Lecture: Britain to Kashi – A Journey of Wisdom and Service

From an Oxford education and a career in London investment banking to a life devoted to yoga and Sanskrit in Varanasi, Dr Lucy Guest shares the experiences that led her to Kashi. The programme explores the teachers and texts that shaped her journey, what studying yoga and Sanskrit has taught her about living with purpose, and how those teachings find expression through education and service. Drawing on her work with the International Chandramauli Charitable Trust and the Kashi Yoga Festival, she reflects on the challenges and rewards of putting ancient wisdom into practice today.

Dr H. Lucy Guest, also known as Divya Prabha, is a yoga teacher and Sanskrit scholar based in Varanasi, India. An Oxford graduate in materials science, she worked in investment banking before beginning her study and practice of yoga in 1999. She later earned a PhD in ancient Sanskrit grammar from Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya. Dr Lucy Guest is currently pursuing a second PhD in the Department of Comparative Philosophy, researching the Rekated Mimamsa and Grammar. For more than two decades, she has taught yoga, Sanskrit and Indian philosophy to students in India and internationally. She co-founded the Brahmrishi School of Yoga and the International Chandramauli Charitable Trust, which provides education for children in Varanasi. She also founded the Kashi Yoga Festival and speaks regularly at conferences on yoga, Sanskrit and Indian knowledge traditions.

Uttar Pradesh Community Association (UPCA) UK is a social organisation comprising more than 1000 families and working towards promotion of literature and culture of UP in the UK. The group provides a platform to network and build community through the celebration of festivals like Diwali and Holi in UP style and at the same time works with state authorities to contribute towards the home state in India.

UPCA makes all efforts to promote Hindi language and literature through various events like Kavi Sammelan, Hindi Diwas, Ramayan Path and musical events.