Many experts and talented indiviudals come to the ashram every year to share their knowledge and creative gifts. The following list includes many of these individuals with links to upcoming courses or events they will be involved with. Please note that the list is in alphabetical order by first name.
Ambika (Jennifer Andrews)
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 Ayurveda from The Institute of Vedic Studies, Santa Fe, New Mexico , and The California College of Ayurveda, Grass Valley, California, and is a certified Sivananda yoga instructor.
www.ambikasayurveda.com
Ayurvedic Massage Rejuvenation Retreat: Aroma Therapy
Ayurvedic Massage Rejuvenation Retreat
Ayurvedic Massage Rejuvenation Retreat
Ananta Chaitanya
Ananta Chaitanya graduated TTC in May 2009 and has stayed on as Staff ever since under the direction of Swami Sitarmananda. He spent 6 months assisting Vidya Chaitanya in Los Angles Center in 2010, then came back to take ATTC in June 2010 at the Yoga Farm. He spent 4 months teaching open classes at the SF Center in early 2011. And has been back at the Yoga Farm serving as Swami Sitaramananda's assistant since May 2011. He has taught many Beginner Yoga courses, Prana & Pranayam weekends, and has assisted teaching during TTCs.
Prana, Pranayama, and Yuba River
Beginner's Yoga Intensive Weekend
Prana, Pranayama, and Yuba River
Prana, Pranayama, and Yuba River
Andrew Foss PhD
Andrew Foss PhD, is the President and co-founder of the British Association of Vedic Astrology. He has a BA and MA from Oxford University in Physics and an MSc and PhD in Computing Science. He is the author of the leading software for Vedic Astrology, Shri Jyoti Star and the editor of the journal Gochara. He is a Jaimini Scholar and has lectured internationally on Jyotish, Ayurveda and computing and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. Web site: www.vedicsoftware.com
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.
Her website is www.angelikahealingmusic.com
Anuradha Prabhashankar
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 its foot work, facial expressions, eye movement and mudras (hand gestures). The abhinaya (mime) part of the dance often depicts mythical stories of Gods and Goddesses. It was originally a temple dance.
Anuradha dedicated all her performances at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm to her late father who is a devotee of Swami Sivananda.
Arati (Annette Pasternak, Ph.D.)
Arati (Annette Pasternak, Ph.D.) is a licensed Brain Gym® Instructor/Consultant, Sivananda yoga instructor, and holistic health coach specializing in breaking bad habits in Los Angeles. www.wemovetolearn.com
Arun Deva
Arun Deva is a Diplomate in Ayurveda, an Ayur*yoga Therapist and a Vinyasa Krama certified yoga teacher. Arun started his studies of both yoga and Ayurveda as a child growing up in India and has made his home in Los Angeles for over 30 years now. He is the founder of Arunachala Yoga & Ayurveda and teaches workshops and classes internationally, is the author of numerous articles and has appeared on various TV and radio shows and has taught at various yoga & Ayurevda Events and Conferences. He also currently serves as Secretary for CAAM (California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine) and is on the Standards Committee of NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medcine Association). He has a clinical practice in West Hollywood, CA for consultations, treatments, panchakarma, and yoga therapy. His work and his teaching/travel schedule can be found at: www.yogarasayana.wordpress.com and he can be reached at yogarasayana@gmail.com
Svatantra: Emotional Intelligence using Yoga, Ayurveda and Tantra Immersion: A Certification Course
Atmaram Das
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 he studied Sanskrit and Indian classical music, while engaging in devotional service. Living in Vrindavan absorbed in spiritual life, his devotion deepened and in turn, his musical ability blossomed. He developed a strong desire to share the nectar of Vrindavan with others and realized that he could use his God given gift of music as a humble offering to serve all of humanity.
An event with Atmarama is one full of devotion incorporating timeless wisdom with Sanskrit songs and chants. He sings verses from the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads and the Brahma Samhita as he plays the flamenco guitar combined with Indian raga. His music transports the listener to the realm of the Divine and the knowledge he shares uplifts the consciousness.
Carried by its spiritual potency and pure purpose, Atmarama das' music has circled the globe. Yearly he travels to make preaching programs and concerts in the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, China, and India. Many yoga schools have become enlivened by these programs and have come to embrace the aspect of bhakti (devotion) in their philosophy. In this way he has dedicated his life to spreading Krishna's glories.
Published CD's:
- Radha Govinda
- Vaisnava Songs
- Sri Siksastakam
- Sri Sri Radha Govinda Candra
- Divine Service
- Parliament of the World Religions
- Forbidden Nectar
- On the Way to Krishna (new release!)
Babu Kishnan das Baul
Bauls are the original Bhakti Mystic Yogis from Bengal.
Babukishan Das Baul belongs to an ancient mystical, ecstatic music lineage from Bengal India. He is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and performer who has recorded more than 44 albums in different languages world-wide. He has performed and recorded with music greats such as Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys.
Bill Levacy
Bill Levacy holds a BA in Literature, a Masters in the Science of Creative Intelligence, another Master's in Education with a specialization in e-Learning and is a PhD Candidate in Education at Capella University. Bill has published three books on Vedic astrology, including “Beneath a Vedic Sky.” Bill is also a management consultant for the aerospace industry. Bill has had a very busy Vedic Astrology practice since 1983 with clients from around the world. He teaches workshops on Vedic Astrology around the US, Europe and India and is President of the American College of Vedic Astrology (ACVA), with its recent emphasis on online learning. Bill will be speaking on the topics of Saturn, the lord of time and the development of a higher state of consciousness through jyotish.
Bill Wilson
Bill Wilson is a teacher, communitarian and permaculturist, holding three Permaculture Design Certifications. He has been interviewed on National Public Radio, Peak Moment Television and other public programs. Bill has taught in a wide variety of locations, including the agricultural halls at Purdue.
He is a 32-year resident of the sustainably oriented community of Stelle, IL, which hosts its own community cooperatives including tool, garden, dinner and chicken co-ops. Bill and his wife/partner Rebecca are creating a permaculture oasis surrounding their traditional suburban home, pictures of which may be found on their website at www.MidwestPermaculture.com.
Brother Rolph Fernandes
Brother Rolph Fernandes is an international meditation and Interfaith teacher, native from Trinidad and citizen of Canada. He was a Franciscan monk for 43 years during which time he was mandated by the Franciscans as their Inter-Faith representative for the Canadian branch of their Order.
Rolph was sent by the Order to attend the Parliament of World Religions in 1983 and also international conferences in Melbourne, Australia, in Rome, Paris and Sarajeivo. Rolph visited India twice and met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1971 and received empowerment from His Holiness The Karmapa.
In 1981 to 1982 he lived in Shantivanam ashram in India, under the guidance of Fr.Bede Griffiths and also took retreat in a cave in the Himalayas. During his visits to India, he has visited many living Masters such as Ma Ananda Mayi.
He founded in 1987 in Montreal, "the Peace Prayer in the Spirit of Saint Francis" and was the main organizer of the event for 10 years. In 1993, he organized the "Interfaith Gathering " in Montreal to host the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Rolph now lives on his own and has been sharing his experience in Inter-faith Dialogue and also lecturing on Franciscan spirituality as seen in that light. He lectures on " Yoga and Christianity" , "Yoga and the Spirit of Saint Francis" , "Meditation", "Meditation Techniques of Eastern and Western Traditions". He also gives talks on his research between mystics of both Christian and the tradition of India.
