became known for. With Guru Jagat’s passing, Harmanjot’s destiny has called her to continue the mission they worked so closely on together. Harmanjot has partnered with top brands to…

HawaH Kasat

Hawah Kasat (HawaH) is an author, poet, educator, community organizer, nonprofit leader, and yogi. Since childhood, Hawah has been studying movement, meditation, and philosophy. With a lineage that traces back to India, his life was split between schooling in New Jersey and Washington, DC while spending long summers in Mumbai. From birth, Hawah has been exposed to the living traditions, culture, philosophy, and practices of his ancestral homeland. For nearly 20 years, he has been teaching Yoga, mindfulness, social-emotional literacy, conflict transformation, the healing arts, and trauma-informed care to all types of students, from diverse demographics, ranging from the Washington…

Heike Amma Farkas

Heike Amma Farkas is a certified Integral Yoga Teacher since 1993 and an Integral Teacher Trainer in Germany since 2002. She is also the author of Partner Yoga, published in German, soon being released in Spanish. As the head of the Integral Yoga Centre in Augsburg, Germany, she’s been teaching children and adults with great joy and enthusiasm. Her background and experience as a school teacher, certified massage therapist, and naturopath is a beautiful complement to her Yoga teaching. Heike says, “My strength and inspiration is rooted in my deep devotion to Sri Swami Satchidananda, whom I met miraculously in…

Hersha Chellaram, E-RYT 200, RPYT, and RCYT

Hersha Harilela Chellaram (she/her) is an award-winning Yoga therapist, teacher trainer, and nonprofit leader, pioneering inclusivity and well-being in Hong Kong. She has over 20 years of experience teaching Yoga to a wide range of ages and abilities in both studio and community settings. She is the founder and executive director of YAMA Foundation, a charity that makes Yoga, art, and meditation accessible to Hong Kong’s most vulnerable communities. Under Hersha’s leadership, YAMA was awarded Accessible Yoga Organization of the Year 2020. She also runs Hersha Yoga School of Teacher Training, offering classes, professional development, and teacher trainings in Asia,…

Hope Mell, RYT 500, ATT

Hope’s passion and purpose are helping people find freedom in their bodies—freedom of movement and movement without pain. She found Integral Yoga® in 1967 and began her studies with Sri Swami Satchidananda. She was certified to teach Integral Yoga Hatha in 1974. Marjorie Barstow came into Hope’s life in 1979, who taught her The Alexander Technique. She was certified to teach by the Alexander Alliance in Philadelphia in 1988. Hope earned her certification as a Structural Yoga Therapy teacher in 2005. For decades, she has refined her skills and developed an approach that combines the powers of Yoga and the…

HuDost

The music of HuDost, the Sufi kirtan, neo-folk, world rock ensemble from Montreal and KY, weaves a seamless tapestry of sound that renders tears and laughter in listeners, cultivating the nameless longing that abides within all our hearts and invokes total celebration. HuDost’s core musicians are Moksha Sommer and Jemal Wade Hines. Having toured the US, Canada, and Europe constantly since April 2006, HuDost has grown and expanded, traveled rocky and glorious terrain, and marveled at all they can learn and explore. Moksha and Jemal Wade, in this time, have grown as artists, as seekers, as a couple, and as a family. In…

Iana Sundari Malcolm, E-RYT 500

Iana Sundari Malcolm was raised by her Yoga loving parents, between New York City and Yogaville. In her early 20’s Iana left a successful career in Public Relations to follow her passion for all things Wellness. Since then she has traveled the world teaching Hatha Yoga, Yoga for the Special Child, Prenatal Yoga, Post Labor Yoga, Yoga for Cancer, Yoga for Grief, Yoga Nidra and Meditation. She is an ERYT-500 level teacher and a Yoga Teacher Trainer. Her curriculum for Yoga and the Special Child has been implemented in schools throughout NYC and South Florida. Outside of Yoga, Iana is…

Integral Yoga Senior Staff

Ishwara Aref

Ishwara Ehab Aref was born in Cairo, Egypt, and worked as a professional dancer for 16 years at the Cairo Opera House. He moved to New York in 2000 and was introduced to the Integral Yoga sangha in 2004. In 2006 he attended a meditation workshop at Integral Yoga Institute New York that changed his life. In 2019 he moved to Yogaville, Virginia, and was certified as an Integral Yoga teacher. Ishwara then took residency at Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco. Because of his background in computer graphics, video, and photography, he started producing marketing content and graphics to help…

Jacy Sundlie, TRE Trainer, LSW, CCA

Jacy has been involved with TRE since 2008. She has been a certification trainer since 2010 and helped develop the first TRE certification program. As a licensed social worker, registered Yoga instructor, massage therapist, life coach, and reiki master, Jacy draws on all of these modalities to enhance TRE trainings. Her passion for TRE integrates her extensive education, life experiences, and work history to focus on empowering the individual’s growth in all aspects of life. Jacy has taught numerous groups of students in the TRE certification process. She developed the first program within the VA system in Madison, WI, that…

Jai Uttal

Jai Uttal, a Grammy-nominated sacred music composer, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and ecstatic vocalist, combines influences from India with influences from American rock and jazz, creating a stimulating and exotic multi-cultural fusion that is truly world spirit music. Having traveled extensively in India, where he met many beautiful saints and singers, Bhakti Yoga became his personal path. Jai has been leading kirtans around the world for more than 45 years, creating a safe environment for people to open their hearts and voices. Celebration, meditation, dance of the devas, love song to the universe… Jai Uttal’s new album Roots, Rock, Rama! (out…

James Knight, E-RYT 200, CHSE

James has been an Integrative Therapist for over 25 years. He is a Yoga teacher (E-RYT 200) and Certified Hanna Somatic Educator (CHSE). From his combined experience as a lifelong yogi, intuitive bodyworker, psychotherapist, and movement educator, James created a method of Yoga that integrates what he discovered to be the most progressive, life-enhancing techniques into an embodied movement practice. Gentle Somatic Yoga was born out of years of exploring means of connecting and integrating the deeper aspects of the whole Self (Soma). James’ passion is to awaken the possible for people living with challenges related to physical limitations. He…

James Kovalenko

James Kovalenko is a certified Integral Yoga Hatha and Raja Yoga teacher. He lived and served in Yogaville for four years in Shakticom and tech/av departments. He was a key player during the pandemic when the ashram made the transition from in-person programs to online offerings as well as the production of iytv.online. He loves to cook and teach Yoga and meditation.

Jan Brown

The Rev. Jan Brown is Founder/Executive Director of SpiritWorks Foundation Center for the Soul. An ordained Deacon in the Episcopal Church and Archdeacon of the Diocese of Southern Virginia, she serves at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, VA. Jan is a graduate of the College of William and Mary with a BA in Psychology, is certified as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist and a Recovery Coach Professional, and is an international scholar on Addiction Studies. She has a Master of Science Degree in Addiction Studies from the International Programme on Addiction Studies at King’s College in London, the University of…

Jana Long, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT

Jana is a certified yoga teacher and therapist, meditation facilitator and Ayurvedic lifestyle consultant who specializes in the therapeutic application of yoga and meditation for seniors and the management of cancer and other acute and chronic conditions. She is director of Power of One Yoga Center, a community-based studio in Baltimore, MD, and the co-founder and Executive Director of the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance. Her exploration of yoga began in 1972, and she has been an eyewitness and advocate to the expansion of yoga and Ayurveda in the U.S., especially in communities of color. She is a certified Master Gardener…

Janardhana Clemons

Janardhana Clemons is a certified Integral Yoga teacher in all 6 branches of Yoga. In his later years, he studied and practiced Jnana Yoga. Janardhana began his service with Integral Yoga in 1973. He helped build, manage, and staff health food stores and ran an Integral Yoga Institute for two years while teaching Hatha, Raja, stress reduction, and meditation. He worked directly for Swami Satchidananda for twenty years. He helped build and maintain Yogaville, the LOTUS temple, and Chidambaram. Janardhana leads workshops on Jnana Yoga that come from his own experience. His intent with these programs is that students get…

Jane Stelboum, RYT 500, E-RYT 200, Certified Brain Longevity Specialist

Jane is a marketing/advertising executive, Hatha yoga teacher trainer, and Certified Brain Longevity Specialist. She founded Sarasvate (sar-as-vah-te´) in 2012 in honor of her mother Sarah, whom she lost to Alzheimer’s in 2011. Sarasvate’s mission is to prevent memory-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and help those already impacted maintain a high quality of life as long as possible. Sarasvate does this through workshops, caregiving training sessions, speaking engagements, and private sessions. Jane has been a featured speaker at conferences held by the Smithsonian Associates, Aging Life Care Association, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, and many yoga studios, senior living communities, and corporate offices…

Jasiatic Anderson

Jasiatic is a world-traveled photographer, vegan chef, food justice advocate and homeschooling mother of three teenagers. Jasiatic has lived a plant-based lifestyle for the better part of 20 years. After earning a degree in Africana Studies from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she began working in and out of health food stores and vegan kitchens. Today she is both a plant-based food coach and a vegan chef. As a mother of three vegan/vegetarian children, she is a self-deemed cultural food enthusiast and thrives in showing people how to eat clean and taking her children all over the world…

Jayadeva Mandelkorn E-RYT 500

Jayadeva E-RYT 500, founder of Integral Yoga Institute Princeton and TGR Yoga – The Great Remembering, began teaching Yoga in January 1969 while studying at Stanford University. He is a senior disciple of sage Swami Satchidananda with whom he studied and lived with at Yogaville before becoming Manager of the New York Integral Yoga Institute. He was also director of Teacher Training there, and helped develop the Integral Yoga Teacher Training used throughout the world. Jayadeva came to Princeton, NJ in 1999 where he founded and is Director of the Princeton Integral Yoga Institute. He also started his own school…

Jayadevi Hollon, E-RYT 500, YACEP

Jayadevi Hollon teaches beginner through advanced Integral Yoga practices and holds additional certifications in instructing Meditation, as well as Accessible, Restorative, and Yin Yoga. She received her academic education in Asian studies at New York University and Nanjing University, where she was blessed with the opportunity to travel extensively through China exploring Eastern philosophy and spiritual practices. After returning to the United States, Jayadevi continued her studies with a concentration in psychology and human development at the State University of New York, with a special interest in alternative approaches to mental health. Since then she has dedicated herself to offering…

Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.

Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. is a world-renowned expert in the mind-body connection. A licensed psychologist and a Harvard-trained cell biologist, Joan synthesizes cutting-edge science with deep humanity. A New York Times bestselling author of 17 books and numerous audio programs for meditation and stress management, Joan’s work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, on Public Television, and on many websites. Dr. Borysenko’s warmth and credibility plus her lively sense of humor make her one the most popular and sought-after speakers in the fields of health, healing, and spirituality. Joan’s work integrates science, positive psychology, spirituality, and epigenetics…

Joann Lutz, MSW, LICSW, E-RYT, C-IAYT

Joann is an experienced, certified Integral Yoga® teacher and a certified Yoga and Ayurvedic Yoga therapist. She is also a licensed independent clinical social worker. For the past six years, Joann has traveled internationally to universities, conferences, hospitals, ashrams, and Yoga centers to train Yoga and mental health professionals on bringing nervous-system informed, trauma-sensitive Yoga into their work. Her CEU course, “Bringing Yoga into Social Work Practice,” was published by the National Association of Social Workers–MA Chapter in 2014, and is available for purchase. Joann is a trainer for PESI Inc., a national organization which presents continuing education programs for…

John Jackson

John has been practicing meditation for over 40 years, from pranayama to Tibetan dzogchen. During his studies and explorations he has traveled on pilgrimages around the world, spent lengthy periods of time in retreat at monasteries in Nepal and India, and made pilgrimage to the most sacred mountain of Tibet, Mt. Kailash. Over the past 25 years John has developed close relationships with and received private instruction from His Holiness Lungtog Tenpai Nyima and Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak, the two most senior teachers of the Tibetan Bön lineage, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, the most senior Bön master in the West. He has…

John Schlorholtz, E-RYT 500

John Schlorholtz is a principal Yoga instructor at the Harvard University Center for Wellness. He has worked with older adults extensively, both in individual therapy and in a variety of group settings. John was born and raised in Pakistan, has traveled through much of India, and has led a number of trips to the Caribbean and India. He is influenced by Sri Aurobindo, Arthur Kilmurray, and the gentle, flowing style of Sri Krishnamacharya. John created the three-volume Ageless Yoga DVD series. His teaching style is characterized by knowledge of anatomy, insight, humor, and storytelling. See more at agelessyoga.org  

John Schumacher, CIYT, C-IAYT

John believes that it is important to explore and learn the actions and effects of Yoga through our own diligent, consistent practice. In 1979, he established Unity Woods Yoga Center outside Washington, DC. He became known for his clear, precise style and his engaging sense of humor. Yoga Journal described John as “one of 25 originals shaping Yoga in America”. In 2015, John was named by Yoga Journal as 1 of 12 Lifetime Contributors to help authenticate Yoga in America. John has written for a variety of publications and has appeared in numerous local and national media, including U.S. News…

Jonathan Goldman and Andi Goldman, LPC, M.A.

