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Shobana Pillai (Brahmacharini Shobha)

Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Yoga, School of Spiritual & Cultural Studies, Amritapuri | Director, Amrita Yoga®

Qualification: PhD, MBA

yogashobha@am.amrita.edu
ORCID ID
Google Scholar Profile
Research Interest: Yoga Therapy and Mind–Body Interventions; Meditation and Bhāvanā; Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies; Yogic Psychology; Cognition and Multisensory Integration; Spirituality and Health; Psychological Well-Being; Yoga Education and Pedagogy Across Age Groups; Integrated Holistic Health

Bio Publications Education FDP / Workshops Invited Talks Membership Awards Conferences
Bio

Brahmacharini Shobha (Shobana Pillai, PhD) serves as Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Yoga, School of Spiritual & Cultural Studies, at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri, and as Director of Amrita Yoga® at Mata Amritanandamayi Math. She has three decades of experience in teaching yoga, meditation, and mind–body practices to students across India and internationally.

She began her yoga journey at the age of five under the guidance of Swami Vijnanananda, a disciple of Swami Sivananda Saraswati. Inspired by Satguru Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), she dedicated her life as a Brahmacharini to spiritual practice, service, and sharing yoga as a path of inner growth and compassionate living.

Under Amma’s direct guidance, Shobha formulated and developed the Amrita Yoga® system, which emphasizes “awareness with heart-centered intention.” She has trained 390+ volunteer teachers, designed curricula for Amrita Vidyalayam schools, and created programs for rural communities, women’s empowerment, orphanages, and rehabilitation initiatives in prisons and police departments.

Shobha has taught over 150,000 students globally, leading retreats, workshops, and classes across India, the USA, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. She has been invited to teach and speak at institutions including Dublin City University, University College Dublin, the New Zealand Parliament, the University of New South Wales, and the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies.

She completed her PhD at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in July 2026, with research focused on yoga, meditation, and contemplative studies. Her interdisciplinary research interests include yoga therapy, meditation and Bhāvanā, mindfulness, contemplative studies, yogic psychology, cognition and multisensory integration, spirituality and health, psychological well-being, mind–body interventions, yoga education, and integrated holistic health.

Her academic, professional, and policy service includes serving as Joint Secretary of the Indian Yoga Association (2022–2026), Expert Member of the Council of the Inter-University Centre for Yogic Sciences, and Expert Committee Member for Yoga Education in Universities under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. In 2023, she served as a Sub-Working Group Coordinator for the Holistic Health stream of the Civil 20 India Integrated Holistic Health Working Group.

Publications

Conference Paper

Year : 2025

Long-Term Practice of IAM-35 Is Associated with Enhanced Mindfulness and Reduced Perceived Stress: A Cross-Sectional Study

Cite this Research Publication : Shobana Pillai, "Long-Term Practice of IAM-35 Is Associated with Enhanced Mindfulness and Reduced Perceived Stress: A Cross-Sectional Study," International Conference on Sustainable & Resilient Futures: Bridging Science, Policy, and Practice (ICSRF 2025), 29th August to 1st September 2025, Amritapuri Campus, Keralam, India.

Year : 2018

Bhavana Shakti – Theoretical Reflections and Methodological Tools around Women, Energy and Ecology

Cite this Research Publication : Shobana Pillai, "Bhavana Shakti – Theoretical Reflections and Methodological Tools around Women, Energy, and Ecology," International Conference on Ecology & Culture, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Keralam State, India, December 2018

Year : 2009

Green Solutions for Global Dilemmas: Management Innovations of an International NGO

Cite this Research Publication : Shobana Pillai, "Green Solutions for Global Dilemmas: Management Innovations of an International NGO," International Conference on Green Management in a Warming World: Challenges and Opportunities, SCMS, Cochin, Keralam State, India, March 2009

Journal Article

Year : 2025

Defining Bhāvanā through the PAL framework: grounded theory insights from long-term IAM®-35 practitioners

