Swami Kashi
I want to tell you a little bit about myself to give you some idea about my background and why I have decided to do this Project
I was born in Israel in 1972 and was brought up in a very normal Israeli family. When I was 25 years old I happen to visit the Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel-Aviv and took a Yoga class. This was a turning point in my life. I started practicing Yoga very regularly, began studying the philosophy of Yoga and the spiritual aspect of yogic life. In 1998, I took the Sivananda Teacher Training Course in the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas. After this course, yoga became the center of my life. In 1999, I decided to become a Brahmachari (monk), and I joined the Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel-Aviv as a staff. During my mantra initiation I was named Shankar. In the year 2000, I completed my BA degree in Computer Science and Management and moved to India. There I had the unbelievable fortune to live very closely and learn from Swami Chaitanyananda, who is a direct disciple of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh. Swami Chaitanyananda (Swamiji) lived in the Himalayan town Uttarkashi, which is located about 165 km North of Rishikesh. For the next three years, I lived with him and learned English, Sanskrit, Hindi, and Vedanta philosophy from him. Above all, I learned from his day-to-day dealing with people and from his infinite love. After Swamiji left his body in 2003, I returned to Israel and from there moved to the Bahamas. I could not stay away too long from the Himalayas. I started coming back to Uttarkashi every year for a few months. Now I am spending half of my time in India and the other half in the West. While in India, I mostly stay in Uttarkashi and continue my studies with amazing teachers. When I am in the Bahamas, I live in the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat where I teach yoga philosophy and Sanskrit. I like to travel, teach philosophy, tell stories, and meet new people. Therefore, I have decided to combine all of these passions and (with the help of good friends) to initiate this project of bringing people to see the places and meet the people who shaped my life in an extraordinary way. I have also decided to record an online course on the Bhagavad Gita and other important scriptures of Hinduism to make them approachable to people like you. In July 2014 I was initiated into the order of Sannyasa and received a new name, Swami Kashi Muktananda Sarasvati, or in short Swami Kashi.
I want to tell you a little bit about myself to give you some idea about my background and why I have decided to do this Project
I was born in Israel in 1972 and was brought up in a very normal Israeli family. When I was 25 years old I happen to visit the Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel-Aviv and took a Yoga class. This was a turning point in my life. I started practicing Yoga very regularly, began studying the philosophy of Yoga and the spiritual aspect of yogic life. In 1998, I took the Sivananda Teacher Training Course in the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas. After this course, yoga became the center of my life. In 1999, I decided to become a Brahmachari (monk), and I joined the Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel-Aviv as a staff. During my mantra initiation I was named Shankar. In the year 2000, I completed my BA degree in Computer Science and Management and moved to India. There I had the unbelievable fortune to live very closely and learn from Swami Chaitanyananda, who is a direct disciple of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh. Swami Chaitanyananda (Swamiji) lived in the Himalayan town Uttarkashi, which is located about 165 km North of Rishikesh. For the next three years, I lived with him and learned English, Sanskrit, Hindi, and Vedanta philosophy from him. Above all, I learned from his day-to-day dealing with people and from his infinite love. After Swamiji left his body in 2003, I returned to Israel and from there moved to the Bahamas. I could not stay away too long from the Himalayas. I started coming back to Uttarkashi every year for a few months. Now I am spending half of my time in India and the other half in the West. While in India, I mostly stay in Uttarkashi and continue my studies with amazing teachers. When I am in the Bahamas, I live in the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat where I teach yoga philosophy and Sanskrit. I like to travel, teach philosophy, tell stories, and meet new people. Therefore, I have decided to combine all of these passions and (with the help of good friends) to initiate this project of bringing people to see the places and meet the people who shaped my life in an extraordinary way. I have also decided to record an online course on the Bhagavad Gita and other important scriptures of Hinduism to make them approachable to people like you. In July 2014 I was initiated into the order of Sannyasa and received a new name, Swami Kashi Muktananda Sarasvati, or in short Swami Kashi.
Piyush Banuni
Piyush is a 28 years old Yoga teacher from Uttarkashi. He was born and brought up in a traditional Himalayan village farm-house near Uttarkashi. Son to a family of brahmin priests Piyush was exposed from infancy to the Hindu orthodox tradition. In 2010 Piyush took the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course in Neyar Dam, Kerala, South India. In 2013 he served for a year in the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas. He is a very gifted Yoga teacher and an expert cook of Indian cuisine. Piyush is one of the organizers of the Himalayan Yatra of Heart Pilgrim. During the Yatra Piyush will take care of all the logistics and will teach us Yoga classes. He is very enthusiastic about it, and he is planning to organize a Yoga Camp of his own next year.
Piyush is a 28 years old Yoga teacher from Uttarkashi. He was born and brought up in a traditional Himalayan village farm-house near Uttarkashi. Son to a family of brahmin priests Piyush was exposed from infancy to the Hindu orthodox tradition. In 2010 Piyush took the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course in Neyar Dam, Kerala, South India. In 2013 he served for a year in the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas. He is a very gifted Yoga teacher and an expert cook of Indian cuisine. Piyush is one of the organizers of the Himalayan Yatra of Heart Pilgrim. During the Yatra Piyush will take care of all the logistics and will teach us Yoga classes. He is very enthusiastic about it, and he is planning to organize a Yoga Camp of his own next year.