Rolph sees St Francis as a saint of all times and as such , he seeks to show how St Francis lived through the difficulties of his time as an example for us today. In 2004, Rolph was ordained as an Interfaith minister in NY, and now he serves at AA retreats, Aids clinic, and do personal spiritual counseling. He believes strongly in the strength of a community and in the importance of a personal connection with God, supported by prayer and meditation.
Rolph@rogers.com
Craig Sim Webb
Executive Director of The non-profit DREAMS Foundation. Craig is a professional speaker/trainer and dream analyst/researcher/author. He has participated in pioneering dream research at Stanford University and Montreal's Sacre-Coeur Hospital, and has spent 15 years, practicing, studying, writing, and teaching about applied dreaming, dream interpretation, lucid dreaming, creativity, conscious communication and biofeedback with a refreshing, enthusiastic style that blends soul, science, heart and humor.
As an author/columnist and hired/invited expert for feature motion pictures, international TV shows, magazines, and others, he's broadcast/published numerous cutting edge practical psychology concepts as well as interviews with leading visionaries. He and his work have made hundreds of international public/media/corporate appearances in such places as The Discovery Channel, ABC, BBC, CBS, AOL, MSN, The London Times, The New York Times, internationally syndicated articles/radio shows, and many others. He has also designed biofeedback technologies with worldwide distribution, and helped found/produce Making Contact, a progressive international radio show airing weekly on ~200 stations for nearly 15 years.
Craig's empowering teaching/counseling approach has enabled CEO's, celebrities, doctors, professors, best-selling authors, students, and many other clients from all walks of life to make profound mental and emotional breakthroughs while having a heck of a lot of fun.
Dream Interpretation, Lucid Dreaming, & Lessons in Daily Life
David Briscoe
David Briscoe is one of the most experienced macrobiotic teachers and counselors in the world today. Since 1972 he has gained expertise in every facet of macrobiotics, including personal practice, teaching, counseling, professional cooking, restaurant ownership and center development. In 1975 he was given the honor of being one of the few macrobiotic counseling apprentices to the late macrobiotic master, Noboru Muramoto, author of Healing Ourselves. In 1983 he was among the first to be certified by the Kushi Institute’s premier training program. During the 70’s and 80’s, David established macrobiotic education programs and centers throughout the U.S. He has appeared on national TV programs and radio shows, including the HBO® Special, “Six Months to Live.” He is the co-author of A Personal Peace, contributing author to The Whole Mind and a regular columnist for Macrobiotics Today, the world’s leading macrobiotic magazine.
David lives in Northen California with his wife, Cynthia, and children, Justin, Nora, Iris, Ana and Rio.
Dennis K. Chernin, M.D., M.P.H.
Dennis Chernin, M.D., M.P.H. has practiced and taught meditation for over thirty years. He practices holistic and family medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He received his M.D. and M.P.H. from the University of Michigan and did residencies in psychiatry and preventive medicine. His publications include the books Health: A Holistic Approach, Homeopathic Remedies for Physicians and Laymen, The Complete Homeopathic Resource for Common Illnesses and How to Meditate Using Chakras, Mantras and Breath.
Deviyani
Deviyani (Christine Ortalitz) is a Yoga teacher at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm, Grass Valley, CA, USA with a background in counselling and social work . She has been trained in techniques that help those with injuries or body limitations to be able to practice yoga asana through the use of props and modifications. She has completed training in chair yoga, as well as yoga psychology.
Dr Timothy McCall
Timothy McCall, M.D., is a board-certified specialist in internal medicine and a dedicated yoga practitioner who has traveled to India and throughout the United States observing, training with, and interviewing the world’s leading yoga teachers and therapists. He is the medical editor of Yoga Journal, and is the author of Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing (Bantam). Timothy studies with a traditional Ayurvedic Vaidhya (doctor) in Kerala, India and with a Tantric master in Bangalore, who is a direct disciple of Swami Sivananda. His primary yoga teacher in the United States since 1995 has been Patricia Walden, and more recently he has worked with Rod Stryker and Donald Moyer. He can be found on the web at www.DrMcCall.com
Dr. Cairo Rocha
Cairo Rocha OMD, PhD is a Brazilian-born researcher, acupuncturist, doctor of oriental medicine, and the author of the book, Anger Goes Up, Fear Goes Down: Emotions and the Hidden Link. He lectures on energy healing and oriental medicine around the world. www.cairorocha.com
Dr. Dale Jacobson, DC
Dr. Dale Jacobson graduated from Palmer Chiropractic College in 1977. He then interned with Dr. Henri Gillet in Brussels, Belgium who was the world’s foremost developer of joint movement analysis. Dr. Jacobson has been in clinical practice for 33 years and teaches stretching/yoga classes to his patients as well as nutrient dense nutrition based on the work of Weston Price and Sally Fallon. He has taught functional anatomy for yoga teachers at Grass Valley Center for the past 6 years.
Dr. David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri)
David is the author of two books on Vedic Astrology, a Vedic Astrology course and twenty other books on Vedic subjects that have been published in more than a dozen languages over the last twenty-five years. His work on Ayurveda, Vedic Astrology and Yoga is widely respected in India and the West. He most recently authored the book entitled 'Inner Tantric Yoga: Working with the Universal Shakti: Secrets of Mantras, Dieties and Meditation'.
Dr. Don Oyao
Don Oyao (aka Dhanwanthari)is a Doctor of Chiropractic and Sports Scientist, specializing in sports injuries. He has worked with athletes at the Olympic level. Don Oyao has been appointed as a prospective Hospice Chaplain Associate. He has had life long intentions to work as a hospice chaplain for many years. He studied at the Zen Hospice center in San Francisco the past few years and is a participant of the Palliative Hospice program at Sutter Hospital in Concord, California and is currently enrolling in a one year experiential intensive clinical pastoral education program at John Muir hospital in Concord.
Dr. K.S. Charak
Dr. Charak M.S. (Surgery), FRCS is an eminent Vedic astrologer and surgeon by profession. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and is Chief of Surgery at Indira Gandhi ESI Hospital in Delhi. He is a prolific writer and author of 10 books on Vedic Astrology. Dr. charak has been teaching Vedic astrology for the last 15 years and presently teaches classes conducted by Indian Council of Astrological Sciences in New Delhi.
Over the past decade he as travelled extensively in the west to teach Vedic astrology which remains his sacred passion. Author of some of the best books on Vedic astrology, his lucid style and scientific approach to the subject has earned him a special stature in the world of astrology. His two books on medical astrology remain the most authentic writings on the subject. He is the editor of the highly appreciated astrological journal, Vedi Castrology which has completed eleven glorious years of its publication in December 2007.
Dr Charak also leads SOSMT, a charitable organisation devoted to providing free surgical and medical case to the poor and the ailing in the rural areas of norther India. SOSMT has conducted 20 such camps during the last 7 years.
Dr. Madhavan
Dr. Madhavan received a Bachelor Degree in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery from Venkatramana Ayurvedic Medical College in Chennai. He also received a Post Graduate Diploma in Yoga Therapy from Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bangalore and attended the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta ashram TTC and Advanced TTC courses. He was initiated by Swami Chidananda Saraswati (1916 - 2008), the disciple of Swami Sivananda. While teaching, Dr. Madavan also follows Tirumandiram, the ancient sacred Tamil scripture. He was instructed in the Tirumandiram by his father, who has practiced yoga and meditation throughout his life.
