Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda
Jaya Lakshmi and Ananda are Oregon based musical artists in the genre of mantra music and heart songs. As inspired singer/songwriters, they are best known for their English devotional lyrics infused with vedic mantras but are also well known for their enchanting acoustic kirtans. They also offer Mantra/Kirtan based electronic dance music they call “Kirtronica”.
They both play guitar and harmonium while weaving vocal melodies. In addition, Jaya Lakshmi plays keyboard and Ananda captivates audiences via the bansuri flute. They are known for their powerful blend of modern and ancient soundscapes that touches the heart and invokes a meditative connected state.
Ananda Yogiji has been a dedicated practitioner and teacher of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan since 2006. He has studied under the guidance of master teachers Gurucharan Singh, Gurmukh, Guru Singh, Krishna Kaur, Ravi Logan and many more. He spent 4 years learning with Viriam Singh and Kaur in Eugene, Oregon. He has attended nine, nine day Kundalini Yoga summer solstice intensives in New Mexico. Since meeting Jaya Lakshmi, they have toured nationally and internationally offering healing mantra music concerts as well as teaching Kundalini Yoga and Meditation with live music provided by Jaya Lakshmi.
Ananda also completed and taught at numerous holistic yoga and leadership immersions at the Dharmalaya (a holistic yoga, permaculture and meditation center in Eugene, Oregon). In addition to his BA in international and sustainable business, he has a minor in East Asian Religions and studied yogic philosophy at the University of Oregon and the Dharmalaya.
Jaya Lakshmi has regularly practiced hatha-based yoga since 1996, including Pattabhi-Jois style Ashtanga yoga and Anusara Yoga. Since meeting Ananda in 2010 she integrated Kundalini yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan into her daily practice, regularly attending the Summer Solstice Sadhana gathering in Espanola, NM. Her most influential teachers have been Kia Miller, Saul David Raye, Sianna Sherman, Janet Stone, and Anand Mehrotra.