Rakesh was born in Rishikesh, the capital of yoga that is surrounded by the Himalayas and blessed by Mother Ganga. Rishikesh is known to be the place where great spiritual Masters, Yogis and Yoginis lived and taught seekers from all over the world. Growing and learning in Rishikesh nourished Rakesh with a deep foundation in yoga, yogic philosophy and Indian tradition.

He studied Iyengar yoga for many years with Br. Sri Rudra Dev and Smt Usha Devi, two of the senior-most disciples of Guruji BKS Iyengar. He attended Iyengar yoga programs with Iyengar teacher Nanda Kumar and went to Pune to study at the Ramamani Iyenger Memorial Institute.

His interest in different traditions of yoga led him to visit Mysore in 2010 where he studied Ashtanga yoga at the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute with Amma Saraswati ji, the daughter of Pattabhi Jois.

After more than a decade of committed yoga study and practice, Rakesh completed two teacher training courses in two different yoga schools (RYS) with additional 500 Hrs of yoga training. Arsha Yoga Peetham is registered with the Association of Yoga Teachers and Yoga Schools, Yoga Alliance – USA and conducts yoga teacher training courses with Yoga Alliance certification spanning over 200 & 300 hours.

In his teaching, Rakesh uses predominantly the main elements of the Iyengar tradition, like precise alignment, sequencing and props. In keeping with his admiration & gratitude for yoga traditions, he blends to his practice Ashtanga Yoga flow, pranayama, meditation, Kirtan and Indian philosophy, imparting a deep and complete yoga experience.