Dr. Marc Halpern (Dr. Siva)
Dr. Marc Halpern is the founder and President of the California College of Ayurveda. An internationally respected expert in the field of Ayurveda, Dr. Halpern received the award for Best Ayurvedic Physician from the Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. A. Ramdas. He is a co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is on the advisory board of Light on Ayurveda Journal in the United States and the Journal of Research and Education in Indian Medicine in Varansi, India. Dr. Halpern has published articles in popular journals and magazines of Ayurveda and Yoga including Yoga Journal and the Journal of the International Association of Yoga Therapy. He is also a contributing writer in several important books on Ayurveda published in the USA and India (Globalizing Ayurveda, Ayurveda: Natures Medicine and Clinicians Guide to Complimentary and Alternative Medicine). Dr. Halpern is a regular speaker at Ayurveda and Yoga conferences and teaches regularly at the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers.
Durga
Meditation Retreat - Intro. to Meditation
Bhakti Yoga: Classical Indian Music and Kirtan Weekend
Durga Leela
Durga Leela is the founder of Yoga of Recovery, a comprehensive program that integrates Ayurveda and Yoga with recovery tools for a holistic mind, body and spirit approach for all those affected by addiction and self-destructive behaviors. Yoga of Recovery is currently offered as workshops, retreats and certificate courses. Durga holds the RYT-500 qualification, having completed both the Sivananda Yoga teachers Training Course and an Advanced Yoga Training. She is also extensively trained in Meditation and Vedanta. She is a Clinical Ayurvedic and Pancha Karma Specialist, trained at the California College of Ayurveda and also in Kerala, India. She is the Director of the Ayurveda Programs at the Yoga Farm in California and a professional member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). She is also a member of Yoga Alliance and International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).
Ayurvedic Detoxification and Rejuvenation Retreat
Ayurvedic Detoxification and Rejuvenation Retreat
Yoga of Recovery for Counselors
Ayurveda and Yoga Wellness Counselor Certification
Ayurvedic Massage Rejuvenation Retreat: Ayurveda for a Happy Heart
Elissa Al-Chokhachy
Elissa Al-Chokhachy is a certified hospice & palliative care nurse, a fellow in thanatology, and the author of four books to help with loss and grief. She has received the 2011 American Red Cross Healthcare Hero Award and the Boston College Alumni Award for Excellence in Nursing. With over twenty years of hospice experience, Elissa is passionate about bringing comfort, hope and healing to the dying and the bereaved. Her third book, Miraculous Moments: True Stories Affirming That Life Goes On, shares numerous accounts of after death communication, nearing death awareness, and near death experiences. Elissas fourth book, Our Children Live On: Miraculous Moments for the Bereaved, is scheduled for release in July of
2012.
Felicia M. Tomasko, R.N., CAAM President
Felicia Marie Tomasko is currently the editor in chief of LA YOGA Ayurveda and Health magazine (www.layogamagazine.com), a position that combines her interests and passion in Ayurveda, Yoga, education and writing. She has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and teaching since 1997. It was yoga, and Deepak Chopra’s books that first introduced Felicia to Ayurveda, which she began studying in 1993. Her studies include the practitioner, pancha karma therapist, educator, yoga therapy and Ayurvedic mother and baby care programs at the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda as well as at Alandi Ayurvedic Gurukula, both in Boulder, Colorado. She continues her studies with a number of different teachers and credits them for her implementation of the practice.
Felicia’s additional background includes a degree in nursing and one in biology and work in integrative medicine, neuropsychology research, biochemistry research and journalism and writing. She is also on the board of directors of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, the editorial board of Light on Ayurveda journal, and has a private yoga therapy and Ayurveda practice in Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, California. Felicia@LAYogaMagazine.com
Gajananam
Gajananam is a direct disciple of Swami Vishnu-devananda and the founder/director of the Vishnu-devananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Berkeley. He began his training in the late 80's at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Tel Aviv, and became a Sivananda yoga instructor in 1989. In the 90's he served as a staff member and director of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in New York and has taught at many Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Courses and retreats.
Due to his love for chanting Kirtan, mantras and slokas, which have a wonderful uplifting vibration, with the desire to pronounce these more accurately as well as deepen his understanding of the mantras and ancient scriptures, Gajananam commenced his Sanskrit studies under the Sanskrit Scholar Dr. Sarasvati Mohan in 2004. Currently he still studies under her guidance and has been teaching Sanskrit courses at the Vishnu-devananda Yoga Center and other yoga centers and ashrams.
Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Certification (ATTC)
Yogic Teachings on Devotion Weekend
Gauri ch.
Gauri ch., originally from South India, now is a US citizen living in Sacramento with her son Hanuman. She was Staff with Sivanananda Centers at the Yoga Farm, San Francisco, and Chicago for more then 10 years and has a real love and caring for all people. Her devotion and delicious Indian cooking is what sets her apart.
Gauri Devi
Gauri Devi completed her TTC in May 2011. She has come back since then to be Staff and help in the ashram permaculture and gardening endeavors. She also enjoys to teach open classes and has began assisting the beginner courses.
Habib Khan
Pandit Habib Khan is regarded as one of the best sitar player in the country today. He was born in a family of musicians and can trace his lineage back several generations. He began his training at tender age and has carved out a distinctive style which is a blend of his father's traditional techniques and his own imaginative inventions. Pandit Habib Khan is the director founder of Habib Khan School of Music and Om Music Circle . He lives and teaches in San Francisco Bay Area and has published many distinctive CDs of his music. He has performed extensively all over the US and in India.
Hari Priya
Dr. Haripriya Dillon has been involved with the Healing arts for over 30 years. She is a gifted healer using a broad spectrum of sbtle energetic modalities that can coorect imbalances and dis-eases on all levels. She is offering her services out of her home office in Penn Valley . Her holistic health services include Flower Essence Therapy, Diet and Nutrition counselling, Homeopathy, Herbal therapy. She also works with a Quantum Energetic Machine that has over 900 holistic healing programs (QXCI).
Her website is www.holisticgift.net
haripriya108@sbcglobal.net
Hasu Patel
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 purity the fascinating, highly evolved classical music of Ancient India.
After many years of rigorous training under her illustrious Gurus Prof. N.B. Kikani and Ustad Anwar Khan Saheb, she became the first woman to receive a music degree with a Gold Medal in the 75 years history of the Faculty of Fine Arts Baroda, India. She has received many awards, scholarships, and fellowships including at the age of 21, the first prize winner in the state of Gujarat for the stringed instrument competition held by All India Radio.
Hasu plays the Sitar in a special style known as Gayaki Ang (Singing Style), in which the sitar replicates fluidity and subtle nuances of the human voice. This innovative technique, which is credited to her Guru Ustad Vilayat Khan Saheb of Imdad Khani Gharana, is the most significant contribution to her music inheritance.
She has performed the Classical Music of India known as Raga Sangeet at various Performing Art Centers, Music Conferences, World/Jazz/Country music festivals such as Woodstock's 30th anniversary and Chicago Jazz festival, Universities, radio/television stations, churches/temples/meditation centers etc. around the country.
