Our Team
Together with you, the Satsangam LLC community includes its team members, guest instructors and advisors, introduced below.
Together with you, the Satsangam LLC community includes its team members, guest instructors and advisors, introduced below.
Scott Blossom is very grateful to have studied and practiced Eastern traditions of health and healing for more than three decades. He works as Ayurvedic Consultant and educator, Yoga teacher, and licensed Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) practitioner. His primary teachers are Dr. Robert Svoboda, the great Ayurvedic physician and scholar, Jimmy Wei-Yen Chang, pulse and herbal medicine master for TCM, and Hatha Yoga master Zhander Remete, the founder of Shadow Yoga. He co-founded an integrative clinic in Berkeley, CA with naturopath Robert Duplain, ND. www.doctorblossom.com. Scott teaches in multiple Satsangam courses.
Erin Casperson has spent over a decade living and working in the Kripalu School of Ayurveda in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. From student, to intern, to teacher, to Academic Coordinator to Dean, she has dedicated her existence to accessing the truth of who she is and guiding others on this path. She is an Ayurvedic Health Counselor and a 500-hour Kripalu Yoga teacher, Ayurveda Yoga Specialist and 500-hour Ayurveda Yoga Teacher.
As a lifelong student Erin has continued her studies in Ayurveda both at Kripalu and in India. But her greatest teacher is life. The opportunity to show up again and again and again. She sits in the inquiry of what it means to be alive, how to thrive and what it means to occupy space in this universe. Erin is deeply interested in how her relationship to self, others, and the planet brings about revolutionary change. What Erin has come to most appreciate about the practices of Ayurveda, yoga and mindfulness is the inquiry into how simplicity of daily practices done over long periods of time generate enormous internal transformation.
A passionate, heartfelt, witty and enthusiastic teacher, Erin loves sharing how the ancient practices of Ayurveda can be applied to modern-day living. A student of planet earth and the universe, she spends as much time outdoors as possible. From walking the path in her backyard, gardening, mowing the lawn or navigating the Berkshire woods. Erin invites herself and others to develop awe and wonder of our natural habitat. When not geeking out on Ayurveda or tromping around New England with her dog and partner you will find her in the kitchen, reading a book, taking rest or finding a spot in the sun to keep warm.
Emily Glaser, RN is a clinical practitioner of Ayurveda and a lifelong student of Jyotiṣa – the ancient Indian art of divination. Emily was trained by mystical doctors and healers who guided her to fine tune her capacity to perceive the many levels of reality that make up our human experience. Her primary teachers have been Dr. Vasant Lad, Dr. A.R. Ramadas, and Penny Farrow. With a background in clinical nursing, Emily is continually engaged in the process of learning and personal development. Her whole-being enrichment approach to healing bridges the East-West paradigm. Emily teaches the Kitchen alchemy segment of Satsangam’s Embodied Ayurveda & Yoga course and provides live integration support for the Foundations of Ayurveda segment in that course as well.
Ivy Ingram is an Ayurveda practitioner and teacher. She was introduced to Ayurveda in her first yoga teacher training in 2002. Captivated by its holistic view of human healing and potential, she subsequently studied with Dr. Vasant Lad in his 2-year program in New Mexico, USA. She then studied with the physicians of Vaidyagrama Healing Village in Tamil Nadu, India, for six months, exploring Ayurveda theory, nutrition and therapeutic practices. An advanced Ayuryoga teacher (500-hour level), she is also a student of Vedic chant and Sanskrit. She has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Boston College, a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, and an enduring commitment to helping others find their unique path to health, peacefulness and joy.
Kimberly Kubicke completed her initial Ayurvedic training with Dr. Vasant Lad at The Ayurvedic Institute. She went on to study Ayurvedic nutrition with Amadea Morningstar and hormonal health with Dr. Claudia Welch. She studies the Ashtanga Hrydayam with several Ayurvedic doctors in India. She is also a certified yoga teacher and has a background in Western herbalism and energy healing.
Aside from seeing clients in private practice and offering workshops in her community, she has run several online Ayurveda certification programs; overseeing the development, curriculum and implementation of the programs as well as teaching in them.
Kimberly graduated with honors from Rutgers University with a double major in Sociology and Human Ecology. She spent years working in social services and mental health, supporting people in helping themselves. Kimberly holds live Q&A sessions to support the integration and learning of the material in Satsangam’s Embodied Ayurveda & Yoga course.
