About

You can take the Indian out of India; India will forever remain in her heart and soul.

My Story

Rooted in Heritage

Born in the United States and a Californian at heart, my upbringing was deeply shaped by my South Indian roots. Raised by my grandparents in an ethnic South Indian community, I spent my youth immersed in cultural arts and spiritual traditions. Alongside a strong matrilineal heritage, I grew up influenced by female saints such as Mata Amritanandamayi, Karunamayi Ma, and Pujya Shri Mathioli Saraswathi. I took mantra diksha on Devi Saraswathi from Amma at the tender age of eleven. Maa Saraswathi has been a strong force in my life ever since, encouraging my endeavours in music, art, writing, and spiritual and academic inquiry.

Sowmya Ayyar with her grandmother, mother, and aunt at home

“The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.”

Education as an Anchor, Art as a Method

I graduated from Santa Clara University with a BS in Sociology and a certificate in Gerontology. Drawn to teaching and mentoring, I began as a substitute teacher, then became a teaching assistant as a graduate student at UC Davis. I moved to working at a community center, supporting people’s empowerment through basic needs. On the side, I began teaching music to children, and then to adults. Music teaching soon became my full-time vocation. I pursued other arts and spiritualities as well.

Colourful abstract artwork with flowing concentric forms

“Where a door is closed, a bigger door is opened.”

Yoga as Foundation

After a traumatic life experience, I sought relief in yoga, and eventually completed a teacher training certificate. What began as healing became the foundation for my life.

I completed two MA degrees — one in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and the other in Environmental Security and Peace from the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica. Combining my background and interests, I wrote one thesis on yoga for international peacebuilders and the other on nature-based yoga for trauma survivors.

Sowmya Ayyar practising the Warrior II yoga pose on a rooftop terrace, treetops and city skyline behind her

“This is my Karma.”

Coming Home to India

In 2011, I packed my bags and shifted to India, not knowing what to expect.

It was my karma to be in the land where my foremothers were born. It was my karma to become a yoga therapist for underserved communities, and to start an NGO grounded in my experience in the field. It was my karma to accept what the Goddess has given me as mine.

In 2018, I joined the Amani Institute for a PGDM in Social Innovation Management, where I presented on Self-Love through Yoga for Women Prison Inmates as a deterrent to crime. Now, at the age of 47, I have completed my PhD in Diplomacy and the Feminine in Indic Knowledge Systems, focusing on four yogini sanghas across Indian landscapes, eras, and traditions. My goal is to understand how women contribute to and shape the world and the different streams of our lives.

Sowmya Ayyar smiling in a red-orange sari beside a marigold garland

Philosophy

I believe in the power of sangha.

15+ Years of Experience
9,000+ Sessions Conducted
5,000+ Students Mentored
10+ Publications Authored

Sowmya Ayyar smiling beside her name in script lettering

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