Sometimes the course of a lifetime is determined by a single moment. For Asha Praver, it was her first meeting with Swami Kriyananda in November 1969 at a lecture he gave at Stanford University. Soon after, she moved to the fledging Ananda community in Northern California where Swami Kriyananda lived, to study with him full time.

Working closely with Swami Kriyananda ever since, Asha has served at various times as his cook, secretary, and personal assistant, as well as head of publications, marketing, and public relations for Ananda. In the mid-1970s, Swamiji asked her to begin teaching and lecturing, first at Ananda’s Meditation Retreat, later throughout the United States.

Asha is a gifted storyteller and a much-respected teacher. Bringing together nearly 40 years of close observation to detail (and copious note-taking), she shares with us in her first book, Swami Kriyananda: As We Have Known Him some of her most inspired moments with Swamiji, either observed in person or related to her by others, each one told with her unique blend of sensitive insight, courage, and joy.

Asha and her husband David are the spiritual directors of Ananda in Palo Alto, California, where they have been teaching and serving the public since 1987.