The Founder

Natha has it’s origins in Romanian yoga school MISA. It was founded by Gregorian Bivolaru (Grieg) who has been teaching yoga in its wide and profound meaning since the year 1971. Grieg is a self-realized tantric master. Due to his spiritual accomplishments, he is of high repute by international yoga organizations.

Gregorian Bivolaru (Grieg) was born on 12 March 1952, in Tãrtãsesti, Romania. While he was a child he often had recurring dreams about himself being a Tibetan Yogi of high spiritual attainment. As a result of these dreams, he had many recollections of various yogic techniques that he started to practice with amazing results. During middle school and high-school he spent most of his time in the libraries in Bucharest reading thousands of books of physics, chemistry, alchemy, parapsychology, psychoanalysis, medicine and sexology. Little by little he discovered the fascinating Eastern spirituality and he devoted himself completely to yoga study and practice.
Because of this, he was able to attain in a very short time, by practising on his own, a whole series of psycho-mental accomplishment that are generally considered paranormal. All these experiments culminated at the age of 19, when he had a decisive breakthrough and attained the state of spiritual awakening.

In 1971 he started to teach his first yoga courses. From the same moment the Secret Services started to watch him, due to his correspondence with the great historian of religions, philosopher and writer Mircea Eliade, considered by the communists a "public enemy" for his interests in the yoga system and in the Eastern mysticism. In 1982 the Yoga courses were banned by the communist regime. This also happened to martial arts and to all forms of esoteric or spiritual practice, even the Faculty of Psychology was closed down. However he continued to teach yoga illegally. He was arrested several times during Ceausescu regime, since the government was not able to control him and he was protesting against it.

Since 1990, professor Bivolaru resumed his yoga teachings. Due to his spiritual accomplishments, he obtained in 1990 the title "professor of Yoga" of the International Himalayan Vishvaguru Yoga University and later he is certified as "professor of Yoga" by the High Studies School from the Universal Academy for Peace ( France ).

When Ceausescu’s time was over in January 1990, Gregorian Bivolaru founded MISA, the Movement for Spiritual Integration into Absolute, organization having as a goal to raise the spiritual level of the Romanian people through the dissemination of yoga knowledge. MISA opened yoga classes and holds also lectures on related disciplines such as Kashmirian philosophy, and ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine). Also, the movement proved to contribute at the enhancement of moral and cultural values of the Romanians (see the official web-site of MISA).
The yoga courses opened first in Bucharest spread soon all over the country. Competent teachers were trained under the guidance of Gregorian Bivolaru. Based on the ancient yoga knowledge and also on his own reach experience, he succeeded to found an extensive and integral yoga system.

Due to its effectiveness, this yoga system was implemented in a similar manner in more than 20 countries in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, even Australia . This is how The International Federation of Yoga and Meditation, ATMAN , was created. It is an organisation that brings together spiritual movements from different parts of the world having as their main goals the awakening of the spirituality on Earth, the reconsideration of the fundamental truths, the reorientation of the humanity towards the highest possible aim of a man's life, spiritual liberation. Mr. Gregorian Bivolaru is the spiritual mentor of this federation. MISA yoga school counts today almost 35,000 students and sympathizers in Romania and abroad.

In addition to the yoga course, he started many other directions of self-knowledge development. He brought into Romania -reconsidered from a scientific perspective, fitting better the occidental education system- ancient health systems, like ayurveda (a naturist medicine system developed in India ), fyto-therapy, chromo-therapy, helio-therapy, as well as ancient esoteric systems like Kashmir Shivaism. Due to his extreme curiosity and an enormous appetite for studying, he succeed to reformulate from an esoteric point of view modern aspects of psychology and sociology - like the study of the enneagram. He encouraged the study of the sacred books and made it possible by creating an immense library. Also his personal contribution to the mentioned library is not to be neglected. A number of 38 books written, translated or commented by Mr. Bivolaru, together with more than 100 articles stand for the high standard educative spirit he proved during his life. (see the List of Publications)

In november 2005 Gregorian Bivolaru, the spiritual head of MISA has been elected full member for life in the International Senior Yoga Teachers Advisors of World Yoga Council within the International Yoga Council, the highest board of the International Yoga Federation.

Even though Ceausescu ceased to be in power already in Christmas 1989, in many areas the society remained the same. Because of currently ongoing human rights violations of Romanian yogis and himself, Bivolaru moved to Sweden and was granted a statue of political refugee by the Swedish government in 2005. (see details)

NATHA in Finland

Natha Finland was founded by Danish Swami Mahalayananda Saraswati in 1997. He was teaching in Natha untill January 2007. Natha Finland is now led by Daniela Dee.