Brahmacharini Shubhani Chaitanya
Honorary Member
Brahmacharini Shubhani Chaitanya currently serves as the resident Vedanta teacher for Chinmaya Mission New York. She has been greatly inspired by the life and teachings of Swami Chinmayananda.
She started her journey with Chinmaya Mission as a Bala Vihar child in Manila, Philippines, and later on as a CHYK (Chinmaya Yuva Kendra) when her family immigrated to New York. She studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and went on to work in the fashion industry for several years. Yearning to find her true calling, she decided to take a sabbatical and joined YEP (Youth Empowerment Program) where she applied her creative mind towards many projects, including supporting script-writing of a biopic on the life of Swami Chinmayananda, On a Quest. Her engagement in seva (selfless service) and satsang (wise company) inspired her to pursue the 2 year Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Mumbai. In 2016, she completed the course and was initiated as Brahmacharini Shubhani Chaitanya.
Shubhaniji brings a natural wisdom and compassion to her classes that touches the hearts of children, young professionals and families and seniors alike. She conducts classes on Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and other Vedantic texts, oversees Bala Vihar programs across the greater New York area, and leads seekers to deepen their sadhana (spiritual practice) through weekly Gayatri Japa sessions and weekend-long retreats. She currently serves as CHYK West coordinator for the East Coast, and continues to apply her creative mind to special projects, recently leading a team to publish The Woman Seeker, a book about the inspiring lives of women on the path to Enlightenment.