The
pilgrim we know as Swami NadaBrahmananda was born in Blackpool, Lancashire,
England on 21st March, 1941. He studied Physics and Mathematics at
Birkbeck College, London University and was trained as an electronics engineer
with Kodak Ltd, Harrow, England. He moved to Canada in 1971, becoming
a citizen in 1977 and receiving a Diploma in Management from McGill University,
equivalent to an MBA degree. His business career included twenty-five
years in computing as a software programmer, systems designer and analyst,
project manager and line manager. For nine years he worked with IBM
type PC computers building, upgrading, installing software, etc.
He is a fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers.
Swamiji's spiritual path began with a successful, deliberately produced out-of-body experience after reading a book on the subject in 1971. He joined the Rosicrucian Order AMORC shortly after and was a member for more than 15 years.
NadaBrahmananda received some training in psychic abilities from Marilyn Rossner, a well known Canadian psychic. His interest was purely in researching the subject and its possible application to the spiritual path.
In 1975, twelve years after his Mahasamadhi, the well known master H.H. Sri Swami Sivananda Maharaj appeared to NadaBrahmananda in two dreams, two weeks apart. It was not until his first visit to the ashram in Val Morin, Quebec two years later that he found out who this character in his dreams was. This was the ashram of a well known disciple of Sivananda, Swami Vishnu-devananda who established a world wide yoga teaching organization, the ISYVC, in the 1960's.
It was in 1978 at the Val Morin ashram that NadaBrahmananda was trained as a Yoga teacher. Subsequently he studied Tibetan Tantric Yoga in Montreal with Lama Geshe Khenrab Gajam of the Gelugpa sect and has taught Yoga as an integrated system ever since.
After an intense self administered retreat in Ashtanga practices, especially Pranayama, NadaBrahmananda took more teachings and initiations in Annutara Highest Tantric Yoga. His teachers included visiting Tibetan Gurus, amongst them Zing Ling Rinpoche, Trijang Rinpoche and Zong Rinpoche. NadaBrahmananda completed a three month intense retreat in Vajra Yogini Yoga Sadhana.
At about this time, he had his first Divine contact with the Inner Self.
In 1979, NadaBrahmananda and a friend opened a meditation center in Montreal, “The Spiritual Meditation Group Inc.”, and ran it for 8 months before leaving for India on a personal spiritual quest. He sought competent advice and commentary on certain experiences he had had in meditation. He stayed in India for 6 weeks and upon returning to Montreal went into retreat for 2 years practicing and completing certain Buddhist meditation empowerments.
NadaBrahmananda journeyed to Wisconsin in 1980 where he received initiation in the KalaChakra practice with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
In 1982, he returned to India and received teachings and initiation from two masters, Sant Darshan Singh (a Sikh master) and H.H. Sri Satpol Maharaj (a Hindu). Nadabrahmananda was interested to note that their teachings were virtually identical and he continues to look for the commonalities in all religions.
Following his return to Canada, NadaBrahmananda went into a seven year long retreat in a shed at a friend's house and only resumed teaching afterwards. Most teaching was of meditation techniques and psychic and spiritual healing.
In 1991, he re-joined the staff of Swami Vishnu-devananda’s ashram in Val Morin. Vishnu-devananda had since died and as he had been NadaBrahmananda Yoga teacher he wished to be of service.
About a year later, NadaBrahmananda went to the Divine Life Society's ashram in Malaysia, near Kuala Lumpur as a guest Yoga teacher and from there went on a private retreat in Thailand at Wat Tha Sung, a Buddhist monastery in Pissanulok where he was taught a unique meditation system called Manomayiti. He was also taught Vipassana meditation at the main Buddhist teaching monastery in the center of Bangkok, near the Royal palace.
In 1994 NadaBrahmananda returned to Canada and established himself in Victoria, British Columbia. Here he founded “The International Meditation Society” and its ashram, the IMS Sivananda Ashram, which teaches all its spiritual disciplines without charge on principle. This ashram has received the blessing of the enlightened Guru Sri Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj, the current president (and successor to Swami Sivananda) of the Divine Life Society of Rishikesh, India and received his permission to use the master's name for this ashram and society.
Throughout these twenty-five years, NadaBrahmananda has conducted a weekly meditation group or groups, meditating for Health, Healing and World Peace. During the late 1970’s, he had a vision of the world surrounded by blue light which, upon closer examination, could be seen to consist of many blue lines connecting points of blue light. This he presumed will be the case during the “Golden Age”, so often referred to. In 1999, he realized that our web pages in English, French and Spanish were not enough to make this loosely associated network happen and thus was born the idea of a Yatra or pilgrimage that he has now undertaken.
The Yatra began October 1st, 1999 after four years of thought and has become his vocation. During his traveling experiences the presence of Divine guidance has become unmistakably clear to him. There is no geographical goal or terminus for this pilgrimage: The journey is its own purpose. NadaBrahmananda has stated the following aims:
1) To encourage as many people as possible to meet together each week and, once a week to meditate for world peace, healing and love. Suggested techniques are available on these pages.
2) To establish a “Pilgrimage Trail” around North America with simple dharamsalas or shelters, free of charge and available to all religions, where anyone may stay a night and rest. It is hoped that as many shrines, ashrams and places of spiritual interest as possible can be catalogued, so that many people can benefit.
3) To reaffirm the basic kindness, goodness and generosity in everyone by placing himself in need of their assistance.