Jonathan is an international authority on sound healing and a pioneer in the field of harmonics. He has worked with masters of sound from both scientific and spiritual traditions and has been empowered by the Chant Master of the Dalai Lama’s Drepung Loseling Monastery to teach Tibetan Overtone Chanting. Jonathan is author of Healing Sounds: The Power of Harmonics, The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing, Chakra Frequencies: Tantra of Sound (co-authored with his wife Andi), winner of the Visionary Award for “Best Alternative Health Book” of the year, The Divine Name: The Sound That Can Change the World, 2011 Visionary Award…

Julia Kupke

Julia works internationally leading group trainings, workshops, and retreats as well as individual sessions on the topics of mindfulness, Strala, Yin Yoga, inner work, and personal development. She offers these programs with the goal of giving people opportunities to get to know themselves better. She likes to design spaces and journeys in which people connect with themselves and find individual answers to what is important to them in their lives. Julia founded the TreeHouse Bavaria near Munich in Germany, which serves as her homebase and holds space for her events and various mindful gatherings. Julia interweaves her own personal change…

Julie Lusk, E-RYT 500, M.Ed.

Julie Lusk specializes in balancing and strengthening the body-mind-spirit connection through Yoga, meditation, constructive relaxation, and guided imagery as an international author, recording artist, and workshop leader. Julie is the author of Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief, Yoga Meditations, two volumes of 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery, and Inner Healing, and Desktop Yoga®. Her CDs include Sleep Well: Yoga Nidra, Wholesome Relaxation, Power of Presence, Blue Moon Rising, and many others. Her newest book is Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for Total Relaxation. She is talented in bringing the best out in others through her depth of knowledge,…

Kambiz Naficy

Kambiz spent fifteen years studying with grandmasters of Yoga in India. He is now an international master of breathing meditation and an expert in life transformation through the cleansing of subconscious beliefs. He founded The Joy of Life Organization in 2001, and since he has transformed the lives of more than ten thousand people in Canada, Europe, India, Sri Lanka, and the U.S. His TV interviews appear on NBC and the national television of India. He has conducted programs for the United Nations agencies and taught as a faculty member of The Omega Institute, and the New York Open Center.…

Karen Newell 

Karen  is Co-founder, Sacred Acoustics. As an innovator in the emerging field of brainwave entrainment audio meditation, Karen empowers others in their journeys of self-discovery. Using Sacred Acoustics recordings, she teaches how to enter and engage your own consciousness in order to connect to inner guidance, achieve inspiration, improve wellness and develop intuition. Her lifelong interest in ancient cultures and sacred sites catalyzed her drive to understand the purpose of our existence. She became fascinated with esoteric spiritual texts and sought alternate explanations for humanity’s collective history. In her search for answers, it was clear that direct experience is crucial.…

Karuna Kreps

Karuna Kreps met Swami Satchidananda in 1967. Initiated by him, she taught classes of all levels at the Integral Yoga Institute in New York from 1968 to 1982. She traveled with Swami Satchidananda, staffed Yoga retreats, and lived in the Integral Yoga Institute. In 1986, she was awarded the title of Guru Tattwa Ratnam, or “Jewel of the Guru’s Teachings” by Swami Satchidananda. She built the original websites SwamiSatchidananda.org, lotus.org, iyta.org, and LivingYogaMovie.org, and for a decade she helped to edit Integral Yoga Magazine, maintain iymagazine.org, and send out the “Weekly Words of Wisdom from Sri Swami Satchidananda.

Katchie Ananda, E-RYT 500

Katchie is an international Yoga and Dharma teacher whose life’s work has been to explore the practices of yoga and dharma and share their path to freedom with others. She has well over 10,000 teaching hours, spanning 25 years as a full-time practitioner and trainer and she has developed numerous approaches to wisdom in body, mind and heart. Her eclectic background includes Yoga certifications in Anusara, Jivamukti, Integral, and Ashtanga by Richard Freeman and many years of practice with Buddhist teacher and author Jack Kornfield. A former dancer in Switzerland and Brazil, she moved to NYC in 1990 where she…

Katie Silcox

Katie is the author of the New York Times best-selling book, Healthy, Happy, Sexy: Ayurveda Wisdom for Modern Women. She is also an internationally-recognized Yoga teacher, Ayurvedic practitioner, writer, and inspirer of hearts and minds. She is renowned for her depth of study, her ability to present the complexities of Yoga’s ancient wisdom in a practical, life-affirming manner, as well as her unique capacity to distill the teachings of Yoga with southern-belle humor and grace.  Her signature teaching style blends classical Yoga, vinyasa-based asana, and life-changing Tantric/Ayurvedic philosophy. Katie was named one of San Francisco’s Best Yoga Teachers by Common…

Kelley Nicole Palmer, E-RYT 200

Kelley is a writer, wellness advocate, and community organizer committed to using the philosophies of Yoga to cultivate peace for herself and others. Her dedication to a path of mindful wellness and self-realization fuels her work and propels her to share it with others through her writing, events, and teaching opportunities. She remains focused on making this healing practice accessible to all, connecting to communities that are normally excluded from mainstream wellness circles. See her writing, offerings, and more at kelleynicolepalmer.com

Kiesha Battles, E-RYT 500

Kiesha is a full-time Yoga teacher who began practicing Yoga in 2000. Over the past seven years, Kiesha has created Yoga programs, lead Yoga retreats, managed the daily operations of a Yoga studio, and was recently appointed as Co-Director of the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color at Kripalu Retreat Center. Known to many as the original black girl Yoga magic, Kiesha is a humble soul who connects to all beings first at their core. In 2016, after the Keith Lamont Scott shooting, Kiesha brought Yoga teachers and studios together from all parts of Charlotte to practice a marathon style…

Krishna Das

Krishna Das has been called Yoga’s “rock star,” layering traditional kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation. With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das—known to friends, family, and fans simply as KD—has taken the call-and-response chanting out of Yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling Western chant artist of all time. His album, Live Ananda, (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category. KD spent the late 60’s traveling across the country as a student of…

Krissy Coggins

Krissy, a Certified Positive Discipline Educator and mom of two amazing little girls, is passionate about positive parent-child relationships. She has long believed that children deserve our intentional nurturing in a way that best supports them even when they present us with challenges. It is with this belief that Krissy made the decision to get behind parents and support them with tools and empathy that will guide their journey to being the parent they always wanted to be. See more at krissyscouch.com

Lakshmi Sutter, C-IAYT, Ph.D. E-RYT 500, YACEP

Lakshmi serves as director of the Integral Yoga Therapy program. Lakshmi previously served in the Integral Yoga Academy at Yogaville as Academy Director, as Integral Yoga Teachers Association Director, and as Teacher Training Planning and Development Director. She is a trainer of Integral Yoga Hatha Yoga at the basic and intermediate levels, and she enthusiastically shares her fascination with the human body during basic anatomy workshops. Lakshmi’s supportive instruction is suitable for a wide range of physical levels and class approaches ranging from gentle and restorative to energetic and challenging.

Lauren Sacks, E-RYT 200, RPYT

Lauren is passionate about supporting women throughout the journey of motherhood, and is a firm believer in the power and possibility that Yoga can create in women’s lives. In addition to her weekly prenatal Yoga classes, Lauren also teaches alignment Yoga, leads workshops and prenatal teacher trainings throughout North Carolina and the East Coast, and is a fierce advocate for the empowerment of women during pregnancy, labor and birth.

Leslie Howard E-RYT 500, C-IAYT

Leslie Howard is an Oakland-based yoga teacher, specializing in all things pelvic. She leads workshops and trainings worldwide and has written a book about the female pelvis, Pelvic Liberation. She is a regular presenter for the Yoga Journal conferences and a regular contributor to Yoga Journal magazine. Her own struggles with healing her hips and pelvis led her to intense study of the anatomy, physiology, cultural messaging, history and energetics of this rich place. Her teaching is informed by over 3500 hours of yoga study with senior Iyengar yoga teachers, notably Ramanand Patel and Peter Thompson. She has designed two…

Līlā Śakti Mayī, M.A.

Līlā Śakti Mayī received her B.A. and M.A. in Sanskrit from the University of Virginia. She has studied the mechanics of the Sanskrit language alongside sacred Sanskrit literature both in and out of academia for almost a decade. Her scriptural focus has largely revolved around the Bhagavad Gītā. She has taught Sanskrit to graduate students and professionals alike, and, most recently, she contributed significantly to a new publication entitled Bhagavad Gītā Concordance: A Comprehensive Word Reference with English and Sanskrit Indexes by Dr. Graham Schweig (Columbia University Press, 2024). She is currently working on a similar project for the Yoga…

Lisa Jakub

Lisa is an author, Kripalu Yoga teacher, and retired actor who has more than forty film and television credits to her name, including Mrs. Doubtfire and Independence Day. At the age of twenty-two, Lisa retired from her eighteen-year acting career in search of a life that felt more authentic to her. She has found a happier, more purposeful life in Virginia as a writer, teacher, and an advocate for mental health awareness. Her latest book is Not Just Me: Anxiety, Depression, and Learning to Embrace Your Weird.

Lisa Santoshi Castro, MSW, MBA, LCSW, RYT 200, CCTP

Santoshi is a licensed clinical social worker with a Master’s in business administration in healthcare. She has worked in the field of mental health and substance abuse treatment for 20 years. Santoshi is also an RYT 200 and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. In addition to her private practice, she is currently the executive director of an outpatient mental health clinic. Santoshi uses Yoga and stress management techniques to successfully treat depression, anxiety, attention issues, and trauma in adults and children.

Loren M. Fishman, M.D., B.Phil. (Oxon.)

Dr. Fishman is Medical Director of Manhattan Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in New York City, author of twelve books, and more than 100 academic articles, and a world-recognized pioneer in the use of Yoga in medical conditions, and the treatment of lower back pain and piriformis syndrome. He spent three years in India before going to medical school and has used Yoga to reverse the deficits of rotator cuff syndrome, straighten the scoliotic spine, actually strengthen osteoporotic bones, and aid in medical conditions as diverse as insomnia, obesity, and restless leg syndrome. Other non-surgical interventions relieve plantar fasciitis, arrest the development…

Louis Mahadev Carlino, E-RYT 500, M.A., LPC

Louis Mahadev Carlino, E-RYT 500, M.A., LPC, is a certified Integral Yoga® teacher with over 1000 hours of training. From 2001 through 2006, Mahadev lived at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, where he led teacher trainings at all levels. In 2009, he earned a Masters’ Degree in Somatic Counseling Psychotherapy from Naropa University in Boulder, CO. He has developed a style of psychotherapy informed by the teachings of Integral Yoga. Mahadev leads workshops on the healing power of Hatha Yoga and, in addition to practicing as a psychotherapist, teaches several Integral Yoga Hatha classes in Boulder. Mahadev is passionate about sharing Hatha Yoga…

M. Mala Cunningham, Ph.D., C-IAYT

Mala Cunningham is a counseling psychologist and certified Yoga therapist in Charlottesville, VA. She is an assistant professor at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Nursing where she teaches courses in Foundations of Medical Yoga for Health Professionals. Dr. Cunningham is also the co-director of Medical Yoga at UVA where she has developed and teaches continuing education courses in Medical Yoga for physicians and healthcare workers offered through the UVA Professional Development office. She is also the president of Positive Health Solutions and is the founder and director of Hospital Bed Yoga and the Cardiac Medical Yoga Teacher Training Program.…

Madhavan Mark Wolz, RYT 500, C-IAYT

Madhavan has been teaching Yoga and meditation for 16 years, with a concentration on therapeutic benefits and everyday applications. He also teaches and practices astrology, with an emphasis on using our charts to reflect on ourselves. Mark is particularly fond of teaching workshops because he finds participants learn better when they are actively engaged. He holds a B.S. in psychology and an M.A. in anthropology and Southeast Asian studies. Mark is committed to cultivating individual and collective responsibility as we reach toward conscious healing for ourselves and the planet. See more at dharmarising.com

Madhuri Fiona Flynn, E-RYT 500

Madhuri has been teaching Yoga since 1997 and has trained hundreds of Yoga teachers internationally over the past nineteen years.   A dedicated yogini, she found and fell in love with Yoga on her arrival in San Francisco from London in 1995. She was a resident at the San Francisco Integral Yoga Institute for 16 years, which afforded her the opportunity to be immersed in the teachings and to live a yogic lifestyle. There she served as head of teachers and as the main trainer for Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Children’s Yoga teacher trainings.

