About The Team

Priya Gopalakrishnan

Founder, Yoga Teacher

Priya is a wonderful, caring mother of two. Her life’s goals have been to nurture and create a world in which her sons can thrive! Priya’s younger son, Maanadh has autism. When Maanadh was born, she set forth to create a world of inclusion; in which her son would be able to thrive and live in a world in which there are no bounds. Priya yearned to find a beautiful balance of academics and mindfulness for both her sons.

Priya has developed and cultivated various yoga techniques over the last several years, and Maanadh has been her inspiration. Priya has discovered that through mindfulness, various yoga poses and breathing techniques; she has been able to foster independence, positive transformation, and self-regulation in Maanadh.

Since she experienced numerous positive benefits, she wanted to delve deeper, and hire a private teacher for Maanadh. However, because Maanadh was on the spectrum, teachers hesitated to take him on as a student. In that instant, Priya’s eldest son, Pradith, had a brilliant idea. He suggested that Priya create a yoga class designed specifically for students with special needs. Knowing Priya’s profound expertise in teaching and accommodating such students, she was fully equipped to embrace this venture.

Our Mission

Happy Yoga LLC was founded in May 2022 thanks to Pradith’s ingenious idea, proving the adage ‘Necessity is the mother of invention.’

Now, Priya’s mission is to help this community, and she has committed herself to the nurturing development of neurodiverse kids and families through yoga and mindfulness practices.

Pradith Magesh

Co-Founder & Marketing Strategist

Pradith is studying Business in California. He is the co-founder and Happy Yoga LLC is his brain child.

From a very young age, Pradith understood the injustices of the world, and made it his life’s goal to create a world in which his brother would be accepted; and would have the means to pave his own way. Pradith has been an instrumental part in Happy Yoga’s journey.

Over the years, Pradith has advocated for his brother and other neurodiverse children. He stands in solidarity with his mother’s dream of creating a world in which there are endless possibilities. Pradith is an honors student and hopes to pursue a career in business. In his free time, Pradith enjoys playing violin; and is always creating new ways to build meaningful connections with Maanadh.

TESTIMONIAL

What parents say about Priya, the Lead Teacher

Ms. Priya is a very patient and a kind teacher. She adjust accordingly to every kids needs and is flexible in her teachings. She makes Miya feel confident in her ability to do some of the harder yoga poses and celebrates her wins with her.

Passionate & compassionate teacher ❤️

Mrs.Priya is very kind, compassionate person who has a passion for Yoga. She is great in what she does and above all, the patience she has with the special need kids is the important appreciating point. Thank you Priya for everything that you do!

Very patient and willing to work with the kid instead of on the kid. For autistic kids this is hard to do but she does it very effectively.

Priya as a person loves what she does and brings her best version on to the yoga mat which makes the kid feel involved. The way she instantly tweaks and incorporates any kind of prop ( my child would bring different props to almost all classes ) into yoga is commendable. Her quality of accepting the pace and ease of the student and through that bringing in yoga into the students life is worth a mention.

Priya is very patient in dealing with kids, Kids friendly, and very accommodative.

Priya is a passionate yoga teacher who is knowledgeable about the practice and its benefits. She is able to guide my daughter through poses safely and effectively. Was able to modify and adjust to accommodate different levels of experience and physical ability.

Best of Priya is she pays attention to how she communicates with the child, clear and concise in her instructions, encourages and supports throughout the class while prioritizing safety of the child. Priya accesses and understands the physical/mental limitation of the child and encourages children to explore their practice without judgment and competition.

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Early yoga practice with breathing and relaxation techniques positively impacts children’s body and brain development.