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Roaring Truth Teller Fearless Teacher Compassionate Awakener Trailblazing Author
A Roaring Teacher
Acharya Shunya is a truth-teller who facilitates authenticity, self-remembrance, and divine feminine pathways to awakening. The first female head of her spiritual lineage that traces its roots to 2,000-year-ago in India, Acharya Shunya represents the ancient Vedic tradition of India in a way that is completely authentic, yet as relevant as possible to modern sensibilities and needs.
Acharya Shunya reinterprets and re-contextualizes ancient Vedic wisdom and dharma teachings of Advaita Vedanta (nondual teachings), Ayurveda's lifestyle wisdom and Yoga philosophy, to create a learning and awakening path for contemporary seekers, empowering people everywhere to lead spiritually fearless, fulfilled and enlightened lives. Her teachings acts like a bridge between ancient wisdom and issues faced by modern humans, today.
Acharya Shunya is the author of three bestselling books Ayurveda lifestyle Wisdom (2017), Sovereign Self (2020) and her newest book - Roar Like a Goddess: Every Woman's Guide to Becoming Unapologetically Powerful, Prosperous, and Peaceful. In this book, Acharya Shunya honors her progressive Vedic roots while breaking the shackles of tradition to bring modern-day women, an inclusive, feminist spirituality.
Acharya Shunya is the founder of The Awakened Self Foundation - a learning, empowering and awakening platform abd Vedika Global, a 501c3 religious not-for-profit, both headquartered in Northern California.
She is a highly-rated motivational speaker, podcast host, workshop facilitator and retreat leader with 20+ years of experience as a spiritual, wellness, relationship and women's empowerment coach and group facilitator supporting individuals, groups, and organizations in amplifying their authenticity and empower them to become a better version of themselves, utilizing goddess archetypes from her culture as tools for unapologetic living. Shunya lectures on Hindu/Vedic spirituality, psychology and wellness modalities (Ayurveda and Yoga) and she lectures at prestigious conferences and at universities such as UCLA, UCSF, and Stanford.
Forwarding A Legacy
Acharya Shunya is taking forward the legacy of her ancestors from the holy city of Ayodhya in India. Her immediate teacher and guru was her paternal grandfather Baba Ayodhya Nath. He was a well-known Vedic scholar, yoga and meditation master, Ayurveda expert and beloved householder saint (Grihasta Sadhu) of the former century in India. He was the son and disciple of his guru, Paramatman Shanti Prakash, considered a living ‘seer’ of the 19th century, a prolific scholar and renowned compiler of the classic Vedic text Adi Bhagavad Gita, the revealer of infinite spiritual treasures leading to inner awakening and Self-Realization. Acharya Shunya's father Shri Daya Prakash Sinha is the recipient of the 'Padmashree Award' which is the highest civilian award in India for his contribution to forwarding Indian thought and culture. Acharya Shunya is the first woman leader of her illustrious family, with a growing spiritual following of seekers worldwide. Along with with life-changing knowledge and blessings she has received from her distinguished male ancestors, Acharya Shunya acknowledges and gives heartfelt expression to her maternal wisdom heritage and the roaring goddess wisdom she received from her mother and grandmother. Acharya Shunya is a befitting ambassador of her great heritage; a catalyst for empowering health and elevating consciousness worldwide.
A Vedic Visionary
It is generally considered a rare honor to learn from a teacher who trained in and is practicing a living spiritual tradition. And there are many spiritual guides in the world today—some authentically wise and awakened—but few like Acharya Shunya, who embody the wisdom, techniques, and secrets of a tradition developed over centuries by practicing masters. A lineage holder immersed in the tradition from a young age, Acharya Shunya is grounded in the full breadth of Vedic/Hindu wisdom and well-acquainted with its depth. She is also a pragmatic teacher, and through her books and online courses, she guides global seekers in the everyday application of precepts and practices that will enhance anyone’s life regardless of their beliefs or background.Her ability to translate and impart esoteric knowledge from sacred Sanskrit texts, and articulately and persuasively elucidate the timeless teachings enable contemporary seekers to achieve the fullness of their human capacity.
A Change Maker
Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom: A Complete Prescription to Optimize Your Health, Prevent Disease, Live with Vitality and Joy (Sounds True, 2017) was acclaimed amongst top ten books in Alternative Medicine in its year of publication. It is a first of its kind that restores Ayurveda back to its spiritual Vedic roots, versus a diluted, dumbed down version, that is popular today.
Sovereign Self: Claim your Inner Joy and Freedom with the Empowering Wisdom of the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita (Sounds True, 2020), is a comprehensive guide to yoga’s most influential texts, making their profound teachings both accessible and immediately practical for modern seekers.It dares to connect lofty teachings and precepts with everyday lives and the mess of human ego and relationships.
Roar Like a Goddess: Every Woman’s Guide to Unapologetic Power, Propensity and Purpose (sounds True, 2022) is literally a revolutionary revisioning of the feminine divine, and carries the potential to change the face of modern feminist spirituality.
