I believe that healing is not about chasing perfection. It is about restoring connection

Sarajean Rudman

M.S., M.A., MAVIM, DHSc (ABD), E-RYT-500, CAP (NAMA), CDN (CT)

Founder of Connection Is Purpose™

Sarajean Walsh Rudman (Sj) is Core Faculty at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, where she completed her professional yoga teacher training in 2009. At Kripalu, she leads immersive programs in yoga, Ayurveda, integrative wellness, fitness, cooking, and personal transformation, guiding students to translate ancient wisdom traditions into practical tools for modern living.

A yoga educator and practitioner, clinical nutritionist, Ayurvedic practitioner, and health educator with more than two decades of experience, Sarajean’s work bridges contemplative traditions and modern health science to support sustainable well-being and meaningful behavior change. Her teaching is grounded in relationship between teacher and student, body and mind, and the individual and the larger community.

In addition to her work at Kripalu, Sarajean serves as a college professor teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Integrative Health Sciences, Health and Wellness Coaching, Ayurveda, and holistic lifestyle medicine. She is known for her relationship-centered teaching style and emphasis on translating theory into lived practice.

She holds an M.S. in Clinical Nutrition and Integrative Health, an M.A. in Health and Wellness Coaching from Maryland University of Integrative Health, and a Master’s in AyurVeda and Integrative Medicine (MAVIM) from Maharishi International University. She is currently completing a Doctorate in Health Sciences (DHSc) at the University of Bridgeport, where her dissertation examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk across the lifespan. Following maternity leave, she is completing final edits and expects to graduate in December 2026.

Sarajean is a Kripalu-trained E-RYT-500 yoga teacher and Kripalu Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher, a NAMA-credentialed Ayurvedic Practitioner (CAP), a board-certified Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), and a licensed Certified Dietitian Nutritionist (CDN) in Connecticut. She will be sitting for her NBHWC exam in 2026 and also holds several certifications in fitness and life and wellness coaching modalities.

She is also the creator and host of The Replacement Project podcast, which explores how replacing habitual alcohol use with intentional practices can cultivate vitality, connection, and purpose.

Her philosophy is simple: we are all in this together, only as separate as the fingers on our hands.