Samavesha Program at Rudramandir

Brent BecVar, M. S. is currently Director of the Vedic Counseling Program of the Chopra Center for Well Being in Carlsbad, CA. As an associate of Deepak Chopra, M.D. for over 14 years, Mr. BecVar also served as Director of the Chopra Center Residential Program as well as Certified Instructor of PSM Meditation, Yoga and Ayurvedic Education. Mr. BecVar has practiced astrology and counseling over the past 25 years and has studied with many respected teachers in India and this country, most notably Mr. Hart deFouw. With Marc Boney, M. A., Mr. BecVar structured and coordinated Foundation and Intermediate Courses in Jyotisha, Vedic Astrology, for the Chopra Center in San Diego. He presently enjoys a busy private Vedic Astrology practice and the confidence of an international clientele.

Chandra Easton has taught yoga and meditation for 7 years, blending the receptive yin style of yoga with more active, dynamic forms to prepare the body and mind for meditation. Chandra’s teaching is fueled by the perspective that yoga, while being a wonderful tool for cultivating health, is essentially preparation for the transformative insights gained through meditation. She has studied Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan language at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India, founded by H. H. the Dalai Lama. Chandra later received a degree from the Religious Studies Department at UC Santa Barbara where she worked on the translation of Tibetan Buddhist texts on meditation. Chandra integrates her academic studies into her teaching of both meditation and yoga in order to encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation of the practices. In 2007, Chandra co-founded Metta Journeys (www.mettajourneys.com), a service oriented organization that offers yoga retreats internationally to help women and children in developing countries.

Chris been exposed to Indian spirituality from the age of six and was initiated into the practice of meditation and yoga at the age of 16. Six years later, while traveling through Europe and India, he felt called to study, teach, and practice Indian philosophy and meditation full-time. He now has 18 years of practice, 10 years of academic study, and 11 years of teaching experience. His degrees include a B.A. in Religion from the University of Rochester, an M.A. in Sanskrit from U.C. Berkeley, and an M.Phil. in Classical Indian Religions from the University of Oxford. He is currently earning a third masters from U.C. Santa Barbara, as well as doing doctoral research at Berkeley on the traditions of Tantric Shaivism. He received traditional education at yoga ashrams in upstate New York and India - in kirtan, mantra-science, asana, karma-yoga, and more. He currently teaches meditation, yoga philosophy, Sanskrit, chanting, and offers spiritual life-coaching. His goal in teaching is to balance accuracy with accessibility, profundity with clarity, and intellectual integrity with heart-expanding inspiration. His students have commented that his combination of rigorous and thorough knowledge with profound love for the tradition is rare and delightful.

Jennifer Taylor is the co-founder of Blue Sage Ayurveda and has a private healing and teaching practice in Berkeley at Rudramandir. Her early years in ballet and gymnastics prepared Jennifer for a natural transition during her 20s into teaching yoga. Jennifer’s teaching style is influenced mainly by Iyengar and Hatha yoga. Jennifer taught yoga in the South Bay for many years before transitioning into Ayurveda. She has also been authorized by Swami Khecaranatha to be an Assistant Teacher in his Sacred Space kundalini meditation practice.

Mark is interested in developing an authentic yoga practice for the individual, based on the teachings of T. Krishnamacharya and his son TKV Desikachar, with whom he enjoyed a relationship for more than twenty years. Mark’s teachings clarify the profound passion and relevance of ancient wisdom to contemporary life. Once a resident teacher at Jivamukti in NYC, Mark has taught yoga for over twenty years throughout the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Mark was the editor and contributor to TKV Desikachar’s book, The Heart of Yoga as well as the author of Yoga of Heart and Hridayasutra.

Scott Blossom teaches a style of Hatha Yoga Vinyasa and Yoga therapy that is informed by his training as a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner and an Ayurvedic consultant. He specializes in teaching about the relationship between Yoga and Ayurveda. He is blessed to have had the expert guidance of his teachers Dr. Robert Svoboda, Zhander Remete, and Erich Schiffamann. In addition to co-hosting retreats and workshops with Dr. Svoboda he is a faculty member of the Kripalu Ayurvedic Training Program and presents on the subject at National Yoga Conferences.