Harry and Helen Kottler - A Short Biography Harry was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1945. As a student, he was interested in all the humanities, but his main subject area of study was art. He received a bachelors degree in 1966 and masters degree in 1968 at local colleges. Afterwards, he taught art, and reading and was a substitute teacher on the junior high school and elementary school levels. Then, in 1974, he met Swami Muktananda. This spiritual master from India was traveling around the world teaching meditation. Harry lived in his presence for four years. He was studying and learning the disciplines of yoga. Since Muktananda’s death in 1982, his living master has been his successor, Swami Chidvilasananda. Helen was born on the island of Zanzabar in Tansania, in 1955. In her youth she studied art but as a university student in Sydney , Australia, she majored in biology. She received a bachelors degree and a diploma in Education in 1977. Afterwards she taught science to students, grades 7 through 12. She began meditating and studying yoga in 1980. Then in 1983, she met Swami Chidvilasananda, in Sydney. A year later she traveled to India and spent nine weeks with her master. Then, in 1985, she traveled to the United States to be with her once more. Helen was with Swami Chidvilasananda in two cities, Oakland and Santa Monica, California. It was in Santa Monica that Harry and Helen met. During their years together they have practiced yoga, meditation and contemplation, have taught in the Adult Division of Los Angeles Unified Schools, have worked at and exhibited art, and Harry has written poetry. Their art has always been about their deepest spiritual experiences. Their daughter, Emily, was born in 1994. Occasionally she will post pictures on this blog. In the late 1990’s Harry wrote his spiritual autobiography. Since July 2000, Harry has written hundreds of poems . One book of his poetry, I'm Going to the Moon, is available through Amazon.com. More books of poetry will be published in the future.<<