Full bio of Speakers of International Yoga Day 2025 | Upcoming Events | Events

Hawaii's 8th Annual International Yoga Day

Sunday, June 21, 2026, 9am-12 noon HST

Biographies of the Speakers

	Kumu Mālia Helelā Mālia Ko’i’ulaokawaolehua Helelā strives to live a life of grace. Her hula hālau, or school, named Nā Hula Ola Aloha, meets at Still & Moving Center. Having completed her ‘ūniki (graduation) under Kumu Hula Puluelo Park in 2002, she now teaches hula and oli (traditional Hawaiian chanting) to a wide range of students, from infants and toddlers to elders, kupuna. Mālia studied oli under Kumu Hula John Keola Lake. As a kumu hula (traditionally trained hula teacher) herself and as a practitioner and trainer of lomilomi massage, Mālia looks to the ‘āina, the land, for grounding and inspiration. Kumu Mālia's presentation from the host culture of Hawai’i. Kumu Mālia Helelā shares the oli "Pule Aloha", a chant of loving welcome, accompanied by her dancers from Still & Moving Center. As they then present their hula dance, "Mele Kuhi Lima", we watch through their motions the waves that slide onto the shore and the wind that sways the coconut palms. The transformative aim of hula is for the dancer to so closely align herself with an element of nature, it's as if she becomes that element as she moves - body, mind and spirit. Hula becomes a moving meditation at that point.
	Spiritual Invocation by Veda Das Vedajna is a 50-year student of Vedic Culture and Hare Krishna movement. He is also Founder and President of Krishna Books which has printed and distributed over 15 million books on the science of self-realization authored by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Proactive vegetarian since 1970 founding several restaurants and now managing Creative Cuisine a plant-based catering service.
	Welcome remarks by Dr Raj Kumar Dr. Raj Kumar Dr. Raj Kumar is the Founder of Gandhi International Institute for Peace (GIIP) in Hawaii. He is also the President of the Indian-American Friendship Council (Hawaii Chapter). Dr. Kumar is a certified Yoga teacher and wellness counselor. He has authored numerous books. He has contributed several articles on faith, peace, nonviolence, health and wellness in Hawaii’s leading newspapers in the past 20 years.
	Chief Guest Dr. K. Srikar Reddy, Consul General from SanFrancisco Dr. K. Srikar Reddy is the Consul General of India in San Francisco and a 2001 batch Indian Foreign Service officer. He previously served as Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, overseeing India’s commercial relations with Africa and the Middle East, and was the Chief Negotiator for major trade agreements including the India–Mauritius CECPA and India–UAE CEPA. His diplomatic assignments include postings in Germany, Switzerland, the Permanent Mission of India to the WTO, and as Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City. He has also worked at the Ministry of External Affairs handling relations with Pakistan and East & Southern Africa, and served as Regional Passport Officer, Hyderabad, where he received the Passport Seva Puraskar in 2013. Born in Warangal, Telangana, he holds an MBBS degree from Kakatiya Medical College and is fluent in Telugu, Hindi, English, and German.
	Guest of Honor Senator Sharon Moriwaki was elected in 2018 to represent Waikīkī, Ala Moana, Kaka‘ako, McCully, Mō‘ili‘ili, and part of Makiki in the State Senate. After she returned from California with a University of Southern California doctorate and a Loyola (L.A.) law degree and was working in a private Honolulu law firm, Governor Waihe‘e chose Sharon to be part of his first cabinet as Labor Department Deputy Director. Four years later, Waihe‘e appointed Sharon as his Director of Human Resources, where she instituted major personnel system reforms. Sharon's subsequent leadership included serving as Hawaii Court System Administrative Director and as UH Assistant Vice President. Senator Moriwaki's passionate advocacy for community included caring for the Makiki Stream and ahupua‘a, preserving Kaka‘ako's makai shoreline, and bringing people together to develop and implement Hawai‘i's clean energy goals and projects. She co-hosts Think Tech Hawai‘i's television show, "Hawai‘i: The State of Clean Energy," is vice-president of the Hawai‘i Technology Institute, which primarily helps disadvantaged native Hawaiians, and volunteers with her church's program aiding houseless families.
	Renée Tillotson, Legacy Founder of the Academy of Mindful Movement, Owner of Still & Moving Center Renée founded Still & Moving Center in 2011 on Queen Street in Honolulu as a place for moving meditation. Teachers there offer presence-based moving practices from around the globe, such as Yoga and Bharatanatyam dance both from India, Hula from Hawai’i, Aerial Yoga and Nia both from USA, Tai Chi from China, Feldenkrais from Israel, and dozens of other modalities. In 2021, Renée became the legacy founder of the Academy of Mindful Movement, which trains instructors from fitness, athletics, performing arts, and healing arts. Trainees learn to bring ‘be-here-now’ techniques to heighten their movers’ awareness level while moving. Her family’s company, Prometheus Construction, protects the islands from steep slope dangers and also helps to house the homeless. Renée is a lifelong student of Mahatma Gandhi and seeks to embody his principles of nonviolence in all of her endeavors. Renée’s presentation Renée’s brief talk on “Yoga and Presence” explains yoga’s potential as a moving meditation, heightening our awareness in the present moment, thus healing body, mind, heart and spirit.
	Aloha Natyam Aloha Natyam is a collective of Indian Classical Dancers from diverse training and backgrounds. We are eager to share the love of the beautiful Bharatanatyam dance with the community of Hawai’i, which inspired our name. Bharatanatyam is a storytelling dance form with its roots over 2500 years old. The style is characterized by rhythmic rapid foot movements, intricate hand gestures, and elaborate facial expressions. Acharya Janani Lakshmanan has been training Bharatanatyam dancers in Honolulu for three years now. Her students learn the Vazhuvoor style of Bharatanatyam.
