Meet Our Training Leaders!
"All our teachers were always open, receptive, present, and giving with their time and knowledge." 2015 grad
"Thank you for all you do. You've changed my life!" 2015 grad
Sarada Erickson, MS, ERYT-500, RPYT, C-IAYT, Meditation Teacher
Director of Teacher Training, Acharya, founder Om Ananda Yoga
Sarada found yoga in 1997 for the first time, yet it somehow felt familiar to her. She had been roaming about restlessly and often rebelliously for some years. Yoga provided a glimpse into inner peace. She earned her 200 hour teaching certification in 2001 at ShambhavAnanda Yoga® Shoshoni. She then studied, taught, and grew in the beautiful and supportive ashram environment. In 2004, she moved to Fort Collins to complete undergrad and then her Master’s Degree in Nutrition at CSU. In 2007, the opportunity to lead the first yoga certification in Ft Collins arose. Sarada deeply loved this experience, grew a tremendous amount, and saw the transformative impact it had on participants. She realized part of her path was to lead trainings, and has brought this love to the community ever since. Om Ananda Yoga in its current form was created with husband Shivaji in 2011, followed by the birth of their daughter in 2012. Love, patience, compassion and gratitude have taken on richer forms as Sarada continually learns from her life. In 2017, she grandfathered in as a Certified Yoga Therapist which she will grow and expand more into over the years. Sarada reaffirms her yogic path each day in simple ways through seva (selfless service), ritual, chanting, meditation, and asana. She continually depends on her practice to nourish and balance her body, mind, and spirit.
Jason Shivaji Erickson, RYT-500, MS Biology, Meditation Teacher
Acharya, founder Om Ananda Yoga, Anatomy and Physiology Instructor at Front Community College
Jason (Shivaji) started his journey into yoga in 2000 when he moved into the beautiful ashram, Shoshoni. He had been looking for answers and a spiritual path for many years. In the ashram he found the answers he was seeking and much more as he learned to truly live like a yogi—each morning and evening chanting mantra and meditating, performing seva, and learning how to incorporate a spiritual practice throughout the day. He holds a Masters of Science degree in Biological Science where his research and training emphasize anatomy, physiology, and neurobiology. In the yoga teacher trainings, where he teaches the anatomy, philosophy, and meditation components, he fuses together both an academic and experiential understanding of the mind and body.
Corrina came to Fort Collins from Santa Fe, NM in 1998. After receiving her degree in Human Development and Family Studies from CSU she found a true sense of community in Fort Collins and decided to make it home. A strong desire to travel led her to a farm in Costa Rica where she fell in love with yoga, cultivated medicinal plants and enriched her desire for both grounding and adventure. This new path drew her to India to pursue her 200hr yoga teacher certification through Yoga Vidya Gurukul at the YogaPoint ashram. After two years teaching, she took time off to strengthen her own practice and care for her two young daughters. In 2017 she completed her 500hr certification with ShambhavAnanda Yoga. In 2019 Corrina completed her Meditation Teacher certification and then went on to receive a second 200 hr certification with Shambhavananda Yoga in 2021. Corrina has seen and experienced the transformational power of yoga and hopes to help others find that in their own practice. She believes that yoga is not a one size fits all experience and is passionate about helping people develop a practice that suits their individual needs. Her teaching method is both challenging and gentle, encouraging her students to strengthen their minds, bodies and spirits while seeking balance and grace.
Corrina Caldwell, CYT-500, Level 1 Meditation Teacher
Sarah Broussard, RYT 500, CPYT
My love for yoga began in 2011. My past job required hours of driving and stressful deadlines. My body was in need of restoration and my mind was in need of peace. I gradually started to include more and more mat time into my life and, soon enough, yoga became a necessity for me. I was bit by the ‘yoga bug,’ I received my teacher training from Om Ananda Yoga and I am registered with Yoga Alliance with a 500-hour Hatha Yoga Certification. I am forever a student and continue to attend not only to enhance my own practice but also to teach my students the newest methods to help accomplish their physical and mental goals. Through years of practice I have learned when to listen to my body and when to hold back (even when my ego begs me to keep going). Finding trust in the process of yoga is a crucial component that I try to communicate to all my students.
Yoga is not just a physical practice but also a mental one. I truly believe that yoga is not just for the flexible or fit; yoga is for anyone at any age. My classes are catered to not only seasoned practitioners but also beginners. I will challenge every one of my students because only when we escape our comfort zone is when we learn and grow.
Chantel Akers, RYT 500, ERYT 200, RCYT, Level 1 Meditation Teacher
Chantel is a Colorado native and received her associates degree from FRCC and bachelors degree from CSU in Fort Collins. She took her first yoga class in 2005 has been practicing since. When at a Mommy & Me class with her daughter she had an “aha moment” and decided now was the time to pursue yoga teacher training! Fall of 2017 Chantel received her 200 hour certification from Om Ananda Yoga a ShambhavAnanda Yoga® affiliate. In pursuance of her new found passion to learn about the many aspects of yoga, she continued with the Upper Level Teacher Training program at OAY and received her 300 hour certification in December 2018. Chantel became a certified Children’s Yoga Teacher in the summer of 2019 as she truly believes all ages can benefit physically, mentally and spiritually from yoga. She is honored to be a part of the yoga teacher trainings at Om Ananda Yoga.