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SWAMI CHETANANANDA
Swami Chetanananda is the abbot and spiritual director of Nityananda Institute. Born in the Midwest, Swami Chetanananda grew up in Indiana and attended Indiana University. In 1971, an acquaintance gave Swamiji a picture of Rudi and suggested that he go to New York to meet him. Swamiji has said about this experience, "When I walked into his store, I looked at him and felt my heart shatter into a thousand pieces. From that moment on, I never had one second's doubt about the power of the experience into which I had entered."
Since that meeting in 1971, Swami Chetanananda has transformed the lives of thousands of people. Rudi, before his passing in 1973, gave Swamiji the task of carrying on his work and taking over direction of the ashrams (spiritual communities) he had established. Swamiji formalized his unwavering commitment to spiritual growth by being initiated as a master by Swami Muktananda on May 14, 1978. He took the name Chetanananda, which means "bliss of pure Self-awareness."
Over the years Swamiji has traveled and studied in India, and has synthesized the teachings of Rudi and Nityananda. Swami Chetanananda articulates his wisdom of inner work and spiritual growth in a language and discipline that is practical and appropriate to the needs of his students. In addition, as a widely recognized authority on Trika Yoga meditation and the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism, he is thoroughly versed in the discourse and spirit of ancient Eastern spiritual texts. Swamiji makes the ancient wisdom of yoga accessible to the modern student in a message that is profoundly simple: life is nothing but the manifestation of the divine, and that divinity lies within each human being.
As a living example of the teaching he is an inspiration, resource, and mentor to thousands of people from all walks of life. Swami Chetanananda is dedicated to facilitating in his students over and over again, the awakening of that extraordinary experience of one's creative potential.
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