“Together, anything is possible!”
2024 VSA Council
The President is responsible for increasing communication within the Village Sangha Association and representing the organization to Satchidananda Ashram and at all public functions.
Alexander Mae
President of the VSA
Term: 2024-2027
Since 2014, Alexandra has been captivated by the timeless wisdom of Yoga, culminating in her decision to move full-time to the community in 2018. Balancing her role as a dedicated mother to two littles with her passion for community organizing, Alexandra has found fulfillment in both nurturing her family and fostering connections within her community.
Whether she’s walking with her pups, playing basketball, teaching yoga, crafting poetry, or sharing meals with loved ones, she radiates compassion and authenticity. Her life goals are to be a divine instrument, honor her own well-being through healthy boundaries and personal accountability, and always hold a beginners mind.
Santoshi Young
Vice President of the VSA
Term: 2024-2027
Santoshi moved to Buckingham, VA in 2014. She is now happily married to Richard Young and loves being mommy to their amazing daughter, Gracie. You will most likely catch Santoshi with Gracie, reading books, outside exploring, or walking up and down Unity with their two greyhounds. She works part time in Charlottesville as a dental hygienist.
Santoshi believes in the importance of community as a viable source of healthy living. While most are rooted here for the spiritual essence of this place, she believes in all being welcome despite their reason is for choosing to live here.
The Vice President shares responsibilities with the President and supports the Council as needed.
The Secretary will ensure that minutes are taken and distributed at all meetings.
Alex Anandi Williams
Secretary of the VSA
Term: 2024-2027
Since 2014, Alexandra has been captivated by the timeless wisdom of Yoga, culminating in her decision to move full-time to the community in 2018. Balancing her role as a dedicated mother to two littles with her passion for community organizing, Alexandra has found fulfillment in both nurturing her family and fostering connections within her community.
Whether she’s walking with her pups, playing basketball, teaching yoga, crafting poetry, or sharing meals with loved ones, she radiates compassion and authenticity. Her life goals are to be a divine instrument, honor her own well-being through healthy boundaries and personal accountability, and always hold a beginners mind.
David Waters
VSA Council Administrator
Term: appointed by VSA council
David Waters is an amateur naturalist and a jack of many trades. David has worked and studied in various sustainability fields over the past decade and brings to the VSA team an interest in developing community through developing connection with the Earth. David came to Buckingham in early 2020 to deepen his exploration of yoga as a modality for healing and as a framework for healthy living. David is the farm manager at Satchidananda Ashram. He serves as the VSA Council Administrator.
The Council Administrator serves as logistics coordinator for major projects at the Council’s pleasure, and chairs the Council Meetings.
THE GENERAL REPRESENTIVES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
The Events Coordinator organizes and manages events to engage the community and raise awareness of the organization’s mission, including logistical planning, promotion, and coordination of volunteers.
Amie Tunkara
Events Coordinator
Term: 2024-2027
Amie first came to Buckingham in 2017 and has lived and served at the Ashram since then.
Currently, Amie works in the Integral Yoga Teachers Association office as the Membership Coordinator. She is also a Somatic Embodiment Coach, which is a healing modality that works through body awareness, movement, and dance.
Amie seeks to help cultivate and foster a sense of community in Buckingham in order to help us grow!
Lila Amma (Fenton/Heasley)
Fundraising Manager
Term: 2024-2027
Lila is a devoted Integral Yoga Teacher and Assistant Teacher Trainer. After numerous years in Los Angeles with her husband, Kurt, they returned to Buckingham in 2019, choosing it as their permanent home. Since Satchidananda Ashram-Yogaville’s reopening in 2021, Lila has been actively engaged in diverse roles, including serving as Program Specialist and Teacher Training Administrator in the Integral Yoga Academy, as well as Social Media Manager for SAYVA.
Born into a yogic family, Lila cherishes her childhood memories of playing at the feet of her family’s Guru, Sri Swami Satchidananda. During her youth at Buckingham, she immersed herself in the discipline and intensive study of Bharatha Natyam, a form of Classical Indian Dance. Her journey into yoga teaching began in 1987 when she took turns leading Integral Yoga Basic Hatha for her classmates at the Yogaville Vidyalayam (Temple of Learning).
