Sally Kempton

Sally Kempton (1943–2023) was a meditation teacher, author and lifelong student of the wisdom traditions of Tantra, Kashmir Shaivism and the Goddess traditions of India. Over nearly five decades she studied, embodied and shared these meditative and tantric teachings in ways modern students could apply to daily life.

Born in Princeton, New Jersey, she studied literature and philosophy at Sarah Lawrence College and became a respected journalist. Her essay "Cutting Loose: A Private View of the Women's Uprising" appeared in Esquire, and she also wrote for The New York Times, New York Magazine and The Village Voice. In 1974 she recognized her guru in Swami Muktananda of the Siddha Yoga tradition, and she spent the next three decades as a monastic in that lineage. She was initiated into the Saraswati order of monks in 1982 and given the name Swami Durgananda. During those years she edited her guru's teachings and the monthly magazine Darshan, and she began to teach.

After leaving Siddha Yoga in 2002, Sally taught and wrote in her own style. She wrote the "Wisdom" column for Yoga Journal as a contributing editor and taught widely, in person and through online courses, to students around the world. Her books include Meditation for the Love of It (2011), a guide to heart-based meditation for practitioners at any stage, and Awakening Shakti (2013), which offers mantras, yantras and daily practices for honoring the Goddess in everyday life. Her audio book Doorways to the Infinite is rooted in the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra.

Her Awakened Heart Meditation teaches practices for connecting with the energy of the open heart. Her Goddess courses explore MahaShakti and forms such as Durga, Kali, Lakshmi and Saraswati. She drew on Western psychology, neuroscience and popular culture as well as Eastern traditions, and was often called a "teacher's teacher." Those who knew her work describe a writer and feminist who was clear, warm, witty and irreverent. Her teachings continue through her students, writings, online courses and guided meditations.