Madhuri Lavender

Madhuri’s love of anatomy began in 1971 when she took Anatomy and Kinesiology at the University of Utah as a dance major. That is also when she was first introduced to Yoga and fell in love with how it created joy in her body and mind. Her initial formal studies began with Iyengar-style Hatha Yoga. In 1990 her teacher introduced her to Yogaville and Integral Yoga through Swami Satchidananda and once again she fell in love with the joy of asana combined with meditation. She completed her 200-hour Basic Teacher Training at Yogaville in 2001 and her Intermediate Teacher Training…

Manju Joshi, M.A., E-RYT 500, YACEP, C-IAYT, MCO-Osteo, HHC

Manju Joshi, M.A., E-RYT 500, YACEP, C-IAYT, MCO-Osteo, HHC, is the co-founder and research director of Gurukul Yoga Holistic Center (GYHC), a science of living institution and registered Yoga school (RYS 200/300) as well as an IAYT APD provider and former supporting member school of IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapy). She has served communities globally as a Yoga practitioner, teacher, and therapist for over 25 years. She is also a published author (Good Bye from the WTC, 2008), a Reiki master, and co-founder of Food Yogini, an initiative for advocating holistic foods and goods.  Manju lives in Austin, TX…

Marc Mukunda Morozumi, E-RYT 500, CMT

Marc Mukunda Morozumi, E-RYT 500, CMT, Integral Yoga Lead Teacher Trainer, began practicing Ashtanga Yoga in 2001 while a full-time modern dancer with Joe Goode Performance Group in SF, CA. Due to injury, Mukunda retired from his dance career in 2004 and entered the events industry for a 12-year career. In 2007, he was able to make a 2-month trip to India as a personal journey. After enjoying an immersion at the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala and visits to Auroville and others, he chose to deepen his practice with a teacher training in Yogaville in 2009 with Swami Divyananda and…

Margabandhu Martarano, E-RYT 500, B.A.

Margabandhu has served as director of the New Jersey Integral Yoga® Institute for 50 years. Margabandhu is a senior certified Integral Yoga instructor, proficient in all aspects of Yoga. He has a B.A. in education, is a master herbalist, and is certified in therapeutic acupressure massage and reflexology. Margabandhu is also the director of the Well Being Center in Verona, NJ, a holistic center specializing in all aspects of health and healing. He is the co-creator of the Yoga for Autism teacher training.

Maria Alfaro, E-RYT, Neurogenic Yoga Trainer and TRE Certification Trainer

Maria Alfaro is a native Italian who lives in California. She has taught Yoga since 1997, and she is also a Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises® (TRE) trainer. Maria leads workshops and trainings nationally and internationally. She is one of two Neurogenic Yoga lead instructors.  See more at NeurogenicYoga.com  and  TREcalifornia.com

Maria Malati Gelabert, Ph.D., RYT 200

Maria Malati Gelabert is a chemist and Yoga teacher, with certifications from Integral Yoga with Satya Greenstone (2010), restorative Yoga with Judith Lasater (2011) and Yoga Nidra with Julie Lusk (2023). In her creative nonfiction writing, she explores scientific connections between mindfulness and thermodynamics, folding chemistry into Yoga and wellness. Of specific interest is chaos, or thermodynamic entropy, where ideas of chaos or disorder can be used to better understand and work with mind chatter. About five years ago, Malati developed the Managing Mind Chaos Yoga workshop, which combines scientifically-based content within the backdrop of meditation and restorative Yoga practice.…

Marni Sclaroff, E-RYT 500, MAT

Marni is a celebrated Yoga teacher with over twenty years of experience in the healing arts. She leads workshops, retreats, mentoring programs, and teacher trainings throughout the US and abroad. She is also a writer and speaker on the transformative power of living Yoga and the healing work of anchoring the heart in the soul. She came to Yoga after searching for a way to heal from her many years of suffering from depression and disordered eating. After attending her first Yoga class in 1996, she knew that she had come home. Through the practices of Yoga, her life began to…

Marsha T. Danzig E-RYT 200, C-IAYT, M.Ed.

Marsha is a 30-year veteran in Yoga studies with over 40 years living as a below-knee amputee. As president of Yoga For Amputees®, she has developed a unique approach to body and spirit conditioning which greatly enhances well-being for the lives of amputees worldwide. Marsha has been featured in such magazines as Good Housekeeping, Yoga Journal, Huffington Post and Oprah Magazine. She is a passionate flamenco dancer. Marsha’s mission is to show people how to find wholeness in all circumstances. Marsha believes that JOY is our birthright and our greatest access to healing. See more at yogaforamputees.com

Mary Veal, E-RYT 500

Mary is a Yoga for Arthritis Certified Instructor and specializes in working with students that have chronic conditions or injuries. Mary is the office manager (O.M.) of Kula Yoga Shala, a donation-based Yoga studio in Jupiter, FL. She obtained her 200-hour certification in Hatha Yoga from Kula Yoga Shala and her 500-hour certification in Anusara. She is experienced in teaching many types of Yoga, including Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, Chair Yoga, and Yoga Nidra. Her love of all paths of Yoga is evident in her dedicated practice of more than 17 years. This love and respect comes through her teaching as…

Maya Bamford, E-RYT 500

Maya is a teacher who shares her enthusiasm for traditional Yoga within her classes. She has been practicing since 2003 and has been teaching since 2010. Her passion for Yoga has enabled her to consistently study and attend trainings to further her knowledge. She is certified in Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Integral Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, Accessible Chair Yoga, Yin Yoga, and Chair Yin Yoga. She has over 10,000 hrs of teaching experience and is a registered E-RYT 500. Maya has been conducting retreats for over 10 years that have drawn attendees from all over Europe and Canada. She tries…

Maya Breuer, E-RYT 500

Celebrated as one of America’s distinguished Black Yogis by Black Enterprise Magazine, Maya is a preeminent Yoga instructor and practitioner, author, community activist, and consultant with a career spanning over three decades. She is the co-founder of the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance. She is also founder and director of the Santosha School of Yoga where she offers Yoga Alliance registered 200 and 300-hour Yoga teacher certification courses. Maya has been training Yoga teachers since 2001. In 1998 Maya created the Yoga Retreat for Women of Color and it continues to be offered bi-annually at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health,…

Mazin Jamal

Mazin Jamal is the founder of Holistic Underground, a leadership and organizational development agency for social movements and businesses. He honed his craft working with leaders and teams around the world, from Malaysia, Ghana, and Sudan to the urban heart of the San Francisco Bay Area. From capacity building and strategic planning to communicating across differences, Mazin has cultivated a unique approach based upon experiential skill-building, values and integrity alignment, and compassionate space for learning. As visionary tech start-ups and socially conscious businesses, dissatisfied or overwhelmed by traditional diversity and inclusion training began to call upon his work, Mazin has…

Meenakshi Angel Honig, E-RYT 500

Meenakshi Angel is dedicated to peace and loving kindness. She has studied with the highly revered and deeply loved Yoga master Sri Swami Satchidananda since the age of sixteen. Meenakshi Angel is an internationally acclaimed certified Integral Yoga Instructor and teacher trainer with over forty years of teaching experience. She served as the premier Mind, Body, Spirit Yoga Instructor and Stress Management Consultant at the Grand Wailea Resort on Maui for over seventeen years. She currently teaches in Maui as well as on her national and international teaching tours. She is the author of multiple acclaimed books, DVDs, and CDs.…

Meera Ellen Mangum, E-RYT 200, B.S.

Meera was raised in Yogaville and attended the Yogaville Vidyalayam school, Tandem Friends School, and Charlottesville High School. She completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at the Integral Yoga institute in Coimbatore, India and is also certified as a Kidding Around Yoga (KAY) teacher. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University and is an assistant teacher at a Montessori school in Richmond, VA. She has participated in Camp Yogaville for 17 years, beginning as a camper in 2001.

Meera Patricia Kerr

Meera has been associated with Integral Yoga since she began taking classes at the Danbury Center in 1973, where she had the opportunity to meet Sri Gurudev and sing for him.  She took teacher training in 1978 and soon began teaching at the New York IYI, where she was working on her first album, Water My Soul, for RCA records. As Meera moved into middle age, she began adapting her Yoga practice for her older, bigger body, and developed an adapted program called Big Yoga—Big, in terms of the body, but also in terms of the expansiveness of the various…

Melissa Anne Bhudevi

Melissa Anne Bhudevi started her healing journey with Yoga after a head injury in 2018. Yoga allowed her to heal her brain and integrate years of trauma from a career in disaster management. Regular Yoga practice and Yoga philosophy studies have brought about a deep connection with Self and Spirit and strengthened her relationship with nature and Beauty. Inspired by the practices and teachings of Dayaalu founder Sue Steindorf, she spent a month at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, living the Yoga lifestyle and completing the 200-hour Integral Yoga Teacher Training. Additional studies include Neuroscience and Yoga certification with Dr. Mala Cunningham, Yoga…

Mia Velez

Mia Velez entered the Integral Yoga Sangha in 2016 through the kitchen by helping to cook Thursday community lunches and silent retreat meals. In 2018 she certified as an Integral Yoga teacher to learn more of the IYI approach and be part of the lineage. Mia is a disciple of the Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu lineage and is highly influenced by her martial arts training. After completing her first 200-hour teacher training in 2008, she began to see an undeniable parallel between Yoga and Kung Fu. When she began teaching Kung Fu in 2014, she incorporated Yoga insight…

Michael Lee, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, Dip.Soc.Sci, Dip.T., M.A.

Michael is a master educator with 50 years of teaching experience. He founded Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy in 1985 after many years of deep Yoga practice and work in the areas of personal growth and transformation. Michael is the author of two books: Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy—Bridge from Body to Soul and Turn Stress Into Bliss. He is also a contributing author to the American Psychological Association published book, Beyond Talk Therapy: Using Movement and Expressive Techniques in Clinical Practice. In 2016, Michael was a keynote speaker at the Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR) for the International Association…

Michael Lerner

Michael Lerner is the co-founder of Commonweal in Bolinas, California. His principal work at Commonweal is with the Cancer Help Program, Healing Circles, Beyond Conventional Cancer Therapies, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment, and The New School at Commonweal. He was the recipient of a MacArthur Prize Fellowship for contributions to public health in 1983 and is author of Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Therapies (MIT Press). He is a longtime student of Integral Yoga and Swami Satchidananda.

Michael Muktan Sullivan, D.C., D.Ay.

Dr. Michael Sullivan, D.C., D.Ay., founder and director of Riverview Spa, is a diplomate of Ayurvedic medicine from the International Ayurvedic Institute, He has studied and worked at the Ayurvedic Hospital in Coimbatore, South India and completed advanced studies in Ayurveda in Pune, India. He has been a chiropractor and a Yoga teacher for over forty five years. Dr. Sullivan is a popular lecturer on back care, Yoga, meditation, holistic health and anatomy, and he has lead workshops on Ayurveda, nutrition, Yoga, and meditation at various Yoga and retreat centers throughout the United States and abroad. His twenty-eight years as…

Michael Rhadeya Plasha, E-RYT 500, RPYT

Michael Rhadeya Plasha has been practicing mindfulness for many years. He began teaching meditation at the Kensho Meditation Center in Erie. He has studied and practiced with the following yoga and meditation masters: Swami Chidvilasananda, Swami Satchidananda, Roshi Phillip Kapleau, Roshi John Daido Lori, the Venerable Henepola Gunaratana, Swami Dayananda, Dr. David Frawley and T.K.V. Desikachar. He has attended retreats and programs at the Rochester Zen Center, the Zen Mountain Monastery, the Bhavana Society, the San Francisco Zen Center, The Green Gulch Farm, the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center and several ashrams in America and India. See more at plashayoga.com

Mimi Rieger, E-RYT

Mimi has been practicing Yoga since 1998 and has been teaching for over fifteen years. Her physical journey began with ballet at the age of four, progressed with martial arts and Yoga in her twenties, and continues to the present day. Mimi is passionate about her wellness exploration and her teaching encourages others to seek their most powerful and evolved selves. A constant seeker, Mimi is consistently studying with her teachers and traveling to trainings, intensives, and retreats to further her knowledge of Yoga and her passionate wellness journey. See more at www.mimiriegeryoga.com.  

Mitra Dema, B.Sc., Dip.Ed., Grad. Dip. Arts

Mitra Dema has been teaching Integral Yoga since 2000 after discovering Yoga for himself and experiencing its benefits. He felt it was too good not to share. At its essence, Mitra sees Yoga as giving us a set of tools that we can use to get more out of life, to be better, and do better for ourselves and those around us. Mitra works in a rehabilitation center as a Community Linking and Leisure Therapist supporting people recovering from brain injuries, stroke, amputation, or spinal cord injury to return to a balanced enjoyable life in the community. Since training as…

Mitra Somerville, RYT 500

Mitra Somerville has lived and trained in Integral Yoga communities in Australia, New York, and Yogaville, VA. He is a trainer for the 200-hour Integral Yoga Teacher Training and a Meditation, Raja Yoga, Stress Management, and Hatha Yoga Teacher. While in Hawaii he opened a Yoga studio and published a book, Treasure Within You. His extensive training in practical psychology and experience teaching for 40 years places him in a unique position to guide people to improved mental, emotional and physical health and to discover their inner Peace and Joy. He currently resides in Yogaville, VA.

