shakti & bhakti
Traditional Yoga Society and Shakti and Bhakti come from a living tradition over 5,000 years old. We adhere to the classical approaches to yoga and are very much believers in selfless service. It was ubiquitous to hear Swamiji tell his students, "I want you to be happy." It doesn't take long to examine Swamiji's life to see he was a genuinely content and happy person. Swamiji had dedicated his entire life to selfless service. Therefore, when listening to him lecture, reading one of his books, or talking with his students, one can quickly deduce that his happiness came from serving selflessly. To serve selflessly, one must know one's Self, which comes from constant practice. At TYS and Shakti and Bhakti are committed to our practice both individually and as a group. You will find us chanting, meditating, singing, studying scriptures, practicing asana and pranayama, cleaning, working on the mandir grounds, and eating together. We strive to take our practices seriously and grease all of our actions with love knowing that we are here to serve the sages of our tradition by serving all beings.
As our closing prayer says,
Let me Cherish those that God Cherishes
Let me forgive those that God forgives.
Let me Serve those that God Serves.
Let me love those that God loves.
With this in mind, we consider ourselves Sevites which means we practice seva yoga—the yoga of selfless service. Everyone you see teaching, singing, cleaning, and working on the technology is doing it out of love and dedication to making themselves better humans. No one on the TYS or Shakti and Bhakti "staff " receives payment; we are here to serve Swamiji, the sages of the tradition, and all beings.
As you peruse the sevite pages, read the biographies of this committed group of aspiring yogis and yoginis. And if you have any desire to serve or volunteer, reach out to us. We always have jobs that need attention.
Band Members:
Riley Slate
(Music Director / Keyboard / Vocals)
Riley Slate was born in Cleveland, Ohio, but moved with his family to Dayton, Ohio, at a young age. Riley's grandfather and father were the first to introduce him to music via guitar and singing. Later, he added the bass guitar and piano. At 16, Riley got his first paying job as a musician and decided to make his living by playing and singing. He has done precisely that, with one minor turn into the construction world (his construction career lasted from morning until lunchtime at Bob Evans, gotta go down on the farm). Riley has a performance degree from Wright State University and a jazz performance degree from North Texas University. Riley lived most of his life as a dedicated musician. Riley has had the karma to perform in Las Vegas (Legends of Las Vegas Show), Atlantic City, Palm Springs, Busch Gardens, cruise ships, and many jazz clubs across the Midwest. He has performed with various musicians, including Tom Jones, Barry Manilow, Sheryl Crow, The Four Aces, and The Ink Spots. Riley has played and sang across the United States with numerous regional and international artists until seven years ago. Riley's misidentification with music and all things external led him down a rabbit hole into the world of pleasure-seeking, which left him unfulfilled and questioning life and its purpose. After reconnecting with his kindergarten friend (Ranjani), things started to change. While living the life of a musician was a circuitous route back to yoga, it was still a route back, and he will be eternally thankful to be on this exalted path where life makes sense and the journey definitely makes sense. His yoga practice has taught him to have a genuine love for himself and true love for all other beings. He says, "When I finally let go of all I was holding on to, everything fell into place." Riley feels eternally grateful for the love Swamiji has shown him and the practices he has given him. The practices are making him a better human being each day. Riley lives in Dayton, Ohio, with his wife Ranjani and their two four-legged sons, Rishi and Ravi. They lost Rumi On Easter Sunday of 2024. Rumi was Riley's boy and could do no wrong in Riley's eyes.
Ranjani Powers
(Music Director / Keyboard / Vocals)
Ranjani Powers has dedicated her life to yoga, but she never thought that would include kirtan. Ranjani has always enjoyed singing but never had the goal of being in a "kirtan band ." It is funny how the Universe presents things to you, and you can accept or decline. In the last year, the Universe gave Ranjani some life-changing decisions; as hard as some have been, she said yes to them. Her life completely shifted from how she thought she would serve to how she is serving the tradition. She has grown in ways she never dreamed possible and has rededicated her life to Swamiji and the tradition, as it was by his grace and guidance that she maneuvered through this last year. Ranjani has always known that she has been guided and protected through many storms in her life. If she said no to this next part of her journey, it would be akin to spitting in the face of someone who has given her the most beautiful gift. Over the last year, the addition of kirtan practice to her yoga practice has become one of her favorite things to do. She loves the time she spends with Riley working on the "new" chants and having such an incredible teacher on hand to teach her. Ranjani may have yet to foresee this part of her journey, but she loves it and is committed to doing her best.
Linda Conway
(Djembe and bongos)
Linda grew up in Hawaii playing the ukulele, not the djembe or bongos. She has never received formal instruction on these percussion instruments. Still, she readily agreed when called to serve Shakti and Bhakti this way to put forth the effort to learn and time to practice. She strongly feels that being a part of Shakti & Bhakti is a gift from the Divine that she does not intend to take for granted. Linda loves sharing kirtan with our community and cherishes the energy that is felt and shared by singing and chanting mantras with a group. She says it is like nothing that she has ever experienced. Linda says, " I may not play perfectly; however, that hasn't prevented me from expressing my devotion to God and feeling his grace." In our tradition, when devotees gather to chant the name of God, one or more of the sages may come to the gathering; Linda has received a gift of hearing one of the sages chanting with us as we gathered for our Divine Mother celebration.
