A Vedic Spiritual Teacher Rooted in Lineage
Acharya Shunya is a traditionally trained Vedic spiritual teacher, bestselling author, and the first woman to lead the Sarayu Parampara, a lineage of householder spiritual teachers rooted in Ayodhya, India.
Trained from the age of nine by her grandfather and guru, Acharya Ayodhya Nath, she received fourteen years of daily instruction and spiritual discipline in preparation for carrying the lineage forward.
Today, she brings the wisdom of Advaita Vedanta and Shakti, the Divine Feminine, to seekers worldwide, guiding sustained study and practice toward inner freedom and Self-realization.
Continuing A Living Lineage from Ayodhya, India
Acharya Shunya’s teaching is rooted in the Sarayu Parampara, a lineage of householder spiritual teachers from Ayodhya, India.
Her grandfather and guru, Acharya Ayodhya Nath, known affectionately as Baba, trained her from the age of nine through fourteen years of daily study and spiritual discipline. His own guru, his father Acharya Shanti Prakash, revered as Bade Baba, shaped the lineage’s commitment to Self-knowledge, devotion, and service.
Her father, Padma Shri Daya Prakash Sinha, was a renowned playwright, scholar, and renouncer whose life brought together literary achievement, service to Indian culture, and dedication to dharma. Honored by the President of India with the Padma Shri for his contribution to the arts, he embodied another expression of the family’s inheritance: a life of creative work and public responsibility grounded in spiritual values.
As the first woman to lead this lineage, Acharya Shunya carries forward the wisdom entrusted to her by her teachers. Her teaching preserves a central understanding of the householder path: family, work, and worldly responsibilities can become the ground for spiritual practice as one moves toward inner freedom and Self-realization.
Her teaching addresses enduring human questions: how to meet suffering, act with discernment, love without losing oneself, and discover a freedom that does not depend upon circumstances.
Drawing from the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Goddess scriptures, she makes profound teachings accessible while preserving their depth. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, she teaches online and at universities, conferences, and retreats, including Stanford University, Kripalu, and Omega Institute. Through her Inner Mandala Vedic Study Circle, seekers across 21 countries gather for sustained study, meditation, devotion, and Self-inquiry.
Ancient Wisdom for Contemporary Life
Acharya Shunya’s teaching unfolds through Atma Vidya, the knowledge of the Self, and Shakti Vidya, the wisdom of the Divine Feminine. These paths belong to a longstanding tradition in which inquiry into formless reality and devotion to the Divine support one another. Adi Shankaracharya, the great scholar-sage and a foremost teacher of Advaita Vedanta, upheld devotion to the Divine Mother while teaching with uncompromising clarity that ultimate reality, Brahman, is beyond name and form.
Acharya Shunya carries this tradition forward through Inner Mandala Vedic Study Circle and Goddess Unbound Circle, offering sustained study, sacred practice, and self-inquiry toward inner freedom and Self-realization.
Two Paths Within a Living Tradition
Founding Vedika Global:
Education & Service
In 2007, Acharya Shunya founded Vedika Global, a California nonprofit, to give her lineage’s teachings an enduring institutional home. Classes began in 2008. For more than a decade, its Ayurveda Gurukulam offered rigorous education grounded in classical texts, extended mentorship, clinical training, and distinguished visiting faculty from India. Scholarships, free clinics, and public gatherings extended its educational mission into community service.
Today, Vedika Global continues its mission through the Vedic Study Circle, continuing Ayurveda education, and free public teachings.
Continue to vedikaglobal.org to discover the institution’s history, educational work, and service.
Books That Bring the Teachings into Everyday Life
Acharya Shunya is the author of Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom, Sovereign Self, and Roar Like a Goddess. Her books bring Vedic teachings into conversation with everyday questions of well-being, identity, and personal power. Together, they invite readers to cultivate a healthier life, question limiting beliefs, and move toward inner freedom and Self-realization.
Teachings & Conversations: Podcast Shadow to Self
Ranked among the top 2% of podcasts globally by Listen Notes.
Through Shadow to Self, Acharya Shunya brings Advaita Vedanta into the intimate questions of human life, exploring relationships, suffering, dharma, and the journey toward inner freedom and Self-realization. Alongside her own teachings, she hosts conversations with respected spiritual teachers, authors, and scholars, including Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, Mirabai Starr, Tracee Stanley, and David Nichtern.
Honors and Recognition
Over the past two decades, Acharya Shunya has been recognized for her contributions to Ayurveda, Vedic wisdom, spiritual education, women’s leadership, authorship, and public service.
Awards & Honors
Recognition includes the Mother Padmavati International Ayurveda Award, the Ayurveda Vachaspati Award, and CIIS’s Chaudhary Award for Lifetime Achievement in Ayurveda and Vedic Sciences. Vedika Global received the Nalanda Award for Excellence in Ayurvedic Education. Acharya Shunya was also honored by the Women’s Global Power Forum and named among Spirituality & Health’s Top 100 teachers.
Leadership & Public Service
Acharya Shunya served two terms as president of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine and advised India’s Ministry of AYUSH on international Ayurveda and yoga affairs. She was invited to co-facilitate the World Ayurveda Congress’s Global Education Summit. The City of Emeryville recognized Vedika Global’s community and cultural contributions under her leadership.
Books, Media & Podcast
Roar Like a Goddess received an Ommie Award. Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom appeared in Healthline’s Top 10 alternative medicine books and Bustle’s selection of books encouraging self-care. Shadow to Self ranks among the top 2% of podcasts globally according to Listen Notes. Acharya Shunya also appeared in Sounds True’s Mystics Today with Tami Simon.
Keynotes & Institutions
Acharya Shunya’s invited teaching includes Stanford University, UCLA, UCSF, the World Ayurveda Congress, and the Theosophical Society in America. Recurring invitations to Kripalu, Omega Institute, Ram Dass Legacy gatherings, and Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat reflect enduring relationships with established centers of spiritual learning.
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Featured In
Acharya Shunya’s work has appeared across leading media, wellness, spiritual, and cultural platforms.