My spiritual path began in early childhood. Together with my parents, I made countless pilgrimages to India, and those powerful encounters and impressions shaped my life in lasting ways. Even my birth name, “Shakiri,” has its roots in that background; it was given to me by a teacher at the time.
At a young age, I learned the art of mantra recitation and the singing of traditional Indian songs in South India. In several monastic-style meditation centers, I received profound teachings from Indian scholars, philosophers, yogis, and swamis. In order to gain a broader understanding of India’s cultures and religions, I chose to study Indology, Tibetology, and Buddhist studies, graduating with distinction in 2009.
Learning Sanskrit, Vedic, Pali, and Tibetan allowed me to immerse myself directly in sacred texts and understand their deeper meaning. For several years, I worked on a research project for the Academy of Sciences in Vienna. Since 2014, I have dedicated myself to adult education. As an expert on India and Buddhism, I continue to deepen my knowledge through many trainings, including yoga teacher, ayurveda, and meditation course leader programs. I also lead engaging courses on yoga philosophy and legendary asanas, organize Sanskrit schools, and give lectures.
Many pilgrimage and study journeys have brought me repeatedly, often together with my husband and sons, to India and Sri Lanka, where I visited sacred sites and met with teachers and mentors. I explored the most important pilgrimage destinations and historic monuments of Hinduism and Buddhism, and spent time in several ashrams, monasteries, and temples.
Having traveled to India for more than 40 years, I bring a rich treasury of knowledge and experience into my work. On my group journeys through North and South India, I share “my India” with you. This country is my second home, and I simply love its cultures, people, rituals, temples, and food — everything about it.
As a teacher of meditation, mindfulness, and relaxation, I share what I have been fortunate to learn over decades from masters of different traditions. I lead courses and retreats and work as a mentor in the field of “meditation and business.” Although I have received extensive initiations in Tibetan meditation practices, as well as training in yoga meditation, mantra recitation, writing and sound meditation, Zen, Qi Gong, and mindfulness, the range of methods I teach remains non-dogmatic.
Come and meditate with me in truly special places in India!