Dr. Ramkumar is a student of Ayurveda and other traditional Indian knowledge systems. Over the last 2 decades, he has given talks and conducted workshops across the world promoting health, happiness and contentment.
Ramkumar is a Founder-Director of Punarnava Ayurveda, an institution committed to “Authentic Ayurveda for Universal Well Being”. Punarnava Ayurveda is currently engaged in the creation of vaidyagrama – an experimental green self-sustaining authentic Ayurveda healing community on the outskirts of Coimbatore in South India. (www.vaidyagrama.com)
Claudia Welch is a student of life and medicine, and a pilgrim in a living Indian spiritual tradition. She has practiced Ayurveda, has worked in Eastern medicine education, is licensed as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, and authored Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life: Achieving Optimal Health and Wellness Through Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine and Western Science and, The Four Qualities of Effective Physicians: Practical Ayurvedic Wisdom for Modern Physicians. Dr. Welch has lectured internationally, exploring how Eastern medicine applies to Women’s Health, and today’s reality in general.
Wynn Werner was a non-profit administrator who, for 28 years, managed and grew an alternative health institute in the United States. He created and worked alongside department teams including front office, education, herbal products, publishing, marketing and massage therapies. Wynn is skilled in management systems, IT, bookkeeping, record keeping and government compliance filings. He was a founding board member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and served on the board of directors for 21 years including terms as president and treasurer. Wynn has taught for several schools and conferences on legalities and risk management in the practice of Ayurveda. He was also involved with a small group that researched, drafted and shepherded into law the New Mexico “Health Freedom Act” in 2009 titled, “The Unlicensed Health Care Practitioner Act.” He Founded Parallax Consulting in California, covering all aspects of small business computer consulting. He was President, RMO, Treasurer, of SLC Development Corporation, licensed general building contractors and Co-partner and RMO in Sunlight Construction, licensed custom home general building contractors, California
Rose Baudin has studied and practiced yoga since the late 60’s and has been teaching for 25 years. She met her mentor Swami Gauribala Giri in Sri Lanka in 1971 and was initiated into the parampara of the Tamil Siddhas in 1984. During the 16 years she lived in India she was instructed in the various schools of Yoga: Integral yoga with Clive Sheridan, Iyengar yoga with Ratanial Shah, Cle Souren, and Shandor Remete and, in 1987, Astanga yoga in Australia with Dena Kingsburg. She has extensive meditation experience under the personal guidance of S.N. Goenka (Vipassana), Zen Master Hogen-san Yamahata, (Soto), Sayadaw U Janaka (Insight Meditation), His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Kalachakra) and Jiddu Krishnamurti. An eclectic education!
During the 16 years she lived in India she was instructed in the various schools of Yoga: Integral yoga with Clive Sheridan, Iyengar yoga with Ratanial Shah, Cle Souren, and Shandor Remete and, in 1987, Astanga yoga in Australia with Dena Kingsburg. She has extensive meditation experience under the personal guidance of S.N. Goenka (Vipassana), Zen Master Hogen-san Yamahata, (Soto), Sayadaw U Janaka (Insight Meditation), His Holiness the Dalai Lama (Kalachakra) and Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Dr. Anuradha Choudry is presently the Coordinator for the Indian Knowledge Systems Division of the Ministry of Education, Government of India at AICTE, New Delhi, and a Faculty at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences as well as a Member of the Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness and the Centre of Excellence for Indian Knowledge Systems at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. A multilingual Sanskritist, she works in the areas of Indian/Yoga Psychology, Philosophy and Culture and is a resource person for national and international organisations. A recipient of the Excellent Young Teacher’s Award at IIT Kharagpur in 2019, she has co-edited and co-authored Perspectives on Indian Psychology and Happiness: Indic Perspectives with Dr. Vinayachandra B. K, Director, Indica Yoga, and together they have also conducted two annual month long Yogathons for the International Yoga Day for Indica Yoga. Dr. Choudry teaches Sanskrit in Satsangam’s Embodied Ayurveda & Yoga course.
Allison’s yoga journey began after a back injury as a performer in the off-Broadway show De La Guarda. Unable to move around at a young age, she took to the philosophy of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras for comfort and perspective. Recovery took several years and allowed for her eventual asana practice to be rooted in and emphasized by India’s wisdom systems.
