Teachers at the Sivananda Yoga Farm
The Teachers at the Sivananda Yoga Farm include senior Swamis, special guest teachers from specialized areas and resident staff that have been trained in the Sivananda Yoga teachings.
Acharya Mangalananda
Magalananda began his spiritual life in 1972 under the guidance of Swami Satchidananda, a direct disciple of Swami Sivananda. After an inner experience with Anandamayi Ma, the great woman Saint mentioned in Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi”, with Sw. Satchidananda’s permission, he went to India to find her.…
Acharya Shunya
The first female lineage-holder of her distinguished Vedic tradition, Acharya Shunya is an internationally renowned scholar, teacher, author, speaker and scholar of nondual wisdom (Advaita) from India, and a classically-trained master of Yoga and Ayurveda. She is the Founder of The Awakened Self Foundation and the nonprofit Vedika…
Anam Thubten
Anam Thubten grew up in Tibet and at an early age began to practice in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Among his many teachers, his most formative guides were Lama Tsurlo, Khenpo Chopel, and Lama Garwang. He is the founder and spiritual advisor of Dharmata Foundation, teaching…
Angelika
Angelika is an internationally acclaimed performer, composer and recording artist, whose main intention is to promote Oneness, Peace, Healing, and Good-will amongst all people through her inspirational music. Angelika is originally from Germany and now resides in Nevada City.
Anuradha
Anuradha Prabhashankar is an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer from the Bay area. She learned her art form in India at a very young age. Now a mother of two, she has been performing at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm for many years. Bharatanatyam style of dance is rigorous in…
Arjuna
Arjuna is a direct disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda and the director of Yoga Sivananda, an affiliated-Sivananda Yoga Center in Gatineau, Quebec. He has been a professional vegetarian cook for 25 years and has been teaching family yoga programs in Sivananda centers and ashrams for many years. Arjuna’s approach…
Atmarama dasa
Atmarama dasa is a devotional singer, sacred music composer and expert musician; who has become well known for his power to transmit devotion and spiritual energy. Since 1985 he has lived in Vrindavan, India (the holy place where Lord Krishna appeared on this earth 5,000 years ago), where…
Ben Kunin
Sarod player Ben Kunin learned his instrument and the tradition of North Indian classical music over more than 25 years of study under the legendary Maestro Ali Akbar Khan at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, CA. He also learned tabla from Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri…
Benoy K Behl
Benoy K Behl is a film-maker, art historian, and photographer who is known for his tireless and prolific output of work over the past 44 years. He has taken over 53,000photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage and made 145 documentaries which are regularly screened at major cultural institutions worldwide.…
Bharati
Bharati is a gentle and sincere Yoga teacher and full-time staff member of the Ashram. She is dedicated to Swamiji’s mission to bring health and well-being to all, sharing the Yoga teachings with an open heart and nurturing presence.
Binay Pathak
Pt. Binay Pathak, whose musical lineage from the Pathak Gharana has existed continuously for over 400 years in India, is an extraordinary classical Indian vocalist, and composer. Pt. Binay has performed in Europe, Asia, and North America and has played in India with many of the great vocalists…
Brother Rolph Fernandes
Brother Rolph Fernandes for 43 years has been a Franciscan Monk. All these years of prayer and meditation, interactions with many saints and sages of the East and West and his commitment to discover Gods presence has shaped him into a being of deep compassion and wisdom.
Christine Ortaliz (Deviyani)
Deviyani served as staff at the Yoga Farm for 4 years. She has taught numerous open classes, courses, and helped teach in TTC many times. She is experienced in working with children of all ages in schools, yoga centers, churches and correctional facilities in the U.S., Taiwan…
Craig Sim Webb
Craig Sim Webb, Executive Director of The DREAMS Foundation for over 2 decades, is a professional Speaker/Author/Researcher with well over 1000 lucid (i.e. conscious) dreams. Including pioneering dream research at Stanford University and Montreal’s Sacré-Coeur Hospital, he has spent 25 years studying, writing and teaching lucid dreaming, dream…
Dale Borglum
Dale Borglum is the founder and Executive Director of The Living/Dying Project. He is a pioneer in the conscious dying movement and has worked directly with thousands of people with life-threatening illness and their families for over 30 years. In 1981, Dale founded the first residential facility for…
Debashish Banerji
Debashish Banerji, Ph.D., is the Haridas Chaudhuri Professor of Indian Philosophies and Cultures and the Doshi Professor of Asian Art at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), San Francisco. From 1991-2006 he served as the President of the East-West Cultural Center in Los Angeles, an institution that…
Dena Merriam
Ms. Merriam began working in the inter-faith movement in the late 1990s when she served as Vice Chair of the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held at the United Nation in New York in the year 2000. In 2008, Ms. Merriam was one of…
Deobrat Mishra
