Christmas and New Year Unity in Diversity Symposium

Radhika Das is a London-based kirtan artist and Bhakti Yoga teacher whose heartfelt devotion and uplifting presence have made him one of the leading voices in the global sacred music movement. For nearly two decades, he has immersed himself in the path of Bhakti Yoga, sharing the transformative power of mantra and devotional music with audiences around the world. Through his work, Radhika bridges ancient spiritual traditions and contemporary culture, making kirtan accessible, relevant, and inspiring for people of all backgrounds.

Raised in the UK and introduced to Bhakti at Bhaktivedanta Manor, Radhika is passionate about bringing sacred sound into both traditional and mainstream settings. His performances have filled renowned venues across the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, India, and beyond, while retaining the intimacy and authenticity at the heart of devotional practice. Known for creating deeply moving experiences of connection, joy, and spiritual upliftment, Radhika’s mission is to help people reconnect with themselves and each other through the universal language of mantra and music.

radhikadas.com

Snatam Kaur is a world-renowned, Grammy-nominated devotional singer, touringmusician, teacher, and author known for her stirring, luminous vocal quality and insightful teaching. She just released her new album Heartflow.

Inspiring and light-filled, Heartflow radiates the profound and deeply personal space Snatam tunes into with mantra meditation and through celebration and dance. Together, this selection of mantras and songs from Snatam’s personal experiences, practices, and teachings convey the brilliance of coming from a Heartflow space in life.

The album’s debut coincides with the launch of Snatam’s Heartflow Tour
through Europe and will be followed by a fall tour of North America and Latin America. Beginning with quieting the mind and tuning in, Heartflow concerts will feature chants and songs Snatam has found empower her entry into this Heartflow space —a place where her soul most deeply resonates — and share it with others who choose to activate the energy of the heart and live from this vibrant, beautiful place of awareness.

Performing with Snatam on the Heartflow album and tour are her band members, producer Ram Dass (piano, clarinet, and vocals), Grecco Buratto (guitar and vocals), and Sukhmani Rayat (percussion and vocals).

Explore classes with Snatam, her husband Sopurkh, and other teachers at Kirtan and Kundalini, their online sacred music and yoga school, dedicated to supporting the spiritual journey of as many practitioners as possible.

For tour information, music links, classes, and other resources, please visit:

snatamkaur.com

John Campbell, Ph.D. is a longtime yoga and meditation teacher, scholar of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, and translator of classical Buddhist texts. He holds a Ph.D. in Religion from Columbia University, has been a Fulbright Fellow, and has taught at both Columbia University and the University of Virginia, where he co-founded the Contemplative Sciences Center, dedicated to the study and practice of contemplative traditions. He currently collaborates with Robert Thurman on translations of important tantric Buddhist works from Sanskrit and Tibetan.

John began his yoga studies in 1992 with the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and has spent more than three decades immersed in both yoga and Tibetan Buddhist practice, including study with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. A founder of the Vajrayoga initiative at Tibet House US and Menla Retreat Center, he teaches asana, Tibetan yoga, meditation, philosophy, and Sanskrit, helping students explore the rich connections between the yogic and Buddhist traditions.

Murshid R. Ibrahim Jaffe, MD is a physician, Master Sufi Healer, Sufi Guide, and Chancellor of the University of Sufism. Widely respected for his teachings on Love, Peace, and Unity, he is the creator of the APIIR-TB Method of Sufi Spiritual Healing, an innovative approach that integrates Western medicine, complementary therapies, and Sufi healing practices developed over more than three decades.

Rooted in an ancient Sufi lineage, Dr. Jaffe’s work helps individuals address the spiritual, emotional, and energetic roots of suffering while cultivating deeper connection with the Divine. His teachings support healing and transformation on all levels—body, mind, and spirit—and offer a universal path of inner awakening, remembrance, and unity that welcomes people of all faiths and backgrounds.

drjaffemd.com

Father Dan is an Anglican priest, retreat leader, and skilled facilitator dedicated to creating transformative spaces for reflection, authentic connection, and personal growth. Mentored by renowned author and educator Parker J. Palmer, he carries forward the Circle of Trust® approach, guiding individuals to access their own inner wisdom through deep listening, thoughtful inquiry, and meaningful dialogue.

Drawing on poetry, journaling, visual imagery, breathwork, and contemplative practices, Father Dan has led thousands of participants from diverse backgrounds through retreats and workshops that foster clarity, courage, and renewal. A published poet and community builder, he also leads sailing expeditions in the coastal waters of British Columbia, where the wisdom of nature and the practice of wayfinding become powerful metaphors for navigating life’s journey with greater purpose and presence.

danhines.ca

Daniel Matt, PhD is a scholar of Kabbalah. He has been featured in Time and Newsweek and on National Public Radio. His books include The Essential Kabbalah (translated into seven languages) and God and the Big Bang. In 2022, his biography of Elijah the Prophet (Becoming Elijah: Prophet of Transformation) was published by Yale University Press in their series Jewish Lives, and it was awarded the inaugural Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Book Prize, established by Yeshiva University.

