Mark McLaughlin began practicing the Siddha Yoga teachings when he received Gurumayi Chidvilasananda’s Message on New Year’s Day in 1996 in Palm Springs, California. Mark now offers seva in the SYDA Foundation as a scholar, writer, and Siddha Yoga meditation teacher.

Mark serves as chairman of the Academic Advisory Council of the Muktabodha Indological Research Institute. He has a master’s degree and doctorate in South Asian religions and Sanskrit from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is a professor of South Asian religions at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Mark lives in Williamsburg with his wife, Asha, and their two sons.