Deobrat Mishra is an Indian Sitar, Surbahar and a music composer. He is an exponent of the Benares Gharana school of Hindustani classical music. The Son of Pandit Shivnath Mishra, a legend of Sitar from this gharana, he has an energetic and innovative playing style, with typical features…
Dr. Andrea Deerheart
Dr. Andrea Deerheart (“Deerheart”) is the passionate founder of The HeartWay, a non-profit foundation dedicated to Embracing life and Honoring Death. Using wisdom gathered from decades of guiding the living and dying; physically, emotionally and spiritually, Deerheart has provided loving care and healing for those on the journey…
Dr. Anisha Durve
Anisha integrates the eastern healing wisdom of Acupuncture, Ayurveda, and Yoga into modern western healthcare. Sheis a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Ayur-yoga teacher, and meditation instructor with 16+ years of clinical experience and advanced training in both India and China. Her special focus is on client…
Dr. David Frawley D. Litt. (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri)
Dr. David Frawley D. Litt. (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) is a western born teacher or guru in the Vedic tradition. In India, Vamadeva is recognized as a Vedacharya (Vedic teacher), and includes in his scope of studies Ayurveda, Yoga, Vedanta and Vedic astrology, as well as the ancient Vedic…
Dr. Loan Pham
Dr. Loan Pham is a renown Vietnamese MD graduated from Sorbonne University, Paris, France and was head of the ER department in a Vietnamese Hospital for nearly 20 years. She is the president and founder of Ngan Ha Sciences and technology cie specializing in spinal diseases treatment in 2007.…
Dr. Manisha Kshirsagar
Dr. Manisha is an accomplished Ayurvedic Physician and is teaching and practicing ayurvedic medicine in the west for over two decades. She is a Certified Yoga Teacher, Licensed Esthetician and specializes in Clinical Nutrition. She offers regular workshops on Ayurvedic Cooking, Skin & Beauty, Panchakarma therapies and Ayurvedic…
Dr. Marc Halpern (Dr. Siva)
Dr. Marc Halpern (Dr. Siva) is founder and President of the California College of Ayurveda, the oldest school of Ayurvedic Medicine in the United States. He is a leader in the development of Ayurvedic Medicine in the United States. He is the initiator and co-founder of the National…
Dr. Ramkumar
Ramkumar is a student of Ayurveda and other traditional Indian knowledge systems. Over the last 2 decades, he has given talks and conducted workshops in the Americas, Africa, Europe, Australia and many parts of Asia, promoting health, happiness and contentment. Ramkumar is a Founder-Director of Punarnava Ayurveda, an…
Dr. Sachin Deshmukh
Dr. Sachin Deshmukh is a distinguished figure in the field of holistic , Mind-Body medicine and Yoga therapy. Trained as a physician in India, he holds degrees in holistic medicine, homeopathy, Ayurveda, and Yoga therapy. His holistic approach to wellness combines the classical teachings of Yoga and Ayurveda,…
Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar
Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar is a classically trained Ayurvedic physician and a gold medalist from prestigious Pune University. A Rig Vedic Bramhin by tradition and an accomplished Clinician by training adds tremendous value to his clients and students alike. He is an insightful Medical Astrologer and Vedic Counselor. www.ayurvedichealing.net
Elisa Urtiaga-Medina (Durga)
Elisa Urtiaga-Medina (Durga) is a 500HR RYT registered Sivananda Yoga Teacher, trauma informed advocate, and social justice activist. Currently Durga is enrolled in the 800-hour Sivananda Yoga Heath Educator Training (SYHET) program. Durga has a 250-hour certificate in Ayurveda with Yama Therapuetics, and has completed 362 hours of…
Ellen Grace O’Brian (Yogacharya)
Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian, M.A. (Uma), is the founder and Spiritual Director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment (CSE) www.CSEcenter.org with headquarters in San Jose, California. CSE is a ministry in the spiritual tradition of Kriya Yoga serving people from all faith backgrounds who are seeking Self- and…
Erik Phillips-Nania
Erik Phillips-Nania is author of Climate Change Yoga, about how the practice of yoga, especially group meditations, is essential for healing and revitalizing the Earth. Erik realized the importance of global climate change at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2003. He then went on to earn…
Gajananam
Gajananam is a direct disciple of Swami Vishnu-devananda and is the founder/director of the Vishnu-devananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Fremont, CA. He delved into various yogic disciplines while serving and studying at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers in the mid-1980’s and 1990’s. In the 1990’s he served as…
Govinda
Govinda is a Sivananda Yoga Teacher and is in charge of the Ashram garden and orchards. Govinda is keenly interested in applying Yoga principles to the land, utilizing holistic practices in the garden such as permaculture and bio-dynamics to connect to and enhance our sense of place in…
Habib Khan
Pandit Habib Khan is regarded as one of the best sitar players in the country today. He was born into a family of musicians and can trace his lineage back several generations to when classical music enjoyed the patronage of the nobility and royalty of India. He began…
Hanuman (Ryan Hudson)
Hanuman (Ryan Hudson) is a TTC graduate and a current SYHET student. He has a strong passion for sharing the yogic teachings.
