James has returned to India 20+ times since living there for a year in 1989.

James has led dozens of yoga and Ayurveda retreats in India, helping hundreds fulfill their dreams of experiencing sacred India. As a young, adventurous traveler in his 20s, James traveled much of India for a year by train, bus, and foot. He lived in rural villages and intentional communities, took Hindi immersion courses in the Himalayas, stayed in ashrams and random $2/night guesthouses, hiked the mountains of Nepal, hosted 5 species of parasites in his gut, visited the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, temple hopped his way through the south, survived the 2005 tsunami at Ammachi’s ashram in Kerala, practiced yoga and meditation, slept on train station cement floors, studied Ayurveda with his teachers, and fell in love with a country and people that are as diverse as any place on the planet.

During his travels to India and Africa in his mid-20s, James was healed of malaria with traditional African medicine and intestinal infections with Ayurveda and Tibetan Medicine. These experiences would forever change his understanding of the human experience and the nature of medicine and healing. He was later guided to study the natural healing methods of Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  James is now an experienced third-generation health care practitioner, an Ayurveda Doctor, TCM practitioner, acupuncturist, and Yoga teacher trainer who has been practicing Yoga and Ayurveda for 30 years. He directs and practices Ayurveda Counseling at his Sevanti Wellness Center to guide patients toward their true nature of well-being.

He is the founder and current director of Sevanti Institute, Sevanti Wellness Center, and Sevanti Adventures.

A leader of the global yoga community for four decades as a teacher, author, designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

Peter’s deep passion for yoga and meditation includes nine trips to India, including a year of extensive study with BKS Iyengar in Pune and Vipassana meditation with SN Goenka in Igatpuri. He leads retreats and teacher training worldwide and spends most of his time with his family in New Zealand and California. Peter is the founder of MANDUKA™, creator of LEVITYoGA™, taught yoga at the Obama White House for 3 years, and spoke as a wellness expert at the Pentagon in 2018 for the US Marine Corps. His DVD “Gravity & Grace” made Yoga Journal’s “Top 15 yoga videos of all time”, and his first book “Gravity & Grace” is a 2019 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Medal winner.

You will find him at levityoga.com

Kuldeep and Ritu are our Post Retreat Tour guides and heart-adopted Indian family.

We are so honored to have Kuldeep and Ritu Singh support our tours. Kuldeep and Ritu serve as our Indian travel agents and advisors, helping to organize the more complicated and dynamic Post Retreat Tour up north. They also join us for the tour up north, and guests absolutely love them! They know everything India travel related, and they are a joy to be around. Their travel company is one of the best, so if you are planning to arrive early or stay on after our tour is complete, Kuldeep and Ritu can help you with just about anything including accommodations, airfare, luxury bus, private car, and rail ticketing, local guides, etc.

You will find them at reliablevacation.com

Maryam Askari is based in Santa Monica, California. She teaches in the U.S. and internationally, in French and English.

Maryam began her yoga studies at Yogaworks in 1991. She followed her teacher Maty Ezraty’s advice to deepen her understanding of yoga and dedicate herself to the Iyengar yoga system. She moved to France in 2001 to further study with Faeq and Corine Biria and continues to study with them in Paris whenever possible. Faeq Biria encouraged Maryam to become a certified Iyengar teacher while she was in Paris. Maryam was certified in 2005. She continues to study with senior teachers worldwide and believes in remaining a dedicated student to teach well. Maryam enjoys spending her free time giving back and has dedicated several hours a week to teaching at a sober house called “Awakening Recovery.” Maryam’s favorite part of yoga is the therapeutic aspect. She has spent many hours studying alongside Eric Small, who vigorously trained her on how to work with MS patients at the UCLA Medical Center. She has also assisted many hours in the medical classes at the Iyengar Institute of Paris and Pune, India.

Vanessa Pattison built and runs Zen Yoga, the first yoga and meditation studio in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.

Originally from California, she lived in Nicaragua since 2005.  She became certified in Primordial Sound Meditation with The Chopra Center in 2018 and credits meditation with enriching all aspects of her life. Besides teaching yoga, she volunteers as a birth doula and has assisted and/or delivered over 20 babies in Nicaragua. Vanessa co-founded Growth In Giving to inspire those more fortunate to help others less fortunate. Forever the student, she has acquired over 3,000 hours of yoga certifications in Hatha, Prenatal, Restorative, Vinyasa, and Yin since 2005. She has trained with many teachers in various styles of yoga, but two of her first and most influential teachers were James Bailey and Peter Sterios, so being invited to join as a guest teacher alongside two of her favorite people is a great honor and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Vanessa’s hope is to share her love of yoga and meditation in the birthplace of where it all began on our trip to India.

You will find her at zenyoganicaragua.com