Swami Padmapadananda

I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa (1946, just in case you are curious). Left SA in 1972 to escape Apartheid and "see the world." I had been practicing Yoga in its spiritual forms for several years, and knew I wanted three things: a true guru, live in a community, and serve humanity. In 1974 I joined the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Tel Aviv, Israel where my wishes were fulfilled.

I traveled around the world and lived in numerous places serving the Sivananda organization. I have directed or co-directed yoga centers in Tel Aviv (early days were pioneering), London, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Yoga Ranch, Upstate NY. In 2011 I moved to the Sivananda Yoga Ashram Farm in Grass Valley, California.

In 1979 I was initiated into the sannyas order of Sankaracharya by my Guru Swami Vishnu-devananda, and was named Swami Padmapadananda. In case this sounds like Greek to you, I was ordained as a Hindu monk.

In my teens I was literally "smashed up" in a motor car accident, which left me what felt like half dead. After a long recovery and lots of therapy, I got back to "life" again. I went on to study at the University of the Witwatersrand (an Afrikaans name which means White Water Ridge, the area where Jo'burg is.) I majored in mathematics and mathematical statistics. Don't be impressed, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since those days.

So, in short, I have spent almost my entire life serving humanity through the propagation of classical yoga. This includes Hatha Yoga, meditation, chanting, and Vedanta philosophy.

In 2008 I met Angela Pashayan, director of Yoga of Devotion. We formed a non-profit organization From Hand to Hand (FHH), whose purpose is to empower poor people to feed themselves through farming.

At the end of January 2013, I dropped everything and flew to Kenya to begin a life of service to the poor. I've volunteered at orphanages, spent weekends at slums, visited numerous people within them, including many women who are HIV+, orphans, and people who live in the streets.

In October 2013 FHH purchased 3 acres in Shartuka, and few months later 4 acres near Kilgoris. Both locations are in Massai Mara district, about 7 hours away from Nairobi. We have built a 6-roomed house to accommodate three families at the Kilgoris farm.

FHH follows the principles of permaculture and is funded entirely through donations from well wishers. Contact me [email protected] or 254