Hasu Patel
A disciple of Sitar legend Ustad Vilayat Khan Saheb is one of the few distinguished female artists performing today classical music on Sitar, the most popular string instrument of India. As a performer, composer, and educator, she has dedicated her life to preserving and propagating in its pristine…
Heera Kulkarni
Indian music has been with Heera since she was eight years old. Her mother was a musician and her first Gūrū. She attended University of Delhi for college degrees of Bachelors in Science & Masters in Social Work. After receiving basic training in music at home, she attended…
Indu Arora
Indu Arora is an Ayurveda and Yoga Therapist based out of USA. She has been teaching Yoga philosophy, Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda since the age of 19. Her teachings are inspired from Kriya Yoga, Himalayan Yoga, Kashmir Shivaism and Sivananda Yoga lineages. She has studied both Yoga and…
Jalpa Patel (Jagadamba)
Jalpa Patel (“Jagadamba”) is a knowledgeable Ayurveda Practitioner who is passionate about integrating Ayurveda and Yoga for health and healing. She began her healthcare journey in early 2000, first as a Certified Nurses Assistant (CNA) caring for the elderly at a Senior Care Center in Fremont, CA. Later…
Jennifer Ka (Karuna)
Jennifer is a Sivananda-trained Yoga teacher, teaching Yoga for many years and is currently in training as a Sivananda Yoga Health Educator. Jennifer looks to bring the classical Yoga practice including meditation and conscious relaxation to schools, hospitals, and other community services to bring peace and wellness to…
John Beaulieu, N.D., Ph.D.
John Beaulieu, N.D., Ph.D. is a composer, sound healer, counseling psychologist, and board-certified naturopathic physician. He is a world leader in the use of integrative energy medicine for healing and well-being. Dr. Beaulieu is the founder of BioSonic Enterprises, Ltd., a company dedicated to tuning the world, and…
Jonathan Kay
Originally from Toronto, Canada, but based in Kolkata for the past 10 years, Jonathan Kay is leading the younger generation towards a truly original and creative approach to improvisation and global music through his tenor and soprano saxophones, bora esraj (rare Indian 21-stringed bowed instrument), bansuri (Indian bamboo flute) and…
Jorge Alfano
Jorge’s career started at the age of 13 when a singer ask him to play the bass on her tour. Since then, Jorge has never stopped being involved in music, not only performing but also teaching and producing. Even tough he started playing the bass, he has played…
Joss Jaffe
Joss Jaffe performs as a tabla player, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. As a composer and producer he has released 4 critically acclaimed albums, his most recent “Meditation Music” debuted on the top-ten Billboard New Age Chart. Joss has performed and taught at yoga events and festivals internationally.
Kamala (Kelly Erickson)
Kamala (Kelly Erickson) is a Sivananda Yoga Teacher (200-hour certified) and will soon be completing Sivananda’s Yoga Health Educator Program. She is currently a clinical psychology doctoral student at the University of New Mexico and anticipates finishing her PhD in the spring of 2021. Kamala’s main interest lies in the…
Karnamrita Dasi
Karnamrita Dasi, international performer featured in her well acclaimed CD – Dasi, Prayers by Women – grew up in an ashram and has spent 10 years in Vrindavan, where she trained in the classical music of India and in Bhakti scriptures. Her uplifting voice and presence stem from…
Kathi Keville
Aromatherapist Kathi Keville lives surrounded by her herb gardens at Green Medicine Herb School. Her lively, engaging seminars, offered throughout the US and Europe, incorporate her 45 years of extensive research and teaching about essential oils, herbs, Ayurveda, healthy living, wild edible plants, and botanical history. Kathi has written 15 herb books, over 150…
Krishnapriya (Kasia Graves)
Krishnapriya (Kasia Graves) has worked with trauma and its subsequent impact on the body/mind through a multitude of natural modalities and has found the tools from the Sivananda lineage to be some of the most powerfully transformative she’s come across. It is her aim and goal to facilitate…
Lalita Krishnan
Lalita Krishnan was born in India and has been interested in Jyotish and studying Jyotish for a long time, first in India and then with Komilla Sutton since 2013. She has lectured in Komilla Sutton’s “Fresh Talents in Vedic Astrology Conf” since 2015. She is a practicing pathologist…
Latif Bolat
Latif Bolat is a Turkish Singer, Composer and Scholar of Turkish Music and Folklore. Latif Bolat is a native of the Turkish Mediterranean town of Mersin. After receiving his degree in folklore and music at Gazi University in Ankara, Turkey, he taught traditional music throughout the country. He then…
Leai Ho
Leai is currently enrolled in the 800-hour Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training. She has completed a total of 500 hours of yoga teacher Training, including 200 hours from the Sivananda Teacher Training Course. She holds certificates in Integrative Yoga for Seniors Professional Training with Duke Health and Well-Being,…
Liz Sita Dunne
Liz is a E-RYT 500 Hour Yoga Acharya through the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, and has been teaching yoga full-time since 2008. Her classes are traditional, and quiet, giving the students the space they need to rest their minds, decompress and develop a sense of Self introspection.…
Lynn Amara (Gauri)
