Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati

Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, widely known as Sadhviji, is an American-born Hindu renunciate who has lived at Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh, on the Ganges, for close to thirty years. She grew up in Los Angeles, studied at Stanford and holds a doctorate in psychology; a visit to India in the 1990s changed the direction of her life, and she later took monastic vows under Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, the ashram's spiritual head. Her teaching draws on Vedanta and the yoga tradition and is known for plain, practical answers to everyday questions about the mind, relationships, forgiveness and purpose.

She holds regular satsang at the ashram, streamed online, where she answers questions sent in from around the world, and she directs the International Yoga Festival held there each year. Her books include Come Home to Yourself, a collection of questions and answers, and the memoir Hollywood to the Himalayas, and she has recorded self-paced courses for several online platforms. Alongside teaching she leads interfaith water and sanitation work through the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance and education projects through the Divine Shakti Foundation, and she travels each year to speak and lead retreats in the United States and elsewhere.