	Michele Santos Having spent her childhood living in Brazil, Sun Yoga founder Michele Santos found a special connection to Hawaii at the age of eighteen while attending Hawaii Pacific University. The light and warmth of the islands spoke to Michele and guided her to make Hawaii her home. In 2012 Michele fulfilled her dream and founded a Hot Yoga studio; Sun Yoga is her labor of love, a calling from her heart, a unique practice that helps others fulfill their desire to feel happy and fit, experience peace, personal growth and heal within. Throughout the years of practice and many certifications & trainings, she discovered that yoga is much more than a physical practice for health and wellness. For Michele yoga is love - a path of much aloha!
	Keynote Speaker - Veena R. Howard, Ph.D. Veena R. Howard, is a Professor of Asian Religious Traditions in the Department of Philosophy at California State University, Fresno. She is a recipient of the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship (2024-2025). She also holds the Endowed Chair in Jain and Hindu Dharma and serves as the director of the M.K. Gandhi Center: Inner Peace and Sarvodaya. Her publications include the books, Gandhi’s Global Legacy: Moral Methods and Moral Challenges and several other books. She is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. She has served on many boards, including the Board of Trustees of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. She is a frequent keynote speaker and is also a TedX.
	Karie Pastor Karie Pastor, has a long history with music and performing and currently does all things weddings, for visiting and local couples.
	Ellsworth Simeona A longtime musician with weekly gigs at Tiki’s, Dukes, Nico’s, and Side Street Inn. He is also a wedding officiant in Kahalu’u and throughout Oahu.
	India Ching India Ching is a Field Technician at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she brings her Bachelor's degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Management to the forefront of environmental stewardship. A dance instructor at Hawaiʻi Dance Bomb and devoted volunteer in nature, India weaves movement, community, and the natural world into her lifestyle. As the reigning Miss Oʻahu Filipina 2025, she upholds her platform, Rooted in Resilience: Food Security and Wellness — a testament to her deep commitment to nurturing both people and the land they call home. Guided by a passion for collective well-being, India strives to inspire those around her to live aloha in every action, every day.
	India Chang, Miss Oahu Filipina Proclamation from Honolulu Mayor, Rick Blangiardi and Certificates from City Council Members and the House, State of Hawaii.
	Amber Ricci She has studied and taught her brand of Inner Fire Yoga for Everybody a fusion of Kundalini, Hatha, Qi Gong and Pilates), guided sound healing and meditation, ecstatic movement, belly dance, creative song writing, SELF TANTRA and for Committed Couples Tantra here in Hawaii and Internationally in 28 countries with Inner Fire Yoga and Adventure Retreats for 24 years now. Amber feels her beloved guru Dr. Freddy Weaver (SP) has passed a torch so to speak for her to continue his teachings of Selfness, cosmic consciousness and self-study through the Chakras.
	Nilanjan Sarker Nilanjan Sarker grew up in India then moved to the USA after college, lived for more than 2 decades in San Francisco Bay Area since early 1990s and afterwards in Jan 2019, he relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii. He learnt Indian Classical Music, plays and teach Indian style Harmonium (Keyboard). He also has yoga teacher certification from India and learnt and practiced various lineages of Buddhist and Vedic techniques of meditation, and holistic wellness.
	Cliff DeVries, Lead Yoga & Aerial Yoga teacher for Still & Moving Center Robin is a floor-based yoga teacher and aerial yoga teacher who approaches movement with curiosity, compassion, and a sense of play. With over 3,000 hours of teaching experience, she weaves together traditional yoga, functional movement, breath work, and mindful awareness to help people feel more at home in their bodies. Robin’s classes invite students of all ages and backgrounds to move with greater ease and confidence, honoring yoga as both a personal practice and a shared community experience. She feels deeply grateful to teach and practice in Hawaiʻi, and at Still & Moving Center, where connection—to breath, to body, and to one another—remains at the heart of yoga. Robin’s presentation Fluidity for Every Body: A slow, mindful yoga practice focused on natural breath mechanics, spinal mobility, and feeling at home in your body—perfect for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.
	Kusha Devi Dasi Kusha Devi Dasi is born and raised Kanaka Maoli Kahuna bloodline of the Keao clan from Hana. She lived in India studying Bhakti yoga for 19 years, spending 53 years with the Hare Krishna movement, and is the current Temple President of ISKCON Hawaii now going on her 8th year.
	Hong Jiang Ms. Hong Jiang is Associate Professor of Geography at UH-Manoa. As a practitioner of the Falun Gong (aka Falun Dafa) spiritual practice for over 20 years, she has been a force in the local community in spreading the message of peace, following Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance.
	Leticia Sharp Leticia Sharp has been trained for nearly 3 decades in sacred healing techniques including, Reiki, body work, sound, shamanic traditions, essential oils, crystals, and energy work. This was activated for her when she was 5 years old and she comes from a strong lineage of diverse healers. Leticia invites you to ignite your own unique light within and find your healing in this life.
	Closing Remarks by Harendra Pannalal, P.E. Harendra Pannalal, P.E. who is the President of GIIP. All ancestors of his wife and him were born and raised as Jains. His family has lived in Honolulu for over fifty years. He is a retired mechanical engineer in construction industry. He is on the board of All Believers Network. He is president and vice president of two large condominiums boards in Honolulu.