Hasu is affiliated with the Ohio Arts Council (Ohio Artists on Tour), Greater Columbus Arts Council, Mid-America Arts Alliance and International Alliance of Women in Music. Hasu teaches Sitar, Tabla, and Vocal music to many students at her Sursangam School of Music as well as credit hours course at Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College of Ohio.
To her, Indian classical music is a rare and divine art, which calls for absolute dedication called sadhana.
The music is spiritual and meditative, and rendered as such to bring forth the transcendental experience of the moods called rasas.
Web Sites : www.hasupatel.com and www.myspace.com/hasupatel
E-mail : hasu@hasupatel.com
Jai Uttal
Jai Uttal is a pioneer and inspiration to many in the world of kirtan music. His many albums include Beggars and Saints, Siva Station, and the Grammy-nominated Monda Rama. www.jaiuttal.com
James Kelleher
Author of the recently published two-volume book, 'Path of Light', Jim is a co-founder of the Council of Vedic Astrology (CVA). He recieved his initial training in India and worked for five years in London as the personal assistant to the world-renowned Jyotishi, M.K. Ghandhi. He then returned to the United States where he has been consulting, lecturing and teaching Vedic Astrology since 1984. He is a former board member of CVA and the American College of Vedic Astrology (ACVA). He has been awarded the titles of Jyotish Kovid and Jyotish Vachapasti by the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences (ICAS). He maintains a busy private practice in Los Gatos , CA
www.jameskelleher.com
Joann Lutz L.I.C.S.W.
Joann Lutz has been practicing yoga for 40 years, teaching it for 30, and has been practicing as a psychotherapist for 20 years in Northampton, Ma. It is the positive outcomes she has seen for her clients from the use of yogic techniques in psychotherapy sessions--plus the research done by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. and Richard Miller, Ph.D. on yogic interventions for PTSD--which motivated her to create this course.
She is certified in Integral Yoga, Trauma-sensitive Yoga and Ayurvedic Yoga therapy, as well as EMDR and Psychosynthesis. Joann is also trained in Somatic Experiencing (Level 1).
She developed and taught the first continuing education courses offered on the East Coast on "Spirituality and Psychotherapy" in the 1990's and was the New England Regional Coordinator of the Spiritual Emergence Network. She has taught yoga at Omega Institute, Rowe Conference Center, Harbin Hot Springs and the Bahamas Sivananda Yoga Retreat, among other venues.
She has also attended programs at the Sivananda Yoga Retreat in Nassau, Bahamas; the Yoga Ranch in the Catskills; and the Sivananda Ashram in Val Morin, Ca. for 20 years and also visited the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh, India. She is quite familiar with the writings of Swami Sivananda.
Bringing Yoga into Psychotherapy and Counseling to Soothe and Regulate the Nervous System
Jolynn Ferguson (Krishna Devi)
Jolynn Ferguson (Krishna Devi) has been teaching, researching, studying and practicing yoga since 2009. She intensely studied 30 days Teaching Training Course at New York Sivananda Ashram and received teaching certificate. She also has a BA from Gallaudet University in Psychology. She has been teaching yoga classes to various age from elderly to toddlers. She also volunteering at Model Secondary School of the Deaf teaching yoga and tutoring Algebra. She also have private yoga classes held at home and student's home. She works primarily on Hatha and philosophy of Yoga. She enjoys traveling around in the America and provided yoga classes in the morning during her vacation to whomever want to practice yoga along with her. She also held couple yoga retreats in Oklahoma. her entire family including husband, son, dog , and cat practice yoga frequently.
Kailas Chaitanya
Kailas Chaitanya is one of the main teachers of Hatha Yoga and Meditation at the ashram. He graduated from the Sivananda Yoga Teacher's Training Course in 2007. He was assistant director at the Los Angeles Sivananda Yoga Center for 2 years. Since 2009 he has been assistant director of the Sivananda Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, CA. In 2010 he took the first step in becoming a renunciate monk of the Sivananda order. He is interested in yoga psychology and yoga philosophy and enjoys teaching positive thinking courses.
Yoga Teacher Training Certification (TTC)
Yoga Teacher Training Certification (TTC)
Meditation Retreat - Intro. to Meditation
Self Knowledge: Foundations of Vedanta
Self Knowledge: Crest Jewel of Discrimination
Yoga Teacher Prep Training Course
Self Knowledge: Yogic Dharma Course
Self Knowledge: Foundations of Vedanta
Kali Das
Kalidas was born in India where he lived in a small village for the first five years of his life. After coming to the United States and graduating from Vanderbilt University with a B.A., he felt a longing for a more simple Dharmic life. He revisited India, moved to the Southwest and began studying Eastern mysticism in spiritual communities, mainly Hindu and Buddhist. The next ten years helped him reconnect with the basic principles of Sanatan Dharma and recreate a sense of balance that he had lost. Based on his own life experiences, Kalidas feels that if we learn to curb our attachment to modern technology and return to the simple laws of Mother nature, we will be able to live more fulfilling lives.
Kamala (Karen L. Arthur)
Karen L. Arthur, LCSW, BCD is a practicing psychotherapist and yoga teacher in New York City. She is passionate about helping people lead fulfilling lives and integrates her love of yoga and spiritual practice into her psychotherapeutic work. Her wealth of interests have included extensive studies in mind-body healing therapies and practices including Shiatsu, martial arts, yoga, meditation and contemplative care of the dying. Ms. Arthur is a graduate of the Psychosynthesis Institute and of Ericksonian Hypnosis. Ms. Arthur is an advanced EFT practitioner, trained in Thought Field Therapy and Mindfulness Based Reduction as well as the main psychotherapeutic approaches. She is a certified EMDR therapist and an EMDRIA approved consultant. As an EMDR trauma consultant for Humanitarian Assistance Program, she works with clinicians training in complex trauma. Her psychology specialties include trauma, anxiety, grief, stress and performance enhancement for athletes and artisits, bringing an in-depth understanding of spiritual and metaphysical principles and resources into her work. She teaches EFT workshops, Mindfulness for Stress Management and yoga for seniors. Her research interests include Trauma Recovery through Yoga (TM) and EFT. Ms. Arthur is grateful for being a member of the Sivananda Community since 1985.
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 great depth of devotion and her musical, spiritual discourses are uniquely sweet and touch your heart with important life lessons.
Katyayani (Katja Wishart)
Mother of two girls, a nearly eight year old and a grown up who studies in Berlin, Germany. She has a background in Art and Design and brings a love for all kinds of nature projects.
Katyayani is teaching Yoga, including visualization and breathing techniques, to children of all age groups in the Bay Area.
She has been teaching at our San Francisco center and the Children's Yoga Camp here at the Yogafarm for the last 6 years.
