Our Amazing Staff
Ana Kirsch
General Manager
Ana is The Expanding Light general manager extraordinaire. Highly capable, warm hearted and caring, she takes good care of the retreat and staff. Ana has a natural ability to attend to details while also developing the bigger picture. Her experience in the corporate world has trained her mind for business, while her priority of living the spiritual teachings gives her a refined inner radiance. She lived in the Ananda Seattle community from 2010 until she moved to Ananda village in 2017.
Sundara Traymar
Assistant Manager
Sundara is The Expanding Light assistant manager. Among the many hats he wears he oversees the Karma Yoga and Personal Retreat programs, supports the spiritual welfare of both retreat staff and guests, and hosts and leads weekend retreat programs. An extraordinarily creative and gifted teacher, Sundara for years led nature workshops over the world as the international director of Sharing Nature Worldwide, a global movement dedicated to helping deepen people’s experience and love of nature.
Nayaswami Krishanadas
Guest Group Manager
Nayaswami Krishnadas manages the guest groups that The Expanding Light hosts, leads pilgrimage trips to holy places in India and the U.S., teaches weekend retreats and gives spiritual counselling to guests. He came to Ananda in 1978 and immediately found his home and purpose in life at Ananda. An exceptionally knowledgeable and gifted meditation and yoga philosophy teacher, he shares his passion for these teachings with dynamic enthusiasm. He has a vibrant zest for life that comes out in a warm, personable nature and serviceful disposition. He’ll go out of his way to make you feel comfortable and clear about the teachings.
Nayaswami Mantradevi
Programs Manager
Dhananjaya Denholm
Karma Yoga Program
He serves as co-manager for the Ananda Karma Yoga Program. Guests and staff alike feel the friendship that he naturally shares with all. His warm smile and twinkly eyes give you a hint of his fun-loving sense of humor. Dhananjaya has a passion for the yogic teachings and is happy for the opportunity to share his experience with the karma yogis. He believes 100 per cent in the karma yoga program as, time and again, he has seen the magic that happens to people when they begin to live a lifestyle that includes service and meditation.
Trimurti Motika
Guest Services
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Uma Bottaro
Marketing
Arya Cheng
Karma Yoga – Ananda School of Yoga & Meditation
Prashad Wang
Guest Services
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Shane Kenihan
General Maintenance
David Seybert
Special Projects?
Manisha Holm
Guest Services
Lewis Howard
Guest Services
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Rose Gradel
Guest Services
Dambara Begley
Guest Services
Susan Wells
Guest Services
Bhawani Isaacson
Karma Yoga Program
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Yogesh Lee
Karma Yoga Program
Julie Roberts
Cheff
Jake Fuentes
Cheff
Darshana
Ananda School of Yoga
& Meditation
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Melody
Ananda School of Yoga
& Meditation
Gyandev
Ananda School of Yoga
& Meditation
Diksha
Ananda School of Yoga
& Meditation
Ana Kirsch
General Manager
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Sundara Traymar
Karma Yoga Program
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Nayaswami Krishanadas
Guest Group Leader
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Nayaswami Mantradevi
Programs Manager
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Guest Teachers
Serves in Ananda’s Online Ministry and at The Expanding Light, teaching classes on meditation, karma and reincarnation, the yogic teachings of Jesus, and more. Sagar is joyful, highly creative, and has a delightfully spontaneous sense of humour and enthusiasm for life that includes all those around him. Being born into a family of kriya-yogis and reading the Autobiography of a Yogi at the young age of seven gave Sagar a firm start on the spiritual path. He has avidly studied spiritual teachings throughout his life and is very knowledgeable about Yogananda’s teachings. He also co-hosts the Yogananda pilgrimage to Los Angeles.
Originally from England, Sanjan is an inspired teacher and host. He greets you with a delightful combination of heart-felt joy and humor that makes you feel you’ve just gained a friend. He has the ability to share Yogananda’s teachings on a variety of subjects, filling his classes with depth of perception and illustrative stories. Sanjan’s willingness to go out of his way to serve and his warmth of heart uplift all those around him.
Staff
General Manager:
Ana Kirsch
Guest Groups:
Nayaswami Krishnadas
Lewis
Programs Leader:
Nayaswami Mantradevi
Karma Yoga:
Sundara
Dhananjaya
Arya
Bhawani
Yogesh
Surana
Marketing:
Uma
General Maintenance:
Shane
?
David S
Guest Services:
Meerabai
Manisha
Dambara
Rose
Trimurti
Prashad
Susan
Housekeeping:
Masha
Denise
Kitchen:
Julie
Jake
Amy
Scott
William
Nayaswami Mokshananda
Ananda School of Yoga and Meditation?
Darshana
Melody
Arya
Gyandev
Diksha
Guest Teachers
Brahmachari Sagar
David Kletter
Devalila Veenhof
Dhyan Garcia-Davis
Irene Schulman
Matthew Fredrickson
Miriam Rodgers
Murali
Nandadevi Traymar
Nayaswami Devi
Nayaswami Jyotish
Nayaswami Maria
Nayaswami Narayan
Nayaswami Dharmadevi
Nayaswami Pranaba
Nayaswami Parvati
Shyama Garcia-Davis
Vivekadevi Non-Kuhn
Yudhisthira Doug Andrews