About
A practice shaped over time
My path into the Vedic sciences began in 1998 through the study of Yoga and Āyurveda. What started as a personal exploration gradually grew into the foundation of my professional life, expanding to include teaching, therapeutic bodywork, Jyotiṣa, Vedic chanting and Agni Hotra.
Over the years, these practices have shaped both my life and my work. I've come to see spiritual evolution less as reaching a destination and more as a gradual refinement of attention, perception, and the way I meet myself and others. The Vedic traditions describe this unfolding over lifetimes. In daily life, I notice it in quieter ways: more patience, more honesty, and a growing ease with open questions rather than rushing to answer them.
Living and traveling across the world has brought me into contact with different cultures, belief systems, and ways of being. These experiences continue to deepen my appreciation for both our differences and our shared humanity. They inform how I listen, connect, and work with others.
As my own spiritual growth continues, so does my work, guided by what I learn through practice, self-reflection, and all the beings I encounter. I look forward to meeting you on the path.
Gratitude
The teachers and traditions behind the work
I have been fortunate to learn from teachers who have given generously of their knowledge, and from traditions whose depth extends far beyond any individual practitioner.
Jyotiṣa
Hart de Fouw, who trained in the lineage of K. L. Mantri, was my first formal teacher in Jyotiṣa and gave me the foundation for much of what followed. My studies later continued with James Kelleher and other teachers, alongside the classical texts and the different approaches within the tradition.
Therapeutic Bodywork
I am grateful to the many bodyworkers who have taught me to listen through my hands. My path began with Marma Chikitsa, expanded into massage and Polarity Therapy, and continues with CranioSacral Therapy and SomatoEmotional Release through the Upledger Institute.
Vedic Chanting
Shantala Sriramaiah of Veda Studies is my teacher in Vedic chanting, in the teaching tradition of Sri M.S. Sreenivasan and the Challakere Brothers of Karnataka. It is an honor to learn from her within this living Mysore paramparā, and to receive a tradition in which precision of recitation and understanding are carried together.
Agni Hotra
Ellie Hadsall introduced me to Agni Hotra in a way that made this traditional Vedic fire ceremony practical and accessible. Her teaching showed how simply it can be brought into everyday life, and emphasized its role in nurturing the individual, the Earth, and the surrounding environment.
Yoga Āsana
My practice, learning, and teaching of āsana have been shaped by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Aṣṭāṅga Vinyāsa Yoga, Sarah Powers in Yin Yoga, Françoise Freedman in prenatal and baby Yoga, and Dr. Vasant Lad in AyurYoga. These teachings steadied my mind, taught me to stay present through discomfort, and softened me toward my own experience.
Āyurveda
Ten years of study, work, and immersion with Dr. Vasant Lad and the Ayurvedic Institute profoundly shaped my understanding of Āyurveda. That education extended well beyond the classroom and continues to inform the way I think about people, health, and practice.
Sanskrit
Dr. Varun Khanna, through Sanskrit for Mere Mortals, brings precision, levity, depth, and encouragement to my study of Sanskrit. I especially appreciate the way his teaching enlivens the language through dialogue and engagement with the texts themselves.