Dr. Yogananth Andiappan

Dr. Yogananth Andiappan, the Founder and Director of International Yoga Academy was born to India's famous Yoga Guru, Dr. Asana Andiappan. He started learning Yoga from his Father and Guru at the age of two. By the age of thirty, Yogananth is well qualified in the field of Yoga having completed two diplomas (Yoga and Naturopathy, Yogic Science and Education), a Bachelor and Master of Science in Yoga and Naturopathy from Manonmanian Sundaranar University in Chennai, India. He has recently completed his Ph.D (Yoga Therapy) on the effect of yoga therapy on cancer patients with the Physical Education and Sports University in India. He not only has won many State, National and International Titles in Yoga Championships but has also given workshops, demonstrations and conducts Teacher Training across different countries including Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia and France. He is also appointed as the 'honorary professor' at Zhangzhou University in China. His contribution in the field of yoga from the very young age was appreciated by two presidents of India. Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Smt.Pratibha Devisingh Patil. Yogananth specializes in Thirumoolar's Ashtanga Yoga and Hatha Yoga. His passion and mission in life is to spread the benefits of Yoga to all those who are interested and open to its philosophy. In addition, he wishes to continue his research on the countless Asanas and its benefit. Yogananth published a high quality coffee table yoga book called 'Yoga from the Heart', and has launched a few best selling yoga DVDs for home practice.

Dr. Lakshmi Andiappan

Lakshmi Andiappan is a fully qualified medical as well as a Yoga Therapy practitioner.  She has been practicing yoga from the young age of two under the eagle eyed tutelage of her Father and Guru Dr. Asana Andiappan, a pioneer of Yoga Therapy and Thirumoolar’s Ashtanga Yoga in India.  Beyond her medical qualification, Lakshmi has a Master degree in Yogic Science and is currently pursuing her Ph.D in Yoga Therapy. Lakshmi is the Chief Yoga Therapist at the Dr. Asana Andiappan College of Yoga ad Research Center in Chennai.  She is a well known Pre-natal Yoga Specialist in the State of Tamil Nadu India.  Lakshmi has won many awards in Yoga from district, state and international level. Today, Lakshmi presents in various conferences on various topics including yoga therapy for different ailments such as obesity, heart conditions, and most recently, yoga for pregnancy complications.  She is also on the expert panel of Asana - an International Yoga Journal.  She is keen to combine her medical knowledge with her yoga practice in order to share her learning and experience with her yoga students.

Yogacharya Vishnu Kumar

Yogacharya Vishnu kumar is a qualified Ayurveda and Yoga Therapist who hails from a traditional Indian family near Tirupathi, the holy city. He holds Master of Yogic science and master of philosophy in yogic science and currently pursuing his Ph.D in yoga. He has worked as a chief Yoga Therapist at Asana Andiappan Yoga College, Chennai, South India for over 8 years and has done extensive research work in Hatha Yoga and Ayurvedic Science. Besides his Professional Yoga Degrees, he is also MBA graduate in health care management. He has received a Yogaacharya Award from the Chief Justice of Madras High Court in 2010 for his contribution in Yoga Theoretical Excellence and Ayurveda propagation in India and abroad. He has mastered his Hatha Yoga Practice and Yoga Therapy under the direct guidance of the legendary Guru Dr.Asana Andiappan for over 15 years. He has learned Babaji's Kriya Hatha yoga and Ayurveda Marma Sashtra since his young age from his grandfather who hails from a traditional Ayurveda Varma family. Though all of his brothers and sisters are modern medical doctors, he has decided to dedicate his life to do extensive research in Indian yogic science and medicine. Some of his teaching style includes Yoga Therapy is based on Ayurvedic Tridoshas Imbalances in the body. He also teaches tailor made yoga programs for corporate executives and traditional yoga classes such as Hatha Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation, Postural Alignments in Yoga Therapy. He conducts his classes in a very detailed oriented and full of knowledge and self research.

Edith
Edith was raised in NYC and came to HK after her studies. She attended her first yoga class 11 years ago and immediately felt the physical and mental benefits. It was not until she found herself overwhelmed by the stress of running her own business and balancing home life, that she decided to consistently practice yoga. With a regular practice, she began to notice changes in her physical, emotional and spiritual bodies. She left her business in 2009 and completed her 200 Hours Hatha Yoga Teacher Training in 2010. She further continued her yogic studies and accomplished her 300 Hours Advanced Hatha Yoga Teacher Training with Master Yogananth Andiappan.

Edith is grateful to learn under Master Yogananth Andiappan and the expert team of teachers in Anahata Yoga. Yoga has taught her to garner a new-found connection between her mind and her body, beyond what she thought was imaginable. Edith is passionate to share her yoga experience, and to help others feel the significant physical and mental benefits that yoga has provided for her.

Edith is also a volunteer member of Yogananth Andiappan Community and currently teaches at Changing Young lives foundation.

