Swami Ramakrishnananda Biography

Swami Ramakrishnananda was born in Santiago, capital of the Republic of Chile, on March 21st, 1958. At the age of 8, a mystical experience fell upon him by which he was mysteriously initiated into sakshi yoga, it determined the course of his life and impelled him to search for Truth. This experience influenced him to such an extent that from his adolescence he dedicated himself to studying and practicing different religions and spiritual paths.
 

His spiritual restlessness led him to leave his homeland and travel widely throughout India, the Middle East, South America, Europe, and the United States, in search of religious or spiritual authorities who could offer him some information about his early, transcendental experience. Due to this inquiry, he visited pastors, rabbis, priests, rsis, gurus, devotees, mystics, shamans, guides, and masters of different traditions, lines, paths and religions. 
 

However, it was only after an extended period devoted to the study of Hinduism in all its different aspects, that he adopted this religion as his own. Consequently, he accepted sannyāsa initiation, or ‘the sacred order of renounced life’, directly from His Holiness Swami Jyotirmayānanda Sarasvatī, disciple of His Holiness Swami Śivānanda Sarasvatī of Rishikesh, India. Later, he met His Holiness Swami Viditātmānanda –founder of the Tattva-tīrtha Ashram in Ahmedabad, India–, and saw in him his eternal spiritual master. He was officially initiated as his disciple, and since that moment he surrendered in body, mind, and spirit to the service of this great saint; the satisfaction of his guru became his only reason for living. 
 

Over years of studies, he became certified as a yoga instructor, teacher and guide, and also obtained titles from renowned institutions such as Shivananda Yoga Vedanta, Jiva Institute for Vedic Studies in Vrindavan, Prana Yoga Ashram, Swami Shivananda Yogasana Research Center in Tamil Nadu, Ma Yoga Shakti Mission, Yoga Research Foundation, Integral Yoga, Patanjala Yoga Kendra, Rishikesh Yoga Peeth, Vrindavan Institute of Vaishnava Culture and Studies, and Aham Brahmasmi Yog Mandir Trust of Rishikesh, among others. 
 

His devotion, or bhakti, and his constant transcendental experience of the Self, or vedānta, have made him a faithful exponent of the honorable title, Bhakti-vedānta, which he received from the Gauḍīya-vaiṣṇava mission, Vrinda. He has also been awarded titles such as Yoga-śiromaṇi, Kṛṣṇa-bhakta and Yogācārya, directly from the hands of His Holiness Swami Viṣṇu Devānanda; Yoga-ratna, received from His Holiness Swami Jyotirmayānanda Sarasvatī; Bhakti-śāstrī, from His Holiness Śrī B.A. Paramādvaiti Swami Mahārāja; and many other titles, such as Prācārya, Yoga-pravīṇa, and Veda-vidyālaṅkāra.
 

Swami Ramakrishnananda has taught haṭha-yoga for more than twenty-five years and has prepared and certified dozens of trainers, instructors, and teachers. With the knowledge received from Sakshipada, many of these students teach yoga in their own centers in various countries.
 

In 2003, he founded the Vishwa Dharma Mandalam in New York, USA, with the objective of spreading the message and teachings of sakshi yoga to a wider population in the West. The organization is in continuous expansion, and new spiritual seekers constantly join the Ramakrishananda Ashram in pursuit of receiving guidance and inspiration from Sakshipada.
 

His works, lectures, workshops, courses and activities, and above all his wisdom and devotion have made him worthy of the affection, appreciation, respect, and support of his disciples and followers, as well as of reputable swamis, yogis, ṛṣis, paṇḍits, and prominent authorities of the respected Hindu community.