A Vedic student since 2001, and a graduate of The Body Therapy Institute, Allison completed well over 1000 hours of formalized yoga teacher trainings (Sivananda, Jivamukti, Krishnamacharya) before opening Heart of Yoga School in Carrboro, NC in 2010 which is also the year she met her primary mentor K. Sridhar and began studying with him. She has a BFA in Musical Theater from East Carolina University.
Allison designed an 800-hour Yoga Teacher Training program dedicated to the foundational texts of yoga which offered textual study, introduction to the language of Sanskrit, harmonium instruction, chanting, and the development of a daily prescriptive sadhana.
As an event organizer, she focused on bringing people together at Heart of Yoga School to enjoy her favorite teachers and artists; K. Sridhar, Dr. Robert Svoboda, Sharon Gannon, Edwin Bryant, Prem Sada Sivananda, and more. She led a weekly kirtan for five years, and also organized a weeklong Classical Indian Music Festival.
In recent years she’s presented with the Telluride Yoga Festival, Grand Valley Yoga Fest, and the Stroud Sacred Music Festival in UK. In 2023 she will present her research on how the ragas of Indian music can be used as Jyotishical remedies at the Vaidyagrama Healing Sounds Retreat in South India.
Allison has compiled a variety of Vedic teachings into an online library of courses on subjects like Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Indian Music, The Ramayana, and more. These courses are offered on Teachable at Heart of Yoga School.
Dr. N Gopalakrishan, an award winning research scientist in plant biochemistry, and international presenter, is also an acclaimed scholar in Indian knowledge systems. He has created a National Heritage Center in Thrissur, Kerala, India. His area of special interest is the Vedas. He has authored more than 150 books on different areas of Indian Knowledge systems. He is a guest instructor on Satsangam’s Vedic Threads membership-based online course.
Drdha Vrata Gorrick is an artist born and raised in the US and trained in the traditional arts in South India, bringing the best of both worlds to his creative practice. His work infuses new life into devotional art by combining styles from India and techniques learned from the west while staying within a Vedic tradition.
Drdha believes that the skills we receive are divine blessings that we can use to elevate our consciousness. He strives to create art that surpasses the mundane and is aided by his extensive training in iconometry, iconography, traditional painting and architectural design, as well as skills in lost-wax casting and clay modeling. Drdha’s main source of inspiration is the timeless art and architecture that he experienced during his 15 years of travel and study in India. His commissions range from drawings, paintings and sculptures for homes and temple projects.
In addition to his art projects, Drdha enjoys teaching art and sharing his knowledge through online and in-person classes, workshops and collaborations.
He is a guest instructor on Satsangam’s Vedic Threads membership-based online course.
Kaja Keil is a passionate ayurvedic cook and true inspirer, lifelong student of Ayurveda, Yoga and other Vedic sciences. After first encountering Ayurveda in the late 90s, it remained just a hobby for a dozen years and continued with more serious studies years later. Always with short breaks, consciously leaving time to digest and practice. Most influential persons in her Vedic path among other great teachers have also been since very beginning Dr. Robert Svoboda and Dr. Claudia Welch.
Before dedicating herself fully to Ayurveda Kaja was active in finances and several cultural projects in Estonia, Argentina and Germany, which all gave her valuable experience working with people from different ages, cultures, arts. Living now in Estonia Kaja has conducted various practical workshops, lectures, cooking masterclasses and authored her first Ayurveda book in Estonia called “Tastes of Life. Practical Ayurveda”. Kaja is a guest teacher in the Kitchen Alchemy segment of Satsangam’s Embodied Ayurveda & Yoga course.
Dr. Shubham Kulkarni is a multi dimensional personality- an Ayurvedic consultant , a trained Indian classical singer, an able music therapy practitioner, a competent researcher as well as an entrepreneur. He has successfully conducted clinical research in the field of Ayurveda & music therapy ranging from Insomnia, Stress, Depression to Pregnancy care.
Dr. Shubham has launched 2 mobile applications based on his clinical research developed by his own firm, Musicare. They are 1.Heal With Music & 2. Music Therapy In Pregnancy.