Cite this Research Publication : Shobana Pillai, Hemaa Manimaran, Glenn B. Mannheim, Maneesha Vinodini Ramesh, Defining Bhāvanā through the PAL framework: grounded theory insights from long-term IAM®-35 practitioners, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Springer Nature, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05783-y

Publisher : Springer Nature

Year : 2020

Computational analysis of cortical EEG biosignals and neural dynamics underlying an integrated mind-body relaxation technique

Cite this Research Publication : Rakhi Radhamani, Nijin Nizar, Dhanush Kumar, Gayathri Suresh Pillai, Lakshmi Swapna Prasad, Sreehari Sudheer Jitha, Midhun Krishna Vannathi Kuniyil, Abhijith Anil Sekhar, Vaishnav Satheesh Kumar, Shobhana Pillai, Shyam Diwakar, Computational analysis of cortical EEG biosignals and neural dynamics underlying an integrated mind-body relaxation technique, Procedia Computer Science, Elsevier BV, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2020.04.035

Publisher : Elsevier BV

Education
Year Qualification Institution Detail
2026 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies — Research focus: Yoga, Meditation, and Contemplative Studies
1998 Master of Business Administration (MBA) Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA Institution now known as Maharishi International University
1996 Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.) Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College, Tiruchirappalli; Bharathidasan University Commerce
FDP / Workshops
  • Workshop on Qualitative Data and Analysis Methods, Dept. of Biostatistics, AIMS Kochi (2014)
  • Webinar: How to Write a Research Paper for an International Journal – Springer Nature (2021)
  • Online Training: Become a Smart Researcher – Springer Nature (ONOS) (2025)
  • Webinar: Role of Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Writing – Springer Nature (ONOS) (2025)
Invited Talks
  • Talks at Dublin City University & University College Dublin on Mindfulness and Yoga (2020)
  • Kids Yoga sessions at John Scottus School, Dublin (2020)
  • Yoga Session at New Zealand Parliament, Wellington (2019)
  • Yoga Workshop at University of New South Wales, Sydney (2019)
  • Main teacher at 25th Yogafest International Conference, Australia (2019)
  • Workshops at Omega Institute for Holistic Studies, New York (2018)
  • Sessions at Santo Domingo Senior Center & Early Childhood Learning Center, New Mexico (2018)
  • 2-day yoga workshop for H. Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (2018)
  • Guest Speaker in Norway for International Day of Yoga (2017)
  • Numerous yoga awareness sessions in Amrita Vidyalayam schools across India
Membership
  • Joint Secretary, Indian Yoga Association (2022–2026)
  • Sub-Working Group Coordinator, Integrated Holistic Health Working Group – Holistic Health, Civil 20 India 2023 (C20 India). Contributed to the policy write-up submitted to the G20 process.
  • Expert Member, Council, Inter-University Centre for Yogic Sciences (IUCYS) (2018–2021)
  • Expert Committee Member, Committee for Yoga Education in Universities, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India (2016)
  • Institutional Representative, Indian Yoga Association
  • Life Member, Indian Yoga Association

Yoga Alliance International credential

Master Yoga Teacher, Yoga Alliance International (2014) — lifetime credential awarded on the basis of prior traditional yoga learning, practice, teaching experience, and professional credentials.

Awards
  • Bharath Vibhuti Award, GOAL, Delhi (2016)
  • Indian Glory Award, FAME India (2015)
  • Rashtra Vibhushan Award, FACE, Delhi (2015)
  • Third Place – Combination Competition & Forward Bending Competition, All India Yogasana Championship (2016)
  • Ambassadors’ Club Award, American Express TRS, Asia-Pacific (2000–2001)
Conferences
  • National Conference on Global Financial Crisis & Indian Economy, ASAS Kochi (2009)
  • International Conference on Ecology & Culture, Amritapuri (2018)
  • International Conference on Sustainable & Resilient Futures: Bridging Science, Policy, and Practice (ICSRF 2025) held from 29th August to 1st September 2025 at Amritapuri Campus, Keralam, India.
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