In a world fractured by chaos and uncertainty, Yogmata Keiko Aikawa moves with the stillness of someone who has already arrived: In the 5,000 year history of yoga, Aikawa is the first non-Indian and the first—and only—woman in history to earn the title of Siddha master, the highest level of spiritual enlightenment. She holds the title of Mahamandaleshwar (Supreme Master of the Universe), conferred by Juna Akhara, India’s most influential spiritual institution, and her books have sold over 1 million copies worldwide. This year, the globally recognized meditation master is bringing her practice around the world, presenting a series of exclusive meditation experiences across Cannes, Paris, and New York.
Aikawa In Shivpuri
Photo Courtesy of Science of Enlightenment
Born in Yamanashi, Japan in 1945, Aikawa began her journey in the cultural centers of Tokyo, where she founded her own yoga school in the 1970s and taught asana to thousands. Her practice reached a turning point in 1984, when prominent Himalayan saint Pilot Babaji came to Japan to film a television program and invited her to train with him in the Himalayas. Seven years later, in a remote region of the Himalayas above 5,000 meters altitude, she attained “Samadhi,” a state of human consciousness that transcends physical and mental boundaries to achieve spiritual enlightenment. (Samadhi is considered a dangerous ascetic practice that’s previously resulted in fatalities.)