Mahesh

Master Mahesh is the grandson of Guruji Andiappan,  He was born into a family of yoga masters and started his yoga journey at the very young age of 4. He has trained under the tutelage of Guruji Dr. Asana Andiappan and Guruma Sugatha Kumari Andiappan. He has completed his Diploma and Bachelors in Yoga and Naturopathy and currently studying Masters in Yogic Science at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Chennai. He has won numerous awards in state and national level Yoga competitions. Mahesh has travelled extensively all throughout various parts of India, Hong Kong and trained yoga students of various backgrounds such as law enforcement personals, judicial academy, staff training college of various banks staff . He has also conducted yoga theory and practical classes  for the teacher training students at Asana Andiappan College of Yoga and Research Centre, Chennai., Mahesh specializes in Hatha Yoga, Thirumoolar's Ashtanga Yoga and Yoga Therapy for special needs and ailments.

Raja
Master Raja has studied yoga for over 10 years under the direct supervision of Guruji Dr. Asana Andiappan. He is a professionally qualified and experienced instructor and has acquired his Diploma, Post Graduate and Master Degree in Yogic Science at Tamil Nadu physical education and sports university in India.

Master Raja has years of teaching experience in the yoga field starting with working as a Yoga master at Asana Andiappan College of Yoga and Research Centre. His classes are unique with individual attention on each persons specific needs.

These include stress management, weight control as well as specific goals such as inversions, arm balance, and backbends.

He encourages his students to work with their physical and mental limitations through his customized sequences, alignments, and hands-on direction. This enables his students to gain a deeper understanding of yogic techniques in their own practice and an ability to explore and rediscover one's natural strength, endurance, and range of motion.

Master Raja is a versatile teacher in various styles and levels of yoga such as Hatha Yoga, Andiappan Yoga, Core Yoga, Yoga Balance, Slimming Yoga, Yoga Therapy and Pranayama Meditation.

Anurag
"Yoga helps maintain fitness, improves one's health, and enables the body to open up slowly and safely," says Anurag, a fitness buff inspired to incorporate the practice of yoga into his health-conscious lifestyle.

However, there is more to the athletic yoga instructor of ten years than a priority for physical fitness.

Anurag was initiated into Jigyasu Sanyasa by Guru Niranjanananda Saraswati, the successor of Swami Satyananda Saraswati and head of Bihar Yoga Bharati (Institute for Advanced Studies in Yogic Science), the world's first and only university of yogic science. There he obtained his certificate in Yogic Studies and received the spiritual title 'Sanat Kumar.' He then worked as a yoga instructor in Solace, a health and fitness centre in Kolkata, India; then served for a time as the main yoga consultant for Mr. R.P. Goenka, a member of Indian Parliament as well as Chairman of RPG Enterprise, one of India's largest business conglomerates.

Anurag is also well-versed in several yoga teaching styles thanks to various training, including Victor Chng's Asia Yin Yoga Teacher Training and Baron Baptiste's Power Yoga Training. Anurag brings a strong sense of body awareness to his classes as well as a thorough understanding of rhythm and movement, imparting to his students the rudiments of maintaining one's fitness, the benefits it reaps for one's health, and the central balance they can attain by combining it all with yoga.

Anuja Chowdhry
Anuja has been practicing yoga at a very young age. Inspired by her mother she started doing Yoga at the age of 15. She has always used Yoga as a way to balance her body, mind, and soul. She also always felt that Yoga was a great form of exercise. She decided a few years ago to change her passion for Yoga into something that she could share with others and took up training in becoming a Yoga teacher.

She has completed 200 hours of Hatha Yoga teacher training course and 300 hours of advanced Hatha Yoga teacher training with the International Yoga Academy with Master Yogananth Andiappan as her main teacher. Anuja is also an active member of Andiappan yoga community a non-profit, a volunteer-run organization whose mission is to share Yoga with those who may not be able to afford Yoga classes or those with special needs. She has also been teaching Yoga privately with now a passionate and active group of students who have credited her teaching style.

Anuja is an active mother of two has always believed that Yoga has helped her maintain calm and balance in an otherwise very hectic and fast-paced life in a big city like Hong Kong. I believe yoga strengthens, it centers and makes you stretch your abilities. It is food for both body and soul and she truly believes that it is something that can help anyone that goes into it with an open mind.

Dilip
Dilip comes from Kerala in Southern India Born into a renowned family of Ayurvedic physicians (traditional Indian medical system) and yoga masters, he started the practice of Yoga, Ayurveda and Martial Arts (Kalaripayat – the ancient Keralan art of healing and self-defense) from the age of 8 and has been teaching in Hong Kong since 2005.

While teaching and conducting yoga and naturopathy camps and awareness programs in South India, he gained extensive knowledge in Yoga Therapy while treating people with numerous common ailments. He has also served as a Yoga Therapist and Ayurvedic Massage therapist in renowned medical institutions.

Dilip’s classes incorporate his understanding of ancient yogic and medical science to create specific techniques that cater to individual needs. Students will find him to be a caring and compassionate teacher, and his classes to be filled with fun and good energy.

