Ananda started his musical interests in grade school playing the violin and later in high school picking up guitar. In college (2003-2008), he formed a band called Coastline, again with a new best friend sharing the role of lead singer and songwriter with him. The music was more in the lines of singer songwriter, rock, alternative, reggae and ska.

In Spring of 2006, Ananda took his first Kundalini Yoga class at the University of Oregon. That changed his destiny. It wouldn't be until years later, but the seeds on mantra had been planted. In 2009, he sold his Gibson electric guitar for a plane ticket to Guatemala. There, with just an acoustic guitar, he stayed for 3 months, teaching Kundalini Yoga and sharing songs in his classes and at restaurants. 

By this time mantra music was seeping deep into his consciousness. He had attended a couple Summer Solstice gatherings in New Mexico. He continued on a very dedicated path of yoga, in particular with the Kundalini Yoga tradition as taught by Yogi Bhajan but also teachings from other lineages influenced by the Vedas, the ancient teachings from India. In the spring of 2010, Ananda was compiling a series of devotional songs and chants that would emerge onto the album, Live at the Altar of Love, Disc 2 (2011). 

In fall of 2010, he started playing with Jaya Lakshmi and they went on to start touring regionally and then expanded globally. Together they released 16 albums since 2010 and especially since 2013 have toured year round. In 2020, they decided to part ways intimately and pursue their solo careers. In August 2021, Ananda will release his second studio album, Flow Like the River. 

Ashley Melin, Founder SoulJour

Ashley Melin is the founder of SoulJour, a holistic yoga lifestyle brand dedicated to the seeker, sage and warrior in us all. She is also the principal of Point3 Design, a full-service graphic design studio for nearly 20 years. Taking her first yoga class in 1992 at the recommendation of her parents, she never looked back and has since studied extensively with many of the most renowned teachers all over the world. After a life changing 3-month solo journey through India in 2004, she founded Aum Adventures (now part of SoulJour) – a travel company aimed at getting people out of their comfort zone and into the magical chaos of India. As an avid mountain biker, skier, 10 time marathon runner, and big mountain climber (climbing over 25 peaks above 14,000 feet ), she has an intimate understanding of pushing limits – physical, emotional, mental – in order to create change. This concept became the most real when Ashley divorced her partner of nearly 20 years and was given the opportunity to dive deeply into her soul. It was during this time that the idea for SoulJour was born. She currently resides in Lake Oswego, OR with her 11 year old son and 2 dogs.

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