About Author

Santosh Maknikar is the founder of Santosh Yoga, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Born in Latur, India, he began practicing traditional yoga at the age of five and has spent decades deepening his understanding of yogic philosophy, pranayama, and authentic Vedic traditions.

After moving to the United States in 2005, Santosh established Santosh Yoga with a clear mission: to teach yoga in its most authentic form, rooted in ancient methods untouched by unnecessary modernization. His approach goes well beyond physical postures and covers the full spectrum of yoga as a way of life.

A deeply committed teacher, Santosh holds daily classes and has worked with diverse communities, including homeless shelters, rehabilitation centers, and low-income groups, offering yoga as a tool for healing across all sections of society. He also founded Yoga for People, a non-profit organization dedicated to making yoga accessible to those who would not otherwise have access to it.

His work extends to Project Santosha, a global initiative that sponsors education for children in the village in Maharashtra where his family has roots. Through this project, he has connected communities across the world around the shared values of contentment, education, and service.

Santosh carries a background in software development alongside his lifelong practice, bringing both discipline and depth to everything he teaches. His students describe his classes as grounding, precise, and deeply transformative.

At Santosh Yoga, his teaching covers longevity yoga, yoga teacher training, personalized retreats, pranayama, fasting, and Ayurveda, always guided by the belief that traditional yoga, when practiced sincerely, can ease many of the challenges people face today.