Owner and Founder of Almaden Yoga
Anuja is a believer of alignment – no, not just in the body but in every aspect of life. She believes and tries to live in alignment with her work, family, friends and the various demands of life. She teaches yoga and believes that every class is a learning process for her own growth. Anuja was born and raised in India. She came from a liberal family where, both her father and mother exposed her to the best in art, music, dance and most of all to the world of yoga. Her father was the one who pushed her into doing yoga as a kid. At the age of 6-7 years she didn’t enjoy the yoga classes but loved the attention as her body was super flexible. In high school she took up yoga as a subject and practiced diligently for two years and topped in her state of Delhi.
With time and adult life, yoga took a back seat. In 1995 Anuja moved to the USA and found herself starting a new life. A dream came true to live in this country but it was nowhere close to the Hollywood movies that fascinated her. As she restarted her hi-tech career she got into everything except yoga. The charm was in the corporate world, making the 6-figure salary and enjoying life.
Her personal life went through a divorce and a time of losing all that she had built in this country. A go-getter by nature she revived her career and confidence. During this time she met Ron Victor whom she married in 2001 and dreamt of starting a family and living her second dream of becoming a mother. But motherhood seemed to have deluded her and after trying for 6-year, she decided to let go of this dream and the path of motherhood. Her Buddhist practice of 25 odd years kept her strong and grounded. In the two years of going through depression, she restarted her yoga practice. It was power yoga that not only gave her physical strength but also the ability to be a fighter and make the most of what life had gifted her.
In 2006 Anuja fell into the hands of the first teacher training program started at Yoga Source, Los Gatos by Linda McGrath. Those 6-months changed her life yet again. A time to renew, revive and come alive. It was when she started teaching in September of 2006 that she discovered her love and passion of teaching yoga.
Teaching and learning took her into the opportunity of opening her own yoga studio. Anuja was looking for her own space to avoid driving all over the Silicon Valley to teach yoga. This is when Almaden Yoga was born. It was her child which she could nourish and use as a space where love, peace, health, and community could be built.
After 11-years of running Almaden Yoga, teaching over 2500 yoga classes, giving birth to over 50 new yoga teachers, taking a number of international yoga retreats, Anuja continues to evolve as a human being, constantly self-studying and is inspired to accomplish and spread peace in the community through yoga.
Anuja has beautifully blended her Indian upbringing and her exposure to the western world of yoga. Her classes include alignment of the body, her silly sense of humor, sharing her learning through the journey of life and most of all spreading her infectious smile and energy. She brings tremendous amounts of love and community feel into the world of Almaden Yoga.
Hope you will join her class and always come and introduce yourself. She may forget your name but she will remember your face in any part of the world.