Dr. Shubham has been learning Indian classical music since childhood. He is a disciple of renowned Indian classical vocalist Pt. Shounak Abhisheki. He is a guest instructor on Satsangam’s Vedic Threads membership-based online course.
Simran is first and foremost someone on an exciting life journey to go deeper and discover the mysteries of the Self and the universe. She has a deep and abiding love for Indian aesthetics, craft and culture which has led her to create Paro, a concept brand that celebrates the Vedic cultural heritage of India. She co-founded Nicobar with her husband – a lifestyle brand that celebrates a relaxed and contemporary India. Simran who was the CEO of Good Earth – a 27 year old artisanal brand founded by her mother, celebrating Indian heritage, aesthetics and fine craftsmanship, is now on the board of Good Earth.
Simran holds a BA in History at the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in the History of Art at the University of Bangalore. Her education in art history instilled in her a broader appreciation of the cultural legacies woven into Indian craft histories, and inspired her master’s dissertation about the global economic, cultural, and design impact of Indian chintz. Simran continued her exploration of the world of aesthetics and design to study Product Development and Merchandising from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.
More recently Simran did a certified teacher’s training course on mindful leadership called Search Inside Yourself at SIYLI and is a certified Functional Medicine coach from the FMCA.
Simran is an eternal student and loves to immerse herself in studies of Vedic culture, astrology, cosmology, is fascinated by etymology and archaeology. She lives in Delhi with her husband and two teenage sons.
Dr. Rishi Manivannan hails from a traditional Idiga vishavaidya lineage and completed his schooling at J. Krishnamurthy Foundation India, and after completing his formal Graduation in Ayurveda (B.A.M.S.) and Chinese medicine (M.D.) he spent 3 years in the forests of Javadhu, Vellore with Siddha Yogi K.P. Arjunan, 47th Guru Sri Atri Maharshi Siddha lineage, learning the occult and practical sciences of Shaiva Tantra, Vaasi Yoga, Nadi Vidya, Jyotisha, Panchapakshi, Vastu and Silambam in the Gurukula system of education after which he was adopted by Padmashri P.R. Krishnakumar who initiated him into Srividya Tantra and Ashtavaidyan tradition of Ayurveda and had spent five years working closly with him at Arya Vaidya Pharmacy and is now currently working on completing his Guru’s vision by setting up ‘Garden of Peace’, an Ayurveda Village that comprises of a Gurukula for young children, an organic agricultural and herbal farm, sustainable food production and a centre for traditional knowledge.
He is also the Editorial Assistant for ‘Science of Life’ Journal and is currently working alongside scientists from AYUSH, AIIMS and Cambridge in bringing a new light to the science of Ayurveda through translational research in Bio-physics and Bio-energetics of Ayurveda & Siddha. He is a guest instructor on Satsangam’s Vedic Threads membership-based online course.
Robert Moses has 50 years’ experience as a teacher of yoga and advaita vedanta. Born in South Africa, Robert studied architecture, travelled abroad and, in 1972, discovered yoga in the tradition of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, India. He served in the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers for 22 years, teaching yoga teacher training courses worldwide. He co-publishes Namarupa: Categories of Indian Thought, a magazine about the philosophies and arts of India. Robert also guides pilgrimages to sacred places of India. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Robert has been teaching Pranayama and philosophy courses online to students from around the world. He is a guest instructor on Satsangam’s Vedic Threads membership-based online course.
Carolina Prada is a Colombian national who has avidly explored movement traditions, such as dance and martial arts. She has been living in India and pursuing both Chhau and Odissi since 2008, and Kalaripayattu since 2018. She is one of the only female soloists of this generation to research, choreograph, teach, and perform Mayurbhanj Chhau professionally in both the female and the male style. She has been striving to promote and develop this less known martial dance form from Odisha (Intangible Cultural Heritage), by the hand of her Guru, Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee, Janmejoy Sai Babu.
As a former ICCR scholar, she achieved a 4 year certificate course in Odissi dance, under Smt. Priyambada Pattnaik. Currently she is perfecting her technique and abhinaya by the hand of Smt. Geetanjali Acharya, a direct disciple of Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Following the Srijan style of odissi, she has also attended several workshops under the guidance of Sri Ratikant Mohapatra and Smt. Sujata Mohaptra. This study of Indian classical dance has been a years-long passion, driven by her interest in the profound concepts of rasa, bhava, and the fundamentals of dance as a sadhana, and a spiritual path, as stated in the Natyashastra.
