International Day of Yoga 2022

Dr. Ramaswamy is an accomplished Indian classical dancer, choreographer and teacher in the Washington, DC metro area with over 25 years of experience in Bharatha Natyam. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Clinical Supervisor in the State of Maryland and in the District of Columbia.

She holds 2 doctorates: Her first doctorate (PhD) in 2012 linked practices of Indian classical dance to ashta anga principle of yoga based on the seminal yoga text, Yogasutra. In 2017, Dr. Ramaswamy completed a second doctorate (EdD) on cultivating multicultural counseling competence, using meditation and mindfulness practices.

She served as a counseling faculty at Johns Hopkins for 6 years teaching the importance of Eastern healing traditions in counseling culturally diverse populations. She served as Dharmic Spiritual Advisor at Georgetown University in 2021 & currently works as counseling faculty in Saybrook University. Dr. Ramaswamy is an active community volunteer promoting Dharmic traditions, highlighting the significance and relevance of dharmic wisdom, especially in modern times.

Dr. Ramaswamy is a Founding Director and Vice-President of DhIA Foundation, Inc.

Stephen Parker, Psy. D. was initiated in the Himalayan Yoga tradition by Swami Veda Bharati and was given the initiate name Stoma in 1971. Among the first teachers certified by the Himalayan International Teachers’ Association, H.I.T.A., he began teaching hatha-yoga in 1974. Stoma is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500 hour level of the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500) and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Council on Yoga Accreditation International (www.cyai.com). In addition to authoring journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Parker (a retired clinical psychologist) edited volume two of Swami Veda’s definitive scholarly work on the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali. He has also recently published a book on the process of spiritual purification in yoga entitled Clearing the Path, the yoga way to a clear and pleasant mind: Patañjali, neuroscience and emotion.

Amita Jain is a Doctor of Ayurvedic Medicine, a certified Hatha Yoga teacher, and certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. After completing an undergraduate degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia (1996), Amita pursued intense studies in Ayurveda and Yoga.

Alongside being a business owner, Amita achieved certification as Ayurvedic Practitioner and continued to consult people who were suffering from chronic illness on how to regain health naturally with Ayurvedic medicine. In 2017, she decided to devote herself full-time to this cause, on a voluntary basis, and opened Vedic Health Inc as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. She was awarded the degree of Doctor of Ayurveda from Sai Ayurvedic College of Miami after completing 3.5 years of studies including clinical training in Ayurvedic panchakarma at Swasthyam Ayurvedic Hospital in Kannur, Kerala. She studied under leaders of Ayurvedic medicine including Dr. Waldo Castro, Vaidya Atreya Smith, Vaidya William Courson and Dr Jyothi Samith, all of whom continue to guide her today.