Born in 1945, Swami Ken began his spiritual quest at an early age. A resident of Minnesota, he spent his early years in the conquest of knowledge by taking private sabbaticals in the northern woods, studying the works of the great masters, chopping wood and carrying water. One wintery morning he went out for firewood, and spotted a dead branch up in a tree. He climbed up to cut it with a logger’s saw, but it slipped as the branch fell and cut a gash in his leg.  No one was around for miles, so Swami Ken managed to drag himself down the tree and back to the forest cabin. His leg was bleeding profusely. After wrapping it in cloth, the only thing he knew to do was to sit quietly and meditate. He sat for hours in deep meditation. As he meditated, the pain began to subside. When Swami Ken came out of meditation, he took the cloth off his leg, and to his amazement, the gash had closed and the leg had healed completely! The universal healing power of meditation was completely validated that day for Swami Ken.

Swami Ken is a direct disciple of Sri Shivabalayogi Maharaj and was initiated into a special type of discipline known as 'Tapas.' The tapas as given by Swami Shivabalayogi is for a few stalwart souls who have the ability to sit in a deep state of meditation known as 'samadhi' for extended periods. When his master first touched Swami Ken on the third eye, initiating him into tapas, Swami Ken fell into a deep state of Samadhi and did not come out for five hours. Subsequently, he lived at Sri Shivabalayogi’s ashram in Bangalore , India practicing from 10 to 15 hours of meditation per day. After returning to America, he continued his tapas as instructed by his teacher. Shivabalayogi initiated thousands of people into meditation, and a few direct disciples into tapas, such as Swami Ken. Having sustained his meditation practice over 25 years and his tapas for more than seven years, he still practices meditation on a daily basis and has direct contact with his guru inwardly through his meditations. 

As directed by his master, he continues to make this simple technique available to all who are sincerely interested in learning how to meditate. This initiation is for all people on all paths. Shivabalayogi said that you should not change paths or gurus, but that this initiation into meditation will only strengthen and deepen your own path of choice (If you are a Christian, you will become a better Christian. If you are a Hindu, you will become a better Hindu, for example). And no one needs any money. Meditation is free. God is all around you and within you! You only have to tap into it through the grace of the guru.

                        *Om Jai Sri Sri Sri Shivabalayogi Maharaj!*