Our Spiritual Director

Panditji is an experienced teacher in the Himalayan Tradition who is capable of bringing the authentic teachings of the yoga masters to all types of students. People of all ages enjoy his accessibility and humor. His knowledge of Sanskrit and the yoga scriptures is vast and comprehensive yet he is able to explain complex ideas in ways that are easy to understand and apply to daily life. He brings the experiences and knowledge of the Himalayan sages to life.

Pandit Hari Shankar Dabral was born near Dehradun, India, in a family of Sanskrit scholars. He holds a Ph.D. in yoga philosophy and Sanskrit from the University of Varanasi, India. A disciple of H.H. Swami Rama of the Himalayas, he has been trained by Dr. Swami Veda Bharati for the past sixteen years and works closely with him in teaching meditation and yoga philosophy in Asia, Europe and North America.

H.H. Swami Rama sent Pandit Dabral to the US in 1992. In 1994, Swamiji appointed Pandit Dabral as spiritual director of his Himalayan Institute in Chicago where he served for four years. Trained and authorized by Swami Rama to give initiations, Dr. Dabral has initiated many hundreds of people. An inspiring speaker, he guides students in meditation in various centers in North America. Pandit Dabral is a senior teacher and coordinator of the International Himalayan Yoga Teachers Association and their teacher training program. He travels internationally to initiate and teach.