Samata Yoga: History of the Guru

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Durga Swami:
Ordinary woman: extraordinary life

I offer this writing at the feet of my friend and Master, Durga Swami

Swami Durgananda is the Spiritual leader of Samata Yoga. She is a modern woman with an ancient job. She is Guru who is also a mother, daughter and has been a wife. She is a business woman, whose business is yoga and devotion to God. She is in this world but not of it.

She spans and unites the past and present; the sublime and mundane; chela and friend.

Swami often says that her life has been not one life but many lived in one lifetime. Her contribution to the world and this century will go unrecognised in her lifetime. But like a true yogi, she does not care as long as she is able to give 150% doing her beloved God’s will so that she has no regrets when this lifetime is finished.

Swami was born in Melbourne, Australia in the early 1940.s. She was born with an intense love of God and spent many hours as a young child contemplating life beyond the physical existence. This was in complete contrast to her daily life in the inner suburbs of Melbourne. Although, surrounded and raised by a large extended family, life was difficult for such a sensitive child. In 1960, Swami, relocated to Western Germany where she lived, worked and raised her family for many years.

Swami had never enjoyed robust health, suffering an undiagnosed heart condition from birth, in her early 20’s, she was diagnosed with chronic arthritis which led her to yoga, as a healing art. This increased Swami’s expertise in the realms of esoteric yogic philosophy and into the importance of balancing the body’s energy to optimise healing.

For 40 years Swami has been teaching yoga, meditation and philosophy around the world. Once her family had grown a little and she had recovered from more serious illness that had plagued her through her 20’s and early 30’s, she began to search in earnest for a spiritual master to take her natural inclination and knowledge further.

In 1974, her husband was transferred to India and she settled her young family down in New Delhi. Within a short time, she met the Master for whom she was searching. The Master of Samata Yoga, H.H. Neelkanth lives in the small village of Barsana, in Uttar Pradesh: a couple of hours south of Delhi.

Very reluctantly, H.H. Neelkanth accepted Swami as his student and began her instruction into Raj yoga that was to last over 15 years.

Eventually, she was initiated into the lineage of Samata Samashti Dharma. At her final initiation she was given the title of Swami Durgananda or Durga Swami. At this time she was asked to take the teachings to the West.

Her innate knowledge, the guidance of Maharaj and her destiny have given Swami a profound understanding of the universe and human condition. By nature, a gifted healer, she is also qualified in a range of healing modalities and is a member of the World Natural Medicine Foundation.

She has suffered and survived most major illnesses. She has used her knowledge of yoga alongside Western medicine as a means of healing herself and others.

The first hand experience and understanding of how yoga can help heal led her to establish in 1989, the first Samata Yoga classes. The program is imbued with her energy and is so successful that it is followed by all Samata Yoga Instructors.

Swami started off modestly with 1 or 2 classes in 1989 which she taught herself, and Samata Yoga is now taught by 21 instructors across Victoria. Since that time, thousands of individuals have benefited from and been helped by the yoga.

Swami has brought this yoga to the west, primarily as a healing yoga. Sat Gurudev, the modern founder of this ancient lineage, was a great healer who used his yogic powers and knowledge of herbs to heal all who came to him for help. Swami continues in this tradition, healing fundamentally with the power of love. She is also the motivation, support and force behind Samata Yoga’s current healers who use the vehicles of massage, Reiki, Bowen, Reflexology, aromatherapy, vibrational medicine and counselling in conjunction with the healing power of Samata Yoga classes.