Meet Laura Atmadarshan Santoro
Atmadarshan is now a full-time Chaplain Resident at the renowned Cleveland Clinic. While yoga instruction is no longer her primary endeavor, she continues to offer annual Bhagavad Gita retreats and occasional workshops. You may also catch her subbing for or participating in one of Cathy's wonderful classes.
Atmadarshan started teaching yoga in 2001 and became a sought-after international instructor. Her unique background in biological psychiatry, medicine, radio, and storytelling helps her bring ancient concepts to life in a down-to-earth, engaging manner. Her Song of Your Soul series of books on the Bhagavad Gita is required reading for Yoga Teacher Trainings.
Atmadarshan received her spiritual name, which means "vision of the true self," during her sannyas initiation in India. She has studied abroad extensively, especially at ashrams in Australia and India. Her greatest joy is helping people tap into and trust their own inner wisdom.
Some of her professional qualifications include:
Resident Chaplain for the Cleveland Clinic
ACPE-accredited Clinical Pastoral Education through the Cleveland Clinic
presenter at International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT)’s Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research for both 2024 and 2025
registration with Yoga Alliance at their highest level, E-RYT 500 (Experienced Yoga Teacher with at least 500 hours of training and 2000 hours of teaching)
Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) (an instructor qualified to teach other instructors)
Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) with International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT)
Bachelor's Degree in Biology and Psychology from Case Western Reserve University
worked in the Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry and the Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units as part of the Respiratory Therapy Department at University Hospitals of Cleveland
second author of a paper on using biological markers to predict medication response in patients with chronic schizophrenia
initiate in the Saraswati lineage of the Dashnami Order of sannyasa
university diploma in yoga instruction
senior instructor for Yoga Academy of North America (YANA), providing Yogic Studies, Teacher Training and Certification courses, through 2017
produced and hosted The Sound of Yoga radio show for WRUW 91.1 FM
black belt in the martial art of Aikido and wrote an internationally published book, Aikido for Kids