Niroga Institute Staff

Bidyut Bose, Executive Director

Bidyut 'B.K.' Bose is the founder and Executive Director of Niroga Institute. Bidyut earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of California, Berkeley and spent many years in research and development in Silicon Valley. He has multiple patents to his credit, and has presented at international conferences and at universities around the world. Having learned yoga and meditation from his father since he was a child, and later with monks in the Himalayas, he longed for greater integration of his personal and professional life. Inspired since childhood by the twin ideals of self-realization and selfless service, he founded Niroga Institute in 2005, and his research interests have now shifted to the scientific application of TLS and developing cost-effective architectures for lasting social transformation.

More about BK: Niroga Founder Receives Jefferson Award

Judy Dunlap, Programs Director

Judy Dunlap has had a long time interest in Eastern philosophies, and in the East’s body/mind/spirit or holistic approach to healthful living and evolving consciousness. A student of the philosophy of Vedanta, she is currently on the Board of Directors of the Vedanta Society of Berkeley, Ca. Three years ago she was introduced to yoga through Bidyut’s classes, and has experienced the holistic therapeutic value of yoga first-hand. Judy enjoys the challenge of start-ups, and is a co-founder of Niroga. For over 10 years, she was Director of Operations for a small software company. She received her BA in Anthropology from U.C. Santa Barbara and her MBA from Golden Gate University.

Angela Urata, Operations Manager
(Bio coming soon)

Danielle Ancin, Program Manager

Danielle has been teaching dance and yoga to youth and adults for over 12 years. Her desire to share sustainable, dynamic tools for resilience and youth development drives her work, which has included integrating yoga into humanitarian assistance and violence prevention programs in Colombia and teaching yoga classes in vulnerable communities in the US, Colombia, and Brazil. Danielle earned her Masters in Public Administration from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 2009. She is now a Program Manager at the Niroga Institute and teaches regular yoga classes to at-risk children and adolescents.

Antonia Fokken, Program Manager

Antonia Fokken is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist/Art Therapist, a Certified Yoga Therapist and an Anusara-Inspired Yoga Teacher. Antonia is happy to merge 12 years of experience in the field of mental health with her love of yoga and meditation, which started about 14 years ago. After completing a 200 hour Anusara Immersion/Teacher Training at Yogakula in Berkeley in 2004-2005, Antonia completed a 500 hr Advanced Teacher Training Program with an emphasis in Yoga Therapy, through Ananda Seva Mission in Santa Rosa. She is currently teaching weekly adult yoga classes at Mountain Yoga in Oakland, Yogakula in Berkeley, and the Albany YMCA. She has a BA from San Francisco State University in Psychology, an MA in Art Therapy and Marriage and Family Therapy, and 2 years of training in Bioenergetics, a form of somatic psychotherapy. Antonia is a program coordinator with Niroga Institute and teaches Niroga classes at Alameda County Juvenile Hall and other sites.

Nichole Gonzalez, Program Manager, Yoga Therapy Training
(Bio coming soon)

Annika Hanson, Program Manager

Annika Hanson was born and raised in the Bay Area. At the age of sixteen an automobile accident left her with several spinal fractures and unable to live a normal teenage life. During her recovery a friend invited her to attend a yoga class, and she began to experience the self transformative properties of yoga and meditation. In her quest to empower others through the practice of yoga she continued her study, obtaining a certification from It's Yoga in Miami in 2004 and an additional certification from the Niroga Institute, with an emphasis in yoga therapeutics, in 2006. She is committed to raising awareness about the healing benefits of yoga and meditation. Annika coordinates the Niroga Institute programs in Alameda County Juvenile Hall, including the work of Niroga instructors and the research work being done to assess the impact of this work on the young people.

Rosalind Lwin, Program Manager

Rosalind turned to yoga about nine years ago, in a desperate attempt to "fix" her knees and discovered a powerful practice that promotes her healing on multiple levels beyond the physical. The self-reflective nature of the practice revealed that her body was just one example of what was misaligned in her life and yoga continues to guide her towards living in greater alignment with her values. Rosalind is grateful to BK Bose, her nephews, and her yoga students for being among her most influential teachers. After graduating from Niroga's Integral Health Fellowship (IHF) program, she absolutely refused to leave and now manages Niroga's IHF and Certified Yoga Teacher Training programs, teaches yoga and meditation at Niroga Center, and is a Yoga Corps instructor for Niroga Institute's direct service programs. Devoted to nurturing the growth of her students, and deepening her own practice, Rosalind is currently training with Niroga to become a Certified Yoga Therapist and is a student of Spirit Rock's training program focused on the integration of yoga, Buddhist philosophy, and vipassana meditation.

Jennifer Meek, Niroga Center Manager

Jennifer was first introduced to yoga while studying dance at Point Park University in Pennsylvania. She found it to be a powerful way to train the body and mind, prevent injuries, and manage stress. In 2006 she received a 200 hr certification at the Temple of Kriya Yoga in Chicago. She is passionate about sharing the potential yoga has to transform the body, mind, and spirit and is committed to the Niroga mission of bringing yoga to all. She is thankful to be working as Niroga Center Manager and be a part of this budding community center.