Morganne Ashlie, M.S., LAc

With an emphasis on their practical applications, Morganne has been blending insights and practices from Taoist, Buddhist, and Shamanic traditions in classes and workshops for three decades. Morganne graduated from Southwest Acupuncture College in Santa Fe, with a degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Having had private practices in Santa Fe and Chapel Hill, she moved back to Virginia in 2005 to practice Acupuncture in the Charlottesville area. She offers treatments in her satelite clinic in Yogaville, Saraswati Clinic With her training in BodyTalk, Qigong, and Spirit Medicine, she is able to offer “Radiant Wave” telehealth sessions at a distance.

Mukta Kaur Khalsa, Ph.D.

Mukta Kaur Khalsa is the director of SuperHealth and personally trained with Yogi Bhajan for thirty years. She was the director of a specialized hospital in Tucson, AZ, that was rated in the top 10% of all programs in the United States by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. She is the author of Meditations for Addictive Behavior and Healing Addictive Behavior. SuperHealth is a NGO of U.N. on yogic CE provider integrating into medical community for recovery. See more at Super-Health.net

Nalanie Harilela Chellaram

Nalanie Harilela Chellaram is a modern spiritual teacher—a true soul doctor dedicated to selfless service. She travels the world to spread a message of wisdom, compassion, and love based on the philosophy of Yoga. Nalanie attended university in the United States where she studied philosophy, psychology, and fine arts. Later, in 1986, she became a disciple of His Holiness Sri Swami Satchidananda “Gurudev”, one of the leading lights who brought Yoga to the West and who was also affectionately known as “the Woodstock Guru” after he gave the opening address at the famous Woodstock Music Festival held in New York…

Narada Williams

Exploration of the mind, self-inquiry, and a search for deeper spiritual meaning set Narada Williams on a journey that led him to Yoga. His pursuit of teacher training brought him to Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville in 2014, where he completed his 200-hour Integral Yoga training with Satya Greenstone. He taught Hatha Yoga classes in Radford, VA, while completing his degree in Tourism and Special Events Management. He returned to his spiritual home, Yogaville, in 2017 to teach and serve. A father and husband, Narada seeks to live a dedicated life, find joy in every moment, and recognize life for the divine miracle…

Narayani Noelle Whittington, E-RYT 500

Narayani is a dedicated and passionate Yoga instructor, musician, Bhakti Yoga student, Thai Yoga practitioner, and senior trainer of the Kunga Yoga School. Noelle began teaching full-time in 2006 following completion of the 200-hour teacher training program at the Nosara Yoga Institute in Costa Rica. Later, she completed a host of other trainings and certifications, including 350-hour Advanced Apprenticeship Certification, Fluid Power Yoga, Thai Yoga, Power Pilates, Anatomy of Yoga, Yoga for Trauma and PTSD, Pre and Postnatal Yoga, Hands-on Assisting, Senior and Restorative Yoga, Kunga Vinyasa, 5Elements Flow Yoga. Noelle’s dynamic, fluid, and breath-centered style of teaching draws upon…

Natalia Madhuri Christophe, RYT 500

Madhuri é professora e formadora de Integral Yoga graduada no Integral Yoga 200-hrs Teacher Training (TT) em 2015. Desde então, cursou o Accessible Yoga Training também em 2015, Intermediate TT em 2016, Meditação e Pranayama TT em 2017, e Raja Yoga TT em 2019. Assim adquiriu o diploma de 500 horas de treinamento em Yoga como professora. Além de retiros de meditação, e cursos com Krishna Das e Jai Uttal. Madhuri reside em Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil, onde partilha os ensinamentos do Integral Yoga através de aulas de Hatha, cursos de formação e kirtans. Em 2015, durante o Living Yoga…

Nataraj Langdon, RYT 200

Nataraj, RYT 200, has devoted the past 6 years to self-inquiry, contemplative prayer, and immersive study of sacred scriptures. His most cherished and intimate relationships reside with the Mandukya Upanishad, the Katha Upanishad, the Bhagavad Gita, the Gospel of Thomas, A Course in Miracles, I Am That (Nisargadatta Maharaj), the Ashtavakra Gita, the Christian Bible and the Ribhu Gita. Nataraj graduated from the 200-hour Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training. After serving and studying at Sivananda Ashram Bahamas for nearly a year, Nataraj came to reside at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, where he has served for the past year and a half. His greatest…

Nick Gonnering

Nick Gonnering is a 12-string inspirational folk artist from the Asheville, NC area. His music is a reflection of his yogic journey through life and it centers around the heart, transformation, and clarity. After traveling the National Parks for the centennial out of a 1977 motorhome in 2016, Nick decided to truly pursue his passion for music and use his gift as a way to unite the people he loves. His most recent album “Finding My Niche” is an acoustic journal of his introspective journey into happiness and peace. https://www.nickgonneringmusic.com/

Nirmala Habib, M.B.A., B.A.

Nirmala Habib is a seasoned marketer with over 20 years of experience marketing to multicultural audiences, specializing in the USA Hispanic market. Nirmala has held mid-level management positions at several entertainment companies including Showtime Networks, MTV Networks (both Viacom), Univision Communications and a mid-size advertising agency. These roles involved developing and implementing marketing strategies and plans to promote various entertainment brands, packages and specific TV programs/movies, mainly to Latinx, youth, LGBTQ and/or African-American audiences. Previously, as Brand Manager for the Kellogg Company in Bogotá, Colombia (where Nirmala grew up), she managed the children’s ready-to-eat cereal portfolio for Colombia, Venezuela, Peru…

Nitika Achalam, RYT

Nitika earned her first 200-hour certification through Yogaville in 2000 and is a graduate of the Living Yoga Training Program. She is certified to teach Yoga for arthritis and chronic pain, therapeutic Yoga, trauma-informed Yoga, and much more. For the past 3 years, Nitika has served as the executive director of Project Yoga Richmond, a nonprofit organization working to provide affordable and accessible Yoga and mindfulness classes in and around Richmond, VA. In this role, Nitika forges partnerships throughout the community to bring Yoga to those who may not otherwise have access. She studied anthropology, specifically focusing on how ancient…

Nitya and Ninad

Nitya and Ninad are partners in life, and for the last sixteen years they have had the good fortune of sharing music that is a door to the divine, silence, and mystery of life. Their approach to mantra singing and Bhakti Yoga is natural and transports those who participate at their events to the heart of meditation and Yoga. Over the years they have shared this gift at concerts and workshops in the United States (at the Integral Yoga Institute and Jivamukti Yoga Center in New York, IYI San Francisco, and Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, VA), India, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Greece, Estonia, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy,…

Nitya Griffith, E-RYT 200, CRYT

Nitya, the founder of Nitya Living™, has been an Integral Yoga teacher since 2005. She offers creative children’s Yoga programs with asanas, meditation, mindfulness practices, and breathing practices through storytelling and original songs. Nitya has published the Yoga with Nitya Kid’s Yoga DVD; the Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville Coloring Book: A Child’s Journey into Yoga; Yoga with Nitya Cookbook: Seasonal, Local, Vegetarian Meals for a Healthy Family; and her latest Musings from Mat: Inspirations and Poetry. See more at nityaliving.com

Ora Gibson Richards

Ora is an inspirational and motivational speaker, a professional, wellness, and self-development coach, and a cross-cultural communication and community advocate. Born in Liberia, West Africa, Ora was educated in Liberia, England, and France. Following the start of the Liberian civil war in 1990, Ora and her husband spent 5 years volunteering to establish the Buduburum Refugee Camp in Ghana, which they watched quickly grow from 11 refugees to over 100,000 men, women, and children. Later, when a house they rented in Accra became a transit point for many Liberians fleeing the war, Ora purchased a manual sewing machine, hired a…

Oyámie Kali Ma’at, RYT 500

Oyámie Kali Ma’at is a trauma-informed Somatic Movement Facilitator, Sensual Embodiment Coach, Spiritual Yoga Teacher and a Performer. She believes the wisdom of the body can lead to profound discoveries. Born and raised in West Africa, Oyámie Kali Ma’at spent most of her childhood in community gatherings of musicians, drummers, dancers, and storytellers. Listening and Dancing to music became a foundation for her life. She remembers always feeling happy when she danced and moved, which became central to her personal growth and healing. A childhood trauma survivor. In her search for healing, she was called towards mindfulness practices. Since 2015,…

Paola Parvathi Faini

In 1995 Parvathi met her spiritual master Sri Swami Satchidananda at the Yogaville Ashram in Virginia, USA, where she trained as an Integral Yoga teacher and where she lived for some time. Since then she has been offering her service in various training courses regularly. In 1999 she opened a Yoga center in Milan with other colleagues and in 2005 she founded the Integral Yoga Shanti center, also in Milan, of which she is still the president. She specializes in different types of Hatha Yoga for adults, children, teenagers, pregnant women, and heart patients; Raja Yoga; and meditation. Since 2003…

Paradiso and Rasamayi

Paradiso and Rasamayi are internationally renowned musicians and 3-time Album of the Year award winners. Their audiences have frequently reported experiences of deep meditation, visions of their guides, life purpose, and past lives, as well as profound healing during their performances. They have been identified as the #1 Independent World Music band in the world, and they have produced four albums together. Paradiso and Rasamayi have collaborated in projects and events with luminaries such as; Michael Bernard Beckwith, Neal Donald Walsch, Dr. Masaru Emoto, Jonathan Goldman, and Steven Halpern. See more at paradisoandrasamayi.com

Parashakti Husson

Parashakti has been teaching Hatha Yoga at Yogaville since completing her training here in May 2022. After suffering chronic health issues through childhood and college, she left engineering school to focus on her health and wellbeing. Through the practices of Hatha and Kirtan, Parashakti was led into a much more loving relationship with the body and with the Self. While living at Yogaville, she is focusing her energy on healing her mind and body through Yoga, while also exploring the science of sound vibrations through mantra, dance, and Kirtan. Parashakti encourages students of Yoga to experiment with props and gentle…

Pastor Paul

Reverend Paul Wilson was ordained as a Baptist Minister at the age of 18. Pastor Paul graduated from Virginia Union University and has his Masters’s in Divinity degree. He has pastored Virginia churches since 1972 and he is currently pastor of Unity Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Buckingham, VA. Before that, Pastor Paul was Pastor of Union Hill in Baptist Church in Buckingham County for 21 years. He is an environmental justice activist and one of the key people who helped shut down the pipeline project and compressor station in Buckingham. He is also a member of numerous civic professional social…

Paul Olko, ND, Dipl. CH, MST

Paul is a naturopath, herbalist and Asian bodywork therapist. He has been associated with the Ni Family Traditional practices since 1989, and travels to Los Angeles each year to advance his own practice. He is certified by the Chi Health Institute of the College of Tao in the Ni family’s Eighteen-Step Harmony-Style Tai Chi and has been a Yoga teacher since 1972. He lives in Charlottesville, VA, where he has an active practice in the healing arts and teaches Taoist movement arts on a regular basis. See more at greenlakehealing.com

Prahaladan Philip Mandelkorn

Prahaladan (Phillip), a former U.S. Navy Seal Team Platoon Commander, Time Magazine Correspondent and Sen. Robert Kennedy’s speechwriter, served later as Director of Teacher Training at Satchidananda Ashram and collaborated with Sri Swami Satchidananda on the books To Know Your Self and The Living Gita. He also collaborated with Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shelomi on the book Fragments of a Future Scroll.

Prashant V. Joshi, M.A. M.Phil., E-RYT 500, YACEP, C-IAYT

Prashant V. Joshi, M.A. M.Phil., E-RYT 500, YACEP, C-IAYT, is an electrical engineer, computer scientist, Yoga teacher, therapist, and technology/management leader who has served in the US for over the past 25 years. Prashant has introduced yogic leadership principles to the academic and corporate world at all levels of management. He has brought Yoga to tennis courts, executive boardrooms, mental health facilities, and institutions of all sizes. He is an invited motivational speaker, a published author, and a community servant leader globally. Prashant has co-founded woman-owned social entrepreneurship initiatives, including Gurukul Yoga Holistic Center (GYHC) in 2000 and Food Yogini…

Prashanti Carroll Ann Friedmann, E-RYT 500

Prashanti (Carroll Ann) has been a Yoga teacher since 2007 and is studying to become an Integral Yoga Minister. She has graduate degrees in religion from Princeton Seminary and the University of Virginia. She teaches Raja Yoga and religion classes at the University of Virginia and in the Charlottesville community. Her “regular job” is serving as Chief Financial Officer of Trademark Tours LLC. Prashanti belongs to a Yoga family; her husband and four children all practice some form of Yoga.  They travel to India each winter to study asana, meditation, pranayama, scripture, chanting, and Sanskrit with venerable teachers.

