Nayaswamis Dharmadas and Nirmala
Spiritual Directors of Ananda Sacramento, Lightbearers,, Meditation Teachers
Dharmadas and Nirmala worked closely with Swami Kriyananda for over 40 years beginning in the 1970s and have taught yoga and meditation on three continents. They helped create four Ananda spiritual communities around the world and were the founding spiritual directors of Ananda India from 2003-2012.
Chaitanya Mahoney
Lightbearer, Music Director, Ananda Community Property Manager
Chaitanya Mahoney has a been a life member of Ananda for over 20 years and has lived and served as a minister and lightbearer in many of the Ananda communities in the US.He currently directs the Ananda Sacramento choir and music ministry and graces many with his beautiful, melodious tenor voice.
Chaitanya works as a building contractor, is the apartment manager and maintains and fixes virtually everything on Ananda’s property!
Brahmacharini Chandrika
Minister, Meditation Teacher
Chandrika has taught Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings of the yoga science for over 20 years. She also manages the office and temple during the week.
Her love and appreciation for the practical applications of yoga in daily life inspires her to share the art and science of yoga with all.
Bryan and Carmenza Coleman-Salgado
Ministers, Yoga Teacher (Bryan), Ananda Community Manager (Carmenza)
Carmenza and Bryan are Ananda ministers and teachers who have served Ananda’s work in Sacramento for over two decades. Carmenza manages Ananda Sacramento’s vibrant community in Rancho Cordova, and with their abundant creativity and deep attunement, Carmenza and Bryan have helped to make Ananda’s community and temple beautiful expressions of that Divine Presence upon which Ananda was founded.
Brahmacharini Victoria
Minister, Healing Prayer Ministry Leader
Victoria leads the Healing Prayer Ministry and has developed the Prayer Council, a group of 25 dedicated prayer givers who pray daily for others and the SOS Prayer Group, a group of over 60 others who pray for people in crisis. Two different Healing Circles have been developed that use Yogananda’s Healing Techniques: the Healing Prayer Circle that meets every second Sunday after service, and a weekly prayer group that meets in the Ananda Community.
As an extension of the Healing Ministry, she enjoys serving and sharing her love for God through teaching classes and through devotional chanting and meditation. Victoria is a founding member of the Sacramento Community.
Nayaswami Devaki
Minister, Yoga and Meditation Teacher
A member of the Yoga Alliance, Devaki has taught yoga and meditation at Ananda’s Expanding Light; for the Ananda church and Ananda’s East-West bookshops in Seattle and in Mountain View, California. She is currently a minister and yoga instructor with Ananda Sacramento. She also teaches “yoga and the chakras” and restorative yoga.
Sharmila and Aaron Atwell
Ministers, Meditation Teachers
Aaron is an Ananda minister, and both Aaron and Sharmila are meditation teachers who have been a part of Ananda for many decades. They lead Ananda Sacramento’s family ministry programs and serve in a multitude of ways. They are often the backbone of many of Ananda’s efforts – working tirelessly, sometimes behind the scenes, sometimes front and center to make things happen.
Michelle Dossett
Minister, Meditation Teacher
Dr. Michelle Dossett is a meditation and Ananda yoga teacher (RYT200). It is her joy to serve in the Ananda Sacramento community in a variety of different roles. She also works as an integrative medicine physician for UC Davis Health.
Nayaswamis Chandi and Suryadas
Ministers, Yoga and Meditation Teachers
Suryadas and Chandi have been involved with Ananda for almost three decades. Both are certified Ananda Yoga and Meditation Teachers, as well as Ananda ministers.
Chandi served at the Living Wisdom School in Seattle for 17 years, and she and Suryadas lead the family ministry programs there for two decades. They are currently helping with marketing at Ananda Sacramento, teaching meditation classes, and doing occasional evening inspirational programs. Chandi is also teaching a weekly Ananda Yoga class.
Suryadas is also serving on the Ananda Sacramento Community staff.
Yoga Teacher
Beata Tyminski is certified Ananda Yoga instructor, RYT200. Her love for yoga started after experiencing the gentle style of Ananda Yoga.
She truly believes in Yoga principles, and endeavors to live by them in her everyday life. In her class she focuses on incorporating breath to relax the body, to calm the mind, and to bring each individual deeply inward.
Besides Yoga she loves taking walks, being in nature and spending time with friends.
Astara (Brenda) Gustin Ph.D
Yoga Teacher
Blending the art and science of yoga and meditation to raise awareness that health and wellness are created from within. Enjoy entering the deep vibration of transcending peace and expansion into your radiant light as you practice yoga (union) with Astara.
Brenda Astara Gustin is a certified Ananda Yoga and Meditation Instructor with many years of teaching experience. She enjoys integrating the art and science of yoga through the many teachings brought forth through Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Sri Yukteswar, Swami Kriyananda and Patanjali. Astara teaches at the Ananda Temple and has modified her classes to also fit within corporate and government environments to bring peace and focus to every day lives.
