Acharya Mangalananda

Magalananda began his spiritual life in 1972 under the guidance of Swami Satchidananda, a direct disciple of Swami Sivananda. After an inner experience with Anandamayi Ma, the great woman Saint mentioned in Yogananda’s “Autobiography of a Yogi”, with Sw. Satchidananda’s permission, he went to India to find her. He travelled with her in India during 1973 and ’74, receiving mantra Initiation from her. He has been since living within her Lineage with some of her great disciples in ashrams in the US and India. In 2001, he was sent back to India by Ma’s main Swami, Sw. Bhaskarananda to help start a school in one of her ashrams. He lived in Central India for twelve years, teaching in this school and also traveling within India extensively.

From 2007 to 2013, the Ashram sent him yearly to Europe and the US to present kirtan concerts and classes. In 2013, he returned to the US and lives in the San Francisco area, where he presents programs and hosts an online worldwide Matri Satsang group. He is an appointed Acharya (Lineage Teacher) of Ma Sharanam Ashram in India. He is the author of the book “A Goddess Among Us” which has been translated and published into five different languages. He is on the Board of Directors of the Shri Anandamayi Ma Ashram and Temple in Massachusetts and is a guest speaker and musician at Satchidananda Ashram/Yogaville, as well as at Sivananda Yoga Farm and Sivananda Bahama