Kerala Ayurveda Academy draws upon the deep commitment of our passionate U.S. team members, all life-long Ayurvedic students and healers who embrace our philosophy of compassionate care.
Vaidya Jayarajan Kodikannath
Academy Director
BSc, BAMS
Vaidya Jayarajan is an experienced Ayurvedic scholar, clinician and educator with over 25 years of experience in India and the U.S. Since 2010 he has served Kerala Ayurveda USA as Director for all academic programs and wellness services, as well as Lead Faculty and Chief Ayurvedic Consultant.
He earned his degree in Ayurvedic Medicine from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala. In India, he served as Chief Medical Officer at Kerala Ayurveda’s award-winning AyurvedaGram Heritage Wellness Center in Bangalore and headed Kerala Ayurveda Limited’s Ayurveda Expert team in new research project development on Efficacy, Safety and Standardization of Ayurvedic Wellness solutions.
With rich experience developing internal resources and new offerings in Ayurvedic education, he is a leader trainer for domain experts. His wellness offerings have been effectively demonstrated and implemented in India, Europe and the U.S. He is a member of the Expert Curriculum Committee for Masters in Ayurveda at Bastyr University, Seattle and also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA).
“Dr. J,” as his students call him for short, is a compassionate healer and educator, devoted to the mission of imparting the traditional teachings of Kerala’s Ayurveda. He appreciates the blessing of supporting the journey of each and every student who joins the Kerala Ayurveda Academy family.
Kathy Moore
Academy Manager
AWC, Yoga Therapist, B.S. Communications, Media & Photography, M.Ed Adult Education
Kathy is a highly skilled practitioner in the holistic arts with rich experience in education for all levels. As KAA’s Manager, she facilitates the daily functions of the Academy and interacts with the students to support their educational journey.
Prior to her work at KAA, Kathy served as Assistant Director of Continuing Education at the University of Maine at Augusta for eight years as one of the pioneers in online distance learning education. She also started a nonprofit foundation for children’s education and ran an after school children’s program for levels K-8.
In addition to her level I AWC certification from KAA, Kathy is well-versed in multiple healing modalities. She is a Yoga Therapist trained at the 1,000 hour level and Yoga Instructor for the public and private sector. Additionally, she is a practitioner of Thai Yoga Massage, Reiki level I and a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding instructor.
Kathy has devoted her life’s work to supporting the expansion of individuals’ lives – through direct healing work as well as indirect learning enrichment. She enjoys supporting students of Ayurveda & Yoga as well as helping people to incorporate the sister sciences in their everyday lives.
Suzanne Otterbein
National Enrollment Adviser
AWC, RYT-500, MS Finance
Suzanne has a unique combination of experience in finance and business as well as healing, providing her two powerful platforms for helping prospective students embarking on their Ayurvedic journey or seeking to continue their education.
Prior to her work for Kerala Ayurveda, Suzanne accrued over 20 years of business and finance experience. After experiencing the benefits of yoga as a student, she pursued her professional training with yogaspirit Studios to become a certified yoga instructor and has been teaching for over 11 years, focusing primarily on flow, power, restorative and children’s yoga.
After earning her Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor certification from Kerala Ayurveda Academy, she combined her knowledge of Ayurveda & Yoga for her private practice. She continues to study the holistic modalities of healing, recently having completed her Level 1 Reiki Training.
Suzanne is inspired to share her experiences with her students and clients, encouraging them, through their own practice, to see beyond their self-imposed limitations.
Vrinda Maria D’Sa
Enrollment Advisor & Mentor Lead
B.Engg, AWP
Vrinda Maria D’sa has a Bachelors in Electronics Engineering from the University of Bombay. She has internship experience at Bhabha Atomic Research Center and in the Biomedical Engineering Department at P.D. Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Center (Bombay). She has also taught programming languages to corporate professionals.
In addition, Vrinda has 20 years of extensive practical experience in early childhood education and has taken several courses in Child and Adolescent Development, along with training in elementary education classroom management. She has volunteered under the guidance of Speech and Language Pathologists and Reading Specialists. She has assisted and designed education modules for both gifted children and children with learning disabilities.
Vrinda was drawn to Ayurveda while raising her own three children, which led her to earn her certification in AWC and AWP through Kerala Ayurveda Academy. She has served as an AWC mentor for the Academy since 2018 and has been an Enrollment Advisor since August 2019.
Vrinda has a working knowledge of seven languages and appreciates art, classical music, and photography. She likes to scrapbook her travels, her love for international cuisine, the joy of friends, and the gift of family.
