Swami Neel Kamal Saraswati was the Director of the Ashram from 1998 to 2001. She passed on from her physical body on August 10th 2001. She died peacefully and her last few days and weeks were characterised by a sense of joy and inner illumination. She was born in Italy but lived a large part of her life in the UK, in Plymouth. She married and had three daughters. In the mid-70s she became interested in Yoga. In the late 70s she trained as a Yoga Teacher with the British Wheel of Yoga and then did a further Yoga Teacher Training Course with Swami Satyamurti in Ireland. She met Swami Satyananda in 1980 and this was a catalyst for going still deeper into Yoga. She dedicated herself to Yoga and the spiritual path and she started teaching Yoga in the Plymouth area. She was one of the first people to come to Mandala Yoga Ashram in 1986 and became actively involved in helping the Ashram on all levels in these pioneering days.
In the late 90s, Swami Nishchalananda wanted to retire as Ashram Director and pursue his Yoga practice in more depth. He chose Swami Neel Kamal to become the new Ashram Director which she carried out with great love, compassion and proficiency until just before her death.
She was a Light and Inspiration to many seekers. Though her physical presence is greatly missed, her Presence remains as strong as ever.

Swami Neel Kamal Saraswati, Ashram Director, 1998-2001.
Behind her on the stone dias is the Akhanda Jyoti, the Eternal Flame, which symbolises the Divine Essence or Underlying Consciousness that lies deep within All.