About – Alarmel Yoga

I am Kanya Kanchana from India. I am engaged in practice, teaching, and philological research at the intersection of tantra and yoga. I am also the founder of a non-profit yoga service entity that creates free yoga resources and community projects, particularly for those who are blind or visually impaired. I have a Research MPhil in Sanskrit Studies from the University of Cambridge. I’m also a trained architectural engineer with a past work trajectory in programming, technical writing/editing, and information design.

Born in Kanyakumari and brought up in the beautiful southern Indian state of Kerala, India, I learned the first steps of yoga as a child from my grandfather, a disciple of Swami Sivananda Saraswati. Returning to yoga as an adult, I received my main training from Bihar School of Yoga as well as Andrey Lappa. I have received initiations and teachings from some of the most respected teachers of Śaiva, Śākta, and Vajrayāna tantric traditions. I have also learnt from traditional wisdomkeepers of Amazonian (Shipibo-Conibo, Kichwa) and Andean shamanic traditions.

I have over 17 years of study and practice. I have conducted several classes, seminars, workshops, and retreats internationally over the past several years. I currently focus on bringing together traditional contemplative/ meditative practices and technology in working with the mind.

My maternal grandfather, R Subrahmanya Iyer, and his mother (ie my great-grandmother), Narayani Ammal, with Swami Sivananda, Rishikesh, sometime in the late 30s or early 40s