Swami Siddhananda first visited Gurudev Siddha Peeth, the Siddha Yoga Ashram in India, in the early 1970s as a college professor, taking a group of her students on a tour of India. They were in the Ashram only three days, but it was life-transforming. Once Swami ji returned to the U.S., she received shaktipat through a meditation experience in which she saw Baba Muktananda placing his hand on her head and she became filled with shimmering light. After receiving shaktipat, Swami ji began her Siddha Yoga practice, and in l983 she took the vows of monkhood, becoming a Siddha Yoga Swami. She has taught in Siddha Yoga satsangs, courses, and Shaktipat Intensives.

Swami ji inspires Siddha Yogis with her enthusiasm for seva and her down-to-earth application of the Guru’s teachings.