About Monisha

Monisha Raja is from Kerala, was born and raised in India, and began her yoga journey at age four. She carries over 26 years of teaching experience in New York City. Her lineage in classical Sivananda yoga runs unbroken for over 1,200 years, from the philosopher Adi Shankaracharya, born on Kerala's shores in 788 CE.

Her primary training is in the Sivananda tradition: a lineage initiated by Swami Vishwananda Saraswati of the Sringeri Matha, the monastery founded by Adi Shankaracharya, passed through Swami Sivananda of Tamil Nadu, then Vishnudevananda, and into Monisha's own teacher, Swami Govindananda Saraswati, at the Sivananda Ashram in Neyyar Dam, Kerala. As a child in India, she attended classes with Guruji B.K.S. Iyengar, student of Krishnamacharya, bringing a second great South Indian stream into her teaching.

She was born into this tradition.

After her own encounter with COVID in 2020, Monisha experienced the healing power of yogic breathing and āsana firsthand. Encouraged by her doctor at Mt. Sinai, she began teaching Yoga-for-COVID classes and has collaborated with MIT affiliated researcher Dr. William Bushell to explore yoga's therapeutic potential as a supplementary treatment for infectious diseases.

Her commitment to yoga's integrity led her to found YOGA AID in 2021, a non-profit honouring yoga's roots and amplifying the voices of Indian and South Asian teachers.

Monisha is a certified Ayurveda Lifestyle Coach, offering talks, group, and private sessions. She teaches online and has taught in-person at Broome Street Ganesh Temple, and travels regularly to India to deepen her studies.