Wikipedia
Shankarananda (Shiva Yoga)
Mahamandaleshwar Swami Shankarananda (born Russell Michael Kruckman; 1942) is an American-born guru in the lineage of Bhagavan Nityananda of Ganeshpuri. He is a spiritual teacher in Australia where he founded the Shiva Ashram, a residential spiritual school where about 20 seekers lived and members of the wider public visited for programs, retreats and courses until it went into liquidation in 2015. It has since reopened as the Sri Nityananda Ashram. He is also a self-published author on the philosophy and practice of Kashmir Shaivism. He emphasizes a spiritual practice, especially meditation, mantra and self-inquiry.