Lineage
Sri Swami Rama of the Himalayas is founder of the Institute of the Himalayan Tradition. He is one of the rare masters of the world, incarnating throughout time with complete self-awareness to enlighten the world.
In his last known life he was born in the Himalayan mountains of Garwahl, India and raised by the saint, Bengali Baba, in the many cave monasteries of the Himalayan Tradition. His master sent Swamiji to other yogis and adepts of the Himalayas to gain many perspectives and insights into the ancient teachings of yoga. At the age of 24 he was installed as the Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham in South India - one of the five main spiritual leaders of India. He renounced this position after three years to pursue intense sadhana in the caves.
From there he was directed by his master to go to Japan and the West in order to illustrate the scientific basis of the ancient yogic practices.
At the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas, he demonstrated the capacity of the mind to control the so-called involuntary physiological processes such as heart rate, temperature, and brain waves. He remained in the United States for 23 years, teaching, guiding, and initiating others in spiritual practices, and establishing yoga centers throughout the world.
In the early 90's, Swami Rama returned to India, establishing the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas.
He touched the lives of thousands of people in fifty-six countries leaving schools, hospitals, and spiritual organizations to serve others. Scholar, social reformer, author, artist, scientific explorer of human potential, tantric master, humanist, poet, gardener, musician, philosopher, philanthropist, he is a rare yogi beyond time and space. His teachings are often embodied in the words "Love, Serve, Remember." This Gurudev to thousands entered mahasamadhi this life in 1996.
Swami Jaidev Bharati (Dr. Justin O’Brien), a leading disciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas, is a pioneer in the exploration of consciousness. A former Catholic monk who studied in Israel, Jordan, and the Netherlands, he was a major lecturer as his ground-breaking theology took thousands to deep insights in their spiritual quests.
In 1972 he met his Guru while he taught theology at Loyola University of Chicago. He helped Swamiji establish the Himalayan Institute and its graduate school and helped create international yoga conferences in England, Japan, India, Nepal, and the States. He holds a Doctoral degree in the Philosophy of Consciousness, a Doctorandus in Theology, and Masters degrees in Philosophy and Religious Studies. He was Senior Research Fellow in Holistic Medicine at the University of London Medical School, Director of Education at London’s Marylebone Health Clinic, and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota.
He took vows of renunciation on the banks of the Ganges River in 1999. He is author of Walking with a Himalayan Master, The Wellness Tree, A Meeting of Mystic Paths, Superconscious Meditation, Running and Breathing, and several others.
Ma Devi (Theresa King, M.A.) is a life-long practitioner of spirituality. A former vowed religious, she studied theology in Europe for two years, coming home to be initiated by the saint Swami Rama of the Himalayas in 1972. Serving as his personal assistant for twelve years, she also established the Himalayan Publishing House where she designed and published thirty-eight books and numerous periodicals.
She worked with Gurudev in Japan, England, India, and Nepal where she taught and co-directed international conferences. Past spiritual director at Seattle University’s Master of Ministry Summer Program, she founded Yes International Publishers at Swami Rama’s request and continues to publish books on personal growth, yoga, and spirituality.
She edited the award-winning The Spiral Path and The Divine Mosaic and has won national awards for her poetry. Devi brings deep insight to others from a life interwoven with direct spiritual experiences and love of the Tradition.
Read her blog Ma Devi: My Life's Journey