Lynn Amara (Gauri) has enjoyed a life long interest in sacred geometry. Since 2013 she has had the opportunity to study yantra drawing and painting with Pieter Welteverde and since 2014 she also receives yantra guidance from her spiritual teachers. Yantra and mantra are central to her spiritual…
Mahadevika
Mahadevika, director of the Yoga Farm’s Well Being Center, is a Sivananda Yoga teacher and full-time staff member of the Ashram. She completed her TTC in 2006; Advanced TTC in 2008; and the Sadhana Intensive. She is trained in Ayurveda body treatments and Ayurveda facial therapies by the…
Manik Khan
Manik Khan is the youngest son of the late maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. He began his training on the sarod with his father at the age of 13. He is currently teaching, performing and working to preserve his family’s legacy – helping to keep this tradition of…
Manu Dawson
Manu Dawson is a nutritional consultant of the Integral Yoga Natural Apothecary in New York. He is a dynamic teacher of yogic diet and nutrition and a workshop leader on topics of cleansing, fasting, and detoxification. For the last few years he has successfully and safely guided many…
Martin Hoogenjilk
Martin is a Physical Therapist and Yoga Teacher practicing in Grass Vallley, CA. He is currently a student of the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training (SYHET) program, training in the application of holistic Yoga practices to reduce stress and anxiety and to address chronic pain issues. Martin integrates…
Neil Pearson
Neil Pearson, BA, MSc, PT, C-IAYT, ERYT500, YACEP Director, Pain Care U Neil is a physical therapist, a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University British Columbia, and a certified yoga therapist. An engaging educator and compassionate clinician, Neil is able to make the complex understandable, willing to share…
Nirmalya Dey
Established his position as performer and teacher of Dhrupad in India and abroad. Inspired by his mother, he started initial Dhrupad training with Prof. Nimaichand Boral, who was a disciple of Ustad Nasir Moinuddin Khan Dagar. From 1988 he has taken advanced training from Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar,…
Nishaant Singh
Nishaant Singh, diciple of Pandit Chanchal Kumar Bhattacharya is the most promising Pakhawaj Player and the torch bearer of Lala Keval Kishan Gharana- Bengal Parampara in this present generation. Nishaant Singh, son of ‘ShreeMaadal Aacharya’ PadmaShri Awardee Kaajee Singh, is a Pakhawaj artiste born and brought up in the Musicians family in Kalimpong,…
Nitya (Hoa Tran)
Nitya HoaTran is a Sivananda yoga teacher, Ayurvedic Health Counselor and Ayurveda Body Treatment therapist. She also serves as the Director of Ayurvedic Therapy Training Course and the Ayurveda Panchakarma Program at the Sivananda Ashram in Vietnam. She annually serves in the Well Being Center of the Yoga…
Omkara
Omkara is an experienced Sivananda yoga teacher since 2012 and a therapist and healer with diverse skills. He is a Sivananda Yoga Health Educator 800 hours accredited by International Association Yoga Therapists IAYT in training.
Paul Epstein, ND
Paul Epstein, ND, graduated from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, and has been a pioneer and leading voice in mind-body integrative medicine for more than 30 years. It is his fervent belief that authentic healing occurs only when the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—is engaged in the…
Pavan Manocha
Pavan Manocha is a hatha yoga instructor at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in San Francisco, and a graduate of the Sivananda Teachers Training Course at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, California. Pavan is an international management consultant and adjunct professor who advises organizations embed…
Peter Russell
Peter Russell is a fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, of The World Business Academy and of The Findhorn Foundation, and an Honorary Member of The Club of Budapest. At Cambridge University (UK), he studied mathematics and theoretical physics. Then, as he became increasingly fascinated by the…
Pieter Weltevrede
Pieter Weltevrede is a internationally recognized Dutch master artist with hundreds of exquisite paintings of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, Yantras and Mandalas. He is a disciple of Harish Johari and also studied with Johari’s art teacher, Master Chandra Bal, and Suresh Johari. He tours annually in India, Europe…
Prabhu Nam Kaur
Prabhu Nam Kaur is the respected Matriarch of the American Sikh community in the Bay Area and for years has run the Hargobind Ashram and Gurdwara in San Leandro. She’s a devoted practitioner and teacher since the 1970’s. She is the mother of the famous Sikh touring musician,…
Priya
A graduate of both the Sivananda Teacher Training and Advanced Teacher Training courses, Priya is currently enrolled in the 2-year Sivananda Health Educator Training program. Her continuing study of yoga is inspired by the dedication of her teachers and innate wisdom of her students.
Pundit Bhima
Pundit Bhima, originally from South India, joined the Sivananda Yoga Farm in 2023. He was born and brought up in a Vedic Hindu family. His father was Sri Trinadha Lakshmi Narasimha Murty garu who was the Sri Devi Upasaka (meant to serve or one who serves). He is…
Pundit Samavedula