Prema Mayi

Prema Mayi has been practicing Bhakti Yoga for over 40 years. While living in ashrams, she studied the arts and philosophies of the Vedas under the guidance of S. Bhaktivedanta Narayan Maharaja. Prema offers her students an opportunity to discover natural inner wealth through the exploration of their own voices. She travels around the world sharing these ancient gifts. See more at premamayi.com

Presenters TBA

Presenters TBA

Raama Das, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, YACEP

Raama Das is a former director of the Integral Yoga® Teachers Association and has been instructing Integral Yoga since 2009. He is a lead trainer for the Integral Yoga 200-hour TT at Yogaville and co-presents both the 200 and 500-hour Yoga Alliance programs at Heal Me Institute in Fredericksburg. Raama recently received certification as a Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), having studied Yoga programs for specific health conditions, including, anxiety, depression, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and addiction. He is also certified as a teacher of Intermediate Hatha, Raja Yoga, Meditation, Stress Management, Yin Yoga, and Yoga for…

Rachel Raji Jenson, RYT-500

Rachel Jensen is a Licensed Massage Therapist, certified Health Couch through Duke University, 200 and 300 HR certified Integral Hatha Yoga Teacher, and is currently pursuing her certification in Somatic Experiencing- a body-based approach to dealing with trauma created by Peter Levine. A Licensed Massage Therapist for 18 years, Rachel is passionate about finding the connections between modern science and trauma research and the ancient practices of yoga, touch, and movement. In a practice focusing on trauma informed bodywork, especially as it applies to chronic conditions of pain, stress, anxiety, and disease, Rachel has seen first hand the way somatic…

Ram Bhakt, E-RYT 500

Ram Bhakt is a Yoga teacher and entrepreneur. He founded Long Beach School of Yoga in 2012. He is known for using technology to share his gifts and inspiring his teacher trainees to find their unique place in the current Yoga marketplace. His mission is to share the healing power of Yoga to as many people as possible by building connections within the community. He is a published author, international host, and emcee, and experienced digital marketer across multiple media. See more at longbeachschoolofyoga.com

Ram Wiener, E-RYT 500

Ram Wiener is one of the foremost administrators and teachers at Yogaville. He is the President of Integral Yoga Natural Foods, and served as Vice President of Satchidananda Ashram for over 30 years. He is a 200-hr Integral Hatha Yoga Teacher Trainer. Ram is a native of Central America, and is fluent in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and English. He has organized many successful and fun tours to Italy, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Peru, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Alaska, Greece, and Egypt.

Ramakrishna Sackett

Ramakrishna began studying Yoga and Eastern religions in 1967. In 1970, he joined the Integral Yoga® Institute (IYI) of San Francisco as a founding member. As an Integral Yoga (IY) teacher and community service director of the IYI, he taught the community in high schools, colleges, half-way houses, detention centers, on wilderness outings, and on a television program. In 1972, he became a founding member of Yogaville West in northern California. He served as head of maintenance until 1975 when he moved with his wife Radha to Yogaville East in Connecticut. A carpenter by trade, Ramakrishna was a key member…

Ranjani Bayne, RYT 200

Ranjani has teaching Integral Yoga since 2010. She combines her educational background and joy of movement to help promote health, well-being, happiness, and peace for all her students. She especially enjoys using props and modifications to assist students and create accessibility for all bodies. She teaches Integral Yoga Level 1, Mixed Level Integral Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Adaptive Yoga, Chair Yoga, and Stress Management at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville. Ranjani is also a Yoga As A Peace Practice ambassador. Before relocating to the Ashram in 2015, Ranjani shared the teachings of Integral Yoga in studios, churches, gyms, and with private clients in home settings.…

Ranjani Tutia, E-RYT 200

Ranjani Tutia, E-RYT 200, first started out at the Integral Yoga Institute of NYC as a Karma Yogi in 1999 where she served for two years in the kitchen. In 2002, she completed a 200-hr. Yoga Teacher Training and after graduating from the Ashram Yogi Farm-to-Table program in 2020 at Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville was hired to serve there as Academy Administrator. She has a Master’s degree in Somatic Counseling Psychology – Dance/Movement Therapy from Naropa University and has worked with all age groups doing direct care, art-based workshops and classes, and support groups with survivors of trauma. Ranjani also has an extensive background…

Renata Sumar Gaertner (MahaJyoti) C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, E-RCYT, YACEP

Renata began practicing Yoga with her mother, Sonia Sumar, at three years of age. While still a child, Renata participated in many Yoga courses and conventions with her mother. At twelve years old, she completed her first Hatha Yoga teacher training program through Brazil’s Federal University at Minas Gerais (UFMG). At fifteen years old, she began her teaching career in Hatha Yoga. Since then, Renata’s passion for anatomy, neurology, physics, and physiology has guided the way she teaches Yoga. Her goal is to inspire each one of her students to use their abilities to their fullest potential. In 1989 Renata…

Rev. Bharati Gardino

Rev. Bharati Gardino became a student of Swami Satchidananda in the 1960s. In 1986, she and her husband, Joe, moved to Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, where they created and managed the organic garden. She’s also served in the IYTA and the Credit Union and currently serves in Archives, the Prison Project, the IY Magazine, and teaches Hatha and Raja Yoga at the Ashram and at Buckingham Prison. She was ordained in 2001.

Rev. Bruce Shankar Fern

Reverend Bruce Shankar Fern, M.Ed, IYM, CH was given the Sanskrit name Shankar directly by his Guru, Sri Swami Satchidananda and is one of Swami Satchidananda’s senior disciples and a teacher having taught all aspects of Yoga to many hundreds of students in the US and Canada. Shankar practices deep spiritualty while actively living in the world and cares deeply about all our spiritual growth and the release from suffering and delusion. When teaching, Shankar invokes the Light of Lights to bless all in his presence. He will be the first to tell you anything good that comes from him…

Rev. Devaja Ciccolella, RYT 500, IYM

Rev. Devajahad a successful career as an electrical engineer and computer systems engineer. He also was involved in Emergency Response (EMS, Industrial Fire and Rescue) for over twenty years. He was introduced to Integral Yoga in 2001 and became a Yoga teacher in 2003. He now teaches Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Stress Management. In 2011 he was ordained as an Integral Yoga Minister and currently directs Yogaville’s Seminary Training program.

Rev. Dhyani Simonini

Rev. Dhyani Simonini is a longtime devotee of Sri Swami Satchidananda. She became an Integral Yoga Minister in 1990. She retired from Buckingham County High School, where she taught English, drama, and speech for 31 years and was instrumental in establishing the operation of a student-owned touring theatre company that specialized in public service tours. She is currently captain of the Disaster Action Team (DAT) for Buckingham County through the American Red Cross. Her lifelong love of Native American spirituality led her to become involved with a phonetic transcription of the sacred songs and rituals. She transcribed for Walker Calhoun,…

Rev. Dr. Viviana Collazo, E-RYT 500, CPYT

Viviana has been teaching Hatha Yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, Metaphysics, Reiki, and other energy balancing methods since 2000. She lives in the Central Florida area and serves as a Yoga/Meditation teacher and spiritual counselor. Her passion is working with pregnant women; from private lessons to hospital settings, and she has been working as a Prenatal Yoga teacher since 2007. Viviana has been an Ordained Minister since 2006. In 2012, she received a Doctorate Degree in Metaphysical Studies and Comparative Religious studies through the Alliance of Divine Love International Ministry. Her dissertation was titled: Journey through a Conscious Spiritual Pregnancy and Birthing.…

Rev. Fletcher Harper

Fletcher Harper, an Episcopal priest, is Executive Director of GreenFaith, an interfaith environmental organization that works with diverse faith communities internationally.  An award-winning spiritual writer and widely-recognized preacher on the environment, he has developed a range of innovative programs to make GreenFaith an international leader in the religious-environmental movement. A graduate of Princeton University and Union Theological Seminary, Harper served as a parish priest for ten years prior to joining GreenFaith.  He accepted GreenFaith’s Many Faith’s, one Earth Award from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in 2009 and was named an Ashoka Fellow in 2011.  He is the author of…

Rev. Jacob Felder, E-RYT 500, B.S.A.

Reverend Jacob Felder, has been actively practicing Yoga since 1969, lived at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville during the early 80’s, and has been teaching Yoga since 1985. His teaching ranges from gentle Yoga to intermediate and advanced practices. Jacob choreographed a 60 pose partner Yoga flow and produced the DVD, Yoga Two-gether™, authored Gentle Yoga with Yogi Jacob™ DVD, and developed a system of teaching balance techniques, Born to Balance™, and produced a DVD by the same name. He has also been teaching meditation since 1985, and the deeper states of meditation since 2001. He developed, trademarked, and authored the book, Meditation: The…

Rev. Jaganath Carrera, E-RYT 500

Sri Guruji Reverend Jaganath is the founder and spiritual head of Yoga Life Society and its first Yoga Life Center in Woodland Park, NJ. He is a direct disciple of world-renowned Yoga master and leader in the ecumenical movement, Sri Swami Satchidananda, the founder and spiritual guide for the Integral Yoga Institutes and Satchidananda Ashrams worldwide. Rev. Jaganath has taught at universities, prisons, Yoga centers, and interfaith programs both here and abroad. He was a principal instructor of both Hatha and Raja Yoga for the Integral Yoga teacher training certification programs for over twenty years and co-wrote the training manual…

Rev. Kamala Itzel Hayward

Rev. Kamala Hayward (she/her) is a compassionate and fierce advocate for love. After serving as a public policy lawyer for 13 years, Itzel left her legal career and founded Attuned Living, a mindfulness and wellness organization that helps individuals heal the sense of separation they feel from others—or even from themselves. Her unique work—based on the teachings of yoga, mindfulness, and compassionate communication—ranges from promoting social justice work within organizations and communities to guiding individuals on their search for personal and professional fulfillment. Today, she holds retreats, classes, trainings, and private one-on-one sessions online, over the phone, and in-person with…

Rev. Kumari de Sachy

Rev. Kumari de Sachy has been practicing Integral Yoga since 1980 and teaching Integral Yoga Hatha since 1981. She moved to the Ashram in 1986 and was ordained as an Integral Yoga minister in 1995. She has taught Hatha Yoga, Yoga philosophy, and meditation in colleges and universities, in Yoga centers, and has served in many capacities at the Ashram. She is currently teaching, editing, and mentoring at the Ashram and teaching at a local prison. Rev. Kumari has an M.A. in English literature and a doctorate in English education/language arts. She is the author of Bound to Be Free…

Rev. Lakshmi Barsel, Ph.D.

Rev. Lakshmi is a senior Integral Yoga teacher. She has taught Raja Yoga, meditation, and scripture classes on the Bhagavad Gita and the Thirukkural. She has a Ph.D. in linguistic anthropology and presently serves as the director of the Satchidananda Prison Project. She also co-facilitates an ongoing weekly Yoga Sutra study group with her husband Rev. Paraman

Rev. Lílā Lucy Nelson, MS, E-RYT 500, YACEP

Rev. Lílā Lucy Nelson, MS, E-RYT 500, YACEP (she/her), is an ordained interfaith minister, interspiritual counselor, and a teacher trainer at Integral Yoga Institute. She is a certified teacher in Integral Yoga Hatha Levels I and II, Meditation, Stress Management, Raja Yoga, Gentle and Chair Yoga, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Trauma-Informed Yoga. She believes everyone’s authentic nature is to feel a sense of freedom in their bodies, identities, and minds. She is deeply committed to co-creating on this path of liberation for all. Her calling towards social justice has led her to contribute as an anti-racism consultant, wherein she…

Rev. Manjula Spears, CYT, E-RYT 500

Rev. Manjula Spears is an Integral Yoga minister, and a certified Yoga therapist, E-RYT 500, with twenty-eight years of teaching experience. She has created Yoga therapy programs for various institutions in Athens and throughout the US; including the Athens Regional Mind/Body Institute, The Loran Smith Center at Piedmont Athens Regional and the Smith Center in Washington DC. As the founder and director of the Accessible Yoga Studio at Athens Physical Therapy, Manjula specializes in modifying Yoga to suite students with chronic syndromes, injuries, disabilities and seniors. On their twenty-acre property, she and her husband have created an “Ashram-like” refuge called Satchidananda Mission which…

Rev. Paraman Barsel

Reverend Paraman Barsel has been a disciple of Sri Swami Satchidananda since 1970. He has served as president of Yogaville West, the Washington D.C. IYI, New York IYI, and Yogaville East in Connecticut and has served on the Board of Trustees and Spiritual Life Board at Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville, Virginia, and was co-coordinator of the LOTUS dedication. Paraman was the editorial consultant on Inside the Yoga Sutras by Rev. Jaganath Carrera as well as several of Sri Swami Satchidananda’s works including the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. He helped to design the first Integral Yoga Hatha Basic Teacher Training program and has…

Rev. Prakasha Shakti Capen, E-RYT 500

Reverend Prakasha Shakti left behind her career in broadcasting when she realized her real passion—to serve by teaching Yoga. Over the years, she was director of the Integral Yoga Institutes in Washington, DC, Boston, and San Francisco. As editor-in-chief of Integral Yoga Publications, she worked directly with Sri Swami Satchidananda. In San Francisco, she served as director of Life Enhancement for the AIDS/HIV Study Group, worked with Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease, and began hospice service. A professional writer and editor, Prakasha now specializes in Yoga for those with chronic illness and, also, teaches application of Yoga…

Rev. Premajyothi Devi, IYM, E-RYT 500

Rev. Premajyothi Devi, IYM, E-RYT 500, has been teaching many aspects of Integral Yoga for over twenty years, training new Integral Yoga teachers for over five years, and has been managing the Integral Yoga Institute of New Jersey under its director, Margabandhu Martarano, for over ten years. During her twenty year tenure, she has studied under Margabandhu and maintained a practice of pranayama, mudras, and bandhas for health of the body and mind. She currently serves on the Integral Yoga Teachers Council. Premajyothi has a master’s in counseling psychology and was a bereavement counselor for a large New Jersey hospice…

Rev. Sadasiva (Kurt) Schroeder, IYM, E-RYT 500, MDiv

Sadasiva Kurt Schroeder got involved in Yoga in the mid-1990’s and began his training at the Integral Yoga Institute of San Francisco where he taught for many years. He has led 200-hour and Intermediate Integral Yoga Teacher Trainings, both in San Francisco and Yogaville. Sadasiva completed his Master of Divinity studies at Naropa University in 2019. He was ordained as an Integral Yoga Minister in the Fall of 2021. He now lives in Boulder, CO, where he works as a chaplain and caregiver.

