Meet Ramana Vandana Damerla | Artist, Yoga Instructor & Data Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ramana Vandana Damerla and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ramana Vandana, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I am person who like to explore new things and adapt to them easily. Having acquired so many skills like painting, gardening, yoga etc, I feel blessed to have proper time management skill to manage them. With the help of Art of living’s SKY Breath meditation techniques and going through 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training program, I am able to manage time between work and other activities passionately. During the week I dedicate time to teach yoga twice a week, teach painting once a week and do gardening over the weekend. I work with complete dedication during the day time and able to do other activities in the evenings & over the weekend. It feels so good when we do things that we love. With the attitude of contributing something to the society what I learnt and not leaving them for work pushes me to go above and beyond to do more things in life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am grateful to have creative side to inculcate being in the present moment and believe in the chain of thoughts. Being creative is an art which requires a calm & clear mind with a beautiful vision. Spending time in nature and doing gardening made me realize that things take time but with patience the goal is reached. I have a Masters in Information Systems & currently work as a Data Engineer. With critical deadlines to meet and dealing with lot of data, logical thinking and analysis is the key role. There has been many challenges along my way and was not easy to meet deadlines. With the support of my colleagues and manager, we get together and discuss all the possibilities before implementing. It makes it easy to discuss with open minded people and who are able to listen to all scenarios before reaching the conclusion. I feel motivated to go to work and face these challenges and contribute to the company’s & self growth. Teaching is an art and I do enjoy teaching that bring change to others. Be it teaching Mathematics to kids, teaching painting or conducting yoga classes I do all these with complete dedication and passion. I have learnt the art of time management with schedules shifting for students or spending extra time to learn something new to teach. Time management is a skill to have a good work life balance. I feel confident and would tell to anyone out there who are willing to experiment or willing to do something they love to not give away their dreams in pursuing it. Just Be confident and prioritize things rest will follow in place and enjoy at every phase of the life.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would like to drive them to Lake pleasant to show giant cactus along the way, I call it “the Cacti land”. As I am into art, a visit to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art to see the beautiful modern and contemporary art. Also Drive to Papago park (hole in the rock) for magnificent sunset & picturesque landscapes. There are so many food joints to explore in the city. Joy ride, Postino are my favorites. wouldn’t miss the yummy donut ice creams at Novel Ice cream in phoenix. Sprinkles Scottsdale has the best cupcakes which would be fun to visit. Drive to Sedona for magnificent red rocks and hike small creaks at oak creak.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have had so much support along my journey to be what I am today. There are so many people to be thankful for. Life is journey with ups and downs, One person that stood by me no matter what situation I was in is my mother (Malavika Damerla). She has been there during my happy moments to share joy along with me and during my low moments to encourage, uplift and move ahead in life. I remember these amazing words from her ” To stay grounded no matter what position you are in” & “when in tough times, just give some time & have faith in the divine, universe will take care of the rest”. These quotes help me all the times to move ahead and achieve milestones along my way. I would like to give shoutout to my little brother (Vijith Damerla) who has been like elder brother (sometimes) in better decision making and sharing happiness in my success. Also a shoutout to my Grand father (Narshimham) who says everything will fall in place and remember his words to have “Good life”, “Best life” & “Happy life”. I am so grateful to my husband (Ashwin Nedunoori) who has been by my side and giving me freedom to experiment new things. I have been blessed to have amazing in-laws to support me in every phase of my life.
My family & friends are my strengths who has been super encouraging and lastly I am very grateful to my Gurus Ramana Maharshi & Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to help me stay grounded and energetic all the times. I do volunteer for Ramana Maharshi Trust activities & Art of living Organization to spread happiness and serve the society.

Instagram: @vandanadamerla