Prema Baba Swamiji

Prema Baba Swamiji, Dr. Donald Schnell, was born in Germany on February 4, 1955.

Prema Baba Swamiji has been interested in all universal religions and is spiritually passionate from an early age. He is deeply connected to the light. Baba’s father made him study the teachings of Swami Paramahansa Yogananda and he read the book ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’. Baba applied all these teachings. Baba was able to control his life force energies (pranayama) at a young age and withdraw consciousness from the senses (prathyahara), after which he entered into Yogic Samadhi, where even the heart comes to a rest-still.

Although his mother (of Austrian origin) was a great soul and taught yoga, she was very detached, she could not take care of her children well and she often left them on the streets at a young age. At the age of four, Baba and his twin brother Bruce were taken by his father and they moved to his father’s native Arizona.In Arizona, his father and later stepmother were initiated into Kriya Yoga. All his life, Baba had been guided inwardly by the yoga master Paramahansa Yogananda.

At the age of 21, Baba was the founder of one of the first Siddha Yoga Ashrams in the United States. He established a Siddha Yoga ashram in Mesa Arizona after personal approval by Swami Muktananda. In India, Baba received directly from Swami Muktananda the power to pass on his Prema Shakti and wisdom to others, which Baba has been doing with love ever since. Baba was blessed by Swami Muktananda with the peacock feathers and Swami Muktananda gave him permission to open and run the ashram, which he did for many years, also teaching students who later became famous personalities, such as the bestselling author of “Crack in the Cosmic Egg,” Joseph Chilton Pearce and Hilda Charlton (a famous yogini from Mexico).

During the following decades, Baba traveled back and forth to India to study and receive the blessings of various Indian saints, sages, Gurus, mystics and yogis.
During one of these trips Baba was at Puttaparthi in India with Sai Baba, after Sai Baba heard his prayers he found his personal Guru on earth, Sri Sri Swami Nagananda, from whom he had received dreams and meditations since early childhood.

In 1997, Prema Baba was inwardly called by Swami Nagananda to come to India. On this trip, he met Mahavatar Sri Babaji. Babaji is considered the king of yogis, living in the Himalayas. About this encounter and initiation, Baba wrote the book ‘The Initiation’. He writes brightly and insightfully about his trip to India and the special encounter with Babaji and about the many miracles that subsequently manifested in his life.

Babaji asked Baba to dedicate his life to the mission of helping others experience the light. Prema Baba Swamiji and his wife Prema Amma Swamiji are now bringing Spiritual Yoga®, a thriving powerful energy, to the West, focusing on spiritual wisdom, transmission of the Prema Shakti energy and awakening.

Meet Prema Baba and connect to your divine nature!