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Enlightened Vulnerability
Besides teaching from the source texts such as the Bhagavad Gita Yoga Sutras, and Charaka Samhita, Acharya Shunya often teaches from her life experiences as a daughter, mom, and wife. Acharya Shunya encourages her students too, to embrace their humanity , and abide in their greater Self, simultaneously, creating an enlightened vulnerability, bringing forth an authentic and empowered whole person into the world, every day. This is a refreshing change minimizing the tendency to bypass human experiences, to attain spiritual goals. Acharya Shunya encourages integration, not escape, allowing for a unique balance and understanding to emerge between our worldly lives and roles and our spiritual aspirations and true identity as 'Self'.
A Feminine Flagbearer
Known for her unique and revolutionary perspectives, recontextualizing of ancient wisdom and retelling of Hindu goddess mythology that have enlightened tens of thousands of students worldwide, Acharya Shunya does not hesitate to address issues like patriarchy, sexism, racism, religious bigotry, urban alienation, estrangement from soul, emotional suppression and numbing and other suffering arising patterns.Her newest book Roar Like a Goddess: Every Woman’s Guide to Unapologetic Power, Propensity and Purpose has arisen from Acharya Shunya's heart that refuses to be constrained by the patriarchal norms. Absorbing her mother's bold spirit and bolder goddess storytelling from a very early age, gave Acharya Shunya a kick start in accruing feminine wisdom and a feminist education that other girls in the era were deprived of. That is why this book by Acharya shunya, her third, is literally a revolutionary revisioning of the feminine divine, and carries the potential to change the face of modern feminist spirituality.
A Path Shower: Shadow to Self
As a teacher who has herself journeyed from darkness to light, from disease and suffering to health and wellbeing and from emotional bondage to freedom, Acharya Shunya boldly dives into the shadow of the Self, with all of the powerless and dark tendencies of the human experience, and so our highest potential is revealed. The remedies in thought, practice, and perspective are presented in a way that leaves seekers feeling empowered with the knowledge that true freedom and happiness may not be so far off after all, with a little effort, self-management, and faith.
On her highly rated podcast, top 2.5 percent, aptly titled 'Shadow to Self' Acharya Shunya’s fearlessly straightforward yet nurturing voice manages to illustrate human obstacles of ego without an ounce of shame or blame but rather provides encouragement and the recognition that the struggle is real... indeed, that it is shared. It is rare to find wisdom imparted with such lightness and grace while carrying such mighty weight.
When the Student is Ready
Acharya Shunya has the special gift of awakening hope in suffering hearts and and light of knowledge, in ready hearts. For the ready students, her teachings are considered soul transmissions enabling the realization of our highest nature, the state of awakened spiritual awareness. Her presence and her words reveal the abiding state of pure consciousness, immortal existence and abiding joy. Shunya’s unique gift to humanity is her deeply personal and authentic understanding of ancient Vedic disciplines of nondual Advaita, Yoga and Ayurveda, and their classic scriptures which she expertly demystifies and adapts into contemporary language and meaningful practices for the Western student. Acharya Shunya’s students describe her as a catalyst for awakening health and inner light, a beacon of hope that has illuminated their paths.
Spotlight
Acharya Shunya's lifework, spiritual teachings and roaring beliefs are spotlighted in a six-part documentary series titled "Mystics Today" presented by Sounds True One. The documentary features the world’s foremost spiritual luminaries:Acharya Shunya, Adyashanti, Jack Kornfield, Caroline Myss, Lama Rod Owens and Damien Echols, interviewed by Sounds True Founder, Tami Simon.
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Spotlight: Awards
In 2015, Acharya Shunya was recognized as one of the top 100 trailblazers of Ayurveda and Yoga in America, by Spirituality and Health Magazine and in 2016. The California Institute of Integral Studies honored Acharya Shunya with the Chaudhary Distinguished Service Award.
​Acharya Shunya received the Nalanda Award of Excellence in Ayurvedic Education by the Association of Ayurveda Professionals of North America in 2010. Global Women’s Power Award (2015) received from Mayor of Cupertino, California.Ambassador of Classical Ayurveda by Indian Institute of Ayurveda (2011).Currently she serves as advisor on International Yoga Affairs to many noteworthy, national and international organizations including the Government of India. She has served as President of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine (CAAM) for two consecutive terms.
Founding Director of Yoga Unify, a new non-profit preserving the tradition and stewarding the forward evolution of yoga.
"A Well Lived Day
is Medicine Unto Itself"
- Acharya Shunya
Acharya Shunya lives in Northern California with her husband Chef Sanjai, enjoys sunrises, walks in nature, and planting and nurturing her bountiful garden. She delights in decoding scriptures, continuing to write books and nurturing her globally expansive community of students.
Compassion and Joy
Acharya Shunya’s heart filled with joy and depth of understanding and compassion as a feminine teacher,profoundly touches the hearts of those who meet her and study with her. Through her presence and her wisdom, she suffuses seeker's hearts with joy, hope and new possibilities, radically changing people's life story, health, mindset and destiny for the better. Her teachings help awaken latent human capacity to heal and thrive from within, physically, emotionally and of course spiritually. In this sense, she is a true spiritual guide who is creating a lasting impact on the world.
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