Pundit Samavedula is a 6th generation Sama Veda pandit who was trained in the Vedas beginning at age 7. He attended the Shri Sarva Raya Veda Patha Shala school in South India, and after 12 years of study, received his Master’s Degree in Vedic Studies (Ganapati Pandit). Panditji…
Rabbi Prof. Alan Brill
Rabbi Prof. Alan Brill is the Cooperman/Ross Endowed Chair for Jewish-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University, where he teaches Jewish studies in the Department of Religion and the Jewish-Christian Studies Graduate Program. Brill received his B.A., M.A. and Ordination from Yeshiva University and his Ph.D. from the Department…
Rabbi Zoe B Zak
Zoe B Zak is honored to serve as rabbi of Temple Israel of Catskill in Catskill, NY since 2012. She is well matched to her warm, out-reaching community, being a person with great heart and a passion for service to others. You will rarely find her standing alone…
Radha
Radha graduated the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training course in 2014, Advanced Yoga Teacher Training in 2017, and began Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training in 2019. Teaching Yoga Classes and Courses, including assisting Hatha Yoga, Kirtan and Mantra chanting in the Teacher Training Courses; in Ashrams and Centers from…
Radha (Debbie Desrochers)
Radha (Debbie Desrochers) has been coming to the Yoga Farm since the late 90’s. After retiring from a profession of teaching engineering and mathematics, she now teaches yoga, meditation, positive thinking, and stress management and holds spiritual gatherings at her home in Mt. Shasta, CA and here at…
Ram Vakkalanka
Ram Vakkalanka is an internationally recognized master of Yoga philosophy, Nada Yoga, Meditation, and Sanskrit. He was born and brought up in India, in a family dedicated to Yogic style of living. He grew up studying the Sanskrit language, ancient scriptures such as Upanishads and practicing Mantra-chanting and…
Raman Suprajarama
Raman Suprajarama is one of the most respected astrologers, from India. He is none other than the grandson of Dr. B. V. Raman and hails from the most respected astrological family. He is the senior editor of The Astrological eMagazine, and has successfully predicted about the future of various…
Ramana Erickson
Ramana Erickson has taught Kirtan, Sanskrit and Yoga philosophy courses for more than thirty years in the United States, India, and Japan. Born in the U.S., Ramana first started practicing yoga and singing kirtan at the ripe old age of 10 under the tutelage of Swami Vishnudevananda at…
Rashee Rohatgi
Rashee Rohatgi is an Ayurvedic Practitioner offering Ayurvedic consultations, body therapies and cooking classes in San Diego, CA. Integrating food, plant medicine, lifestyle choices, and Ayurvedic bodywork, Rashee cherishes creating individualized wellness plans for her clients. Ayurveda, along with its sister sciences of yoga and pranayama, has been Rashee’s path to…
Sahadev
Sahadev took the Sivananda Yoga Teachers Training Course in 1992, and has been in love with all aspects of yoga ever since. He currently teaches yoga classes and leads weekly kirtan and scripture study groups in Mount Shasta, CA. He is also an audio and video recording engineer…
Samrat Kakkeri
Samrat Kakkeri comes from a long line of musicians and has devoted his life to the art of Tabla. He inherited his talent from his father Pundit Mohan Rao Kakkeri who was also his first teacher. He is considered a child prodigy who has received acclaim as an…
Santanu
Santanu is a yogi and a full time staff at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm. He took his TTC in 2010 in Uttarkashi, India and has been teaching regularly since that time. He also graduated from ATTC at the Yoga Farm in 2015. He is an adept with…
Sarah Elizabeth Helt
Sarah Elizabeth Helt is a 500+ hr RYT. She began working with Accessible Yoga directly following the first Accessible Yoga Conference in 2015. Sarah currently lives in South Pasadena, California where she teaches individualized sessions for people of all ability levels; specializing in spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain…
Shakti Rising
Shakti Rising is a Kirtan group from Mount Shasta. They are led by harmonium player and lead kirtanist, Sahadev, who took the Sivananda Yoga Teachers Training Course in 1992, and has been in love with all aspects of yoga ever since. He currently teaches yoga classes and leads…
Shani Robins, Ph.D.
Shani Robins, Ph.D. pioneered the field of Wisdom Therapy TM in 1998. He is a licensed Psychologist (PSY18795) by the California Board of Psychology and is the founder and director of the Wisdom Therapy Institute since 2000. He is an instructor at Stanford University Medical School’s Health Improvement…
Shreelata Suresh
Shreelata commenced her training at the age of six under Vyjayantimala Bali, the famous dancer and actress. After her arangetram in 1981, she studied under the illustrious Guru Kalaimamani K. N. Dakshinamurthy Pillai. Presently she is under the tutelage of Guru V. Krishnamoorthi, whose unique and innovative choreography…
Silvia Nakkach, MA, MMT (Saraswati Devi)
Silvia Nakkach, MA, MMT (Saraswati Devi), is a Grammy-nominated musician and a renowned vocal artist. She is a former clinical psychologist, an author, a world-wide sound and music educator, and a Nada Yoga scholar and yogini. She is a pioneer in the field of sound and music therapies,…
Sivakami Chaitanya
Sivakami Chaitanya took her TTC in Feb 2017 and her ATTC in 2021. She graduated the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training (SYHET) program in 2021. She has been teaching proper diet courses since 2018.
