who we are
In a nutshell, for the yearning of wanting to grow and for the love of mountains, we came together as a team to bring to life Swara Retreat.
Ganesh was brought up in the yogic tradition since a young child in Nepal and India. He has been practising for over 30 years and has studied yoga at the Vivekananda Yoga University in Bangalore, Divine Life Society in Rishikesh, Bihar School of Yoga in Munger, Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram and KPJ Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore. He holds an M.A. in Sanskrit and Vedic Philosophy from Banaras Hindu University. Ganesh is an enthusiastic and experienced teacher with a natural flair for understanding the physical, energetic and psychological faculties. A multi-tasker, he oversees the operations of the retreat and our faithful work force. He is generous in sharing his energy and knowledge, and being with people. When not at work, he loves a deep, hearty conversation in history, philosophy and politics.
IiLing trained and practised architecture in the UK before turning to yoga. Enthralled by John Scott and Annie Pace in the early days, she took to daily mysore practice and assisted Hamish Hendry at Astanga Yoga London, and eventually at the source at the KPJ Ashtanga Yoga Institute in Mysore, India. She met Ganesh there and they returned regularly for a decade to practice with Sri K.Pathabhi Jois and Sharath Jois. Somewhere in between, their yoga journey embodied two boys. Here at the retreat, she crafts the meals, attends to emails, enquiries and other demands of the virtual sphere. Look out for her if there are rosy suggestions to design a new initiative, share ideas, muse on books and literature, or to improve your stay. She thrives in nature, before dawn and behind the scenes.
Ram plays a pivotal role in ensuring that everything runs as smooth as butter upon your arrival in Pokhara. You will most likely meet him during your pickup and on your transfer to Astam. He is the man to seek should you need aid, advice and assistance with travel arrangements, itineraries and excursions before, during and after your stay. Whilst running a travel agency, Ram was introduced to yoga at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre, Kerala. Together with Sakuntala, they founded Atman Yoga in Kathmandu before wrapping it up to be a part of Swara Retreat.
Biran comes from Tanahun and is our man to get all things done. He was our stonemason who carved our amphitheatre, external stonewalls and footpaths. He is also a craftsman, farmer, buffalo care-minder, ping builder and a brilliant dancer amongst many other skills. He played a major role in landscaping Swara and is now our indispensable limb.
Jeevan hails from Astam, helps in our kitchen and attends to the maintenance of Swara. When not at work, you can find him playing soulful tunes on his flute or the ukulele, or on the yoga mat. Together with Biran, the duo light up our campfires with song and dance, stirring nights into twilight.