Rev. Sharon Shanthi Behl

Rev. Sharon Shanthi Behl, MA, LPC, E-RYT 500, IYM is a retired Trauma and Grief Counselor who began practicing Yoga in the mid-1970s and began her Yoga teaching career at Colorado’s Lutheran Medical Center in 1995. She is certified in Integrative Yoga Therapy and credentialed as an Intermediate Level and Raja Integral Yoga Teacher. Rev. Shanthi became an ordained Integral Yoga Minister in 2009. Her many years as a counselor, trainer, consultant and educator in violence prevention taught her the immeasurable value of integrating Yogic principles into daily life.

Reverend Bhagavan Metro

Reverend Bhagavan Metro has been a devotee of Sri Swami Satchidananda since 1973 and has lived at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, Virginia since 1981. Reverend Bhagavan is a certified Integral Yoga instructor and was ordained as a minister of Integral Yoga in 1980. He has served as a member of the Integral Yoga Ministry Board for over 15 years and has served as past chairman of the board. Bhagavan was the Integral Yoga Ministry Seminary director for many years and currently sits on the Spiritual Life Board. As co-owner of New Age Builders, he built many of the buildings at the Ashram…

Reverend Jan M. Brown, MSc, B.A.

Reverend Jan is the Executive Director of SpiritWorks Foundation Center for the Soul, a recovery community organization with locations in Williamsburg and Warrenton, Virginia. She is an ordained Deacon in the Episcopal Church, presently serving at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, VA. She graduated from the College of William and Mary with a B.A. in Psychology, is certified as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist, and is an international scholar in the field of Addiction Studies. Jan received her Master of Science Degree in 2018 through a specialized program with King’s College in London, the University of Adelaide, and Virginia Commonwealth University.…

Reverend Sam Rudra Swartz, IYM, E-RYT 200, RCYT, YACEP

Reverend Rudra was introduced to Integral Yoga and the teachings of Sri Swami Satchidananda in 2001. Since that time, he has been active in the Integral Yoga organization, living at Yogaville and the Integral Yoga Institute of New York. He recently completed Accessible Yoga Teacher Training offered through Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco. Rudra graduated from Boston University’s College of Fine Arts and is an active musician. He leads Kidding Around Yoga (KAY) teacher trainings and has served as a Camp Yogaville director for 7 years. Rudra is a graduate of the All Faiths Seminary in New York, where he received ordination…

Revs. Bhagavan and Bhavani Metro

Reverends Bhagavan and Bhavani have been devotees of Sri Gurudev Swami Satchidananda since 1974. They moved from their home in Colorado to Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville East, Connecticut in 1979 to be close to Sri Gurudev and the Integral Yoga sangha and to enroll their children in the Vidyalayam school.   In 1980 they moved their family to Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, Virginia where they currently reside. Their construction company, New Age Builders, built most of the structures at Yogaville.   They are surrounded by a large, loving family composed of 5 generations living within a few miles of their home at Yogaville. Their…

Richard Miller

Richard is the author of Yoga Nidra: A Meditative Practice for Deep Relaxation and Healing, is a psychologist and contemporary teacher of nondualism whose teachings emphasize spiritual awakening and psychological integration. Richard is co-founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapy, the founding president and CEO of the Integrative Restoration Institute, a founding board member of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology, and a senior advisor to the Baumann Institute, dedicated to understanding the impact of pure awareness on well-being. Richard serves as a consultant researching the Yoga Nidra protocol that he’s developed (Integrative Restoration – iRest) with soldiers, veterans,…

Rickie Simpson, Ph.D., APRN-CNS, E-RYT 200, C-IAYT

Rickie Simpson, Ph.D., APRN-CNS, C-IAYT, BCPCC, E-RYT 200, LFYP-2/Mentor, is a board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist specializing in individual, couples, group, and family therapy. She integrates complementary methodologies and techniques to offer a highly personalized, faith-consistent approach tailored to each client. Dr. Simpson is certified as a Yoga therapist, a Coherence Therapist, an Imago Relationship Therapist, a Professional Christian Counselor, a LifeForce Yoga Practitioner 2/Mentor, a 200-hr Yoga teacher, a Phoenix Rising Yoga therapist, and a hypnotherapist. She belongs to the International Association of Practitioners of Encounter-centered Couples Therapy and is also one of the primary international investigators for evaluating…

Robin Carnes, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, MBA

Robin is well recognized as a pioneer and innovator in the field of mind-body therapies for trauma and related conditions. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, Woman’s Day Magazine, Yoga Journal, Army Magazine, The Huffington Post, Defense.gov, and Yoga International. She presents regularly at conferences and lectured at the National Defense University. Robin appears in the award-winning documentary, Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue America’s Healthcare. In 2013, The Smithsonian Institute recognized Robin for bringing Yoga and meditation to military communities. Since 2012, she has a private Yoga therapy practice, working mainly with civilians who suffer from…

Rosana Azar

Rosana, artist and educator, brings an infectious passion for creativity, art, and life to her work. In 1991, she immigrated to the US from Argentina with her family and continues her international career as a renowned painter. Her work has been exhibited in Paris, Berlin, Bucharest, Prague, and New York.  Rosana has presented many workshops nationally and internationally, including at the Washington National Cathedral. Since 1997, she’s been the executive director of Creative Adventures, Inc., a nonprofit which brings the arts to public school children and teachers. Rosana directs the fine art camps at Strathmore Arts Center, in Rockville, MD.…

Rose Kress, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, LFYP-2, YACEP

Rose,began practicing Yoga in 1994 and has been teaching Yoga since 2004, focusing on the therapeutic aspects of Yoga—for the body, mind, and soul. Rose teaches classes and workshops throughout the Tucson, AZ, area and has been blessed to teach at The Crossings in Austin, TX, at Yogaville in Buckingham, VA, at Kripalu in Lenox, MA, and at Sivananda Ashram in the Bahamas with the LifeForce Yoga Practitioner Training Program. She has also presented at a number of Yoga Festivals in Arizona. Rose integrates LifeForce Yoga techniques into therapeutic Yoga for back pain, cancer, pulmonary disease, structural wellness, and Yoga…

Rowan Raghavan Cobelli, E-RYT 500

Rowan Raghavan has been teaching Yoga full-time for 18 years and has over 20,000 hours of teaching experience. He has completed Integral Yoga teacher training at the Advanced level and has received additional training in Stress Management and Raja Yoga. Through exploration and the guidance of inspirational teachers, Raghavan integrates Yoga philosophy into the actual mechanics of movement. Using anatomical orientation as a foundation, Raghavan’s teaching opens a door to the subtle, which enables one’s Yoga practice to take a whole new direction. With guidance, his students develop a quality of movement that embodies reverence. Yoga holds an important place…

Roy Rodriguez, E-RYT 200

Roy Rodriguez, E-RYT 200, graduated from the LYT program in August of 2018 and went on to serve the Ashram as a Farm Yogi for the year. At the end of his year, he decided he was ready to take the Basic Teacher Training which he successfully graduated in November. In his previous life, Roy was a production assistant and script supervisor in advertising, and he managed medical software for corporations. His passions include spending time with his nieces and nephew, surfing, studying Hatha and Yin Yoga, learning new things, and the practices of healing and introspection. Staying at Satchidananda…

Rukmini Ando, E-RYT 200, RYT 500, YACEP

Nathalie Rukmini Ando, a Yoga teacher and trainer, fine artist, and graphic designer of Japanese descent, recently moved back to Brazil where she was raised. Prior to this, she lived in Yogaville, VA, where she served for 7 years as a Yoga teacher, program development director, and leadership team member. She continues to serve the Yogaville’s Program Development Department, Online Courses, the DE&I (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) Committee, and the Anti-Racism Task Force. She has been practicing Yoga since 2004, has been teaching since 2010, and has been a teacher trainer for the 200-hour Integral Yoga Teacher Training since 2022.…

Saci Murphy, E-RYT 500

Saci Murphy, E-RYT 500, Saci has been teaching all levels and branches of Integral Yoga since 2009. Previously, she enjoyed an eclectic career as a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer for 25 years. She owned and operated a successful performing arts center and ballet company and developed a software company that pioneered interactive multimedia and training programs internationally. Stepping into the LOTUS temple, the Light Of Truth Universal Shrine at Satchidananda Ashram – Yogaville, was a turning point for Saci. Sri Swami Satchidananda’s universal teaching that there is only one Truth within the many spiritual traditions and practices resonated deeply…

Saeeda Hafiz, RYT 500

Saeeda Hafiz is a Yoga teacher, author, and wellness expert with certifications from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers and the Natural Gourmet Institute. She is also a graduate of Temple University. As a holistic health educator with the San Francisco Unified School District, she focuses on sharing her knowledge of physical and mental wellness with diverse groups. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has appeared on various podcasts, radio and television programs and has been featured in several national and regional publications. Her public speaking engagements have educated the public in Yoga, holistic nutrition, and healthy living…

Sam Eberle

Sam has lived in Yogaville for fifteen years and has served as a Camp Yogaville director for the last four years. In 2002, he spent two months building schools in Kenya and spent all his free time playing with the local children. Sam is the head of Shakticom, the Integral Yoga multimedia center in Yogaville, as well as the webmaster for Yogaville.org. He is also a member of Yogaville’s Board of Trustees. 

Sampada Desai, M.A., LPC, NCC, E-RYT 500, CLL/CLTT

Licensed Professional Counselor and Experienced Yoga Teacher Sam is a licensed professional counselor with over thirty years of clinical experience in various settings such as a health organization, schools, universities, and a mental health agency. She is the founder of Desai Counseling and Yoga and the proud developer of a 2-day Choose Laughter certification program. Sam is highly skilled at integrating Western and Eastern wellness practices. As an experienced Integral Yoga teacher, she has an uncanny awareness and knowledge of how Yoga supports mental health. Sam skillfully weaves in mindfulness practices of physical asanas, meditation, positive visualization, relaxation skills, and…

Sandra Susheela Gilbert, BA, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500

Sandra Susheela Gilbert, BA, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500 is the director and senior mentor for YCat: Yoga Therapy in Cancer and Chronic Illness. She is a highly recognized Integral Yoga teacher holding advanced training certificates in Stress Management, Integrative and Mind/body therapies and Patient Navigation. Sandra was a Yoga teacher, stress management educator and group support facilitator for Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center in NYC and taught the YCat curriculum for the Mount Sinai Breast Health Resource Center and in the NYC Ruttenberg Oncology infusion center. Sandra has taught Yoga at retreats and trainings for the Omega…

Sari Heidenreich

Sari Heidenreich has served as North American Regional Coordinator for United Religions Initiative since October 2017. The United Religions Initiative is dedicated to bridging the differences between people of all beliefs in order to create community and solve local and global challenges. Sari brings with her a background of cross-cultural living and working. She spent middle and high school in Ghana, West Africa, where her parents worked with a network of churches. As an adult, she spent time living, traveling, and working in the Middle East, including a year-long stint in Jerusalem. This immersion gave her the life-changing experience of…

Satya Greenstone, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT

Satya Greenstone has been a student of Sri Swami Satchidananda since 1971. She has shared the teachings of Integral Yoga® in many diverse settings with students of all ages and backgrounds and combines a natural, practical, down-to-earth approach to Yoga with a gentle humor. Since 1999 she has been a primary teacher for the 200-hour and the Intermediate Yoga Teacher Training programs. While serving as teacher training coordinator, she helped to develop and teach the first Gentle Yoga Teacher Training program. She has also developed and teaches training programs in Restorative Yoga, Adaptive Yoga, and Yoga and Meditation for Children.…

Satyam Penn, Ph.D.

