Namaste,

My name is Padma. I have been living in Scotts Valley for 30 years, but I grew up in the small city of Ganapavaram in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, India.  

I began my yoga journey at age 7, watching my father do yoga at home. I got my first teacher training from Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai, Mandaveli in 1980 when I was 17.

After getting married, I moved to the USA and life was busy. I put my yoga sadhana (practice) aside. I ignored taking care of myself, until eventually having a health crisis. I returned to my yoga sadhana, and with it saw both my physical and mental health improve. Thanks to this practice I am proud to say I feel stronger than ever. My yoga mat is a magic carpet. When I am on it, I discover a place within me I never knew existed I’ve realized I want to help other people benefit from yoga the way I have; to discover its power to increase awareness and aliveness.

I started my journey teaching yoga for seniors 17 years ago. What I truly enjoy about teaching yoga is helping people find their strength, confidence and happiness from within.  I loved hearing my students say, “that was just what I needed.” On my trips to India I began focusing on studying yoga with various teachers and practicing different styles of Hatha, Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga. I am still a student and I continue to improve my yoga skills and knowledge. Most recently, I attended Ashtanga training camp in Mysore, India.