Srinivasan
Director of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch and Acharya (senior teacher) in the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers organization, Srinivasan has dedicated his life to the propagation of the classical teachings of Yoga. An internationally recognized teacher of Raja Yoga and Hatha Yoga, Srinivasan served and studied with…
Stephen Longfellow Fiske
Stephen Longfellow Fiske is a musician, author, poet, Interfaith Minister and long-time peace and environmental activist. He is a multi-talented individual whose dedication to peace, humanitarian, environmental and spiritual concerns has always found expression through his artistic pursuits. Since his first album release, Seeds of Peace, in 1980,…
Steve Oda
Steve Oda is a sarod player, composer and teacher of the Hindustani classical music. A Canadian of Japanese ancestry, Steve Oda, began his musical education at the age of seven, learning to play slide guitar and then jazz guitar. His love of creativity through musical expression led him to the classic music of North…
Surabhi Bhatia (Sivani)
Sivani is a certified Sivananda Yoga Teacher and completed the Sivananda ATTC and is currently enrolled in the 800-hour Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training program. The ATTC and SYHET courses have given Sivani a new perspective towards life and health as she seeks to empower students to tap…
Swami Ramananda - SF Integral Yoga Institute Director
Swami Ramananda served as the president of the Integral Yoga Institute in New York City for more than a decade and is a greatly respected senior teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition. He has been practicing Yoga for over 30 years. Through his affinity for and devoted study…
Swami Sankarananda
Swami Sankarananda is a simple pilgrim. Not finding peace in a life of business success he turned inside, became a disciple of Swami Sivananda, and in 2013 he began to walk across and through the USA in a pilgrimage for peace, completing this in early 2016. He now…
Swami Swaroopananda
Swami Swaroopananda is a senior disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda. A practicing yogi from a very young age, Swami Swaroopananda has dedicated his life to the practice and teaching of yoga. He taught in Yoga Teacher Training Courses around the world and is currently teaching advanced yoga philosophy courses…
Swamini Svatmavidyananda
Sri Swamini Svatmavidyananda Saraswati, a longtime disciple of Paramapujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati of India, is an accomplished scholar of Vedanta. For several years, she has led an active satsang community in the United States, serving as the Spiritual Director of Swami Dayananda’s USA center: Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam based…
SYHET Student in Training
These programs are taught by students in our Sivananda Yoga Health Education Training (SYHET) program and overseen by senior mentors who guide the students as they teach the program. The course tuition is 1/2 of the price on any course taught by a SYHET student in training.
Tulku Sherdor
Tulku Sherdor is born in Montreal, Canada in 1961, he began studying Buddhist Insight meditation from a very young age, and met his principal teacher, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, in Nepal in 1981. He was fortunate to study with other pre-eminent masters of the 20th century, including His Holiness…
Uma Reed
Uma was first exposed to Hindu devotional chanting in the early 1970s, while studying meditation and spiritual practices with Ram Dass and various other teachers. Kirtan was a practice that touched her deeply, and as a devotee of Neem Karoli Baba, she often participated in kirtan gatherings with…
Vaidya Bharathi A.V. BAMS, FAIHM, YIC
Dr. Bharathi A.V., BAMS, FAIHM, YIC, is a passionate Ayurveda Practitioner, Speaker, and Educator with over 20 years of clinical experience. She believes in working together with her clients as a team in creating health and balance. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Ayurveda (BAMS), from Bangalore University, India.…
Vaidya Dr. Ramdas
Dr. Ramadas is offering his services to Ayurveda care and Ayurveda teaching as Medical Director of Vaidyagrama Ayurveda in Coimbatore. He heads the first cluster of this eco-friendly Ayurveda hospital, where he has been engaged in Ayurveda services from 2008. He inherits a strong family tradition of a…
Yogini Shambhavi Devi
Yogini Shambhavi Devi is one of the most important and dynamic women teachers of the deeper aspects of Yoga coming out of India today, widely respected worldwide and in traditional circles in India. Her teachings are rooted in the ancient teachings and traditions of Bhakti Yoga, Shakti Sadhana, Jyotisha…
Acharya Swami Sitaramananda
Swami Sitaramananda is a senior acharya of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers and is director of the Sivananda Ashram Vedanta Yoga Farm, California and the Sivananda Yoga Resort and Training Center, Vietnam. She is acharya of China, Taiwan, and Japan as well. Swamiji is the organizer and teacher of the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training…
Komilla Sutton
Komilla is co-founder and Chair of the British Association for Vedic Astrology. She is an internationally-renowned consultant, teacher and lecturer. Indian born, Komilla Sutton is one of the pioneers in making this subject more accessible for Western readers. She is author of The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, Lunar…
Lydia Neilsen
Through her business Rehydrate the Earth, Lydia Neilsen works on a practical and consciousness-based level to teach and implement techniques for ecosystem revitalization. Lydia educates individuals and communities in the creation of stunning regenerative designs including do-it-yourself scale earthworks for water infiltration, productive water conserving polyculture landscapes, soil building, greywater and…
Jennifer Andrews (Ambika)
Ambika (Jennifer Andrews) specializes in the ancient vedic healing sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga. She is the owner and founder of Ambikas Ayurveda. Ambika has a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Nevada, Reno, Masters of Education degree from The University of Cincinnati, and certificates in…
