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Swami Rama was born in the Himalayas in 1925. He was initiated by his master into many yogic practices. In addition, Swamiji's master sent him to other yogis and adepts of the Himalayas to gain new perspectives and insights into the ancient teachings. At the young age of 24 he was installed as the Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham in western India. Swamiji relinquished this position to pursue intense sadhana in the caves of the Himalayas. Having successfully completed this sadhana, he was directed by his master to go to Japan and to the West in order to demonstrate the scientific basis of the ancient yogic practices. At the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas, Swamiji convincingly demonstrated the capacity of the mind to control so-called involuntary physiological parameters such as heart rate, temperature and brain waves.
Swamiji's work in the United States continued for 23 years and in this period he established the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the U.S.A. Swamiji became well recognized in the US as a yogi, teacher, philosopher, poet, humanist and philanthropist. His models of preventive medicine, holistic health and stress management have permeated the mainstream of Western medicine.
In 1989, Swamiji returned to India where he established the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas. Swamiji left this physical plane in November 1996, but the seeds he has sown continue to sprout, bloom and bear fruit. His teachings embodied in the words "Love, Serve, Remember" continue to inspire the many students whose good fortune it was to come in contact with such an accomplished, selfless and loving master.