Swami Swaroopananda's Birthday Celebration

Swami Swaroopananda is a senior disciple of Swami Vishnudevananda. A practicing yogi from a very young age, Swami Swaroopananda has dedicated his life to the practice and teaching of yoga. He taught in Yoga Teacher Training Courses around the world and is currently teaching advanced yoga philosophy courses and lectures internationally. He is Director of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat and acharya (spiritual director) for the Sivananda centers and ashrams in the Bahamas and the Middle East. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres.

Jonathan Goldman, M.A., is an international authority and pioneer in the field of sound healing. He is a renowned writer, musician and teacher. Jonathan is the author of several books including Healing Sounds (Inner Traditions), The Divine Name, the 2011 Visionary Award for “Best Alternative Book” of the Year and The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing (Hay House); A Grammy nominee, his award winning recordings include: “Chakra Chants”, “The Divine Name,” and “Reiki Chants”. He is Founder and Director of the Sound Healers Association and CEO of Spirit Music. Jonathan Goldman was named as one of Watkins’ Mind Body Spirit magazine’s “100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People” and recently received the “Distinguished Person of the Year Award” from the Assoc. for Comprehensive Energy Psychology for his pioneering contribution to the field of Sound and Energy.

healingsounds.com

Andi Goldman, M.A., L.P.C., is a licensed psychotherapist, specializing in holistic counseling and sound therapy. She is the Director of the Healing Sounds® Seminars and Co- Director of the Sound Healers Association. She is a musician, teacher, sound healer, award-winning author, and the wife and partner of Jonathan Goldman.

Joshua Goldman, born into the field of sound healing, is the son of sound healing pioneer Jonathan Goldman. Joshua shares deep experience of sound healing, teaching at the Healing Sounds Intensives. He is co-author of Sound Healing for Beginnings: Using Vibration to Harmonize Your Health and Wellness.

Govind Das is a California-based kirtan singer, Bhakti yoga teacher and as his spiritual name suggests -“servant of the divine”. He is the co-director/owners of Bhakti Yoga Shala in Santa Monica CA. Govind Das’s commitment to Bhakti yoga and the ideals of love, service, and devotion is the essence which is reflected and transmitted through his music and teachings. He is a devoted student of Neem Karoli Baba, Ram Dass and a follower of Hanuman, this Monkey God who is an embodiment of service, courage and one pointed focus on the divine.

His intention is to share kirtan and bhakti in the spirit of celebrating life and developing a personal and intimate connection with Source. He leads evenings of kirtan, bhakti yoga workshops, presents at festivals and leads transformative retreats throughout the world. Govind Das and his wife Jacqueline live in the hills of Pacific Palisades, CA overlooking the Great Pacific Ocean with their son Malakai and daughter Ruby Jaya.

bhakti-yoga-shala.mykajabi.com

Prantik Kundu is a neuroscientist and biophysicist with specialities in magnetic resonance imaging and psychiatric disease. A senior scientist in a startup to make MRI technology more accessible, he draws from years of expertise from many years in academia and research.
He was an assistant professor in psychiatry and radiology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine for several years, where he still serves as adjunct professor.

Prantik received his training at the Brain Mapping Unit at the University of Cambridge, UK, and the Section on Functional Imaging Methods at the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, DC. His papers have been published in Cerebral Cortex, NeuroImage, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Kundu also has strong interests in Indic philosophy, having completed an undergraduate independent study on the theoretical implications of Kali and having been a Research Fellow at the Mind and Life Summer Institute, where the interface between the Buddhist philosophy and the neurosciences is investigated and practiced.

Swan Michelle is a Yoga and Holistic Educator, Sound Therapist, Wellness Event Director, and founder of Swan River Yoga, one of the Gulf Coast’s largest wellness and yoga centers. She has been teaching yoga, meditation, sound, and energy practices since 1998.

Her work weaves together Yoga, Sound Therapy, Heart Coherence Meditation, restorative practices, and transformational retreats inspired by nature and the ocean. She leads Yoga Teacher Trainings, Sound Therapy Trainings, sound bath concerts, and immersive wellness experiences worldwide.

Swan has traveled extensively to sacred sites and ashrams to study Yoga, Ayurveda, Bhakti Yoga, and energy healing. She has studied with renowned teachers including Ram Dass, the Dalai Lama, Jai Uttal, Krishna Das, Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, and Judith Hanson Lasater.

She currently serves on Dr. Joe Dispenza’s Global Team as a Certified Neuro Change Solutions Consultant (2024) and presented a TEDx Talk at TEDx NOLA in 2026.

swanmichelle.com

swanriveryoga.com

Theodore Tsavoussis earned professional certification in energy medicine from the Light Body School of the Four Winds Society. The program was developed by Alberto Villoldo, who spent more than 30 years in the high Andes and the Amazon, training with master shamans. Theodore has traveled to numerous sacred sites in South America, where he worked with indigenous shamans and wisdom keepers. He practices energy medicine in Nassau, Bahamas.

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.