Pandit Rajmani Tigunai is the spiritual head and chairman of the Himalayan Institute and the successor of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Lecturing and teaching worldwide for over 40 years, he is the author of 19 books, including the groundbreaking commentary on the third chapter of the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali—Awakening Power in the Yoga Sutra: Vibhuti Pada, 2022 (following The Secret of the Yoga Sutra: Samadhi Pada, 2014, and The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada, 2017), and Vishoka Meditation: The Yoga of Inner Radiance, 2019. He is a regular contributor to the Himalayan Institute’s online Wisdom Library, the driving force of the Institute’s global humanitarian projects, and the visionary behind the Institute’s Sri Vidya Shrine in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

Pandit holds two doctorates: one in Sanskrit from the University of Allahabad in India, and another in Oriental studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Family tradition gave Pandit access to a vast range of spiritual wisdom preserved in both the written and oral traditions. Before meeting his master, Pandit studied Sanskrit, the language of the ancient scriptures of India, as well as the languages of the Buddhist, Jaina, and Zoroastrian traditions. In 1976, Swami Rama ordained Pandit into the 5,000-year-old lineage of the Himalayan Masters.

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Ishan Tigunait grew up at the Himalayan Institute, and received his first spiritual lessons from Swami Rama of the Himalayas, and has continued his spiritual education for the past 30 years under the guidance of his father, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait. Ishan’s passion is sharing modern reflections on the ancient wisdom of the yogic and tantric traditions. As a Himalayan Institute faculty member, he is a key contributor to the Institute’s Vishoka Meditation, tantric studies, and 300-hour yoga teacher training offerings, and also leads annual pilgrimages to India and the Himalayas. 

 

Ishan serves as Executive Director of the Himalayan Institute and has been a driving force for the Himalayan Institute’s humanitarian projects in Africa and India over the past 20 years. As an avid social entrepreneur, he is co-founder of Moka Origins, a socially-conscious chocolate maker and specialty coffee roaster. Ishan is committed to sharing the transformational power of yoga to unleash our full potential. 

Full Bio and Upcoming Programs with Kripalu