Her search for a deeper understanding of Indian martial practices, and the connection between the mind, the body, the subtle body and its life giving energies, led her to take up Kalaripayattu, a martial art from Kerala at Kalarigram, and to be initiated into Sri Vidya Tantra by Sri Lakshmanam Gurukkal. This study has been an essential complement in her process as a conscious movement practitioner and it reflects in her original choreographies and performances.
Carolina has performed extensively in national and international festivals where she has received critical acclaim. Some of them include: Khajuraho Festival, Kala Ghora, Konark festival, Delhi international Arts Festival, Madrid’s Sonika Bollywood, NYC’s Erasing Borders and the Nehru Center in London, to name a few.
In the line of teaching, she has shared her dance knowledge, choreographed and designed syllabus’ in reputed schools in New Delhi. As the pioneer of these two dance forms in her own country, and the first ICCR dance scholar from Colombia, she has opened her own company there, OdissiYaatra, with which she has presented several dance productions, and holds workshops and seminars every year. Her gurus and her dedication have brought out a unique artist in her, placing her among highlighted performers. She is a guest instructor on Satsangam’s Vedic Threads membership-based online course.
This is a moving, short video of Carolinaji
Navneet Raman is from an old family of Varanasi which has in the last 100 years contributed to the Culture and Heritage of the city. His Great Grandfather was the first municipal chairman of Varanasi in the beginning of 20th Century. They have been founder Trustees of intuitions like Banaras Hindu University, Kashi Vidyapeeth, and Central University of Tibetan Studies. Navneet has been working on Cultural and Heritage preservation for the last 20 years in Varanasi on the lines of continuing the legacy of the family. The family has contributed to the Bharat Kala Bhawan Museum collection and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya abbreviated CSMVS and formerly named the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, Mumbai collection.
Navneet Raman is the founder of Kriti Gallery and Artist Residency. He has been the Convenor of INTACH Varanasi Chapter from 2006-2009. He is a co-founder of Banaras Cultural Foundation, a non for profit cultural organisation engaged in cultural exchange and education. He is a member of ICOMOS India. Banaras Cultural Foundation has started the Banaras Museum of Contemporary Art and Navneet is a member of the Board of Directors as its Creative Director and Chairman.
Kriti Gallery has had the honour to exhibit photographer like Fazal Sheikh, Dayanita Singh, Kenro Izu, Anja Bruehling and Navneet has extensively worked with Robert Polidori for the last 15 years on his various India projects.
Navneet has been supporting Indian Craftsman though his various initiatives to bring the crafts to the highest levels in museums worldwide.
At Kriti Gallery he has been instrumental in showing art from around the world in the historic city of Varanasi. Kriti Gallery is supporting the Banaras Museum of Contemporary Art through its collection.
Kriti Gallery was founded in 2005. Banaras Cultural Foundation started 2015 ( a not for profit organisation) and Banaras Museum of Contemporary Art was set up in 2018 which is part of the foundation.
Since 2000 he has been working with schools on various education and environment programs. He has been bringing interdisciplinary studies and project to schools through workshops and long term interventions. He is a guest instructor on Satsangam’s Vedic Threads membership-based online course.
Laura earned a BA (Religion and German) from Bowdoin College ’83 and a MA in Acupuncture from the Worsley Institute of Classical Acupuncture (FL) & The College of Traditional Acupuncture (UK) ’92. She studied many years with JR Worsley, who brought an ancient root of Chinese medicine to the West from China in the 1960’s. This is a living tradition of medicine, still handed directly from teacher to student through time. Unlike in the West, the sacred root of the tradition has not been cut in thousands of years of practice. She has been in private clinical practice since 1992 and has taught post-graduate 5 Element Theory and Clinical Supervision groups since 2005.
Laura apprenticed with a Master Acupuncturist from 1992-2006. Fueled by her devotion to find cause and treatment for illness in her patients, this apprenticeship pointed her upstream, back and in to the ancient protocols of Taoist Medicine. In time, these alchemical protocols returned her, in the presence of her spiritual teacher in 2011, to this esoteric tradition of light, the Songs of Creation, and the transmission from teacher to teacher.
