Chinmay Surpur
Chinmay Surpur (ERYT, BS Neuroscience) serves as the Director of Research at Yoga Bharati while pursuing a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Saybrook University. He initiated, completed, and published research studies at UC Santa Barbara and Yoga Bharati, aiming to bridge Eastern and Western therapeutic principles. Chinmay conducts international training and outreach for Yoga Bharati, envisioning yoga's acceptance as therapy in mainstream health systems. His passion extends beyond academia; he enjoys music, singing, reading, and travel. His goal is to publish research on yoga's efficacy in scientific journals, advocating for its recognition as a therapeutic modality for chronic ailments.
Mahesh Ballike
Mahesh Ballike is the Treasurer of the Detroit Chapter. Mahesh Balike (PhD Engineering) considers himself a lifelong student of Yoga whose spiritual journey started at an early age and was later enhanced with a Yoga Teacher Training Certificate from Yoga Bharathi under the guidance of Yogashree Raghuramji. He has been learning, teaching, and spreading the Yoga way of life as part of Yoga Bharati for over 20 years. He is also part of the Chinmaya Mission, where he participates in weekly study groups on various spiritual texts.
Vasundhara Mahesh
Vasundhara Mahesh is a Senior Faculty at Yoga Bharati Detroit. Vasundhara (MS Yoga Therapy, EYRT) is a Senior YogaBharati Instructor and Yoga Therapist with a Master’s degree in Yoga Therapy from Mangalore University and a Yoga Therapy Instructor Course and YICC from SVYASA, Bangalore, India. She is a well-trained yoga therapist and researcher with over 20 years of experience. She has been a faculty at the YogaBharati Detroit chapter of the YTT program since its inception in 2004.
Reshma Amin
Reshma Amin, Manager of Administration and Operations at the Bay Area chapter of Yoga Bharati, has been a yoga teacher since 2004. She earned her Yoga Therapy Certification from SVYASA University in Bangalore, India, in 2005. Reshma's teaching experience spans various classes for adults, kids, and prenatal groups at Yoga Bharati. She specializes in conducting workshops on yoga for back pain and prenatal therapy. Currently, she oversees the yoga therapy division, providing personalized services to clients at Yoga Bharati.
Rima Shah
Rima is the Yoga Education Administrator at Yoga Bharati. With a background in physical therapy education from India, she is a trained yoga teacher with a focus on therapeutic practices. In addition to coordinating and administering yoga services, Rima conducts prenatal classes, wellness sessions, and yoga therapy sessions. She strongly believes in the transformative power of yoga, which has positively impacted not only her life but also her entire family. Her son, Arnav, enjoys participating in the Yoga Bharati community and summer classes. Rima eagerly anticipates many more fulfilling years of practicing and teaching yoga.
Mahaveer Khetawat
Mahaveer Khetawat is a Senior Faculty at Yoga Bharati Detroit. MahaveerJi was certified as a Yoga Instructor in 2004 by Yoga Bharati Detroit and sVYASA Bangalore. He began teaching Yoga in 2006 and continues to volunteer his time teaching classes at the Bharatiya Temple in Troy Michigan. He taught Raj Yoga at the Kolkata branch of SVYASA in 2018 & 2019 and continues to teach the four streams of yoga for YTT batches in Detroit.
Mona Shah
Mona Shah (C-IAYT) is a Manager, Yoga Therapy Education at Yoga Bharati. She is a IAYT certified Yoga Therapist and Yoga Bharati Faculty member with over 10 years of yoga teaching. She is particularly drawn to individualized Yoga Therapy sessions, aiming to personalize healing. Mona designs curriculums and workshops to enrich yoga education for students and practitioners. Beyond yoga, Mona finds joy in gardening, hiking, and reading, especially Philosophy and Health/Wellness literature. With a background in Biochemistry and Computer Science, she has contributed to healthcare companies in the Bay Area, adding depth to her holistic approach
Sudha Rao
Sudha Rao is a Senior Faculty member at Yoga Bharati Detroit. Sudha (MS, E-RYT) is a Certified Yoga Instructor under the guidance of Yogashri N.V. Raghuram. She has received training in Cancer Therapy from Dr. R. Nagarathna, N.V. Raghuram, and Dr. Ramachandra at SVYASA in Bangalore, and is a volunteer at the Brighton Cancer Center. She has taught Yoga since 2006 in the metro Detroit area and has conducted workshops for kids and adults, corporate training, and several yoga retreats. She conducted after-school Yoga Programs at Montessori centers, working with children aged 2 1/2 to 5 years. Sudha has worked with people with multiple sclerosis and has led a research project to study the effects of yoga on urinary incontinence at the MS Society.
Kalpana Thiyagarajan
Kalpana Thiyagarajan, E-RYT, is a Manager of Yoga Teacher Training Program. She is a senior yoga instructor and faculty member of Yoga Bharati’s Yoga Teacher Training program. She was a software engineer and a Product Manager at several companies, including eBay, before quitting the IT career in 2019 to pursue her passion for Yoga. Kalpana is dedicated to teaching Yoga to both adults and children, and she finds joy in sharing her deep knowledge of the practice. Apart from Yoga, she is an avid reader with a keen interest in history, literature, and philosophy. She believes in the transformative power of Yoga, viewing it as a path to empowerment in life. She is pursuing Diploma in Yoga Therapy at Yoga Bharati.
Preeti Joshi
Preeti Joshi, an accomplished IT Professional, currently serves as a Project Manager at Apple. Besides her corporate role, she nurtures a profound passion for yoga, completing her teacher training in 2020. With a keen focus on instructing yoga to children and individuals with special needs, Preeti leverages over a decade of dedicated practice in her teaching. She maintains a strong connection with Yoga Bharati, actively engaging in and volunteering for various events and training programs. Continuously expanding her expertise, she explores specialized courses, particularly immersing herself in the philosophies of yoga outlined in the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali Yoga Sutras.