Niranjan Babu
Bangalore Niranjan Babu (http://niranjanbabu.com/) is a scholar in Vastu, Astrology, Mudras, Mantra Shastra, Gemstone and Meditation. He is the son of the most famous Vedic astrologer of all times B.V. Raman, who has been chosen as the Jyotishi to explain the science of Vedic astrology to the United…
Spencer Nielsen
Spencer Nielsen is a guide to Nature inside and out, in the wild lands, gardens, and consciousness. He is a permaculture designer and educator based in Fairfax, California. He has studied Ecology, Environmental Education, and Eco-Social Design, as well as Permaculture, Yoga, Qigong, Ayurveda, Daoist medicine, and Planetary…
Swami Jnaneswariananda
Swami Jnaneswariananda joined the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers in 1995 and has been director of centers and ashrams in Canada and Italy. She teaches Hatha Yoga, Meditation, Anatomy, and Vedanta at Teacher Training Courses in North America, Italy and India. Swami Jnaneswariananda took vows of Sannyas in 2001.…
Andrew Foss PhD
Andrew Foss, PhD, is the author of the book Yoga of the Planets, Their Mantras and Philosophy. He is the creator of Shri Jyoti Star, the world’s best software for Vedic Astrology. He is the President and co-founder of BAVA, the British Association of Vedic Astrology and the…
Ryan Rising
Ryan Rising is a community organizer and permaculture educator based out of the San Francisco Bay Area. After organizing Pushing Through the Pavement: a Permaculture Action Tour with The Polish Ambassador in the Fall of 2014, Ryan co-founded the Permaculture Action Network and has worked with festivals and…
Swami Pranavananda
Swami Pranavananda, hails from the USA, and has been a Yoga and Meditation teacher since 1995 in the US and abroad. He teaches mainly the Hatha Yoga and Anatomy sections for the TTC courses. He was the director of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers in Los Angeles, CA…
Dwayne View
Dwayne received his Horticulture Degree in 1996 and recently received his SmartScape and Qualified Green Gardener certification to further his plant knowledge. He currently works as the Nursery Operator in the Outdoor Garden Center at Emigh Ace Hardware in Sacramento. He has written multiple educational workbooks on topics such as gardening, permaculture,…
Krishna Darshan
Krishna Darshan, who hails from Uruguay, is a direct disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda and has been a yoga and meditation teacher for more than 38 years in South America, Europe and USA. He has been the main Hatha Yoga instructor in numerous International Yoga Teachers Training Courses and…
Swami Narayanananda
Born in England, Swami Narayanananda is a senior teacher of yoga and meditation at International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers with 25 years experience of practice and teaching. He is now Director of Sivananda Vietnam Yoga Resort and Training Center. He has been a student of the practice of…
Colin Eldridge (Krishna Das)
Krishna Das (Colin) teaches and helps coordinate Yoga, Permaculture and Outdoors programs at the Sivananda Yoga Farm. He is a trained Sivananda Yoga instructor, Permaculture Designer, and has a BA in Environmental Studies from Hampshire College. He is currently training to be a certified Yoga Therapist in the Sivananda Yoga…
Keiko Ito
Keiko Ito, from Tokyo, started studying western astrology from a young age, and started with Jyotish in 2003 with her teacher, Komilla Sutton. Traveling regularly to India with Komilla to deepen her Vedic knowledge, Keiko was part of the faculty at the “Fresh Talents of Vedic Astrology” in…
Swami Dharmananda
Swami Dharmananda is assistant director of the Yoga Farm and is in charge of the Karma Yoga program. He is a faculty of the Sivananda Institute of Health (SIHY) and is one of the main teachers of Yoga Philosophy and Meditation at the Ashram. He took sannyas vows…
Bill Sinclair (Ramdas)
Bill Sinclair began studying Vedic Astrology in 2002. He began his studies under Ronnie Dreyer and continues his studies under the guidance of Komilla Sutton. Bill holds a Level 1 Jyotish Certification from the American College of Vedic Astrology. He also holds the Jyotish Shastri Diploma from Komilla Academy…
Swami Sivasankariananda
Swami Sivasankariananda is director of the Los Angeles Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center. She completed her TTC at the Yoga Farm in 1997 and ATTC there in 2008. Swamiji has been on yatra in north and south India and Mount Kailas. She loves to teach and is particularly fond of the…
Olga Mandodari Sokolova
Olga Mandodari Sokolova, is a certified Vaastu Shastra Consultant. She studied at the International Institute of Mayonic Science & Technology in Chennai, India under Dr. V. Sthapati Ganapati, a world renowned traditional architect of Southern India who relies on Vaastu principles in his projects. Ms. Sokolova earned her…
Swami Adi Parashaktiananda
Swami Adi Parashaktiananda is a dedicated Sadhak and an experienced international Sivananda Hatha Yoga teacher and trainer in international TTC in USA, Vietnam , Japan and China for more than twelve years. He mainly serves as assistant to Acharya Swami Sitaramananda at the Sivananda Ashram yoga Farm in…
Bharata Surya
Bharata Surya (Javier Lopez) is a Sivananda Yoga Teacher and a certified Ayurveda Practitioner, Counselor, Pancha Karma specialist and Marma therapist trained in the US and India. For the last 15 years he has led private practices and set up Ayurvedic clinics in different parts of the US…
Dr. Ghanshyam Sharma, Ayurveda Physician, C-IAYT
Dr. Ghanshyam Sharma, Ayurveda Physician, C-IAYT is an Ayurveda doctor practicing at Ayush Clinic in Kandivali West, Mumbai. He completed BAMS from K. G. Mittal Ayurvedic College, Mumbai in 1989 and MD – Ayurveda Medicine from K. G. Mittal Ayurvedic College, Mumbai in 1993. He is certified C-IAYT…
Ganga Chaitanya