Sunitha Kodikannath
Student Support Services Manager
AWC, MBA
Sunitha is a motivating supporter of Kerala Ayurveda USA’s student body and daily academic functions, ensuring positive teaching and learning experiences. She supports the journey of Kerala Ayurveda Academy’s students from registration until certification, supervises the student mentors and coordinates the functions of our Wellness Center at Milpitas, CA, which offers traditional Ayurvedic services and products.
Prior to her role with Kerala Ayurveda USA, Sunitha served as the Merchandising Manager and HR Coordinator at Lotus India, her family-owned textile export company in India. Her professional experience in the field of Ayurveda began in 2001 at the award-winning international heritage wellness resort of Kerala Ayurveda’s AyurvedaGram in Bangalore, India., with the role of managing guest relations and assisting general operations.
Sunitha received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Human Resources. She is a passionate Ayurvedic student, having completed her Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor certification in 2017 and is continuing her journey to become a level II Ayurveda Practitioner under the guidance of her husband Vaidya Jayarajan Kodikannath. She is a hospitable mother of 14-year-old son, and enjoys cooking.
Diksha Verman
Diksha VermanAssistant to Academy Manager
AWP, E-RYT 200, RYT-500, B.Com
Diksha Verman earned a degree in B.Com (Computer Applications).
After experiencing side-effects from a surgical procedure, Ayurveda played a pivotal role in her recovery—and thus Ayurveda became fully incorporated into her life and she turned towards holistic interests with education in Ayurveda & Yoga.
Prior to her work for Kerala Ayurveda, Diksha accrued experience in the field of finance and business development. She has also taught several programming languages (C++, Java, SQL) to undergraduates.
She is a certified Yoga and Meditation teacher, specializing in vinyasa, flow, yin, kids yoga, and meditative breathwork. She has been teaching for several years in her personal practice and has also delivered a lot of sessions for the corporate sector and community.
She aims to provide a simple, powerful and healing environment to all and spread the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda & Yoga in the world.
Jamila Colozzi
Creative Communications Manager
AWC, YT-200, B.A. Literature & Journalism
Jamila is a certified level I Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor as well as a registered Yoga teacher at the 200-hour level. With 10 years of experience in media, she specializes in holistic communications, design, writing and creative business solutions. Inspired by the power of language and imagery to invoke change and healing, Jamila oversees the creative identity of Kerala Ayurveda USA.
A Boston native, Jamila relocated to New York City to study literature and journalism, earning her B.A. from New York University. In 2008, she launched her freelance design and writing business, servicing clients in the arts, music, film, and hospitality industries for almost a decade. During this time, she accrued diverse experience in advertising, marketing, branding, and project management.
In 2010 she commenced a personal practice of Kundalini Yoga, introducing her to the vast healing potential of the Vedic sciences. She was introduced to Ayurveda formally during her Yoga teacher training with Kim Valeri of Yogaspirit in 2014 and is a passionate advocate of the sister sciences. Jamila is also a perpetual student of healing modalities – a certified Reiki practitioner, artist and belly dancer, celebrating all methods of holistic healing through creative expression and movement.
Every day, Jamila is motivated to support harmony on earth by inspiring others drawn to the Vedic path to cultivate their innate power of healing.
Anuradha Gupta
Content Specialist & AP Mentor
RYT-200, Certified AP, MMAS, MBA
Anuradha Gupta is a Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and 200 Hour Yoga Teacher (200-RYT). She is an Ayurvedic Doctor-in-Training at Kerala Ayurveda USA and has been practicing at her own set-up, Ayurvedic Footprints since 2018.
Anu has been writing on Ayurveda and other subjects close to her heart like sustainability, for Art of Living, Sri Sri Tattva, and Art of Living Retreat Center since 2018. In 2020, she became a Content Specialist at Kerala Ayurveda and is now an AP Mentor. Anu’s great grandmother was an Ayurvedic Vaidya and continued practice in her village despite a colonial ban; the lineage was broken during India’s partition and revived now! Ayurveda benefited Anu’s own life greatly; she wants to give back to the community and enjoys the study, practice and teaching of Ayurveda and bringing its principles to people.
Anu studied Engineering at BITS (Pilani, India) and MBA at IIFT (New Delhi, India). A pedigree education was followed by a decade-long corporate career including teaching at a business school. Subsequently she gravitated towards the practice of meditation and yoga to deal with debilitating stress. Along her journey, she got involved with various practices like TA and Reiki and numerous nonprofits such as WWF, Amnesty International, Asha and Art of Living Foundation.
She now lives in California with her husband, has two children she dotes on and lovely cats. Service is Anu’s calling, and she continues to volunteer with many organizations including the Art of Living and Project Welcome Home Troops, is a Board Member of PFLAG SRV and a NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association) DEI committee member.
Anu hopes to leave the world a better place than she found it through the practice of Ayurveda and allied Vedic sciences.