Dr. Salil Khandwala
Dr. Salil Khandwala is the YTT faculty at Detroit Yoga Bharati. Dr. Salil (MD, FPMRS, FACOG) is the Fellowship Director of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at Beaumont Healthcare System, Medical Director of Advanced Urogynecology of Michigan Medical Director, Michigan Institute of Women's Health Co-chair, OR committee Beaumont Wayne Hospital. Dr. Salil teaches Yoga at the West Bloomfield Fitness Center and uses Yoga in treating his patients. He conducts numerous seminars and workshops.
Anusha Patil
Anusha Patil (E-RYT), Manager - Content and Media, is also a senior yoga teacher and faculty of Yoga Teacher Training program. From an engineer to a certified yoga teacher, she blends analytical skills with mindful practice. While working as a SPED staff with children, she saw the positive impact of yoga on their well-being. Certified by Yoga Bharati, she believes in a simple daily yoga practice to live life fully. Anusha enjoys nature, cooking, and dancing. She lives in Redwood Shores with her family. Anusha is pursuing Diploma in Yoga Therapy at Yoga Bharati.
Kavitha Vanamala
Kavitha is a senior faculty member at Yoga Bharathi. She is a passionate yoga teacher and MCA graduate who blends technology and mindfulness in her daily life. Based in Cupertino, she enjoys teaching yoga while balancing family life. She is dedicated to fostering wellness and empowers others to find peace and strength through movement and breath. She enjoys music, Sanskrit, cooking, and quality time with her family.
Dr. Suchitra Zambare
Dr. Suchitra Zambare (MD) is a diabetes and metabolism endocrinologist in Novi, MI. Dr. Zambare has extensive experience in osteoporosis screening, thyroid disorders, and diabetes and glucose monitoring. She is a certified yoga teacher from Yoga Bharati in Detroit and has conducted many seminars on yoga in managing diabetes and osteoporosis. She is also very passionate about the yogic way of life and healthy eating.
Siddu Rati
Savita Joshi, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, MBA (Finance), serves as the Executive Director of the Dallas Yoga Bharati (Vyasa) chapter. With 15 years as Treasurer and 7 years as Director of Yoga Therapy services, she holds a Diploma in Yoga Therapy from SVYASA, Bengaluru, India. Savita focuses on women's yoga, yoga therapy for psychosomatic disorders, and children's yoga therapy. Formerly an Executive Director at a traditional Samskrit medium online school, she resides in Frisco, Dallas Texas, with her husband and two teenage daughters. A faculty member for Yoga Teacher’s Training, Savita guides yoga therapy students and speaks at retreats and conferences on yoga.
Shailesh Basani
Shailesh Basani (MS, ERYT, C-IAYT) is certified in yoga and yoga therapy from prestigious institutions like Yoga Bharati, Vivekananda Yoga University, Yoga Alliance, and IAYT. Trained by renowned gurus like YogaShri N.V.RaghuramJi and Dr. Nagarathna, he's been an active Yoga Bharati volunteer for over 13 years, teaching countless classes on yoga, stress management, and more. With a background in Computer Science and Engineering, he's now the Director of Reliability Engineering at Adobe Systems, recently moving to Austin with his family after two decades in the Bay Area.
Giribabu Bikki
Giribabu Bikki has been practicing yoga for the last 10 years and believes it has done wonders for him. In 2018, he decided to pursue yoga certification to learn the practice in its most pristine and holistic form and was fortunate to find Yoga Bharathi as his destination. While Ashtanga Yoga fascinates him, he has also been exploring the science of chakras and the art of awakening them using subtle movements of the hands and fingers (mudras), which continue to amaze him. He holds a BE from the University College of Engineering, Osmania University, and works as an architect at VMware. He relocated to Austin after living in the Bay Area for 14 years.
Shubha Prashanth
Shubha Prashant is the director of events and community classes. Her yoga journey began as a personal passion which eventually led her to complete a comprehensive 500-hour teacher training course at Yoga with Srinatha in the spiritual city of Mysore. This rigorous training equipped her with a profound understanding of various yoga techniques, as well as the wisdom to guide others in their practice. She is actively involved in volunteering for various Non-Profit activities. Her passion for the arts and decor work shines through as she is a talented artist and director, actively engaged in drama and other cultural activities. She strives to promote a healthier, more harmonious way of life through yoga and enriches her community through her involvement in volunteering and cultural activities.
Sowmya Srinivasaiah
Sowmya Srinivasaiah started yoga around 15 years ago to address back pain and has been practicing yoga since then. She started Yoga teacher training with Yoga Bharati in 2023 and working towards its completion. She is a Software engineering manager by profession, working at Dell. She lives in Leander with her husband, daughter, and 2 pets (a cat and a dog).
Sreedevi Thiyagarajan
Sreedevi Thiyagarajan is the director of finance and marketing. She started as a self-learner of Yoga in college dorm with a few friends. She never took a formal training until 2014, when after several years of clinical research work at Stanford and publishing papers, she realized that learning and teaching others how to balance the physical health and inner peace through Yoga has benefits beyond the evidence based modern clinical science. Researcher and statistician by profession, a lifelong learner of all sciences, Sree has completed Yoga teacher training (YTT) from Yoga Bharati in 2014, and has been teaching community classes since then. Her recent practice is focused mostly on teaching Yoga off-the-mat and how to use various breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques for real-life stressors. Her philosophy is that if you teach people how to manage their health, peace, and balance through Yoga, you are saving their lives as well as lives of their loved ones.