Laura apprenticed and worked with Alexandra Merrill and Joyce Weir for 20 years in training groups of women; the practice of female authority rooted in the forgotten body of the feminine.
In 2012 The Unseen Hand: Medicine from Antiquity was formed and Laura began teaching full time. The school houses a living esoteric tradition that watches over life through the sacred ‘Songs of Creation’ in service to our Source. The school was built in response to a direct request to Laura in 2011 from her teacher, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Sufi teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order, to bring a very particular body of mystical teachings alive in this time.
The mystical feminine mends the weave of life in an individual, a group, and in the Earth herself. It is Her mercy, Her beauty, Her forgiveness, that hold the key to the work of redemption so needed now. This tradition works directly in the magic of creation, weaving love into the hearts of people, love into the story of life. The school has been carefully built to collect and to offer these teachings for many years to come.
Laura is the first President and Program Director of The Unseen Hand: Medicine from Antiquity. The Unseen Hand is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. She currently lives in Maine with her family, devoting their work to the golden thread of teachers that return this medicine to our time. She is a guest instructor on Satsangam’s Vedic Threads membership-based online course.
Joshua Michael Schrei is a writer, teacher, and a lifelong student of the cosmologies and mythologies of the world — in particular the Indian subcontinent. Throughout a lifetime of teaching, study, meditation and yogic practice, wilderness immersion, art, music, and public speaking, Josh has sought to navigate the living, animate space of the imagination and advocate for a world that prioritizes imaginative vision. Josh has taught intensive courses in cosmology, mythology, and somatic disciplines for 16 years. He has lectured on art, aesthetics, and mythology at museums and contemporary arts centers around the world. His writing has appeared in several books and he is the founder of The Emerald Podcast, featuring interviews with bestselling and award-winning authors and luminaries. He is currently engaged in an ongoing study and documentary project on the animist goddess traditions of the Indian subcontinent and their relevance to understanding embodied landscapes.
Vinay Srinivasan has studied Bharathanatyam under Smt. Hema & Krithika Rajagopalan for the past 24 years. Having completed his Arangetram in August 2007, Vinay continues to perform as both a solo artist & with the acclaimed Natya Dance Theatre at various prestigious venues both national & international — to name a few: the Chase Manhattan Plaza, NYC; the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park; The Harris Theatre; DCA’s Storefront Theater; respected institutions such as Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, as part of the December Music Festival in Chennai, India. Through his performances he has won appreciation for his crisp Nritta and involved abhinaya by critics and connoisseurs. His training in Carnatic music, especially the knowledge of ragas and swaras, further enhances his involvement with the music to form a deeper emotional connection with the work being presented. Vinay is also a studio artist and enjoys studying symbolism in ancient Dravidian art and architecture — He finds it interesting to connect these experiences (be it dance, music, or art) at a philosophical level to ultimately guide his spiritual growth. Alongside being an artist, Vinay also balances his day job as UX Designer in the Bay Area.
Neha Tiwari’s interest in languages and cultures drew her to the field of language learning and pedagogy after she graduated from IIT Kanpur in 2008. She offers online courses in Hindi, Urdu, Awadhi, Sanskrit, and Persian, while also pursuing her own studies in these and other languages, and in linguistics and literature. In the last eleven years, Neha has worked with students, colleagues, and professionals from numerous universities and organizations across the world. In addition to languages and literature, Neha has a deep interest in both ancient and modern systems of knowledge pertaining to all domains of life and continues to explore these with the help and guidance of her gracious teachers. She is a guest instructor on Satsangam’s Vedic Threads membership-based online course.
Kapila Venu is a practitioner of Kutiyattam, – one of the oldest living theatre traditions in the world, from Kerala, India. She is a disciple of the legendary Kutiyattam maestro Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar and the renowned exponents Guru G Venu and Guru Usha Nangiar. She is also a practitioner of Mohiniyattam dance, which she learned from her mother Guru Nirmala Paniker. For more than two decades, she has travelled the world performing, teaching, and giving workshops on Kutiyattam. She has studied with renowned Japanese avant-garde dancer Min Tanaka and has performed in two of his choreographies, – Rite of the Forest (2005) and Thottangal (2007). She has also long collaborated with internationally recognised artists and scholars such as Dr. Eberhard Fischer, Peter Oskarson, and Wally Cardona. She is a guest lecturer at the National School of Drama in New Delhi and a Master Teacher at the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore. A film on the life and work of Kapila Venu, titled “Kapila,” directed by Sanju Surendran, won the National Award for Best Cultural Film at the 62nd National Film Awards of the Government of India in 2014. Kapila was awarded the highest honour for young artists by the Government of India – the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, the Kumar Gandharva Samman of the Government of Madhya Pradesh and the Sanskriti Award of the Sanskriti Pratisthan.