Satyam Penn is a seminarian in the Integral Yoga Ministry and has studied Integral Yoga since 1985. He teaches and conducts research on Sanskrit and the history of Yoga and Vedanta philosophy. He teaches Sanskrit and Hindu theology at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville and other Yoga centers. He is also a Professor at the University of Toronto, where he studies spoken language processing and computational linguistics. He has over 100 publications, with the top one accruing 1,581 citations. His lab revolutionized speech recognition with its work on neural networks, which received the IEEE Signal Processing Society’s Best Paper Award. He has led…

Sayan Ghosh

Sayan Ghosh is a professional Hindustani classical musician, and an expert in sitar and Surbahar (bass sitar). He represents the Etawah-Imdadkhani gharana (School of Music). The gharana is the most famous for its long time contribution in Sitar and Surbahar. He has taken his art and music across the nation and globally. He holds an Outstanding Artist Visa for the USA currently, and has performed across many states in the USA. Sayan started his vocal training as a young child, primarily in Rabindra Sangeet from his mother. His interest soon drifted to instrumental music and he started experimenting with string…

Seán Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band

“The much-beloved band evoke, conjure and celebrate that universally felt yet impossible-to-define essence that lies at the heart of all things, what Bob Marley once called ‘a natural mystic, flowing through the air.’ ” – Alan di Perna (Rolling Stone, Creem, Billboard) Seán Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band merge conscious lyrics, sacred chants from the spiritual traditions of yoga and beyond, and roots, rock, gospel, and global grooves to create a universal style of cross-cultural spiritual music. They are known for creating interactive, soul-stirring songs to dance and sing along with as well as to grieve and heal. Their…

Sean Johnson, E-RYT 500

Seán is a Yoga teacher, teacher trainer, and musician who teaches at conferences and retreat centers internationally including Yoga Journal, Kripalu, Bhakti Fest, and The German Yoga Conference. He is the founder of Wild Lotus Yoga in his beloved hometown dubbed “New Orleans’ Home for Heart-Centered Yoga,” and Soul School, an interdisciplinary online Yoga teacher training program that focuses on teaching Yoga with skill, heart, and imagination that he guides with Mitchel Bleier. He has a master’s degree from The Naropa Institute-Oakland with a focus on teaching chant as a spiritual practice. He apprenticed there with south Indian musician and…

Senior Staff

Senior Staff

Senior YCat Intern Teachers

Senior YCat Teachers

Siva Buechner, RYT 500, B.A.

Siva currently serves in the Office of Spiritual Development at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville and leads sessions in Hatha Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and guided meditation. Prior to being at the Ashram, Siva studied at Wake Forest University, finishing with a double major in Economics and English. Shortly thereafter, he embraced the example of Mahatma Gandhi and embarked full-time on the spiritual quest: intentionally living without money, practicing daily meditation and Yoga, and being of service to the moment. By grace, he arrived at Yogaville in 2013 and has since received training in Raja Yoga, Meditation, Yoga of Recovery, and Laugha Yoga.

Siva Fiske

Award-winning singer, songwriter, author, producer, filmmaker, and Interfaith Minister, Stephen Longfellow Fiske (Siva) is a senior disciple of Swami Satchidananda. He has served in the capacity as Creativity Coach for numerous individuals and workshops. He has performed and presented widely across the country and overseas.  Stephen is the author of The Art of Peace (New Paradigm Books) and of numerous published articles. He is currently finishing up his second book “The Call to Social Integrity and Wholeness, to Interfaith, Earth Stewardship, and Democracy.” He has produced 11 albums of his music, most recently the CD, “Flow”.  His songs have been…

Sivakami Sonia Sumar, E-RYT 500, CRYT, C-IAYT

Sonia Sumar (Sivakami) is internationally known for her pioneering work using Yoga therapy with special children. Her innovative techniques and methods have been improving the lives of children with special needs for over 40 years. She owned and directed Yoga centers in Brazil and Chicago, where she has achieved remarkable results working with children and adults. She currently travels extensively, conducting workshops and professional training programs for Yoga teachers and other professionals throughout the world. She is author of the book Yoga for the Special Child®, which has been published in several languages. See more at SpecialYoga.com

Smt. Padmarani Rasiah Cantu

Padmarani, who hails from a distinguished family from Jaffna, Sri Lanka, combines versatility with an international reputation as a dancer and teacher par excellence. She studied with the distinguished Master Teachers Padmasri Adyar K. Lakshman and Padma Bhushan Sri and Smt. Dhananjayan of Chennai, India.  Padmarani has performed extensively in many other countries and in the United States, earning accolades from audiences and critics alike. Since 1984, Padmarani has been the Artistic Director and Instructor of the Fine Arts Society of Yogaville in Buckingham, Virginia. She has presented many of her students for dance graduation and taught along with the…

Snehan Born

Snehan Born e-RYT500, has four decades of experience with yoga. He resides at the Integral Yoga Institute of San Francisco, where he teaches yoga classes and is a lead teacher trainer. Snehan is certified in all levels of Integral Yoga Hatha and has received additional certifications in Pranayama, Meditation, Raja Yoga and Stress Management from Integral Yoga. Snehan has lived and traveled extensively within India and practiced with many teachers there. He has taught yoga all over the US as well as in India, Nepal, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan and Europe.

Sosie Hublitz

Sosie is a Chef, nutritionist and restaurateur, experienced in the development and teaching recovery diet recipies and programs for those with the desire to take their body to new levels of balance, including weigh management, medical challenges and overall health maintenance, focusing on individuals and lifestyles, integrating healing properties of food as medicine. Sosie’s approach to cooking lessons is filled with levity and allows for easy, playful instruction that turns healthy eating into a powerful and transforming experience.

Special Guest Brad Ellsworth of Druminyasa®

As featured by The Washington Times, CBS, and Washington’s WTOP news, Brad Ellsworth of Druminyasa has been playing drums and percussion for over twenty-five years. Based in Richmond, Brad is a Yoga practitioner and teacher who founded Druminyasa by connecting his love for rhythm, drums, and movement.

Special Guests

Śrī Stephanie Weyman, RYT 500, B.A.

Śrī (she/her) is an RYT 500 teacher and an alumna of NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She has certifications in Hatha I & II, Adaptive, Accessible, Therapeutic I & II, and Yin Yoga. She integrates breathing practices, chanting, mantra, singing bowls, aromatherapy, and awareness of prana (vital energy) into her classes. Śrī has a deep appreciation for the natural world and the healing attributes of plants. Energized by the recognition of Yoga by the medical community, she is an advocate for the intersectionality of the two disciplines. With gratitude for the teachers that have come before her, she feels…

Stacey Kennealy

Stacey directs the GreenFaith Certification Program, and also helps religious groups develop sustainable consumption practices. She wrote Repairing Eden, GreenFaith’s sustainable food guide, co-authored a food audit with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, and has written many other environmental guides and toolkits. She has completed training with the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education, The Center for Whole Communities, Pine Wind Zen Monastery, and The Climate Project.  An honors graduate of Rutgers University with dual degrees in ecology and environmental policy, Stacey previously worked with Rutgers University’s nationally-respected Director of Purchasing on various “green” purchasing initiatives and as a…

Stacy Kamala Waltman, E-RYT 500

Stacy Kamala Waltman is a credentialed Yoga Therapist, Yoga Nidra master, minister, and seasoned yogi with over thirty-five years of experience as a student of Swami Satchidananda’s Integral Yoga.  Kamala first met Swami Satchidananda at the age of 17 and immediately began studying under his wing. The name Kamala was given to her by Swami Satchidananda at the age of 18; it means “the open lotus flower” and is the name of the tenth of the Wisdom Goddesses or Maha Vidyas. Kamala Waltman is a certified Life Coach and teacher of Raja Yoga, meditation, Stress Management, Yoga for Grief and Loss,…

Steffany Moonaz, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, Ph.D.

Steffany is a Yoga therapist and researcher specializing in rheumatic diseases. She currently serves as director of Clinical and Academic Research at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. She received her 200-hour Yoga teacher training at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville in 2003 and her 500-hour training from Yama Therapeutics. Steffany spent seven years at Johns Hopkins University, developing and evaluating a Yoga program for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, which has been replicated in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health. She is the founder of Yoga for Arthritis, an organization bringing evidence-informed Yoga programs to people, nationwide, with arthritis, as…

Steven Weiss, RYT 500, M.S., D.C., C-IAYT

Steven is a holistic chiropractor, nutritionist, and Yoga therapist. He teaches internationally, offering workshops and Yoga teacher trainings in anatomy, alignment principles, Yoga therapeutics, and nutrition. Steven’s twenty-year history with Yogaville includes being part of the Living Yoga Training (LYT) program and teaching numerous workshops. For twenty-four years, he has been on the Yoga faculty and a resident wellness provider at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY. He also maintains a position as post-graduate faculty with New York Chiropractic College, presenting continuing education with his program, the ChiroYoga™ Seminars. Steven Weiss is the author of the popular…

Sudevi Linda Kramer, LMT, E-RYT 500, M.A.

Sudevi Linda Kramer is a highly sought-after certified Vedic Conservatory teacher of Vedic Style Thai-Yoga Bodywork. She is a certified teacher in Integral Yoga and Jivamukti Yoga, a Pranic Healer and Reiki Master, and a licensed massage therapist. She studies in various parts of Thailand and leads annual Study Tours. Sudevi also holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Missouri. She has been in private practice for 17 years, and was inducted in the World Massage Hall of Fame. Her particular interest is in Traditional Thai Medicine (TTM). See more at vedicconservatory.com/sudevi-page

Sumati Chiemi Tomori, RYT 500, E-RYT 200

Sumati Chiemi Tomori was born in Hiroshima, Japan and moved to New York to work in planning and navigating domestic and international trips for 30 years for several major Asian companies. While in New York, she experienced the benefits of Yoga through classes she took at the Integral Yoga Institute of New York. So inspired by her Yoga practice, she continued her studies of Integral Yoga, even serving for 10 years as a staff member for Yoga teacher trainings held in Yogaville. In 2020, Sumati returned to Hiroshima permanently and started teaching IY classes suitable for children to seniors in…

Sundar Balasubramanian, Ph.D., C-IAYT

Dr. Sundar Balasubramanian is a cell biology researcher from the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina, USA, and is a Yoga researcher specializing in breathing exercises. He is the founder & CEO of PranaScience Institute and the Yoga specialist at the MUSC Health & Wellness Institute. Sundar is the chair for Wellness in the Department of Radiation Oncology and is a member of the Cancer Control Program and the Survivorship and Cancer Outcomes Research Program at the Hollings Cancer Center. Sundar’s Yoga research provided evidence linking salivary biomarkers and yogic breathing (also called pranayama). He…

Susan Carol Stone, Ph.D.

Dr. Susan Carol Stone has practiced mindfulness for thirty years. She teaches Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Virginia and is a teacher with the Insight Meditation Community of Charlottesville. A graduate of the Community Dharma Leader Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center (CA), she leads mindfulness retreats and workshops, mentors in an online mindfulness teacher training program, and has taught mindfulness in a variety of settings, including maximum security prisons and middle schools. She has lived in Zen and Theravadan Buddhist monasteries and is ordained as a Zen lay priest. Susan is also a Reiki master who…

Susan Turnage, RN, CYN, RYT 500

Susan is a clinical nurse that has more than four decades of experience in pediatric oncology, pediatric head injury, corrections, home health, and case management. She teaches ten weekly therapeutic Yoga classes in her community in Central Virginia. She has presented Yoga Nursing programs at major nursing universities and at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Her proficiency in the fundamentals of anatomy, physiology, and chronic health conditions has informed her presentations for corporate health and wellness programs. See more at nursesusanyoga.com

Suzan Saraswati Colón, RYT 200

Suzan Colón is the author of Yoga Mind: Journey Beyond the Physical: 30 Days to Enhance Your Practice and Revolutionize Your Life from the Inside Out (Scribner) and other books. Suzan is an Integral Yoga Institute NY teacher and has been following the IYI path of Yoga for 30 years. Always interested in active meditation, Suzan is the creator of MedKNITation®, a form of meditation using knitting and crochet. For more, visit suzancolon.net, and follow Suzan on Instagram @suzanacolon.

Swami Asokananda, E-RYT 500

Swami Asokananda, a monk since 1975, is one of Integral Yoga’s® (IY) foremost teachers—known for his warmth, intelligence, and good humor. His teaching comes out of his own practice and experience while absorbing the wisdom of his Guru, Sri Swami Satchidananda. While he enjoys sharing the practical wisdom of yogic philosophy (especially the great Indian scripture, the Bhagavad Gita), he also loves his practice of Hatha Yoga. He is one of Yogaville’s primary instructors for Intermediate and Advanced Hatha Yoga Teacher Trainings. He presently serves as president of the IY Institute in New York City. Before this position, he served…

Swami Chidananda

Swami Chidananda is a monastic and a longtime disciple of Sri Swami Satchidananda and has managed the finances for Integral Yoga’s ashrams, institutes, and teaching centers for decades. He teaches Hatha Yoga and leads study groups on Yoga and Buddhist teachings and philosophy. Swami Chidananda also conducts spiritual pilgrimages to India and Nepal.

