Spiritual head and chairman of the Himalayan Institute, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD is the successor of Swami Rama of the Himalayas. Lecturing and teaching worldwide for nearly 40 years, he is the author of 17 books, including his latest, Vishoka Meditation: The Yoga of Inner Radiance (Spring 2020), and groundbreaking commentaries on the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali—The Secret of the Yoga Sutra: Samadhi Pada and The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada. He is a regular contributor to the Himalayan Institute’s online Wisdom Library, the driving force of the Institute’s global humanitarian projects, and the visionary behind the Institute’s newly consecrated Sri Vidya Shrine in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

Pandit Tigunait holds two doctorates: one in Sanskrit from the University of Allahabad in India, and another in Oriental studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Family tradition gave Pandit Tigunait access to a vast range of spiritual wisdom preserved in both the written and oral traditions. Before meeting his master, Pandit Tigunait studied Sanskrit, the language of the ancient scriptures of India, as well as the languages of the Buddhist, Jaina, and Zoroastrian traditions. In 1976, Swami Rama ordained Pandit Tigunait into the 5,000-year-old lineage of the Himalayan Masters.

Growing up at the Himalayan Institute, Ishan Tigunait received his first spiritual lessons from Swami Rama of the Himalayas, and has continued his spiritual education for the past 30 years under the guidance of his father, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait. Ishan serves as Executive Director of the Himalayan Institute and Chairman of Yoga International, and has been a driving force for the Himalayan Institute’s humanitarian projects in Africa over the past decade. He also serves as Managing Director of Himalayan Institute India, and spearheaded the establishment of the Institute’s newest campus in Khajuraho, India.

Ishan’s passion is sharing modern reflections on the ancient wisdom of the yogic and tantric traditions. As a Himalayan Institute faculty member, he leads the Institute’s Yogi Living program as well as annual pilgrimages to India and the Himalayas.

Holding a degree in computer engineering, Ishan worked for IBM before returning to the Himalayan Institute in 2006. He is an avid social entrepreneur, and is committed to sharing the transformational power of yoga to unleash our full potential.