Sadhvi Bhagwati was raised in a traditional, upper class, American family in Hollywood, California and graduated from Stanford University. She was completing her Ph.D. when she left America in 1996 to come and live permanently at Parmarth Niketan Ashram, on the holy banks of the Ganges river in Rishikesh, India. She has been serving the poor and needy of India since.

She took official Sanyas diksha (vows of renunciation) in June, 2000, from her guru His Holiness Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj, marking her pledge to a life of service, renunciation, purity and devotion.

Sadhvi Bhagwati teaches meditation to seekers from every corner of the globe who travel to the Himalayas to learn the divine practice. She also counsels people who come looking for answers and guidance. She travels across the world, in the seva of His Holiness Pujya Swamiji, teaching yoga and meditation and speaking to audiences. Her talks blend the knowledge and logic of the West with the insights, spirituality and wisdom of the East. She always emphasizes to Indians living abroad the importance of maintaining their culture, and of not trading the deeply rich world of tradition and spirituality for the shallow and superficial world of Western materialism.

She is also the International Director of Youth Education Services, a charitable program that sponsors and runs free schools and orphanages in India.

In addition to being the director of educational programs, she also assists in administration at Parmarth Niketan, prepares and manages the websites, newsletters and brochures for Parmarth Niketan and India Heritage Research Foundation, manages English correspondence, and is the Managing Editor for the monumental project of the Encyclopedia of Hinduism.