"Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati describes in vivid and poetic prose the journey that took her, a Stanford graduate, from a life of privilege in America to a simple existence in an Indian ashram. She speaks of her transformation from a disturbed adolescent to a woman who has found spiritual enlightenment; and how she was able to renounce the pleasures of the material world and physical desire through the agency of an inspiring and inspired Guru, the beauty of nature, and a sacred river. Her journey is a river of love, compelling in its authenticity and unflinching honesty. Sadhvi transports the reader to a world and way of thinking that most will be unfamiliar with, and this book is a must for anyone who is interested in exploring different paths to fulfilment and to the Creator."
- Jane Goodall
"Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati is a great teacher of spirituality and consciousness. Her inspiring wisdom illuminates the path to healing, happiness, and inner peace."
- Deepak Chopra
"What an extraordinary book. Sadhvi’s writing is personal, funny, wry, loving, earnest, self-reflective and incredibly engaging. And her story. Wow! If one person can do this, so can we all. Thank you, Sadhvi, for reminding us of what is always here, always possible. I won’t be the same after reading this book."
- Geneen RothAuthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Women Food and God
"Hollywood to the Himalayas is filled with wisdom and truth about the powerful revelations that unfold on the path to a deeper relationship to the divine."
- Rev. Iyanla VanzantExecutive Producer of Iyanla Fix My Life
"Sadhvi courageously shares her life lessons, illustrating the infinite possibilities when we consciously seek connection to the divine."
- Jack CanfieldCoauthor Chicken Soup for the Soul series
"A compelling account and an inside look at a great ashram, offering a western woman’s remarkable odyssey of trust in Indian spiritual culture and her powerful healing journey."
- Jack KornfieldAuthor of A Path with Heart
“Upon leaving Stanford and a highly privileged life in the West, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati, a nonseeker, found herself in India. On the banks of the Ganges, she experienced a profound healing and transformation from her years of suffering from sexual abuse and eating disorders. Today, twenty-five years later, she is considered one of the preeminent female spiritual leaders of our time. This revealing and deeply personal story is an inspiring demonstration of grace in action.”
- Marianne Williamson
“Hollywood to the Himalayas is filled with soulful, deep insight and dynamic wisdom. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati’s honest, courageous, powerful story and resonant words radiate healing energy palpable to the heart and mind, borne of her authenticity and spiritual transformation. Study this book and allow your soul to sing.”
- Michael Bernard BeckwithFounder and Spiritual Director, Agape International Spiritual Center; Author of Life Visioning and Spiritual Liberation
“Courageous, Relatable, and Inspiring! Sadhvi’s story will touch your heart and show you that the path to the divine is available to everyone.”
- Prince Ea
“This is a book in which every sentence is a reflection of love and the wisdom of love. Sadhviji’s journey is a lucid illustration of how her search for the Divine is taken with every step and every breath in a world ostensibly of the mundane. She speaks of her pain as a source of knowledge, as she shows how Divine love and light, ever present, leads her to an academically informed, humorously inspiring, inevitability of love as lived activism in the service of one and all.”
- Dr. Azza KaramSecretary General, Religions for Peace; Former Senior Advisor, UNFPA
“This very special book chronicles a unique transformational journey of an American woman who overcame childhood abuse and trauma to lead a life of service as a global spiritual leader. A beautifully written account of awakening that offers ancient wisdom for modern-day issues. I highly recommend this!”
- Marci ShimoffAuthor of Happy for No Reason, Love for No Reason, and Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul
“There is not one of us who hasn’t suffered. For many, it is the suffering that gives one insight, wisdom and clarity. Sadhvi’s journey is one such story that leads to India and her relationship with her Guru and with the Ganga. Yet, it is much more because it is also a story of the power of forgiveness, compassion, grace and love to set one free. Profound, engaging and ultimately liberating.”
- James R. Doty, MDProfessor and Author of Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and Secrets of the Heart
“This inspiring and motivational book is a real pageturner. I believe it’s the feminine version of the classic spiritual memoir, Autobiography of a Yogi.”
- John GrayAuthor of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus
“Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati was a student at Stanford seeking science-based solutions to her emotional wounds and childhood trauma, hoping to heal herself and then others. On a trip to India, in an unexpected twist of fate, she experienced a remarkable, divine healing, on the banks of the Ganges River. For those on a spiritual path, this book is a rare glimpse into connecting with the divine.”
- Arielle FordAuthor of The Soulmate Secret
“While Dorothy had to go over the rainbow to discover there is no place like home, Sadhvi found her true home on the banks of the Ganges wrapped in the arms of the Divine. This enlightenment story will make your heart melt and your jaw drop.”
- Justin Michael WilliamsAuthor of Stay Woke
“Hollywood to the Himalayas is a rare, intimate glimpse into the private, faith-filled journey one takes as they surrender all that they thought they were, for who they truly are. Love. This powerful book is a raw, honest, and heartfelt expression of Sadhviji’s continued commitment to her service to humankind. It is an inspirational offering, from her soul to ours, reflecting back to us that the spiritual path can be tender, messy, funny, fierce, illuminating, blissful, awkward, deeply wondrous, and both very human AND divine. I am so grateful for her willingness to share her personal stories about the complexities of Self-discovery, as well as the profound teachings that she learned along the way. This book is transformative and recommended for all on the path who seek a relationship with the power of Source within themselves, each other, and this world.”
- Seane CornAuthor of Revolution of the Soul; Cofounder of Off the Mat, Into the World
"In Hollywood to the Himalayas we join a journey of a borderless and courageous heart that learns three treasures: becoming closer to God everyday, serving humanity, and being happy. Sadhvi shares lessons of compassion and letting go learned from unflinchingly addressing abuse and suffering, lessons of extraordinary joy resulting from blessings of love and healing, insights of wisdom gained from modern and ancient disciplines of learning, guidance and transmission from an authentic teacher/disciple relationship, and inspiration to keep learning and serving. The integrity and clarity of her account (and ascent) is powerful and may rub off on the reader. If it does you will not be the same."
- Jonathan GranoffPresident, Global Security Institute
