Board of Directors

Marie Prashanti Goodell, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, has been teaching yoga and meditation since 2012. She offers group classes and 1-1 sessions that are tailored to meet individual needs.

Prashanti serves on the Board to help  shape the strategic direction, ensure financial health, preserve legacy, and embrace change to make IYI SF a safe, inviting, accessible and inclusive Yoga community.

Prashanti serves the broader IYI community by acting as a mentor to  trainees, presenting for the Teacher Trainings, and offering sample courses on Alzheimer’s Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury to participants of the IYI Yoga Therapy program.

She has written several articles for the Accessible Yoga Association, where she served as past president of the board. Prashanti credits her daily meditation practice as a solid foundation to both her personal and professional life. It provides her with the opportunity to reflect on past experiences, inspire future dreams, and remain grounded in the present moment.

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.

Gary discovered Eastern philosophy in college through the writings of Alan Watts, which led to studies in Zen and Zen-inspired poetry. Gary found Yoga in 2000 as a way to recover from trauma and has been studying and practicing ever since.

Gary earned his Certificate of Yoga Philosophy from the California Institute of Integral Studies. After four years of study and writing, he published his first book, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali- Illuminations Through Image, Commentary and Design. The book provides a new and inviting approach to studying and living the Yoga Sutras by using imagery, poetry and quotation to illuminate the heart of the Sutras. 

Gary has practiced corporate and technology law for over twenty years. During this time he published the Light on Law series of books that cover law and business matters for Yoga studios, Yoga teachers and other wellness businesses. Gary has also served on the Yoga Alliance Committee that recently proposed a new Code of Conduct. Gary is on the teaching faculty of Breathe Together Yoga of Los Gatos, California. As a member of the Board of Directors of the Integral Yoga Institute-San Francisco, Gary offers insight for legal- and ethics-based matters.

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.

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.

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.

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.