Board of Directors

Kayko Watanabe, C-IAYT, RYT 500, serves as a liaison to the Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco (IYISF) Teachers Council, which oversees the operation of class offerings and the quality of instruction offered by IYISF. The Council also organizes educational opportunities for teachers’ professional growth.

As a part of the dedicated team of IYISF teachers, Kayko has been teaching weekly Hatha classes since 2020. She strives to promote a safe and supportive environment, while cultivating a meaningful connection for the students to the organization.

Her regular interaction with students helps provide beneficial insight to the board, allowing it to better serve the community. She has been a sangha member for more than two decades. Prior to joining the board in 2021, she enjoyed working as a weekend receptionist.

When not teaching at IYI, Kayko leads Yoga classes for local senior centers and public health services while working privately with small groups and individuals as a certified yoga therapist. A native of Japan, she also offers Hatha classes in the Japanese language, introducing Integral Yoga to the Japanese community in the Bay Area.

Diana Meltsner, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, has been teaching yoga and meditation in the Bay Area since 2001. She is a certified Yoga therapist and offers individual and group therapeutic sessions with focus ranging from stress reduction and chronic conditions care, to injury and post-surgery recovery. She has served as a lead teacher trainer for the Meditation and 200-hour Yoga Teacher Trainings at Integral Yoga Institute since 2013.

Diana is also the Programs Manager and serves as a vice-president for the board of directors at the Integral Yoga Institute – San Francisco. In her role, she offers insight with class and events analysis. With a professional background in math and economics, she offers a broad spectrum view with years of teaching experience at many different settings.

Swami Ramananda C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, is the Executive Director of the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco and a greatly respected senior teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition, who has been practicing Yoga for over 45 years. Ramananda offers practical methods of integrating the timeless teachings and practices of Yoga into daily life, and transforming the painful aspects of human experience into steps toward realizing one’s full potential.

He leads all levels of Yoga teacher trainings and programs around the globe. Ramananda co-developed the Stress Management Teacher Training program and has trained many teachers to bring Yoga into corporate, hospital and medical settings. He a founding board member of Yoga Alliance and is a co-founder of The Spiritual Action Initiative which brings together individuals committed to working for social justice for all beings and for the care and healing of our natural world. His warmth, wisdom and sense of humor have endeared him to many.

A native of San Francisco, David has been teaching Yoga since 2001 after taking Beginner Teacher Training at Integral Yoga (IYI) New York. Later he took additional training/certifications for Intermediate Yoga, Meditation, and Raja Yoga. With a background in management consulting, David brings a focus on finance, fundraising and governance to the Board of IYI San Francisco and serves as Board Chair. David also teaches a weekly Hatha 1 class at IYI SF and has led lunch hour Yoga in corporate settings, and Chair Yoga in senior / memory care centers.

Alan and his wife Sarani have been part of the Integral Yoga community since 1991, originally at Yogaville and now in San Francisco. Alan is an attorney who has practiced in both the public and private sectors. He recently retired from a San Francisco based practice representing Indian tribes.
Alan and Sarani have three grown children and six grandchildren (all age 5 and under) and at this point he considers himself to be a professional grandfather.

Alan was voted the Most Outstanding Player on his junior high school football team, which he considers the highlight of his life.

Yoga is my life, and my lifestyle. I am a 20+ year practitioner, 15+ of that as an instructor, with 1000+ hours of yoga-related training, and an RYT-500 from the Integral Yoga Institute. My style of teaching is holistic and meditative in nature, with breath as the entry point. I create a sacred container for students to go deep in their practice, find their center, and access peace within.

K. Muktidevi Demafeliz is a born and raised San Franciscan and has been a yoga practitioner for 16 years. Her yoga practice began with her mentor Tony Garcia who guided her in the study of yoga back in 2012 through the SFO Airport’s Wellness Program. He encouraged her to pursue yoga teacher training, which she did, in the Integral Yoga tradition. She is certified in Basic Hatha I, Intermediate Hatha II, Accessible Yoga (Gentle), and certified in Mindful Resilience Training through the Veterans Yoga Project to teach trauma-informed yoga. She wishes to pursue future trainings such as Meditation Teacher Training in addition to Yoga for First Responders as she is the Well-Being Champion for the San Francisco Police Department. YOGA IS HER PASSION, and she expresses her love and enthusiasm for the practice with those she comes into contact with, on and off the mat. Muktidevi mentors and supports teacher trainees as well as newly certified teachers to help them continue to develop and grow while on their yogic path. She also supports the BIPOC Sangha which was born at the Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco (IYISF) and continues to serve these communities to help create ripples for change to establish a space of healing and empowerment. With that, yoga has impacted and transformed her life in such a positive and healthy way that she truly believes it is the saving grace for all. For 26 years, Muktidevi has been living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and continues to carry out the practices of yoga to help her maneuver through life’s challenges when facing adversity. She is a lifelong learner and strives to become the best version of herself to live her best life, regardless of what life may bring.