Father: Demitrius; Worked as an archivist/scribe in the King’s Archives (King Jason & Iphicles), amateur historian, musician, still living. Mother: Elanor; musician, literate, ran a small weaving business, still living/ Younger Brother: Kanthus, Wife's name: Rutka. They live in fishing village on coast near Corinth, married, 3 sons.

Shambalayogi was given the Greek name, Chloe when she was born . Shamba was the oldest and only daughter of an educated, well-off family. She was pretty close to a younger brother. She was taught the usual skills a woman would need of her background, running a household, music and she was taught to read and write. Her mother believed a woman had to be intelligent and educated to run a decent household and to know how to keep and train a husband. Shamba also read history, philosophy and literature partly because her father encouraged her.

Her parents doted on her and generally let her do whatever she wanted. Shamba was married to a man when she was very young. She had known the man since she was a small child and did not oppose the marriage. The families were happy with it. This did not last long. He wanted to spend his time drinking with friends and spending too much money. After a year or so Shamba wanted out of the marriage. They had no children. Shamba returned to her parent’s house and helped her mother with her weaving business and taught children from other families to read and write. Her brother married and produced grandchildren

When her friend, Diana married a Greek man who lived and traded out of India, Shamba went with her. She also ended up staying several years, learning the local languages, teaching Greek, working in Diana’s business and traveling in India. She keeps in touch with her family by letters. She didn’t ever marry nor have children but she was close to several families she knew. She spent a year in the Himalayas in Tibet with a close Hindu friend, Lakshmi. Lakshmi decided to take vows as a Buddhist nun and stayed in Tibet. Lakshmi is devoted to the Goddess Green Tara.

Shamba returned to the city in India where she had lived. She went to live in a yoga community. The ashram had both non-Indian and non-Indian people. It was run by a Greek named Markus. She spent two years here. This is where she got her name. All the yogis get different names than their given names. She learned the usual yoga stuff, meditation, mantras (hers is for Shiva) and yoga postures. She also studied a kind of martial art (from Japan) where you learn various exercises using a sword or a staff. This is where she met Ioannes. He is a Greek merchant from a wealthy business family in Corinth. He is a widower and has two children who run the family business in Corinth. He came to India after his first wife, Daphne, died after a long illness. At the end of two years with Guru Markus, Ioannes and Shamba decide to return to Corinth. Ioannes leaves first in August and they agree to meet in Corinth by the next spring equinox.

Shambalayogi is 5 ft. 3 ¾ in. tall. Her hair is natually light brown with blonde highlights. It is straight and almost shoulder length. She ties it back or wears it up. There is some silver in it these days. She has a very fair complexion. Her eyes are a penetrating blue-green depending on what color she wears. She has a muscular, lean and shapely look somewhat naturally, somewhat because of many years of yoga. She has worn mostly Indian style clothes for years. She has worn saris and Greek gowns. (It is very hard to learn to wrap a sari correctly if you don’t grow up doing it). But she prefers loose fitting trousers with a fitted blouse like those that are worn under saris. Or she wears a tunic over the trousers. She usually also wears a shawl/veil (?) that goes over her head for sun protection or cold protection. She likes clothes made out of silk unless it is cold. Shamba has a great weakness for silver jewelry, belts, etc. She likes sandals or short boots, if the weather is cold. She has been using a bow and arrow and carrying a short sword as she has been travelling alone.

Shamba as an Amazon: Wears a longsleeved sari blouse, short Tibetan kind of vest (thick woolly lining), light tan leather pants, short boots. Also wears a heavy woven red silk wrap on head for warmth, and a heavy woolen wrap secured by ties and/or large pin. She carries a short sword on back and carries bow & arrows. Shamba carries in her pack: two long wrap around skirts (1 leopard print, 1 seashell motif), a short sleeved blouse, a sleeveless blouse or tunic, blue camisole of Iolaus that Arkie brought her, a length of multicolored silk (for many purposes), 1 pair sandals, 1 silver filigree headress, 2 silver/turquoise anklets. She wears silver earrings, 1 silver bracelet, 1 heavy Tibetan bracelet (brass, silver, copper) and two rings (one silver, one gold)

Shamba studied Japanese sword arts for a few months with a Japanese man who was at the ashram in India. He taught several male and female students iaido, kendo. These were taught as a martial art not necessarily to be used in actual fighting. (There is a long sword, more than 24 inches and a short sword 12 to 24 inches.) Iaido, Kendo and Batto-do are the primary Japanese Sword Arts. Iaido is the art of drawing the sword out of its scabbard, cutting one's opponent with a single killing blow, removing blood from the sword, and returning the sword to its scabbard. Kendo is the art when the sword is out of the scabbard. Batto-do is a sword-drawing art similar to Iaido. Most schools practice cutting rolled straw targets in addition to solo and two-person forms.