Ganesh Baba

Ganesh Baba, whose formal name was Sri Mahant Swami Ganesh Anand Saraswati Giri, was head monk of the Anand Akhara, a psychedelic Shivite order in Bereilly, India. It is one of the original 10 Dashanami Sanyasi groups started by Shankaracharaya. Baba received his monastic vows from this group as well as Swami Sivananda whose organization provided formal yoga instruction to many of the great yoga teachers of the last one hundred years. In addition, Ganesh Baba served for a time as logistics coordinator for Anandamayi Ma’s ashram.

His Kriya instruction spanned most of his life. It began through contact with Lahiri Mahasaya when he was an infant followed by formal instruction by Lahiri Mahasaya’s disciple Sanyal Mahasaya (Bhupendranath Sanyal). Ganesh Baba was also taught by Tripura (Tripura Charan Devsharma) whose instruction was passed down through Sri Yukteswar via Motilal (Sri Motilal Mukhopadhaya).

Keith Lowenstein

Keith Lowenstein, M.D., M.Div. has been providing instruction in Kriya yoga meditation since 1980. Passing down the life work of Ganesh Baba’s synthesis of how to modulate the human experience through the dynamic breathwork and meditation practice of Kriya. In Ganesh Baba’s words, ” Kriya tunes up the human bio-psychic apparatus such that it can operate in its Optimal Operational Order (O3)”

Dr. Keith Lowenstein learned Kriya yoga in 1980 from Ganesh Baba. Dr. Lowenstein spent approximately 5 years living with and learning from Ganesh Baba. He was fortunate enough to be one of Ganesh Baba’s last students and spent those years practicing and teaching alongside him.

Keith also received Kriya yoga meditation instruction from Parmahansa Hariharananda whose teacher was Sri Yukteswar and Paramahansa Yogananda. Prior to Kriya yoga, Keith learned TM meditation in 1972 and in 1977 had other training with Hilda Charlton a student of both Paramahansa Yoganada and Bhagavan Nityananda the teacher of Swami Muktananda .