Chitra Lekha (Lena Nilsson)
Chitra Lekha has 30 years experience of teaching yoga, combining yoga and mindfulness over the last twenty years. Initially pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, training in classical singing and as a nursing assistant, Chitra Lekha was born into a spiritual family so it was only natural that she would return to ”the narrow path” and become a yoga teacher.
Chitra Lekha, like so many spiritual seekers, is a perpetual student, and counts herself lucky to have "met some of best spiritual teachers on Planet Earth", listing Swami Janakananda, Jon Kabat-Zinn and and Swami Nishchalananda (from whom she took Karma Sannyasa in 2003) among those.
She says "even if my experiences of life unfolded in Sweden, Mandala Yoga Ashram has been my spiritual home - like for so many people - for the last 30 years".
More About Chitra Lekha
Chitra Lekha describes herself as "mother, daughter, sister, friend, catmate and choirsinger".
She was a devoteé of the Scandinavian Yoga & Meditation School in Sweden 1982-1994, learning there the foundations of Satyananda Yoga.
Chitra Lekha started Stockholms Yogacentrum together with a group of three around her teacher in 1989.
She completed two yoga teacher training diplomas, one with the Bihar School of Yoga in 1995 and with Mandala Yoga Ashram in 1997. She also qualified as a Medi Yoga ”instructor” in 2013 and 2017.
Chitra Lekha was introduced to mindfulness in the form of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 2005, and gained diplomas in MBSR from the Center for Mindfulness, Massachusetts in 2007 and 2009. She gained another diploma in 2020 as a Mindfulness Instructor from the Mindfulness Centre in Sweden.
During her 30 years of teaching, Chitra Lekha has developed silent mindfulness retreats and special courses in numerous workplaces including organisations involved in Swedish Disability Rights; and taught MBSR to university students, pregnant women, seniors, those experiencing mental health difficulties, and carers.
She also organises Zoom courses with Swami Nishchalananda from Sweden.
