Swami Krishnapremananda
Swami Krishnaprem is currently a senior teacher at Mandala Yoga Ashram.
Having first visited the Ashram around 30 years ago in its wild and windswept early days, he joined the Ashram team a few years later and lived in the Ashram for 27 years, before recently relocating further into West Wales. He still regularly returns to the Ashram to teach retreats and to help in the continuing evolution of the Ashram.
The Path Of The Heart
Swami Krishnapremananda's spiritual journey was catalysed by a serious road accident during his early 20’s, which shifted his trajectory away from a career in electronic engineering to a path of yoga. This journey was quickened by his beloved teacher Swami Neel Kamal, who opened his inner eye and heart to the true wealth and potential of spirituality, and by Swami Nishchalananda who, following the death of Swami Neel Kamal, has been an invaluable support, inspiration and guide.
Krishnapremananda took his yoga teacher training here at the Ashram around 20 years ago and has been teaching yoga ever since. Over the years he has matured into a knowledgeable and inspiring teacher with a wise, humble, and gentle presence. As well as teaching regularly within the Ashram, he also teaches seminars around the UK and in Europe.
He describes his spiritual journey as ‘touching the ground of existence’, ‘a surrendering to the Divine’ and ‘a coming home’ and is deeply grateful for the many joyful gifts of grace he has received along the way. He loves Ashram life for the opportunity to learn from the teachings and presence of wise teachers, to feel connected to spiritual energies, as well as for the privilege of guiding students and witnessing them grow and blossom.
His primary yogic path is a combination of Bhakti Yoga (‘Yoga of the Heart’) and Gyana Yoga (‘The Path of Insight or Wisdom’), supported by an integrated practice of all the main paths of yoga.
He has travelled to India many times to visit and study with teachers there and is a student of Sanskrit – the language in which Indian sacred texts and most key yogic texts are written. He is also a trained counsellor and a qualified death doula. He helps facilitate 'death cafes' and grief circles. Furthermore he is a trained independent funeral celebrant, able to offer respectful, appropriate and meaningful funeral services, and a trained grief tender.
These different skill sets enhance his natural empathy, sensitivity and skilfulness in guiding people on the spiritual path.
When Krishnaprem first arrived to live at the Ashram in 1997, his car full of all his limited worldly belongings, having just given up his career, and with a firm inner commitment to dedicating his life to yoga and the spiritual path, he was told at the front gate that the Ashram was closing! Fortunately he was undeterred, and when the Ashram re-opened a couple of months later he returned and has been closely involved with the Ashram ever since, nurturing his spiritual spark and sharing it’s beautiful light.