Kiran Patel
Kiran Patel has extensive experience with NVC, including completing a year-long NVC leadership program in 2003. She is certified as a conflict mediator since 1990 and has a M.A. in social psychology. She is a yoga instructor with advanced certification in the Sivananda tradition. Her workshops have reached thousands of individuals and numerous organizations in the U.S. and in India. Her writing on nonviolence and yoga has been published in 'India West'
Komilla Sutton
Komilla is the 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 tis subject more accesible for the Western readers. She is the author of 'Vedic Love Signs', 'Vedic Astrology', 'The Essentials of Vedic Astrology' and 'Lunar nodes - Crisis and Redemption'.
www.Komilla.com
Krishna Darshan
About 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 24 years in South America, Europe and USA. He has been the main Hatha Yoga instructor in numerous International Yoga Teachers Training Courses and has an in depth knowledge of the practice of Hatha and Raja Yoga and Vedanta philosophy. He is an able yogic sadhana counselor and he is Jyotish teacher and consultant, certified by the American College of Vedic Astrology (ACVA). (levels 1 and 2) and also by the council of Vedic astrology (CVA) "Jyotish Visharada" and "Jyotish Kovid" www.9graha.com
Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Certification (ATTC)
Lakshmana
Lakshmana graduated TTC in October 2011 and has stayed on as Staff since that time. He has begun teaching open classes, and will start to assist some beginner courses in the near future.
Latif Bolat
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 went on to manage Ankara Halk Tiyatrosu, a
musical theater company, which performed traditional musical plays. Mr.Bolat also
received further degrees in Turkish History and Middle East Religion and Politics from
Ankara University and an MBA from San Francisco State University.
Lila Lolling
Lila Lolling, founder of Deaf Yoga Foundation, has been studying, integrating and sharing Yoga philosophy for 10 years and within the Deaf community for the past 5 years. She is known for her activism in creating equal access for the Deaf community members to learn Yoga. She has been featured in Yoga+ & Yoga Journal magazines, and is the producer of the Deaf Yoga for Beginners DVD. Lila is also the author of a monthly Yoga column in SIGNews publication and was recently awarded "New Yorker of the Week."
Mahadevi (Nicola Skop)
Mahadevi (Nicola Skop) hails from Germany. She is a long-time Sivananda Yoga teacher with 10 years of experience teaching in USA, India, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and Germany. She had her training in Grass Valley, CA and has been traveling with Swami Sitaramananda as her assistant for many years. She has been the director of the Yoga Shala, a yoga center dedicated to teaching the Sivananda tradition in Hanover, Germany, for many years.
She is graduated as Yoga teacher from the Sivananda Yoga Teachers Training Course (TTC) at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm, Grass Valley, Advanced TTC from Sivananda Ashram in South India and "Sadhana Intensive Course" from Chateau du Yoga Sivananda at Orleans, France.
Mahadevi is a very dedicated and genuine practitioner of the tradition and a well-liked asana teacher.
Mahashakti
Mahashakti, who hails from Uruguay, is a Yogini with 15 years of experience in teaching Yoga to all age groups. She has been assisting numerous International Yoga Teachers Training courses in South America, Europe and USA . She graduated from TTC and ATTC in South America. Mahashakti is also an expert in teaching Yoga for children. She has been the director of the Children's Yoga camp at the Sivananda ashram Yoga Farm for 10 years. The Camp offered a comprehensive residential Yoga program for children from ages 7-14 years old. Mahashakti taught children successfully , not only to do their asanas with joy , but also to learn the healthy and philosophical foundation principles of Yoga Life.
Manoj Chalam
Dr. Manoj Chalam is a physicist and Vedantin. A graduate of Cornell University, he abandoned his career as a scientist and entrepreneur after discovering the wisdom contained within the Vedanta philosophy. He now spends his time travelling the globe as a modern troubadour, telling the stories of the Hindu deities and sharing Vedantic wisdom in a humorous, engaging and relatable manner. He the author of the book "Spiritual Art and Mythology of India: Anecdotes & Symbolisms" and the co-founder of Unique Arts, a company which imports statues of Hindu and Buddhist Deities from India. Manoj teaches at Yoga Journal conferences, Universities and spiritual retreats. He currently resides in San Diego with his wife, Jyothi Chalam, a talented musician, trained in the South Indian classical style.
Manu Dawson, CYNth
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 guests of the Yoga Retreat through this program of detoxification.
Mark and Terra
Mark and Terra are disciples of Swami Ramdas(Papa) and Mother Krishnabai (Mataji) of Anandasram, Kerala. They are devoted to the path of love for the Divine or Bhakti yoga, and have developed meditation skills and studied Patanjali Yoga.
Mark studied tabla with Aloke Dutta, of West Bengal, and has been playing tabla for nearly 30 years, and also learned mridangam, pakhawaj, and sarod. Terra plays harmonium, dolak, kartals, and tamboura, and studied carnatic vocal music with Usha Bhat, a master of classical carnatic sangeetham from Kerala, south India.
Mark and Terra present a number of Kathas (musical, devotional storytelling) at the Ashrams in India and America, as well as concerts, workshops, classes, presentations in schools, benefits, religious ceremonies, memorials, inter-cultural events, and musical accompaniments, throughout the US and Bahamas.
They give workshops and lessons in harmonium, drums, and vocal instruction. They produced a CD entitled "Namamala"(Garland of Divine Names).
Mary Thompson
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 Award for Excellence in Ayurvedic Teaching and was given the title "Ayurvedacharya" (respected teacher of Ayurveda) by Dr. Halpern. She has been an invited speaker at several Ayurvedic conferences and is a founding member and former Secretary of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. She is also the founder and Executive Director of the non-profit organization, Everyday Ayurveda. Mary is in private practice in Grass Valley, California.
Matthew A. Thie, M.Ed.
Matthew collaborated directly with his father, John Thie, from 1996 until John's death in August of 2005, just before the new book was released. Mat worked with John developing healing protocol, writing articles, teaching seminars around the world and working with students. Matthew has taught about the Chinese 5 Element Metaphors to over 1,000 students worldwide, and trained over 100 Instructors. He is now the director of Touch for Health education and an instructor trainer.
Mike Kluk
Michael Kluk is certified in Permaculture design. He has been an avid gardener all of his adult life. He grew up on the North Coast of California where his parents grew a large garden and raised cows, pigs, chickens, geese and bees. Mike, his wife Susan and 91 year old father moved next to the Sivananda Yoga Farm on a 20 acre parcel three years ago where they are homesteading and implementing a Permaculture design. They are working to live more sustainably and self sufficiently and leanring a lot in the process. Even though he now lives in a rural area, Mike lived in cities for 30 years and is interested in applying Permaculture design principles to suburban and urban areas as well.
Mike Kluk and Sharada Devi (Susan Nelson-Kluk)
Michael Kluk and Susan Nelson-Kluk are homesteaders and recent refugees from 8-5 jobs. Susan has her master's degree in plant physiology but currently focuses on teaching yoga and practicing a simple life style. Mike is a former civil rights attorney who is an avid gardener and was recently certified as a permaculture designer. Guest instructors with expertise in recycling and permaculture will participate in this course as well.
Molly (Madhavi) Birkholm
Molly taught iRest and yoga at the Miami Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for 4 years. She was lead instructor in their 18-month Department of Defense-funded clinical research measuring the effects of meditation on veterans with PTSD and has taught over 1,000 veterans to meditate. She currently teaches workshops and does private consultations on “Healing Trauma through Deep Relaxation.” She has worked in acute inpatient mental health hospital settings, substance abuse treatment programs, homeless rehabilitation programs and is involved with the Sivananda Yoga Prison Project.
Narayan Chaitanya
Advanced Asana Variation Weekend
West Coast Teachers Meeting: Symposium on Social Engagement & Yoga
Pandit Samavedula
Pandit Smavedula 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 will perform the pujas and homas during the conference.
