Somananda

Founder and Head Teacher

Somananda, a spiritual yogi, lecturer, teacher and author, is the founder and head teacher of Somananda Tantra School - an international organisation devised to offer personal spiritual development through the ancient science of authentic Tantra Yoga.

Early life and education

Born in Israel, Somananda had an innate spiritual capacity as a young child and he developed a deep level of spiritual aspiration early on. He found himself praying, reading the Torah, and understanding high spiritual matters as a boy, despite that his family and upbringing were not religious.

Soma leading and guiding a powerful tantric ritual at a Tantra Massage retreat in Germany

In his youth, Somananda became passionate about martial arts, studying full-contact Budokan and Shotokan Karate under elite master Ethan Bodagov. During his training, he earned the equivalent of a brown belt. 

At the age of 18 Somananda joined the Israeli Army and fulfilled his three years of compulsory military service. Afterward, in an effort to appeal to his parents’ hopes and expectations, he enrolled in law school and in 1996 graduated from the College of Management Academic Studies in Rishon LeZion. He soon began working as a lawyer.

Starting his spiritual pursuits

However, Somananda’s spiritual interests had become increasingly intense during the years of his academic studies, and they could no longer be postponed. In 1996 his spiritual inquiry led him to lead what he would describe as a double life. By day he practiced law and by night he was engrossed in a personal Yoga practice from the lineage of Sivananda and read book after book of authentic yogic texts.

Explaining the different levels of consciousness according to the ancient tradition of Yoga and Tantra

Three years later Somananda left for India where he discovered and studied under true yogic and tantric masters. The next 10 years were spent in retreat and intense sadhana in Southeast Asia, while developing himself as a serious spiritual practitioner and Yoga, Tantra, and meditation teacher.

Receiving his spiritual name

The bestowing of spiritual names has been part of many traditions for millennia. How does one get a spiritual name and why? 

In monastic lineages, a preceptor or mentor grants a spiritual name at the time of ordination. However, in the authentic yogic lineages of India and Tibet, spiritual practitioners receive their new spiritual names directly from their gurus, who have themselves reached self-realization or enlightenment. Receiving such a name propagates a causal shift for the practitioner and affects his or her destiny.

The timing for bestowing a spiritual name on a disciple is determined by the guru and often marks a direct acknowledgment for reaching a verified level of spiritual success. In some cases, practitioners may request a spiritual name to symbolize a break with their past mundane life and a commitment to a new life dedicated to spiritual evolution. 

Once a spiritual name is assumed, it serves as a second or even third birth, symbolically and spiritually. From that point onward disciples will notice a major transformation in various aspects of their lives, especially pertaining to their spiritual capacity and growth potential. This is why it is a sacred rite of passage coveted by many.

In 2009, Somananda was endowed with this godly favor by his guru. In Sanskrit the word soma means the ambrosia of rejuvenation and revitalization, while ananda represents the body of bliss. The meaning of the name Somananda is, therefore, reaching the body of bliss through the mysterious power of the soma.

Creation of the school

After his time in Southeast Asia, Somananda relocated to Europe and in 2009 Somananda Tantra School was born. His intent and vision was to create a pioneering spiritual university to meet the demands of spiritual seekers around the globe, sharing authentic and ancient knowledge from Tantra and Yoga.

Providing a demonstration of full body energy orgasm at a group retreat, Denmark

Since its inception Somananda Tantra School has held over 300 spiritual courses and retreats in more than 25 countries worldwide (in Europe, Asia, North America, and South America), and has touched the lives of tens of thousands of students. The school now has an international team of teachers and project managers from all over the world. 

Somananda has been sought after for media features and appearances, especially following a viral YouTube video demonstrating a full-body energy orgasm, which currently has over 14 million views.

Notable Press, Media, and International Speaking Engagements

Somananda authored and published his first book, Tantra: Sex for the Soul, in 2014. Since then, additionally to English, it has been translated into Estonian, Czech, Bulgarian and Slovenian languages.

He was the featured speaker at various European Yoga and Tantra festivals. Later Somananda co-founded and organized, together with his wife Liisa, an International Tantra Festival in Estonia, which eventually became the largest attended Tantra festival in the world at that time.

In 2012, Somananda launched a YouTube channel for Somananda Tantra School. He produced a viral video demonstrating the full body energy orgasm, which now has over 18 million views. To date the channel has accumulated over 58,000 subscribers, 200 videos on various topics related to Tantra, Yoga and spirituality, and 26 million cumulative views. Soma, his wife Liisa, and his team of teachers continue to produce informative video content on a regular basis, answering the questions and curiosities of those who wish to explore and/or follow the tantric path.

While Somananda has been featured on television and radio in many countries throughout Europe, perhaps the TV appearance that took the world by storm was his 2016 interview and experiment on Danish National TV (DR2) with Lasse Spang Olsen.

In collaboration with the Technical University of Denmark and Aalborg University Hospital, Lasse organized a scientific experiment with several doctors and researchers to study the full body energy orgasm and Somananda’s unique ability to move energy in another person using his mind only.

The results baffled and mystified the observing doctors and professors. The diagnostic machines used in the experiment registered a 40% increase in the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, which could not be medically explained. Read the full overview here.