Ganga Chaitanya graduated from International Sivananda Yoga teacher training course in 2009 and Advanced yoga teacher training course 2010 at the Yoga Farm in Grass Valley USA. She is also a graduate of the “Yoga as Medicine”, “Yoga Psychology”, and “Ayurveda and Yoga Wellness” course. She has been the director…
Gita Devi
Gita Devi is a Clinical Ayurvedic and Pancha Karma Specialist. She began her Ayurvedic studies in Kerala, India in 2001 and is also a Graduate of the California College of Ayurveda. Gita Devi has completed both the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course and the Advanced Yoga Teacher Training.…
Mary Thompson (Mahavidya)
Mary Thompson, C.A.S., P.K.S., (Ayurvedacharya), is a graduate of the California College of Ayurveda and senior teacher with certifications as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and Pancha Karma Specialist. Mary is a graduate of the first graduating class of the College in 1997. In 2008 she received the Charaka…
William Surface
William Surface is a professional astrologer certified through the Council of Vedic Astrology and is the recipient of the CVA Jyotish Visharada. He has completed Komilla Sutton’s 3 year Jyotish Course and is also a member of the British Association of Vedic Astrology (BAVA). He also holds a…
Alexandra Epple
Alexandra Epple CAS, CMT is an Ayurvedic Practitioner, seasoned yoga instructor and long time bodyworker. Her approach to health is super practical and down to earth. She graduated from the California College of Ayurveda in 2011 and has spent months at a time in Thailand and India, for further…
Sam Geppi (Sadasiva)
Sam Geppi (Sadasiva) is the author of “The Ascendant-108 Planets of Vedic Astrology”. He was hired by Dattatreya Shiva Baba to teach the first Astroved University of Vedic Sciences Vedic Astrology Certification Program in 2010. He founded The American Academy of Vedic Art and Science in 2011, and is…
Anandamayi Chaitanya
Anandamayi Chaitanya hails from Japan and completed the TTC at the Yoga Farm in 2014 and ATTC in 2015. She graduated the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training (SYHET) program in 2019 and is a certified yoga therapist, specializing in Stress Relief techniques and Adapted Yoga practices to meet…
Durga Leela
Durga Leela is founder of Yoga of Recovery, a comprehensive program integrating Ayurveda and Yoga with recovery tools for a holistic mind, body and spirit approach for those affected by addiction and self-destructive behaviors. Yoga of Recovery is currently offered as workshops, retreats and certificate courses. Durga holds…
Jivana Heyman
Jivana Heyman, C-IAYT, eRYT500, is founder of Accessible Yoga, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings. Accessible Yoga offers Conferences, Trainings, an Ambassador program dedicated to sharing yoga with every body. He is co-owner of the Santa Barbara Yoga Center and an Integral…
Swami Vashistananda
Swami Vashistananda comes from the Namboodri lineage in Southern India, Kerala and has been a long-time teacher of bhakti and vedanta in the Sivananda organization ever since. He has been at the Yoga farm since October 2014 and does ceremonies at all the ashram temples and shrines. Swamiji…
Arun Deva, AP, AYT, C-IAYT, E-RYT500
Arun Deva, AP, AYT, C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is a certified senior āyurvedic practitioner, āyurvedic yoga therapist, IAYT certified yoga therapist, and YA certified teacher of vinyāsa krama yoga in the Kriśnamacārya tradition (E-RYT500) He has had the privilege of serving both the National and State Āyurvedic Associations Boards. He chaired…
Maha Lakshmi, C-IAYT, RYT 500
Maha Lakshmi, C-IAYT, RYT 500 is a teacher of Classical Yoga for many years and graduated the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training program in 2020. A student of Ayurveda, a practitioner of the Four Paths of Yoga, and a dedicated student of Swami Sitaramananda and the teachings of…
Manas Kshirsagar
Manas Kshirsagar is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner. He comes from a Rig Vedic Bramhin tradition with an extensive Ayurvedic background. He graduated from Aloha Ayurveda Academy and completed his BS in Health and Physiology from Maharishi University of Management. He is an acclaimed Wellness Consultant, and expected to…
Sandhya Dharmadas, PT, DPT, OCS
Sandhya Dharmadas has a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and board certification in Orthopaedics, with advanced training in pelvic floor rehabilitation and residency training in Orthopaedics. She completed fellowship training in Manual & Movement Sciences. In her private practice, she specializes in rehabilitation of patients with pelvic floor and…
Tara Durga Devi
Tara Durga Devi has been teaching yoga and meditation for 40 years and was co-founder and owner of The Yoga Center, an affiliated Sivananda Yoga center in Stockton, CA. She has been trained in Yoga Therapy and is a graduate of the Sivananda Yoga Teachers Training Course (TTC)…
Nora Benian (Sundari)
Nora Benian (Sundari) E-RYT 500, is a Yoga therapist, professional counselor and Thai Yoga Massage practitioner and has a diploma in Homeopathy. Nora teaches yoga workshops and teacher trainings across the continent and in the Caribbean, specializing in Restorative, Yin, Therapeutic and Hatha Yoga. The lectures, classes and…
Rudra Manohara
Rudra Manohara is a Yoga Farm staff member and teacher of Classical Hatha Yoga. He is professionally trained and has over 15 years experience in both the culinary arts and massage bodywork therapy, as well as a background in theatre and dance. In support of community development and…
Dr. Fred Luskin
Dr. Luskin holds a Ph.D. in Counseling and Health Psychology from Stanford University. He is Co-Director of the Stanford-Northern Ireland HOPE Project, an ongoing series of workshops and research projects that investigate the effectiveness of his forgiveness methods on the victims of political violence. He served as Director…
Lila Lolling
Lila Lolling is the author of Walking the Ancient Path of Yoga and founder of EcoYoga Life and is a Sivananda affiliate teacher for over 20 years. She is also a graduate of the Omega Institute’s Ecological Literacy program and Permaculture Course. She advocates for the blending of…