Irene Petryszak served as the chairman of the Himalayan Institute from 1996 to 2008 and was a senior editor of Yoga International magazine. She holds a master’s degree in Eastern studies and has studied and practiced yoga for over 30 years in the United States and India under the guidance of Swami Rama and Pandit Rajmani Tigunait. She teaches meditation and yoga philosophy at the Himalayan Institute.