Lisa Neff
(Vocals)
Lisa Neff has been practicing yoga and meditation for over 20 years. Lisa took one of the first yoga classes Ranjani ever taught in Tipp City, Ohio. Ranjani has lived in various parts of the world, but whenever Dayton brought her back, Lisa would also find her way back to Ranjani's classes. The tradition has a way of keeping folks together not just in this lifetime but also in previous and future ones. Lisa was first introduced to kirtan music in yoga class and instantly felt a connection to the music. She instantly felt love for this style of music, can you say, samskara? Lisa has traveled to several cities to experience kirtans, so it would make sense for her to be part of something she loves dearly. Lisa feels very blessed to have found this path and her yoga family. Lisa is a lover and protector of animals. She became vegetarian in 2007 and vegan in 2009. She is the lead organizer of Vegan Dayton Meetup, helping bring ahimsa (non-violence) to the community through diet and lifestyle.
Joanne Houston
(Vocals)
Joanne was introduced to yoga through their holistic wellness program while working at Franciscan Medical Center. It was here that she took her first yoga class with her first yoga teacher, Ranjani. Joanne considers Ranjani not only her yoga teacher but a dear friend who has introduced her to many things in this lifetime, including organic, non-GMO, veganism, and Sri Swami Satchidananda on a trip they took to his ashram while he was still in his body in Virginia.
Joanne considers herself a seeker of faith and hope and a lover of God's great and small creatures. Joanne is quite the comedienne. She loves making others laugh and encouraging them to see their higher qualities. She is a passionate and loyal friend who will stick with her friends through the fires of life.
Joanne loves music and singing in Shakti & Bhakti, but dance has had a special place in her heart since childhood. Growing up as a dancer allowed her to feel joy within herself and connect to a deep place of inner peace. When she is not practicing at TYS, Joanne can be found hiking, communing with nature in one of the many metro parks, ballroom dancing, or loving her fur baby Teddy Bear.
When asked what she loved about kirtans, Joanne said, "The Sanskrit language is so beautiful, written, spoken or chanted, it feels sacred and pure." Joanne's goal is to be a better person daily; this means doing the practice so she can learn how to do just that. And she wants her legacy to be love, kindness, and humor. She feels grateful for TYS and the loving, kind, caring, considerate individuals who share the same goal of becoming a better human, to love all and serve all.
Kali Macklin
(Vocals)
Kali has always loved music. She spent her school years participating in many choirs and listening to various genres of music. She loved to go to concerts. Since starting yoga, her love for music never left her but has been reborn into a passion for kirtan. Singing has a new meaning, and she loves being a part of Shakti & Bhakti.
Alex Cain
(Bass Drum)
Alex has been practicing yoga at TYS for the last six months. He is not from Dayton but was born and raised in Japan and is now an American citizen. His favorite part about his personal life is continuously developing and improving. One example is working on his art project for mental health as a side hobby after going through difficult times from past experiences. He was first introduced to yoga/kirtan by one of the members of the Dayton Vegan Meetup. He plays the bass drum for Shakti and Bhakti and occasionally sings. He has become a regular at TYS because he finds the community very supportive and friendly, making him feel comfortable doing his yoga practice in the TYS environment! His goal in practicing kirtan is to raise his awareness and consciousness level with an open and healthy mind.
Joel Gillespie
(Vocals)
Joel started practicing at TYS before Thanksgiving of 2023 and immediately joined the kirtan. He was born in the southwest corner of Ohio and has lived there throughout his life. He has a wonderful wife of 20 years, a fantastic daughter, and a sweet dog, Taco, who is a very good boy. His first encounter with yoga was on YouTube, and his first encounter with kirtan was definitely at TYS. Joel sings for Shakti, and Bhakti sometimes claps! He keeps coming to TYS because it benefits his spiritual practice, and everyone is kind and welcoming. His goal with kirtan and yoga is to build a consistent practice.
Ryan Kelley
(Percussion)
Ryan came to his first class at TYS 3 months ago and has been around since. Ryan is from the Dayton area and enjoys swimming, reading, and appreciating/listening to all kinds of music. He first encountered kirtan through music that he listened to when he was teenager that had lyrical themes which promoted an ayurvedic lifestyle. He now plays percussion in Shakti & Bhakti. Ryan says he comes to TYS because of the sense of community and the reinforcement to continually challenge himself to look inward, reflecting on how he can live a more purposeful life. His goals in regards to yoga and kirtan is to maintain a consistent practice and to develop more self-discipline.
Kyle Gibbs
(Guitar)
Kyle grew up in Germantown, Ohio, where he met his future wife, Tiffany: they married and now reside in Kettering, Ohio.
Kyle loves spending time in nature and being silent. He has four Zen master cats. Kyle enjoys playing guitar and drums and creating beautiful spiritual art. You should check out his Etsy business, Ego Death Designs, where you will find some exquisite spiritual and metaphysical art.
His first real encounter with yoga was at an ayahuasca retreat in Peru in 2022. He had never heard of kirtan until the first day he took a class at TYS. Kyle says, "I was audibly mesmerized" by his first encounter with kirtan. Now, he plays acoustic guitar with Shakti and Bhakti (he is really good!). When we asked Kyle what keeps him returning to TYS, he said, "The people, the teachings, and the practices. I was looking for like-minded people to deepen my spiritual practice and devotion to God, and it is no coincidence I found TYS. I can't express enough gratitude to be a part of it.".