Shreya Ranganath is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher in Sri Sri Yoga, which encompasses elements from Hatha, Raja, Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti yoga. The primary components of her training include pranayama (breathing), asanas (exercises), and meditation.
3 years ago, Shreya was fortunate enough to complete a happiness program in Baroda, Gujarat, which was a wonderful primer into the world of traditional holistic wellness practices. After undergoing hard years of domestic violence, abuse, extreme anxiety, and depression, Shreya felt trapped by her mind and lost on how to proceed.
This program helped shift her mindset and find light within darker situations. Feeling transformed by the wisdom, she began taking Sri Sri yoga classes regularly from the Art of Living Foundation, founded by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – a global humanitarian and thought leader in yoga and meditation.
These courses allowed Shreya to begin a true healing process and brought her closer to her South Asian cultural identity. However, upon returning to her home in San Diego, California, she observed yoga being diluted to simply a trend only available for a limited group of people (skinny, white, and rich). This prompted Shreya to continue to take classes at San Diego Miramar College (in the styles of Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin) and research ancient yoga history, philosophy, texts, while practicing with sincerity daily. Her studies led her to become a 200-hour certified yoga teacher through the Sri Sri School of Yoga USA, prized on teaching yogic philosophy and practice in a traditional manner.
Shreya’s philosophy is that yoga should be a practice for everyone, regardless of race, class, and other barriers that have historically prevented BIPOC communities from participating. Through a holistic and authentic approach, true to ancient scriptures such as Patanjali Yoga Sutras and The Bhagavad-Gita, she hopes to change the stigma surrounding yoga and assist her peers on their journey of healing.
Shreya is currently a junior at USC, studying Journalism at Annenberg. She hopes to blend her passion for storytelling with production and increase diverse representation in media. Aside from her studies, she loves to hike, sew, paint, and travel. Shreya feels grateful for the opportunity to work with YogaUSC and is looking forward to getting back on the mat alongside a great community!