LABOR DAY WEEKEND - 13th Annual Vedic Astrology Conference
Parvati
Parvati took TTC in 2006 and ATTC in 2008. She has been staff on and off for the last 5 years. She is an experienced Hatha yogi as well as a Bhakti. She has helped to teacher the teachers in many of the Teacher Training Courses over the last 5 years. She has assisted numerous juice fasting retreats in the past and is a raw food advocate.
Pat Lillis-Hearne
Pat Lillis-Hearne, MD, MPH, RYT is a Kripalu certified yoga instructor, an Oncologist and well versed in Complementary Medicine. She has had over 30 years service in the military before retiring from the Army Medical Department in 2010. Her combat experience in Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as the care of wounded veterans brings a unique perspective and talent to the program. Pat was one of the original co-developers of TYMS.
Philip Goldberg
PHILIP GOLDBERG is the author or coauthor of nineteen books, including Roadsigns: On the Spiritual Path and The Intuitive Edge. Based in Los Angeles, he is an ordained interfaith minister, a public speaker and seminar leader, and the founder of Spiritual Wellness and Healing Associates. He is director of outreach for SpiritualCitizens.net and blogs regularly on religion for the Huffington Post. Visit www.philipgoldberg.com or www.americanveda.com for more information.
Pieter Veltevrede
Pieter Veltevrede 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 and the USA exhibiting his art and giving painting workshops. For more information on Pieter Veltevrede and his artwork, please visit www. sanatanansociety.com
Radhika
Growing up in the family restaurant business, it is only natural that Radhika has followed a windy path to the culinary field. A self-taught chef, she gains her knowledge through in-person education, diving into her collection of countless cookbooks, and most importantly hands-on experience in her kitchen laboratory. In her teens she gained experience with Asian cooking at her parents restaurant, then detoured into a special order baking business, baking everyday items from cookies and cakes to extraordinary items such as French pastries and wedding cakes. More recently, she served as a lead vegetarian cook at the Sivananda Yoga Farm Ashram, a raw foods chef at the Tree of Life resort, and a volunteer chef at the San Francisco Sivananda Yoga Center. At present, she is the lead vegan chef at the cafe for Apple in Cupertino, CA. She is also a private chef and caterer.
Passionate about nutrition and the practice of balanced eating has led Radhika to continue her journey to share the gift of good vegetarian food to those within and outside her community.
Raghu Ram
Raghu Ram completed his TTC in May 2011 and has stayed on as Staff since that time. He has been regularly teaching open classes and is beginning to assist with the beginner courses and weekend intensives. He may be our youngest staff, but his open heart and keen intellect makes him a very evolved soul.
Advanced Asana Variation Weekend
Prana, Pranayama, and Sutras Weekend
Immersion Retreat for All Yogis
Raja Rajeshwari (Kristen Marie Weiner)
Kristen Marie Weiner (Durga/Raja Rajeshwari)'s inspiring personal practice with various yoga styles began in 1993. Her life journey of experiences kept leading her back to the core of yoga, a deep study of the self to uncover ones true nature, ones true purpose in life and beyond. It became a mindful, emotional, physical and spiritual practice. Kristen completed TTC with Sivananda, 2009 and another TTC with AURA Wellness Center. Kristen is the founder and visionary of Deafhood Yoga, 2010, with a home-based studio in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is a native. She completed the Advanced Sadha Practice and became a certified meditation teacher in 2011. Deafhood Yoga continues to be a process toward centering. Just Be.
Rev. Peter Rood
Peter was ordained in 1994 and became rector of Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Westchester in Los Angeles in 2002. He is active in peace and justice causes in his local area and is engaged in and enriched by dialogue with those of other faiths. He is the director of the World Community for Christian Meditation, California Center; a board member of The Guibord Center, Religion Inside Out; and a member of the Hindu-Episcopal Dialogue Group of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. He also coordinates a very active Community Garden in the church grounds.
Robin D. Carnes
Robin D. Carnes, MBA, E-RYT 500, President, Warriors at Ease, LLC
Since 2006, Robin has served as the yoga and iRest® instructor for a Defense Department PTSD treatment program at Walter Reed Medical Center, and was the instructor for the first feasibility study of yoga nidra for servicemembers with PTSD symptoms. She is a certified iRest yoga nidra instructor and has produced three yoga nidra meditation CDs which have helped thousands of people de-stress.
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Sachdev
Sachdev began playing the Bansuri when he was 14 , and has created a rare form of instant communication with audiences through his music. Unlike many musicians , he has shied away from fusion , finding great pleasure and a sense of immense satisfaction with the rigors of infinite exploration within traditional pure classical Indian music. Beyond his worldwide live performances , Sachdev’s music is thoroughly enjoyed in yoga studios , meditation ashrams , massage rooms , spiritual centers and homes everywhere imaginable. His music is considered an antidote to stress , fatigue and cynicism.Sachdev’s frequent world tours and recordings have won him many laurels and made him an internationally renowned legend respected by musicians and audiences in all realms of world music today.
Sacred Caravan
Sacred Caravan is two loving couples who sing and play music that glorifies the transcendent joy of the Universe. Teed Rockwell, a student of Hindustani Masters Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Ustad Shahid Parvez, is the only person in the world who plays Indian Music on his customized Touchstyle Veena (AKA Chapman Stick). Diana Stork (Harp and Vocals) can be heard on dozens of albums, including "Harpestry" on Universal Records, and "Sacred Light" on the At Peace Music label. She has been a frequent performer at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco for their labyrinth walks. Gangadhar Gerhard (Tabla and vocals) has traveled throughout India researching and singing Kirtan vocal music, and has performed with Jai Uttal, Bhagavan Das, and Allen Ginsberg. Rhonda Gerhard is a vocalist, yoga nidra teacher and psychotherapist. Together they create a sound which adds a new dimension to Kirtan Singing and Sacred Instrumental Music.
For more information, and music samples see:
www.myspace.com/teedrockwell
Sadasiva (Sam Geppi)
Sam Geppi is a Vedic Astrologer, Yoga and Meditation Instructor. He is the main instructor for the Astroved University of Vedic Sciences Certification Program. Astroved is the largest Indian remedial company in the world. Sadasiva has taught extensively on Ayurveda and Vedic astrology created home study courses for both Vaidyas (Ayurvedic Practitioners) and students. He has written the popular book “The Ascendant-108 Planets of Vedic Astrology” - a book that transcends systems, teaching the power of classical planetary rulerships. He also publishes articles about astrology in Yoga and Astrology magazines and speak at conferences all over the country. He has 25 years of Vedic Study and experience. He was recently awarded the titles of Jyotish Kovid and Jyotish Visharada from the CVA - their highest awards. He is also a certified Hatha yoga and Raja Yoga Instructor since 2001 through the Sivanada Yoga Vedanta Center lineage. Visit his website for more information on vedic astrology and Ayurveda: http://ayurvedaastrologyclasses.com
Sankara (Clayton Montgomery)
Sankara (Clayton Montgomery)hails from USA. He is a Sivananda Yoga Teacher, serving as the main Hatha Yoga teacher at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm, Grass Valley, CA, and has been assistant teacher in many Yoga Teacher's Training Courses (TTC) at the ashram. He took the TTC in Grass Valley in 2006 and the Advanced TTC in Grass Valley in 2008.
