Jennifer (Yogamaya) Beckman, ERYT was born in Zimbabwe, Africa. As a child she moved with her family to England, their ancestral home, and finished higher education and college studies in the United Kingdom. At this time her aunt taught her about yoga asana and pranayama. Although her artistic talents gave her a credible future in the fashion industry her inherent desire to work with the public led her into the media and advertising industry both in the U.K. and the U.S. working with publication of books and magazines.

After losing her father to cancer in 1987, she searched for a spiritual teacher to guide her. It was in 1988 that she was initiated into the esoteric spiritual teachings of Bhakti-yoga by her spiritual teacher, His Holiness B.V. Tripurari Swami, and given the spiritual name "Yogamaya". At this time she worked on the magazine "Clarion Call" in San Francisco, California, a quarterly magazine dedicated to the health and spiritual market, as an advertising executive. This allowed her closer investigation into her own spiritual depth, and launched her enthusiasm to gain qualifications in the healing field. She also learnt to cook “prasadam”, food offered lovingly to the Lord and has since become a gourmet vegetarian cook. She cooks most of the Sunday feasts held at the ashram, and would very much like to open a restaurant in Santa Fe.

Upon returning to the UK in 1990, she studied homeopathy, massage and reflexology. Her passion for understanding the sciences of natural healing led her to study nutrition, and counseling. Inevitably, with her previous knowledge of Hatha yoga and Bhakti yoga, she was drawn to the sister science of Ayurveda and has studied under Doctor Vasant Lad and Doctor David Frawley. During this time she continued her practice of yoga.

In the same time period, Howard and Jennifer met and married. His deep knowledge of both, Vedic Astrology, Planetary Gemology and Bhakti Yoga had a profound influence on her, enabling her to bring together all qualifications in these fields as a health practitioner and teacher.

Between 1992 and 1998, Jennifer and Howard, helped to establish Vedic astrology in Europe and the U.K. The Vedic Cultural Fellowship was born during this time in the UK, a nonprofit organization devoted to teaching and spreading the sacred, spiritual sciences of ancient India. At this time Jennifer became certified as a yoga teacher through the British Wheel of Yoga.

In 1998 they returned to the US to establish the Vedic Cultural Fellowship's world headquarters in Pecos, New Mexico, and in 1999 they purchased and moved to their present location, New Rishikesh. Over the last few years they have refurbished the existing buildings to make therapy and consultation rooms, a temple and yoga room and offer their services.

In 2003, Jennifer was given certification as a Planetary Gem Advisor, by the Planetary Gemologist Association in Bangkok Thailand due to her advanced working knowledge of using gemstones in accordance with Vedic astrological principles.

Now, with the help of their dear friend Dr. David Frawley, who is head of the American Institute of Vedic Studies, Jennifer and Howard are developing the Vedic Cultural Fellowship's New Rishikesh as a major teaching and retreat center. They are together seeking to raise funds for new buildings and further renovations to existing ones to keep expanding the VCF center for present and future generations to take advantage of the storehouse of knowledge offered here.