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Teaching Staff

Your Lifestyles for Radiant Health teaching staff represent some of Ananda’s finest teachers and counselors in the realm of health and personal change.

Jyotish and Devi Novak are the creators of Lifestyles for Radiant Health. As Spiritual Directors of Ananda’s worldwide work, they have been personally trained since 1969 by Swami Kriyananda, and have lectured around the United States, in Europe, Russia, and India.

In their many years of teaching, they have seen again and again the miracles of healing that happen in people’s lives through the wisdom Ananda shares. During the Lifestyles course they each teach central classes: “Harnessing the Power of the Mind for Wellness,” and “Energy and Magnetism for Well-Being.”

They each bring to their classes 40 years of meditation and devoted spiritual practice, as well as in-depth study of Yogananda's teachings. Married for over 30 years and parents of a grown son, Jyotish and Devi's marriage is a strong example of spiritual partnership.

They teach other courses at The Expanding Light: together they teach an in-depth course on The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, and Devi teaches the weekend program The Art of Intuitive Guidance and leads a 3-day Women's Retreat.

Jyotish and Devi are both published authors. Jyotish is the author of How to Meditate, The 30-day Essentials — for Career, and for Marriage, and a 3-volume video series on Meditation Therapy—for Stress Reduction, for Relationships, and for Health. Devi is the author of Faith is My Armor: The Life of Swami Kriyananda, and the editor of The Light of Superconsciousness and Intuition for Starters.

Jyotish and Devi's clear, centered energy and insight combine with a delightful sense of fun and great kindness to communicate the essence of right spiritual living. If you're new to Ananda, you will feel as though they are old friends you've just met.

They say:

“One of our great joys in being a part of Ananda is the chance we've had to share Yogananda’s path with many others. It’s very meaningful for us to hear new students say, ‘These teachings are so simple and practical. I can really use them to improve my life.’ People light up when they realize that spiritual teachings are actually easy to understand and to put to use in their lives. In sharing these teachings over the years, we've also gained deeper insight into the process that we all go through to find true happiness in life.”

From one of their students:

“Jyotish and Devi are incredible teachers! They speak from the depth of inner experience with truth. Jyotish is full of wisdom and expansive vision, and Devi just fills your heart to capacity with love – a powerful combination that touches you on all levels.”
—P.R., Nevada City, CA

Gyandev McCord is the Director of the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training programs and Ananda Yoga Worldwide, helping to develop the Ananda Yoga system and sharing it across the United States and Canada, as well as in Europe and India. Gyandev is a founding board member of the Yoga Alliance, the non-profit organization that has developed standards for yoga teachers nationally.

Gyandev brings to Lifestyles for Radiant Health a profound understanding of yoga postures and the essence of the yoga science. With a winning and dynamic teaching style, he will help you experience the tremendous physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of yoga, and how to make yoga postures work best for your own body and in your own life.

He has co-authored two books (with Dr. Peter Van Houten): Yoga Therapy for Headache Relief and Yoga Therapy for Overcoming Insomnia and has produced two videos: Yoga for Busy People and Yoga to Awaken the Chakras, with a third – Yoga Therapy for Overcoming Insomnia – now in production.

Gyandev’s students treasure his wisdom and commitment to the spiritual path, his respect for the divine in everyone, and his mischievous, playful sense of humor.

From Gyandev:

“Yoga has such a broad array of tools that we can help any willing person create a lifestyle that truly works for them. It’s simple, it’s practical, and it’s proven successful for so many people. It’s very inspiring to see people move from, “I need help,” to “I’ll give it a try,” to “Wow, I did it, and it really does work!”

From one of his students:

“Thank you, Gyandev, for tuning into the heart of Ananda Yoga. Through your dedication and commitment, many souls will be touched by true yoga. I have been touched – I am filled by my last experience and will come as soon as I am able for the next!”
– J.M., Cincinnati, Ohio

In addition to teaching at The Expanding Light, Gyandev and his wife Diksha annually lead a yogic healing vacation to an five-star Ayurvedic clinic in India. And they offer weekend programs around the United States.

Diksha McCord, one of the Lifestyles staff and co-director of the Meditation Teacher Training program, has been one of The Expanding Light’s most popular teachers for the last ten years. She has specialized in teaching programs about health, diet, and making positive changes in your life.

Diksha, a native Israeli who came to the U.S. in 1990, is a powerful and dynamic woman who has shared yoga postures and yogic teachings across the United States, in Canada and Europe.

