Joël began practicing the Siddha Yoga teachings in 1983, after attending a meditation satsang at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he was an undergraduate. Joël offers seva as a writer and scholar in the SYDA Foundation.

Joël received a master’s degree and doctorate in comparative religion from Harvard Divinity School. Joël now teaches courses on Asian religions and cultures at California State University in Sacramento, California, where he lives with his wife, Beth.