He is also serving as Swami Sitaramananda's assistant and has traveled with her to Vietnam and Cambodia. Sankara is a very dedicated Hatha yogi, with a passion for the mat and the scriptures.
Sankara (Clement Lam)
Sankara took his TTC in 2005 and came back to complete his ATTC at the Yoga Farm in 2010. Since that time he has been serving as a karma yogi and teacher in many programs, Including TTCs at the Yoga Farm and in Vietnam! Additionally he has studied Ayurveda healing and Marma point therapy.
Saraswati (Stacie Dooreck)
Certified Sivananda Yoga Instructor since 1995, Gentle Integral Yoga Certified and a Kundalini Yoga and Prenatal Certified Instructor. Stacie has been creating new chair yoga programs for senior homes, hospitals and corporations in the bay area, NM and now in Miami. She was featured most recently on CBS Ch. 4 News Health Watch as “breathing new life into South Florida seniors” for her chair yoga classes.
Shakti
Shakti took her TTC in 2007 at the Yoga Farm. Since that time she has been in service to the Sivananda organization serving as full-time staff in various Sivananda ashrams and centers, and a devoted karma yogi on various projects. She holds a Master of Public Health degree and is extremely interested in applying yoga techniques in developing a positive outlook to life. Her speciality in yoga is assisting Durga Leela with Yoga of Recovery Courses.
Shambhu Das
Shambhu Das lived locally in Nevada City and has been coming to the Yoga Farm for many years as a guest and karma yogi before deciding to take TTC in Oct. 2010. Every since TTC he has stayed on as Staff and has taught many open classes, beginner courses, and Prana & Pranayama weekends. He helps out in all facets of the operation of the ashram, from building & maintenance, to office & advertising and is indeed a multi-talented individual.
Meditation Retreat - Intro. to Meditation
Meditation Retreat - Intro. to Meditation
Beginner's Yoga Intensive Weekend
Prana, Pranayama, and Sutras Weekend
Prana, Pranayama, and Yuba River Weekend
Immersion Retreat for All Yogis
Prana, Pranayama, and Yuba River
Prana, Pranayama, and Yuba River
Prana, Pranayama, and Yuba River
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 has encouraged her to create a distinct style of her own. Shreelata has also mastered the dance form of Kuchipoodi from Guru Krishnamoorthi.
Gifted with a slim figure and an attractive stage presence, Shreelata has captivated her audiences in India and around the world. She has given over 150 stage and TV performances in over 20 countries including India, North and South Americas, France, Republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan in former USSR, Australia, South-East Asia and East Africa and has shared this rich cultural heritage of India with the local people there. Shreelata has participated in premier dance festivals held in the different states of India. She played the lead role of Ardhanari in Lalgudi Jayaramans dance drama, Jaya Jaya Devi that toured 25 cities of USA and Canada.
Her attractive style, expressive movements and fleeting footwork have won her many awards and titles. Bharat Kalachar, Madras, awarded her the title of Yuva Kala Bharathi in 1996. She was adjudged the finest young dancer in 1991 and again in 1993. In recognition of her talent she has also been awarded the titles of Natyananmani and Natyaratna.
Apart from being an active performer in the dance circuit, Shreelata is also a contemporary teacher of Bharatha Natyam in the pure classical style. She has founded Vishwa Shanthi, a dance school and an organization that promotes peace through dance and other allied arts.
www.shreelatasuresh.com
Shyam Das (Tuen Ping Yang)
Shyam Das (Tuen Ping Yang) took the Yoga Teacher's Training Course and Advanced Yoga Teacher's Training Course in Grass Valley, CA at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm under Swami Sitaramananda. He has been instrumental in bringing 60 Taiwanese to the Yoga Farm for a Yoga Retreat as well as another group to Da Lat, Vietnam. Shyam Das has authored many books on Yoga and is a very dedicated yogi intent on serving the Chinese and Tiawanese community with the gift of Sivananda classical teachings of Hatha Yoga and Yoga Philosophy. He was a consultant for the Chinese Yoga Association in Taiwan.
Shyam Das is originally from China, and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA, where he has worked as a film director.
Sita Chaitanya
Sita Chaitanya is a senior staff of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat with over 25 years of experience teaching yoga and yoga teachers' training courses. She has been directing fasting retreats for many years and shares much experience in guiding and supporting people as they go on this transformative journey.
Sorrel Weiss
Sorrel is a Nutritionist, Ayurveda Diet & Lifestyle Counselor, Natural Food Chef, Organic Gardener & Yogini. Sorrel was raised on an organic farm & has been cooking healthy food since she was a little girl. She is passionate about promoting healthy living & being in harmony with nature. She loves plants & their healing properties, most especially as food. She believes everyone has within them the natural ability to create healing food that tastes delicious & it brings her great joy to help bring it out.
Stephen Barr
Stephen Barr, L.Ac.,
Dipl.Ac.,(NCCAOM), is a
licensed acupuncturist
practicing in Tahoe City,
CA since 1976. He has
developed and refined
these methods with
thousands of clients and
taught them in seminars
the past 13 years.
Stephen Longfellow Fiske
Stephen is a long time friend of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Organization. He met Swami Vishnu-devananda in 1973 and was invited by Swamiji to come to Sivananda Ashrams over the course of many years to give concerts and workshops on the topic of peace and yoga. Stephen has produces 9 albums of his own music, the most recent being Earth Anthem, and is the author of The Art of Peace, published by New Paradigm books. He is a multitalented individual whose dedication to peace, humanitarian, environmental and spiritual concerns has always found expression through his artistic pursuits. Recently ordained as an Interfaith Minister, Stephen is also the founder and producer of the Venice Eco Fest, which in its 3 year existence has become the largest outdoor ecological festival in the Los Angeles area.
Sundaram
Sundaram completed his TTC in October 2011. Before that he was a Temp-Staff for more than 6 months working on Grounds & Maintenance. Since finishing TTC he has begun teaching open classes and will start assisting Beginners courses.
Beginner's Yoga Intensive Weekend
Beginner's Yoga Intensive Weekend
Prana, Pranayama, and Yuba River
Swami Medhananda Puri
Swami Medhananda Puri is a senior monk in the renowned Kailash Ashram in Rishikesh, India. His knowledge of Hindu scriptures, along with his ability to explain Vedantic topics in a lucid, friendly, and humorous way, make him a gifted Vedanta teacher. This will be the first time that he teaches in the West.
Swami Narayanananda
Swami Narayanananda, who hails from England, is a Yoga and Meditation teacher for 10 years in the US where he served at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in California, the New York Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, and the Sivananda Ashram in Woodbourne, Catskills, NY. He is presently the director of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Chicago.
Swami Omkarananda
Swami Omkarananda is a radiant Yogini renunciate who has more than 20 years of experience in Yoga and meditation. She is the current director of the Sivananda Los Angeles Yoga Center and was assistant director at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm for many years. She had a medical background in England and hails from Australia originally. She earned her Certificate in Permaculture Design and Advanced Permaculture from Mid West Permaculture and is now passionate about bringing Yoga and the Environment together at this exciting time of Transition. Her practical lectures are about Yoga philosophy, Vedanta and how to deal with emotions and mind in times of transition.
