Somananda is a spiritual yogi, teacher, and author who founded the Somananda Tantra School, an international organization devoted to authentic spiritual growth through the ancient science of Tantra.
Born in Israel, he showed remarkable spiritual sensitivity from an early age. Although raised in a secular environment, he was naturally drawn to prayer and the study of the Torah, understanding profound spiritual ideas while still a child. As a young man, that same intensity found an outlet in martial arts, where he trained with elite masters in Budokan and Shotokan Karate and reached the equivalent of a brown belt.
At 18, he completed his compulsory military service in the Israeli Army. Afterward, in line with his parents’ wishes, he followed a conventional route, graduating from law school in 1996 and starting work as a lawyer. Even so, his inner spiritual fire never faded.
During his university years, his spiritual longing grew too strong to ignore. By day he practiced law; by night he immersed himself in the Sivananda Yoga lineage and studied ancient yogic texts. In 1999, his calling became impossible to resist, and he left his former life behind to travel to India, where he encountered authentic yogic and tantric masters.
For the following decade, he devoted himself to intense sadhana and retreat in Southeast Asia. This period brought deep inner transformation and strengthened his path as a committed practitioner and teacher of yoga, Tantra, and meditation.
In the authentic yogic lineages of India and Tibet, receiving a spiritual name from an enlightened master is a sacred rite of passage — a rebirth that changes the direction of one’s life. In 2009, Somananda received this honor from his guru.
His name blends soma, the ambrosia of rejuvenation, and ananda, the body of bliss, expressing the meaning of “reaching the body of bliss through the mysterious power of the soma.” This marked his transition from seeker to spiritual guide.
That same year, he moved to Europe to bring his vision to life: the Somananda Tantra School. Created as a pioneering spiritual university, it was designed to serve seekers around the world by sharing the ancient, authentic knowledge of Tantra and yoga.
Since its beginning, the school has offered hundreds of courses and retreats in more than 25 countries, reaching tens of thousands of students. Today, Somananda leads an international team of teachers and project managers as the school continues to grow globally.
Somananda’s work has drawn international attention. In 2014, he authored Tantra: Sex for the Soul, a book that has been translated into multiple languages. He also launched the school’s YouTube channel, which has received more than 26 million views. One viral video, showing a full-body energy orgasm, has been watched over 23 million times.
He has spoken at several European Yoga and Tantra festivals. Together with his wife Liisa, he co-founded and organized an International Tantra Festival in Estonia, which later became the largest Tantra festival in the world at that time.
His abilities were also examined scientifically. In a 2016 experiment broadcast on Danish National TV, doctors and researchers observed him moving energy in another person using only his mind. The results showed a medically unexplained 40% increase in parasympathetic nervous system activity, leaving the experts puzzled and reinforcing his reputation as a modern mystic.