Pratyay
Pratyay started his wellness journey at an early age. He has always loved to get in shape, improve strength and flexibility and takes a keen interest in arm balance movements and is also trained in martial arts. He was overwhelmed by the flow, intensity and calmness of Yoga after his first class and has since incorporated it into his daily practice. Pratyay was awarded at the Bihar Leadership Festival for leading a new way of fitness, Yoga and Calisthenics and was also awarded the Youth Icon Award at the Bahrat Leadership Festival.
He has taught in India, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore is now happy to share his knowledge with the people of Hong Kong. Pratyay teaches Ashtanga, Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin Yoga and specializes in Arm Balance and Dynamic Flow.

Keshav
Master Keshav has been practicing yoga since 1995.  He is a professionally qualified and experienced instructor, who was inspired by various yoga Gurus in India. Keshav has acquired his Diploma, Post Graduate and Master Degree in Yogic Science at Annamalai University, India.

Keshav has over ten years experience in the yoga field starting with working as a Yoga Therapist in various health centers and Universities.  His classes are unique with individual attention on each person's specific needs. These include stress management, weight control as well as specific goals such as inversions, arm balance and back bends.

He encourages his students to work with their physical and mental limitations through his customized sequences, alignments and hands on direction.  This enables his students to gain a deeper understanding of yogic techniques in their own practice and an ability to explore and rediscover one's natural strength, endurance, and range of motion.

Keshav is a versatile teacher in various styles and levels of yoga such as Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Core Yoga , Sun Vinyasa , Back Care Yoga, Yoga Balance, and Andiappan Yoga.

Kammy
Kammy started her yoga practice at Anahata Yoga Centre in Hong Kong since 2012. Under the guidance of Master Yogananth Andiappan and his team of professional masters, she accomplished the 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training Course in2012, as well as the 300 hours Advanced Hatha Yoga Teacher Training in 2014.

The training courses motivated her to continue the yoga journey and it is a life journey for her too. She thinks the practice of yoga is not only about the flexibility in one's body, also in one's mind. Through the practice of asanas, pranayama and meditation, it helps to maintain better physical health and mental peace.

Based on the traditional Hatha yoga practice, Kammy considers about different people's needs according to different body types. She also emphasizes the importance of alignment, the balance of flexibility and strength.

She always encourage people to listen to body, connect the mind and follow the heart. Therefore, she hopes to share yoga with more people and inspire to live out yoga as a life practice.

Petra Niemi
Yoga has been big part of Petra’s life for many years. She attended her first yoga course already in 2001 in Finland but it was only later when yoga became part of her everyday life.

Petra joined 200 Hours Hatha Yoga Teacher Training in 2014 and continued her studies by completing 300 Hours Advanced Hatha Yoga Teacher Training with Master Yogananth. She has also completed 300 hours Yoga Therapy Teacher Training and 100 hours Kids Yoga Teacher Training. She has also completed 100 Hours Meditation and Pranayama teacher training course.

Today yoga is an important part of Petra’s daily life. Yoga has given her strength both physically and mentally and Petra believes that with the help of yoga she has been able to stay balanced and strong when life has challenged her.

Petra has been teaching Hatha, Power, Yin and Yoga Therapy classes as well as kids yoga. She lived in Hong Kong for 9 years but she’s now based in Finland where she’s also running her own home studio.

“I love teaching yoga. It’s inspirational to see how yoga can change people’s life. I believe yoga belongs to everyone and I’m grateful that I can share my yoga experience and see the benefits of yoga with my students."

Federica Betteto
Originally from Italy, but based in Hong Kong since early 2004, Federica started her yogic journey since her move to Asia, fascinated by the sense of peace and release she immediately experienced on and off the mat. Yoga practice inspired her to live each moment more mindfully and empathetically and to help others find the same comfort through it.

She completed her 200 hrs Yoga Teacher Training in 2016 and her 300 hrs Advanced Hatha YTT under the guidance of Master Yogananth Andiappan. She has been active in the Andiappan Yoga Community (AYC) as a leading teacher of a free yoga program for overseas domestic helpers in Discovery Bay, where she lives.

Federica believes yoga is the right balance between strength and flexibility, so her classes combine a Yin and Yang approach to postures, with a focus on meditation and breathing techniques. Her teaching combines the correct alignment, breath work and body awareness, aiming to encourage each student to explore his own potential and strengthen the connection between body and mind.

Dhiraj

Coming from a family of Yoga Teachers, yoga has always been a part of Master Dhiraj's life. Dhiraj has studied from various renowned yoga teachers including Guru Swami Harshananda and Dr. Abodh as well as Gurus from various yoga traditions since childhood. He has completed his Master's Degree in Yoga and Meditation from JVBI Ladnun Rajasthan, India. With over 18 years of yoga teaching experience, he has given yoga classes for multinational corporations in India such as Sony, Vodafone, Panasonic, Ray-Ban. He has also conducted two scientific research studies on the effects of yoga on middle-level school students sponsored by NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) New Delhi.

Master Dhirai's classes are a unique blend of various types of yoga such as Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga and Gyana Yoga which aim to attain a perfect balance and harmony between the body and the mind. His classes are suitable for beginners to the experienced practitioners.

Master Dhiraj teaches Hatha Yoga, Yoga Therapy, Destress Yoga, Pranayama Meditation, and Kids Yoga.