Elements of A Day in the Temple

Recitation of Shri Guru Gita

Siddha Yoga meditation

Darshan and Manan, the Siddha Yoga practices of seeing and contemplating, with music to accompany:

Bhajans and abhangas sung by Geeta Sharma

Improvisation on tabla by Ojas Adhiya

Improvisation on violin by Japendra Hayashi

Improvisation on cello by Sera Jane Smollen

Improvisation on flute by Stefan Hoskuldsson

Bhajan, Dhanya Bhag Seva ka Avasar Paya, sung by Radhika Jani

Recitation of Neela Sarasvati Stotram by Dr. K. Shyamsundara

Improvisation on veena by Rukmini Mavillapalli

Abhanga, Shri Guru Sarikha, sung by Rani Doyon

Teachings and prayers about gratitude and devotion

Naivedya, the sacred offering of food

Namasankirtana, chanting God’s name

Arati, the waving of lights

Concluding remarks by Jaiya Seibert—Thanksgiving Saptah 2020

Prayer to Mother Earth from the Atharva Veda

About Stefan Hoskuldsson

Stefan Hoskuldsson was introduced to the Siddha Yoga path in Manhattan in 2004. He has offered seva playing the flute at Shree Muktananda Ashram for the last fourteen years. Additionally, he offers music seva from home.

Stefan is the principal flutist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He received a bachelor of music degree from the Reykjavík Conservatory in Iceland. He also has a postgraduate degree in professional performance from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. Stefan lives in Chicago, Illinois, with his wife and their son and daughter.

About Rukmini Mavillapalli

Rukmini Mavillapalli was four years old when her parents introduced her to the Siddha Yoga path. She attended her first Siddha Yoga Shaktipat Intensive with Gurumayi in Chennai, India, at age ten. Rukmini was a Gurukula student in Gurudev Siddha Peeth between 1994 and 2006. Over the years, she has offered seva as a music conductor, lead chanter, and music teacher. She is currently serving the SYDA Foundation as a Hindi and Sanskrit pronunciation coach for speakers in live video streams on the Siddha Yoga path website. Rukmini sang a bhajan by Tamil poet-saint Andal in a “Be in The Temple” satsang. She also played the veena in A Day in the Temple on Thanksgiving Day 2020.

Rukmini is a trained classical veena player. She is studying Dhrupad, one of the oldest forms of classical Hindustani music, under a teacher from the Dagar tradition. Rukmini lives in Chennai with her husband, S.V. Krishnan, and their twelve-year-old son, Shiva. Shiva offered his playful storytelling to Gurumayi in a “Be in the Temple” satsang.

About Rani Doyon

Rani Doyon was born in Montreal, Canada, to a family of Siddha Yogis, and she lived in Gurudev Siddha Peeth and Shree Muktananda Ashram from the ages of 2 to 24. Rani has served as an SYDA Foundation staff member, offering seva in many different capacities. She has been a vocalist, harmonium player, and mentor to Siddha Yoga music students.

Rani has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. She works in business development for a translation company in Madrid, Spain, where she lives with her husband and their two young sons.

About Kiyoshi Japendra Hayashi

Kiyoshi Japendra Hayashi was introduced to the Siddha Yoga path by his parents at an early age. He grew up attending Siddha Yoga Family Retreats and visiting Shree Muktananda Ashram. Kiyoshi has offered seva as a violinist at Shree Muktananda Ashram many times, most recently playing on Thanksgiving Day 2020 during the live video stream of A Day in the Temple.

Kiyoshi has a bachelor of music degree in violin performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He has played the violin throughout the world, including at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Japan. He lives in Boston, where he plays in a quartet and works as a personal health and life coach.

About Radhika Jani

Radhika Jani’s parents introduced her to the Siddha Yoga path early in her life. She has offered seva in the Siddha Yoga Meditation Center in Naranpura, Ahmedabad, India, and in Gurudev Siddha Peeth, the Siddha Yoga Ashram in India. Radhika has been training in Indian classical music for the last six years and has sung solo bhajans during satsangs. She offered her musical talents in 2020 during the “Be in the Temple” satsang in honor of Krishna Janmashtami on August 12 and during A Day in the Temple on November 26.

Radhika is pursuing a career in Ayurvedic medicine, studying at Shree Swaminarayan Ayurvedic College in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. She lives in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, with her parents.