Come to know us...

We're a small group of people who are enthusiastic about what we're doing.

​​Swami Kashi

I was born in Israel in 1972 and was brought up in a very normal Israeli family. When I was 25 years old I happened to visit the Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel-Aviv and took a Yoga class. This was a turning point in my life.  I started practicing Yoga very regularly, and began studying the philosophy of Yoga and the spiritual aspect of yogic life.  In 1998, I took the Sivananda Teacher Training Course in the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas, after which yoga became the center of my life. In 1999, I decided to become a Brahmachari (monk), and I joined the Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel-Aviv as a staff. During my mantra initiation I was named Shankar.

In the year 2000, I completed my BA degree in Computer Science and Management and moved to India. There I had the unbelievable fortune to live very closely and learn from Swami Chaitanyananda, who is a direct disciple of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh.  Swami Chaitanyananda (Swamiji) lived in the Himalayan town Uttarkashi, which is located about 165 km North of Rishikesh. For the next three years, I lived with him and learned English, Sanskrit, Hindi, and Vedanta philosophy from him.  Above all, I learned from his day-to-day dealing with people and from his infinite love and compassion. 
After Swamiji left his body in 2003, I returned to Israel and from there moved to the Bahamas.  I could not stay for too long away from the Himalayas.  I started coming back to Uttarkashi every year for a few months.  Now I am spending most of my time in India and the rest of the time is spent in teaching around the world. While in India, I mostly stay in Uttarkashi and continue my studies with amazing teachers.  When I am traveling in the world I teach yoga and Vedanta philosophy.  

​I like to travel, teach philosophy, tell stories, and meet new people.  Therefore, I have decided to combine all of these passions and (with the help of good friends) to initiate this project of bringing people to see the places and meet the people who shaped my life in an extraordinary way. I have also decided to record lecturs on the Bhagavad Gita and other important scriptures of Hinduism to make them approachable to people like you. In July 2014 I was initiated into the order of Sannyasa and received a new name, Swami Kashi Muktananda Sarasvati, or in short Swami Kashi.

Sharon (Maheshwari) Marko

We’re pleased to introduce you to our chief project manager Sharon (Maheshwari) Marko.
​After working in the high-tech industry for many years as a talented programer she discovered the spiritual world and fell in love with Yoga and its philosophy wholeheartedly.
Maehshwari took her Yoga Teacher Training Course in the Sivananda yoga Retreat in the Bahamas, and she is teaching Yoga regularly in the Sivananda Yoga Center in Tel-Aviv.

Maheshwari is also a gifted photographer and her beautiful photos from our last Yatra are presented in our ‘Photo of the Day’ project on Facebook and Instagram.
She is in charge of the correspondence of Heart Pilgrim, so you are going to hear from her if you register to any program or just send a contact form.
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Francesca (Omkari) Folonari

Omkari has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and has been teaching yoga and running her own yoga center in Florence Italy, following the Sivananda tradition, for over 10 years.
Omkari is a dedicated and inspiring yoga teacher; she teaches asanas, meditation and anatomy for yoga. Her teaching is characterized with attention to detail allowing a practice where body, breath and mind are strengthened, balanced and relaxed. In addition, she organizes yoga retreats in Italy and spiritual trips to India- which goers describe as wonderful and successful.

Omkari’s warm nature creates a comfortable and allowing atmosphere around her, and at the same time she gives out the confidence that every detail under her concern is being overseen and kindly taken care of.
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Purna Lai

Purna Lai is our talented Yoga Teacher and event organizer from Taiwan. She has joined us recently and in a short time, has brought to Heart Pilgrim so many blessings. Recently, Purnaji has translated our website into Chinese to include all our new friends from Taiwan and China who are not fluent in English in the growing Heart Pilgrim family. She is organizing groups who join our Yatra and Vicharana in India and also organizing Swami Kashi's visits to Taiwan.
Purnaji is a perfect example of a Karma Yogini who is volunteering tirelessly towards the cause of Heart Pilgrim.
In Taiwan, Purnaji is teaching Yoga and healing people through sound. (She is also a organizer of other training workshops in Taiwan&India.You can find more on her website. We are proud to have her in our team.

Yogiswar (Piyush Banuni)

​Piyush is a 29 years old Yoga teacher from Uttarkashi. He was born and brought up in a traditional Himalayan village farm-house near Uttarkashi. Son to a family of brahmin priests Piyush was exposed from infancy to the Hindu orthodox tradition. In 2008 Piyush took the Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course and the Advanced Teacher Training Course in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, South India. In 2013 he served for a year in the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas. He is a very gifted Yoga teacher and an expert cook of Indian cuisine. 

​Piyush is one of the organizers of the Himalayan Yatra of Heart Pilgrim. During the Yatra Piyush will take care of all the logistics and will teach us Yoga classes. He is very enthusiastic about it, and he is planning to organize a Yoga Camp of his own next year.

Mani Chaitanya

Mani is among the most celebrated Yoga teachers today. He taught numerous courses in the past decade, and travelled extensively worldwide for courses and workshops. Mani has studied many systems of Eastern philosophy, meditation and Ayurveda, which allows him to respond to each student’s individual condition profound understanding and insight.

He is well known for his professional and joyful way of teaching, and his courses are drawing hundreds of students from all over the world. Mani teaches Hatha and Raja Yoga, and gives inspiring discourses on Vedanta philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita, and other ancient scriptures.
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http://maniraman.org