Hridayam School is a California 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the development of consciousness. Our work includes supporting spiritual awareness and worship in all forms, through as many ways as possible, including retreats, classes, satsangs, spiritual travel, professional trainings for chaplains and counselors, individual work and group work., etc. Our approach is based on textual, anthropological, phenomenological and scientific research of spiritual methodologies and religious ethical systems. Our primary interest is in the study of religious and spiritual experience, and its effects on whole human being. Since experience has been shown to change the brain, religious or spiritual experience also has the same capacity. Furthering this positive transformation is one of the central goals of Hridayam School.
Hridayam School was founded in 1994, by Olga Louchakova, Igor Kungurtsev (Ati Akarta), Ab-e Levitsky, Alice Agar and Anna Silva. Alice brought to Hridayam knowledge and experience of the global psychedelic community, Abe shared his knowledge of Advaita and gestalt therapy, and the Hridayam system was developed by Olga Louchakova, M.D. and neuroscientist. Igor, also an M.D., has been one of the leading Russian researchers in the use of entheogens in the treatment of addictions.
At present, Hridayam School is beginning to incorporate into its practices work with migration stress, spiritual resilience in the process of globalization, and various forms of diversity work which take place in global business administration training classrooms.