Daniel spent 18-years translating the Zohar. His nine-volume annotated translation – The Zohar: Pritzker Edition – received various awards and has been hailed as “a monumental contribution to the history of Jewish thought.” Daniel received his Ph.D. from Brandeis and taught for many years at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He has also taught at Stanford and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Daniel lives in Berkeley and currently teaches Zohar online.

danielcmatt.com

Kahontakwas Diane Longboat, M.Ed. is a citizen of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and a member of the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk Nation. A respected ceremonial leader, traditional teacher, healer, and educator, she is the founder of Soul of the Mother Healing Lodge at Six Nations Grand River Territory and the founding director of First Nations House at the University of Toronto. Through her teaching and leadership, Diane shares Indigenous knowledge and spirituality as pathways to personal, community, and societal transformation aligned with natural and spiritual law.

Diane has served in leadership roles for major Indigenous and interfaith gatherings, including the Parliament of the World’s Religions and the Traditional Peoples Gathering. She is the Founder and CEO of the Institute for the Study of Spirit, a national Indigenous women-led charity dedicated to fostering spiritual unity, supporting Indigenous healing traditions, training future generations of healers, and advancing community initiatives rooted in cultural wisdom, healing, and food sovereignty.

Our beloved senior teachers play a central role in teaching at the ashram. Please note that their participation depends on their availability and cannot be assured for every program.

Swami Hridyananda

Swami Hridyananda is a direct disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda and senior staff at the  Yoga Retreat. She has spent over 35 years teaching different aspects of yoga, as well as teaching in Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Courses. She also teaches meditation, thought power, chanting, and supports individuals on their inner transformative journey.

Swami Brahmananda

Swami Brahmananda is Manager of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat and senior staff of the Sivananda organization. A long-time practitioner of yoga, he regularly teaches yoga philosophy and meditation for the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Courses as well as meditation immersion courses. He is a much-loved, inspiring, and knowledgeable teacher.

Swami Shambhudevananda

Swami Shambhudevananda is a senior staff member at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas and a practitioner of yoga and meditation for more than 30 years. A member of the Sivananda organization since 1995, Swami Shambhudevananda regularly teaches Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga philosophy for the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Courses and advanced courses. He is a much-loved, knowledgeable, and inspiring teacher.

Swami Paramananda

Swami Paramananda is a monk and senior teacher of the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers. Swami Paramananda joined the Sivananda organization in 2006 and was initiated into Sannyasa (monasticism) in 2016.

A long-time practitioner of yoga, meditation and philosophical studies, he regularly teaches in the Sivananda Yoga Teachers’ Training Courses as well as the Advanced Yoga Teachers’ Training Courses. He also teaches online courses and guides students from around the world in their practice and study.

A much-loved teacher admired for his humor, warmth, and devotion to the practice, he seamlessly weaves classical yoga teachings into modern daily life.

Rukmini Chaitanya

Rukmini Chaitanya is a senior staff member of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas, and the personal assistant to Swami Swaroopananda, the Acharya, or spiritual director of the Ashram. She regularly teaches the Bhagavad Gita during the Sivananda Yoga Teacher training as well as other courses on the Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta, positive thinking, meditation, and yoga philosophy.

Rukmini Chaitanya is known for her enthusiastic and inspiring teaching style as well as for her devotion to the lineage and the scriptures. She is dedicated to each of her students and has an innate desire to share knowledge with them. She brings a great deal of clarity to every topic and is highly appreciated for her capacity to unfold complicated topics and present them in a coherent and pure way.

Rukmini Chaitanya was interviewed on The Spiritually Inspired Show

Jnaneshwari Chaitanya

Jnaneshwari Chaitanya is a senior staff member and teacher of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat. An experienced and devoted practitioner, she is an inspiring and insightful teacher of Yoga and Vedanta in Yoga teachers training courses and many of the ashram programs. Jnaneshwari Chaitanya is known for her clear and pure way of communicating the knowledge and its application in daily life, and is especially known for her skill in teaching the Bhagavad Gita.

Parvati Chaitanya

Parvati Chaitanya is a senior staff member of the ashram with many years of experience teaching, studying, and practicing yoga. She currently serves the ashram as caretaker of the gardens.

Krishna Chaitanya

Krishna Chaitanya is a physical therapist, senior staff member of the Yoga Retreat, and senior instructor of Hatha Yoga in the Teacher Training Course and other courses. He has taught for more than 20 years and specializes in working with the elderly population. He teaches Adaptive Yoga, Chair Yoga, and has many years experience helping individuals with all kinds of physical limitations.

Bhargavi Chaitanya

Bhargavi Chaitanya is an experienced yoga teacher and has been a staff member in the Sivananda organization since 2006.  Bhargavi Chaitanya teaches courses on yoga, meditation, positive thinking, the power of thought, cooking workshops, advanced yoga courses, yoga for adolescents, and more. She is known for her gentle teaching style and for the inner peace and love her students are experiencing while taking her classes.