Yoga Teacher Training Certification (TTC)
Yoga Teacher Training Certification (TTC)
Self Knowledge: Yogic Dharma Course
Interfaith - Death and Dying - Symposium
West Coast Teachers Meeting: Symposium on Social Engagement & Yoga
Swami Padmapadananda
Swami Padmapadananda was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and began his yoga practice in 1970. He is a senior disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda and was initiated as a sannyasi in 1979. Noted for his heart and humor, he is by nature a 'Bhakta', one who is easily drawn to Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of devotion). Swami Padmapadananda has directed/co-directed Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers in Israel, London, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the Yoga Ranch in upstate New York. He presently resides at the Sivananda Yoga Farm.
Yoga Teacher Training Certification (TTC)
Meditation Retreat - Intro. to Meditation
Meditation Retreat - Intro. to Meditation
Memorial Day Weekend - Kirtan with Shakti Rising
Meditation Retreat - Intro. to Meditation
Bhakti Yoga: Classical Indian Music and Kirtan Weekend
Easter Retreat: Yoga and Sacred Healing
West Coast Teachers Meeting: Symposium on Social Engagement & Yoga
Swami Vishnudevananda Mahasamadhi
Swami Pranavananda
Swami Pranavananda took the vow of Sannyas in 1995. He is a gifted teacher who is the main hatha yoga teacher at the ashram and teaches the Anatomy and Physiology section of our Teachers Training Course. He co-directed the San Francisco Center for five years.
A talented musician, he enjoys leading kirtan and bhajan chanting sessions during satsang.
Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Certification (ATTC)
Yoga Teacher Training Certification (TTC)
Yoga Teacher Training Certification (TTC)
Meditation Retreat - Intro. to Meditation
Self Knowledge: Crest Jewel of Discrimination
Easter Retreat: Yoga and Sacred Healing
Yoga Teacher Prep Training Course
Meditation Retreat - Intro. to Meditation
Meditation Retreat - Intro. to Meditation
Yoga Teacher Prep Training Course
Beginner's Yoga Intensive Weekend
Swami Sitaramananda
Swami Sitaramananda is a Yoga and Meditation teacher for more than 25 years. She is presently the main teacher of the Yoga Teachers Training Courses offered at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm, Grass Valley, CA where she is serving as the director. She also teaches at other Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashrams & Centers in India and Nassau, Bahamas, Asia, as well as Centers along the West Coast USA, including her birth country, Vietnam.
She is a direct disciple of Swami Vishnu-devananda. She was nominated by her teacher as Goraknath acharya (spiritual teacher, one of the holders of the lineage) in 1989. Her lectures are based on the four classical paths of yoga as well as the 5 points of Health.
Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Certification (ATTC)
Yoga Teacher Training Certification (TTC)
Yoga Teacher Training Certification (TTC)
Yoga of Recovery for Counselors
Ayurveda and Yoga Wellness Counselor Certification
4th OF JULY: Karma, Reincarnation and Life after Life
Self Knowledge: Yogic Dharma Course
Self Knowledge: Foundations of Vedanta
LABOR DAY WEEKEND - 13th Annual Vedic Astrology Conference
Yoga Teacher Prep Training Course
Master Sivananda Birthday Celebration
West Coast Teachers Meeting: Symposium on Social Engagement & Yoga
10-Day Vedanta and Silence Course
Navaratri: Celebration of the Divine Mother
Thanksgiving: Yoga Psychology Symposium
Yoga Teacher Training Certification (TTC)
Sylvia Nakkach
Silvia Nakkach, MA, MMT, named by Utne Reading magazine as one of 40 cutting-edge artists that will shake the art world in the new millennium. Silvia has cultivated a voice that transport the listeners into the heart of devotion, she is an award-winning composer, psychologist, author, and pioneer in the field of sound, transformation of consciousness, and music shamanism. She is the founding director of Vox Mundi School of the Voice, an international school devoted to teaching and preserving sacred music traditions, with centers and training in Bahia and Rio, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, and California. She is the creator, faculty, and main academic advisor for the Sound, Voice, Music Healing Certificate at the California Institute of Integral Studies, in San Francisco. She is also the founder of the The Path of Dhrupad Singing School in the States. She holds Master Degrees in Psychology, Psychodrama, Music Therapy, and Music Composition from Mills College. For more than 26 years Silvia has studied classical Indian music with maestro Ali Akbar Khan and Dhrupad singing with Dr. Ritwik Sanyal. An internationally accredited specialist in cross-cultural music therapy training, Nakkach has pioneered the integration of ancient sacred sound with contemporary practices of chanting, somatic and music psychotherapy. She has been involved in clinical research in the areas of micro-tonal singing and uses of the voice to induce meditative states. Her work has been integrated in a comprehensive curriculum of scientific vocal and sound healing applications known as The Yoga of the Voice�, a training that offers national certification. Silvia's interest in indigenous music cosmology and spirituality brought her to collaborate with many spiritual masters of Indian and South American shamanic traditions. In addition to published articles. Silvia is the contributor author of various books, including Music and the Human Process, Music in Human Adaptation, The Transpersonal Consciousness, Music Therapy and the End of Life. Silvia is presently working on her latest book. She has released several CD albums that have worldwide distribution. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit her work at : www.voxmundiproject.com
Synn Kune Loh
Synn Kune Loh is an international lecturer, quantum thinker, philosopher, psychologist, visionary artist, classical Feng Shui designer and healer with a rare blend of East/West thinking and a brilliant concept of time, space, conditions and destiny.
He is originally from China and resides in Vancouver, Canada with his wife, Deviyani. He is famous in Mexico for his innovative ideas and designs. He is available for personal consultations on creative solutions, and will help you to work with your business ideas, life ideas and how to realize them. His email is synnkune@hotmail.com.
HOLIDAY RETREAT: Yoga for Peace & Evoloution of Consciousness
Tara Durga Devi
Tara Durga Devi has been teaching yoga and meditation for 32 years and is the co-founder and owner of 'The Yoga Center', an affiliated yoga center of Sivananda system, in Stockton, CA. She has been trained in Yoga Therapy, and is a graduate of the Sivananda Yoga teacher's training course (TTC) and Advanced Yoga teacher's training course(ATTC). Tara Durga Devi is one of the rare yoga teachers trained by Swami Vishnu-Devananda, with whom she took TTC in 1976.
www.stocktonyoga.com
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 fellow devotees, as well as in other ashrams and spiritual communities. For years she held kirtan in her home, and for the past dozen years or so, she has led kirtan formally in yoga studios, spiritual centers, and retreat settings. She has taught workshops and led kirtan on numerous retreats and in satsang with Ram Dass and other spiritual teachers in the U.S. and abroad.
Vasudeva
Vasudeva completed his TTC in Oct. 2010. He is an extraordinary karma yogi. He spent sleepless nights helping to build the new Krishna temple deck, and now he is doing a great job in managing the boutique, as well as helping out in the office. He also enjoys assisting Swami Sitaramananda during her meditation courses.
Yogini Shambhavi
Yogini Shambhavi has an in depth knowledge of inner tantric Yoga for over 15 years and has deep spiritual insights into the working of the inner world. She is an international speaker and teacher along with her partner Dr. Pandit Vamadeva Shastri. She is the author of "Yogini, Unfolding the Goddess Within" and of "Yogic Secrets of the Dark Goddess".