Embarking on her first formal yoga training in 2010, Lila consistently shares her ever-expanding understanding of the teachings and the practice. She has served as Director of Integral Yoga Centers in both Pennsylvania and California. Now actively involved in various ways at SAYVA, she mentors guests, is a presenter for Integral Yoga programs and training sessions, and regularly leads japa, kirtan, hatha, pranayama and other yoga practices.
Specialized in recognizing the diverse patterns of how chronic stress affects the body, breath, and mind, Lila finds joy in sharing the numerous tools that the yogic and ayurvedic sciences offer for relief, restoration, and the cultivation of a balanced, peaceful life.
The Fundraising Manager is responsible for developing and implementing fundraising strategies to support the organization’s mission, including donor cultivation, grant writing, and event planning support.
The VSA/Ashram Liaison acts as a bridge between the organization and the Ashram, initiating dialogue spaces, facilitating communication, and fostering collaboration to strengthen relationships and achieve common goals.
Karuna Binstock
VSA/Ashram Liaison
Term: 2024-2027
I have been a part of the Integral Yoga Family and the Satchidananda Ashram since the early 70’s. This includes volunteering at the New York IYI and volunteering and the Integral Yoga Food Store. At this time, I took teacher training, and taught daily and evening classes to members of the New York City Ballet as well as a class for senior students. In 1976 I was fortunate to be appointed by Swami Satchidananda to be the pre-school teacher at Yogaville East in Connecticut. I did this for four years. My work included administration, guidance, and curriculum development. I also taught fine arts in our elementary school. The program’s ideal was holistic growth based on yogic principles. This was the first school of its kind to be certified by the State of Connecticut.
In 1979, Asangan and I were married, and we left the Ashram and moved to Washington, D.C. so he could attend Architecture school at the University of Maryland. I worked in a law firm in D.C. for several years as an admin and head of personnel. I then pursued teaching, first in the Allegheny Learning Center and St John’s Episcopal Pre-School. This is a model pre-school specializing in the Reggio-Emilia philosophy – based solely on the student’s innate curiosity. After a long break we returned to our home in the Buckingham community in central Virginia.
Siva Fiske
Community Liaison
Term: 2024-2027
Siva is a long-time disciple of Swami Satchidananda since 1971. After living in Venice Beach California for 50 years and active in the LA and California IYI, Siva and his wife Uma have bought a home in the Village Sangha and moved here in December, 2022. A musician, author, poet, and Interfaith Minister, Stephen has been a teacher of Integral Yoga and has performed with Sri Gurudev and at Yogaville numerous times over the years, and on multiple occasions since arriving here. An events producer and community organizer, who has been active in the non-profit sector in Los Angeles, Siva looks forward to taking an active role with the VSA.
The Community Liaison serves as the primary point of contact for local and wider community engagement, facilitating dialogue, sharing information, and supporting outreach, fundraising, and membership initiatives.
Jai Ram Eyth
Community Space Supervisor
Term: 2024-2027
With a deep-rooted commitment spanning 25 years as a community member, I bring experience and a genuine passion for enhancing communal spaces. For over a decade, I served in the Ashram’s Maintenance Department Landscape division, nurturing and beautifying the grounds. My service extends beyond the ashram, where I proudly contributed to emergency response efforts with both the Manteo Yogaville Emergency Response Service and the Buckingham County Volunteer Rescue Squad for seven years. I also served as President of BCVRS for two terms.
Now, I am eager to transition my skills and dedication to the Village Sangha Association as its Community Space Supervisor. My goal is to foster the continued growth and cohesion of our community. In this role, I aspire to develop and implement strategic plans for acquiring land and establishing a community center, while actively participating in various VSA initiatives. I am committed to serving our community, and I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to its ongoing success and well-being.
The Community Space Supervisor manages current community space. Leads the search for suitable land and oversees the development, fundraising, and planning of a future community space, ensuring alignment with the organization’s goals and community needs.
The VSA Website Manager manages and maintains the organization’s website, ensuring content is up-to-date, user-friendly, and reflective of the organization’s brand and mission. Implements improvements and oversees technical aspects as needed.
Lee Cason
VSA Website Manager
Term: 2024-2027
Lynn Lantz and I (on the right) moved to Buckingham from Virginia Beach, into our retirement home at 422 Unity Place, in November of 2023. We are happy to be new members of the Village Sangha Association. I have been working as an IT Specialist in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, VA for the past 29 years. I am still employed full-time in that role, at least through 2024. Since there is a need for a Website Manager I thought this might be an area where I could provide service to the community while still working my day job.