Tyagi Vinaya Serra was born in Rome and worked for many years in various parts of the world; in this wandering she felt the need for spiritual guidance, Paramhansa Yogananda over and over again sent her specific messages, through the Autobiography of a Yogi which was continually given to her but which she never read. She felt a great attraction to those two deep eyes on the cover and always promised herself to read the book, until one day, after coming to Ananda on business, someone gave her yet another Autobiography as a gift, at which point she read it. Her life was completely transformed, thanks in part to Swami Kriyananda, whom she met soon after, to the point that she immediately moved to live in the community. There she met Ranjit, who would later become her husband, and with whom she lives her marriage as a service to the Guru and to God. She specialized in iridology and ayurveda, and opened a small school where she teaches manual arts while chanting mantras. Together with Ranjit, she runs the organic store in Borgo Rajarsi.