Swami Divyananda Ma, E-RYT 500

Swami Divyananda Ma, E-RYT 500, has had a wealth of experience teaching Integral Yoga around the world since 1973. She has taught at corporations, universities, the Commonwealth Cancer Center, and for the Dr. Dean Ornish Reversing Heart Disease programs. She has also served as one of Integral Yoga’s Basic Hatha teacher trainers. Swami Divyananda Ma took monastic vows in 1975 from the great saint and yogi, Sri Swami Satchidananda. Over the years she has served as the director of the Integral Yoga Institutes in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and as Ashram Manager at Yogaville. She also served for ten years…

Swami Gurucharanananda "Mataji"

Swami Gurucharanananda, lovingly called Mataji, is a senior sannyasi (monk) and disciple of Gurudev, Sri Swami Satchidanandaji Maharaj. She lives at Yogaville and serves on the Sannyas Board. Mataji is a guided meditation leader and Hatha Yoga teacher, an inspiring speaker, Integral Yoga® mentor, and private retreat guide. She loves to offer pujas (worship service), read Sri Gurudev’s teachings at lunch, and play the violin as a wake-up call in the dorms! In 2014 she was awarded the Swami Satchidananda Lifetime Service Award. Mataji always has a loving, joy-filled smile ready for you!

Swami Hamsananda

Swami Hamsananda is a senior disciple and sannyasin of Swami Satchidananda since 1975. She compiled The Golden Present, one of the most known books of Gurudev’s teachings. Swami Hamsananda is currently living and serving at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville where she often shares her humor and wisdom in inspirational and spiritual talks. Her advice to all is to, “Just have faith, and identify with the true self. That’s it!”

Swami Jyotirmayananda

Swami Jyotirmayananda has served at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville in various capacities since 1983. Under the guidance of Sri Swami Satchidananda, she designed and installed displays in the LOTUS All Faiths Hall and Display Hall, Guru Bhavan, and Sivananda Hall Saints and Sages Galleries. She served as a vice president in Ashram’s administration for 10 years and currently serves as director of LOTUS Center for All Faiths (LCAF), the interfaith action arm of LOTUS. She has participated in many interfaith conferences in the USA and Canada. Under her shortened name “Jyoti Ma,” she authored the children’s book Sparkling Together based on universal…

Swami Karunananda, E-RYT 500

Swami Karunananda has had 50 years’ experience teaching all aspects of Yoga. She designed and conducts teacher training programs in Raja Yoga and in Meditation. She served as president of Satchidananda Ashram in California and in Virginia, and as director of the San Francisco and Santa Barbara Integral Yoga Institutes. She compiled and edited The Lotus Prayer Book and Enlightening Tales as told by Sri Swami Satchidananda. Her book, Awakening: Aspiration to Realization through Integral Yoga, makes the Yoga teachings accessible and provides inspiration and guidance for the spiritual journey.

Swami Murugananda

Swami Murugananda is a senior sannyasi (monastic) and has been a disciple of Sri Swami Satchidananda since 1966. He has served in all the Integral Yoga Institutes and Ashrams of California, New York City, Connecticut, and Virginia since 1982. He has served in various capacities as an advanced Yoga teacher, counselor, gardener, farmer, chef, bookstore manager, “Rabbi”, herbalist, and more. At Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville he established the first website registered with the domain name yogaville.org and founded the SASTRI project (Satchidananda Automated Satsang Text Retrieval & Indexing). SASTRI is the master archival database containing all the transcripts of Sri Gurudev’s satsangs…

Swami Priyaananda, E-RYT 500

Swami Priyaananda is a senior disciple of Swami Satchidananda with thirty years of experience in the practice of Integral Yoga. She served in the Integral Yoga Health Services division and the Distribution Department at Satchidananda Ashram in Connecticut, as well as Executive Secretary and Coordinator of the Living Yoga Training program at the Ashram in Virginia. Currently, she is Vice President of the Office of Spiritual Development and Manager of Satchidananda Archives.

Swami Ramananda, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT

Swami Ramananda is the Executive Director of the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco and a greatly respected senior teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition who has been practicing Yoga for over 40 years. Ramananda offers practical methods of integrating the timeless teachings and practices of Yoga into daily life and transforming the painful aspects of human experience into steps toward realizing one’s full potential. He leads beginner, intermediate, and advanced level Yoga teacher training programs in San Francisco, and offers a variety of programs in many locations in the US, Europe, and South America. Ramananda trains Yoga teachers to bring…

Swami Sarvaananda, Ph.D.

Swami Sarvaananda has lived at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville since 1980. She worked with the Yogaville Vidyalayam (children’s school) and with community service projects. She is a Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) and she serves on national committees since retiring from local hospital and hospice service. At Yogaville she serves on the Board of Trustees and the Sannyas Board, is the secretary of the Spiritual Life Board and Vidyalayam president, and oversees many committees and projects. She has taught chaplaincy college courses online. Swami Sarvaananda’s doctorate is in education administration. She co-founded the Living Yoga Training program, was instructed by Swami Satchidananda in establishing…

Swami Suddhananda

Swami Suddhananda was a professional counselor, before becoming a Swami, and she now serves in the spiritual support capacity. She brings a depth of training, knowledge, and experience to her present service. Born with a disability, Swami Suddhananda has developed a Hatha Yoga practice to fit her body’s abilities. Swami Suddhananda is also active in Ashram Handicapped Access and is the contact person for any Ashram Access concerns.

Swami Vidyananda

Swami Vidyananda, a revered spiritual teacher from South Africa has lived at Ananda Kutir Ashrama since 1999. With a deep-rooted understanding of Yoga and Vedanta, Swami Vidyananda has devoted his life to guiding others on the path of self-discovery and spiritual evolution. Ananda Kutir Ashrama was established by Mother Yogeshwari and Swami Parvathiananda, disciples of Swami Venkatesananda. Swami Venkatesananda was a foremost disciple of Swami Sivananda and close friend of Swami Satchidananda. Swami Vidyananda teaches Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Integral Hatha Yoga. Swami Vidyananda has spoken at Sivanandashram, Rishikesh and at Ananda Kutir Ashrama.

Swami Vidyananda, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT

Swami Vidyananda began practicing Yoga in 1969 and has been teaching Integral Yoga® and training Yoga teachers since 1973. She became a swami (monastic) in 1983. She has taught and trained Yoga and Stress Management teachers throughout the US and Canada, as well as Australia, Europe, and India. She presently lives at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, VA, where she teaches all branches of Integral Yoga, including Hatha, Raja, and Jnana Yoga, meditation, and yogic lifestyle. She continues to travel widely, training Yoga teachers and offering workshops on meditation, stress management, Yoga and the emotions, and mid-life meaning. Before becoming a Yoga teacher,…

Tangela London-Henderson

Tangela London-Henderson lives in Memphis, TN, with her husband and children. She is a recent graduate of Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco (IYISF) BIPOC 200-hour Integral Yoga teacher training and teaches a Hatha Level 1 community class at Glenview Community Center in Memphis. Tangela loves to create an inclusive, diverse, and supportive environment where all people feel welcome and safe. She is currently working on a children’s book about Yoga and its lasting impact on her and her family. Tangela studied at the University of Memphis, majoring in communications. While studying at the University of Memphis, Tangela worked closely with…

Three Isha Merians, RYT 200

Three Isha Merians, RYT 200, is an attorney and activist originally from Woodstock, New York, and currently based in Brooklyn. A longtime co-conspirator in the fight against white supremacy, Three brings her background in organizing, psychology, gender studies, and Yoga and meditation practices to her work as an activist. Three has traveled the world doing social justice volunteer work with organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, Amnesty International, the National Lawyers Guild, and Al Otro Lado, and has served as amicus to two United States Supreme Court cases defending reproductive freedom. Three’s work focuses on gathering other white people…

Tim Feldmann

Tim Feldmann is the director of Miami Life Center, the Yoga shala (Yoga studio) he founded with his wife Kino MacGregor and Matt Tashjian. He was set on the Yoga path by his first teacher, Lino Miele, and is authorized to teach directly by the founder of the Ashtanga Yoga Method, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, and his grandson, R. Sharath Jois. A practitioner of the Advanced A series, Tim is dedicated to Ashtanga Yoga’s traditional method. A near fatal falling accident in 1992 led Tim on the yogic path. His teaching integrates extensive studies of F.M. Alexander Technique and sitting meditation…

Tom Spector, Ph.D.

Tom began meditating while in graduate school at Yale University in 1968. He realized he had low self-esteem, lots of anger, and was flunking out of an intense, specialized program. Meditation helped him immensely. He began to understand complicated concepts with new clarity and started healing his personal issues. Tom rapidly became a star student, completing the full Ph.D. program in record time. In the 1970s, Tom passionately studied meditation and healing with Ram Dass. After a magical meeting with Elizabeth Kubler-Ross at a Ram Dass meditation retreat, Tom started sharing the techniques that helped him so much. He continued…

Trace Sahaja Bonner, E-RYT 500

Trace Sahaja is the founder/director of Holy Cow Yoga Center, where she’s served for over 20 years. She began her practice over 25 years ago. Her teaching style has evolved to incorporate various Hatha practices, her primary teacher is Sri Swami Satchidananda. Over the last 20 years, Trace Sahaja has not only directed a vibrant Yoga center, Holy Cow Yoga Center but also lead 200 and 500-hour teacher trainings, guided group tours to India, released a DVD Sahaja Vinyasa and wrote various online articles on Yoga. She continues to take workshops with a host of contemporary teachers and deepen her personal understanding of…

Vera Oyé Yaa-Anna

Vera Oyé Yaa-Anna, Storyteller/Nutrition Educator, affectionately known as Auntie Oyé, is a Liberian-born acclaimed master storyteller who transports her audience to West Africa through “imaginary” interactive storytelling. She is the Executive Director of Oyé Palaver Hut, an established cultural arts organization that integrates storytelling performance with culinary art to focus on physical and emotional wellness. An energetic cultural educator, Vera’s performances are designed to celebrate diversity. She tours nationally and internationally, presenting her dynamic programs, and she is a five-time DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities Fellowship Program recipient. See more at Oyepalaverhut.Org

Visvambhar "Vish" Sheth

Visvambhar “Vish”  is the lead singer of the internationally acclaimed group ‘The Mayapuris’, a headlining kirtan group that has rocked stages from India to Florida, Australia to South Africa. Starting from before the age of 5, Vish has spent his life leading kirtans in the ISKCON (Vaisnava) tradition. He is a multi-instrumentalist and a master of the Mridanga drum, and he performs in traditional as well as fusion styles. Vish started performing in the modern Yoga studio culture in 2007, and since then he has performed at countless studio gatherings, music festivals, and well-known spiritual venues like Bhaktifest, Omega Institute,…

Vivekan John Ferguson

John Ferguson served over 20 years in the United States Marine Corp. During his military career he served two tours in Iraq and another in Afghanistan. Upon his retirement, he and his family moved to Winchester where he began training as a surgical technician. Part of his training included a PE class where he discovered yoga. To help as many fellow veterans as possible he became a certified yoga instructor. He took Basic teachers training, Adaptive teacher training and Intermediate teacher training all at yogaville under Satya Greenstone. The yoga classes he teaches not only help strengthen the broken bodies…

Wanda Knapik

Wanda Knapik is a permaculture designer and educator who has worked on organic and biodynamic farms in the U.S. and Europe. She is passionate about inspiring people of all ages to connect with nature and grow their own food. She is the owner of My Local Garden, creating backyard and community gardens of organic vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers, across New Jersey and New York. She has been practicing and training in QiGong for over ten years and loves to share the ancient wisdom, breathwork and movement outside in nature. She finds Yogaville a deeply regenerating place to renew her…

Yogini Kaliji

Yogini Kaliji is internationally renowned as a yogini and founder of TriYoga®. Traveling extensively, she has taught TriYoga on a daily basis for over forty years. An excellent orator with deep insight, humor, and giving practical applications, Kaliji has presented 48 keynote addresses at Yoga conferences and other venues worldwide and has been featured widely in the media. She was featured in the book Secrets of the World’s Inspirational Women, with photos of the women in the prestigious National Portrait Gallery in London. Kaliji was born into a path of self inquiry. Her childhood was spent seeking the meaning of…

Zac Parker, RYT 500

Zac Parker has been teaching Yoga since 2014. His teaching is a natural extension of his own practice. He approaches his teaching with a balanced blend of light-hearted ease and focused awareness on the subtle sensations of Yoga practice. Zac currently serves at Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville, as well as regularly teaching a variety of Yoga classes.

Zenzile Pearson, MPH

Zenzile is a passionate advocate for racial equity and social justice. With over 6 years of experience in the field, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her work as a lecturer on topics of medical racism, diversity and inclusion, self-awareness, and cultural identity. Zenzile holds a Master of Public Health degree in behavioral science and health education, and has dedicated her career to promoting health and wellness in communities through educating the institutions and organizations that exist within them. Her lectures continue to inspire and challenge audiences to think critically about the impact of systemic racism in…