TYS Sevites
Traditional Yoga Society and Shakti and Bhakti come from a living tradition over 5,000 years old. We adhere to the classical approaches to yoga and are very much believers in selfless service. It was ubiquitous to hear Swamiji tell his students, "I want you to be happy." It doesn't take long to examine Swamiji's life to see he was a genuinely content and happy person. Swamiji had dedicated his entire life to selfless service. Therefore, when listening to him lecture, reading one of his books, or talking with his students, one can quickly deduce that his happiness came from serving selflessly. To serve selflessly, one must know one's Self, which comes from constant practice. At TYS and Shakti and Bhakti are committed to our practice both individually and as a group. You will find us chanting, meditating, singing, studying scriptures, practicing asana and pranayama, cleaning, working on the mandir grounds, and eating together. We strive to take our practices seriously and grease all of our actions with love knowing that we are here to serve the sages of our tradition by serving all beings.
As our closing prayer says,
Let me Cherish those that God Cherishes
Let me forgive those that God forgives.
Let me Serve those that God Serves.
Let me love those that God loves.
With this in mind, we consider ourselves Sevites which means we practice seva yoga—the yoga of selfless service. Everyone you see teaching, singing, cleaning, and working on the technology is doing it out of love and dedication to making themselves better humans. No one on the TYS or Shakti and Bhakti "staff " receives payment; we are here to serve Swamiji, the sages of the tradition, and all beings.
As you peruse the sevite pages, read the biographies of this committed group of aspiring yogis and yoginis. And if you have any desire to serve or volunteer, reach out to us. We always have jobs that need attention.
Ranjani
Ranjani Powers knew that it was her dharma to teach for as long as she can remember. She just didn't think it was to teach yoga until yoga found her again in 1998. Since then, she has been studying and sharing yoga. In 1998 Ranjani left her teaching position to live and study yoga with Sri Swami Satchidananda at his ashram in central Virginia. During this time, she received her name (Ranjani, which means who is full of joy and brings joy to others) and the blessings of Sri Swami Satchidananda to share and instruct yoga. Since then, she has continually sought out the company of bona fide yoga masters to deepen her knowledge and practice of yoga. Ranjani considers herself to be an eternal student of yoga. Anything good from her comes from her teacher Sri Swami Rama of the Himalayas, and anything less is from her lower self. Ranjani is dedicated entirely to yoga as she has witnessed its effect on her daily life, and it has only been by her practice and the grace of her teacher that she has made it this far in life. Ranjani has had the karma to live in many places in this lifetime, and as a result, she has had the opportunity to teach, train, and inspire many yoga teachers and yoga students. She has taught over 10,000 yoga classes all over the United States of America and abroad. Ranjani fondly remembers Sri Swami Rama of the Himalayas, who took her flying through the multiverse and appeared to her in dreams since she was a child guiding her life. She owes everything to him, including the greatest worldly gift Swamiji has ever given her, her husband, Riley. They live in Dayton, O, where they practice yoga and kirtan together and raise their three four-legged boys (Rishi, Rumi, and Ravi).
Linda
Linda hails from Hawai, lived in Asia for several years, and had many spiritual experiences that would ultimately lead her to yoga. Linda started her yoga practice in this lifetime in 2016 when fate brought Ranjani to Linda after a long thoracic nerve injury where Linda shared her physical therapy skills (she is, after all, a physical therapist) with Ranjani. She has been a faithful and devoted student of this living tradition since the first day she walked into class. Linda completed the 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2016 under the guidance of Ranjani. Linda freely shares her knowledge of anatomy with her fellow TYS family by teaching anatomy for the teacher training program. She is a master at kinesiology tape and can often be seen taping Someone before or after class. Linda lives in Beavercreek with her husband Jay (don't tell him we said anything, but he happens to be one of the funniest men around), her two amazing sons, and her ever so sweet four-legged boy named Koa (Koa means the valiant one). Linda says she will be forever grateful for the blessings of the continued teachings and honored to be able to share them with others.
Kali
Kali was first introduced to yoga in PE class during her first year of high school. She enjoyed the asana practice, but it was not until years later that she learned the true meaning of yoga when she walked into Yoga XTC (the precursor to Traditional Yoga Society). The first class Kali attended at Yoga XTC brought tears to her eyes, and Kali knew that she had discovered what had been missing in her life, yoga. Kali has been practicing yoga for four years now under the guidance and tutelage of Ranjani. Kali is the sevite of all trades as she sings in Shakti and Bhakti, manages the social media pages, works in the garden, and helps Ranjani with many behind-the-scenes tasks. Kali has completed two teacher training courses at TYS, developed a personal practice, and nurtured a deep love and respect for the tradition. She has questions for Ranjani regularly that show she uses her noggin to think about how to serve better and become a better human. Kali continues to fall in love with the practice and uses it as a tool for boundless growth. Her purpose and aspirations are to share the practice of yoga and lovingly serve Traditional Yoga Society and the tradition in any way she can.
Scott
Scott came to Traditional Yoga Society through Yoga Teacher Training in 2019. Having practiced asana for 10+ years, it shocked Scott that it was the first time Yoga was not an exercise routine but a systematic science of transformation. Since then, Scott has made it part of his mission to share yogic practices with the world. Along with teaching yoga, Scott is a certified Wim Hof Method instructor who utilizes breathwork practices and cold exposure to work with the plasticity of the mind.
Currently, Scott lives in Dayton, Ohio, and enjoys hiking in nature, walking his dog Chester and traveling.
Virginia
Virginia Mae Ishwari's Yoga journey started in Dayton, OH, in 2014. She is forever grateful as it was at this class where she met her beloved teacher, friend, and fellow Gurubai Ranjani Powers in this lifetime. Since then, Virginia Mae Ishwari has taken over 600 hours of Yoga training, including two Traditional Yoga Society teacher trainings, and has consistently practiced for eight years. She currently resides at Yogaville Ashram in central Virginia, where she and her best-ever business partner Zen operates Zensicles. Virginia Mae Ishwari enjoys sharing her practice and personal experiences with others. Her primary goal in this lifetime is to be an instrument of the Divine by letting go of what is no longer serving to live a life full of service.
Kelsey
Kelsey Bridgeford began her yoga journey with Traditional Yoga Society nearly five years ago. She started yoga as she was going through a significant life transition and needed to find some activities to help her find a new path. The first class she attended was with a friend the second and subsequent classes; she came by herself. Attending classes by herself was a defining moment for Kelsey and her yoga path. She immediately began to notice differences in how she felt physically and emotionally. She realized that she had found something that could transform her life and, at this moment, felt compelled to take the TYS 200-hour teacher training. During the training, She learned that yoga is more than a physical practice. It is a way of life, leading one to the joy and calm within.
Kelsey brings her yoga off the mat daily as she teaches young students at a Montessori school, and if anyone has taught young children, you know you need to be able to access your calm within. While on this journey, Kelsey has discovered she has quite an artistic side, and she loves to paint and has a talent for creating beautiful art pieces. Kelsey has a weakness for documentaries and messaging with Ranjani with some inappropriate gifs and messages, albeit hilarious. If you haven't heard Kelsey laugh, you need to make that a life goal.
Allie
Allie Weeks has been practicing with TYS for nearly five years and gained her 200hr teacher training certification in 2021. When she is not on the mat, she works as a physical therapist and enjoys spending time in nature with her husband and dog. Classes are a thoughtful compilation of asana and breathwork that focuses on mindfulness in movement and finding the inner warrior inside you!