Diksha is an outstanding chef and very knowledgeable about the yogic diet and Ayurveda, an Indian system of natural health and healing. She is the author of Global Kitchen and Vegetarian Cooking for Starters. Diksha and her husband Gyandev annually lead a yogic healing vacation to a five-star Ayurvedic resort in India, and they offer weekend programs around the United States.

Diksha brings a broad and eclectic background to her teaching. She has a B.S. in Biology from Hebrew University and worked in the Neurobiology Department at the Medical School of Jerusalem for four years conducting research on the effects of alcohol on the brain. Also an accomplished artist who received numerous awards for her work, Diksha spent three years in a Master's program in Fine Arts at Kyoto Art University in Japan.

Diksha imbues her teaching with a keen mind, heart, spirit, and humor. Above all, she awakens in her students their own inner wisdom and the will to make positive changes in their lives.

Diksha says:

“Sharing Yoga’s universal teachings with others is my true joy. I have found eternal truths and practical guidance on how to live in this world, and I want to help others find the same so they can experience joy and peace in this chaotic world. As I teach, I share with my students in a spirit of love and respect. I feel that I learn as much from them as they learn from me. It is a beautiful, mutual experience of giving and receiving.”

From a student:

“I knew an Ananda program would be moving and fulfilling. Diksha’s program was just that. Her knowledge and conviction are inspirational. She is a master teacher and human being. Diksha provided a consistently high level of knowledge from which we could take what we wanted to apply in our lives. It was focused and uplifting. I feel that I have a clearer path ahead of me. I can only thank her for who she is and all that she gave me.&rdquo
– J. G., Templeton, CA

Mangala brings to the Lifestyles for Radiant Health program an impressive background in the healing field and in yoga training and teaching. She has a Master's in Nursing and has won awards as Nurse Practitioner of the Year, and for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching when she was a lecturer at The University of Washington School of Nursing (1987).

She has also trained as a Biofeedback Therapist, was a Clinical Specialist in Stress Management, and is a certified Massage Therapist and Polarity Therapist. For many years she has been a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner in Nevada City.

She was certified as an Ayurvedic practitioner by Dr. Vasant Lad, in addition to her previous certificates as from the California College of Ayurveda and from Dr. David Frawley's Correspondence Course.

She was is a certified Ananda Yoga Teacher, and has taught yoga and Ayurveda in Europe, India, and America.

In addition to this impressive list of training and qualifications, Mangala is, quite simply, an excellent teacher, who listens sensitively and shares with her students compassion and wisdom. She is gifted in communicating how to make spiritual teachings a practical part of your life, and in working one-on-one to help people make real changes in their lives.

In addition to working with the Lifestyle’s for Radiant Health students, Jyoti is the director of our Personal Retreat program. One of Ananda's best-loved teachers, she coordinates guests’ time at The Expanding Light, assisting and advising them on how to get the most from their stay here.

She has been teaching meditation since 1988, and has shared meditation and Ananda Yoga in many colleges and hospitals. Her teaching has emphasized how to use yogic principles to make effective lifestyle changes that will improve your physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Before coming to Ananda, Jyoti was a success in the business world—as a real estate agent, in a large catering and event-planning business, and as the owner of a vegetarian restaurant. Now, she brings that same dynamism to The Expanding Light where she shares her real love and gift for teaching yoga and meditation.

Full of joy and fun and a friend to all, Jyoti is ideally suited for her role; guests consistently share that she added greatly to their experience here.

Maitri Jones

Maitri’s name means “Friend” in Sanskrit and well describes her kind and supportive nature. She is a calm, high-energy person who approaches her many interests with enthusiasm and talent. Maitri was drawn to doing yoga postures and living a yogic lifestyle early in life, which led her to attend Ananda High School in the early 70’s. Since then she has served in various aspects of Ananda’s work including leading yoga at the meditation retreat, vegetarian cook, teacher in the Living Wisdom Schools, singer and flutist in Ananda’s musical group.

She is now also a registered nurse with experience in hospitals, home health, hospice and ambulatory care. As a certified Meditation Teacher and a Level 2 Yoga Teacher, she has a special interest in using yoga as therapy for body, mind, and spirit. She has shared yoga postures and philosophy through many classes at The Expanding Light, the local community college, private yoga sessions, and leading yoga stretch breaks on Ananda's Internet Radio.

With another nurse, Maitri created and pioneered the very successful MS Study at The Expanding Light, for which she created a video of Energization Exercises and yoga postures for Multiple Sclerosis. She is now on the staff of Ananda’s Yoga Teacher Training Course, where she continues to teach and do personal counseling.