His Eminence the Second Kalu Rinpoche was born in 1990 in Darjeeling, India. The Second Kalu Rinpoche was recognized on March 25, 1992 by Tai Situ Rinpoche. His Holiness the Dalai Lama officially confirmed the recognition. In 1993, he was inducted into Samdrub Darjay Choling (Sonada). After his father passed away in 1999, he asked to live in the monastery of Bokar Rinpoche in order to grow and study under his direction. In 2004, he began the traditional three-year retreat, and in 2009, he received from Tai Situ Rinpoche all the transmissions of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage. On this occasion, the cycle of initiations of the lineage was conferred on him 108 times; he is now holder of this lineage. In 2010, Kalu Rinpoche traveled to the West and took charge of the meditation centers created by the first Kalu Rinpoche around the world. In 2014, he returned to Palden Shangpa La Boulaye in France to teach and to resume the tradition of Monlam Shangpa initiated by his predecessor. He did the same in the United States in 2019. Each year, Kalu Rinpoche gives initiations and teachings around the world.
Michele Loew is an international yoga teacher who has been dedicated to the practice and science of yoga since 1999. She is the founder of the Yoga Space in Portland, Oregon, and Vajra Yoga, a school she created with Robert Thurman for Tibet House US that teaches Indian yogic inner science in the Buddhist context of the reality of clear light. She is known as a teacher’ s teacher, and her yoga schools have been respected by students worldwide for teaching lineage-based yoga focusing on the deeper philosophical and esoteric aspects of the practice alongside cutting edge modern science and kinesiology. She serves on the board of directors of Tibet House US and leads retreats and workshops internationally with an altruistic intention to serve and inspire all to discover their enlightened nature.