Vijayalakshmi Vijayakumar a multi-faceted personality is the Managing Director of Vigirom Pvt Ltd, a company that creates fragrances and flavours and trades in aroma raw materials, Director of Madhavi Greens an organic produce farm.
Director of Center for Soft Power INDIC academy and Founder Trustee of Heritage Trust. Curates and organizes iconic annual events GUDIYA SAMBHRAMA the Bengaluru temple festival, over 5 week-ends in multiple temples, with over 50 artists, DIVYA VARNA, traditional art exhibition in temple venues with 35 artists, SRISHTI SAMBHRAMA, the Earth Mother Festival for eco-sensitive young adults, the HERITAGE DRIVE a Motorsport event to heritage sites with tree planting.
Vijayalakshmi a graduate in Literature, Psychology and Economics, learnt and performed Bharatanatyam, played state level Soft Ball, one of the first certified private pilots of Karnataka, A member of the Chinmaya Education Cell she also ran Chinmaya Yuva Kendra classes. Worked with AIM for Seva, Swami Dayananda Saraswathi in conducting an annual “Thinkers Meet” of scholars, intellectuals and writers.
A former member of the Central Film Censor Board and a member of the National Advisory Board for Philately. A member of the Sustainibility commission of the Federation of Motorsports India.
She is free-lance designer and copywriter, has written and designed short stories for children and has authored a historical fiction to be published soon.
Nina Rao learned traditional chants (bhajans) from her grandfather in a village in south India when she was nine years old. The chants quietly stayed with her until she rediscovered chanting with Krishna Das in New York in 1996. For many years Nina has been Krishna Das’ business manager and accompanies him musically as well. In 2007, she recorded the track ‘Nina Chalisa’ on Krishna Das’ CD “Flow of Grace”; January 2013 she released her debut album, “Antarayaami-Knower of All Hearts”; August 2018 her second album “Anubhav” was released. Nina regularly leads kirtan, workshops, and retreats in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York and beyond. For more information visit NinaRaoChant.com. She is also chairwoman of non-profit Saving Wild Tigers, which supports conservation of wild tigers and all species in their natural habitat in India. In addition, she hosts a guest podcast series on the Be Here Now Network exploring spirituality, practice, and conservation of wilderness and Nature.
Frederick Smith retired in 2021 after more than three decades as Professor of Sanskrit & Classical Indian Religions at the University of Iowa. He has spent nearly two decades in India, as a student and researcher in Chennai and Pune (at Pune University and Deccan College), then lived for many years in Braj and the Garhwal Himalaya. He obtained his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. His main areas of research are Vedic sacrificial (śrauta) ritual, deity and spirit possession in India, the devotional philosophy and practice of the Pushtimarg, founded by Vallabhacharya around the year 1500, Yoga, and the Mahabharata, the Indian national epic. He is presently the chief editor of a multinational project that is translating the entire unabridged Mahabharata. He has published several books, more than 75 academic papers and hundreds of reviews and other shorter pieces. He is pictured here with his life partner and amanuensis, Papageno, who also chants Sanskrit (in addition to singing Mozart opera arias). Both Fred and Papageno are avid supporters of Satsangam.
Shantala Sriramaiah teaches Veda recitation to a growing global community of students through her online platform and live classes. Inspired by her mother Saroja, who taught chanting classes in their home for over 30 years, she is very grateful to the early exposure to Sanskrit chanting and Indian scriptures. She has been mentored by several Vedic scholars, in particular Sri M.S.Sreenivasan of The Challakere Brothers and loves sharing the practice of Veda chanting in this living lineage from Karnataka, India.
Dr. Robert Svoboda is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. He is the author of over a dozen books and has served as Adjunct Faculty at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM, and at Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA. You can find out more about his work and how to study online with him at www.drsvoboda.com and follow him on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
