ABOUT
My first introduction to meditation was inspired by the Beatles in the 60’s. I took courses in Transcendental Meditation with the Maharishi in Humbolt County, California. And for a “wild child”, it was the beginning of slowing down enough to “feel”, “see”, and “be” in life moment to moment. And the beginning of a wondrous path that was both 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows.
Being a hippie in the 60’s- I was a “beatlemaniac at Shea Stadium; got mazed in the face during a peace march on Washington D.C. ; got run over by barbwire during the Chicago 7; lived by Ram Das’ book “Be Here Now”; hitchiked to Humbolt County California to meet the Maharishi; burned my bra on the Big Sur; stayed awake all night to hear Jimmy Hendrik sing “Freedom” at Woodstock…….and underneath all that, all i was sayin (John Lennon) was… “give peace a chance.”
In the early 70’s I moved to Santa Barbara, California to complete my Masters in Education. It was there that got my first introduction to Tibetan Buddism and the Dalai Lama. i didnt even know who the Dalai Lama was and by chance i happen to come to the Dharma Datu for the first time and there he was….mysterious are the ways of karma.
Santa Barabara was a spiriutal hub at that time. I would go to the olive groves in Ojai and listen to Krishna Murti’s Sunday morning talks and occasionally stop by and do yoga with Swami Satchidananda hear talks at my school by Buck Minister Fuller and drive to Santa Monica and do Meditation intensives with Baba Muktananda-. and then 50 to 100 people were alot!. What a miracle…..
My passion for yoga grew and i started taking classed 3 times a week.. My teachers were a couple- Pheldea Fleming and James Brodsky. Their were students of T.K>V Desikachar and their classes were an amazing balance of dynamism, breath awareness and inner quietude.
By l977, my yoga teachers deceided to leave town, and invited me to take over teaching their classes. I was honored, but at the same time didn’t feel knowledgable enough. So i covered their classes for another year, and then moved to San Francisco to attend the Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training Institute.. I was over joyed to be in the company of such masterful teachers and absorbed everything like a sponge. The greatest honor of all was getting to take intensives in Pune, India with Shri B.K.S. Iyengar himself. His brillant eye and deep wisdom continued to ignite my passion, enthusiasm, and devotion to this practice.
After graduation I moved to Berkley to teach yoga. There i met Gurumayi Chidvilasanada and was invited to teach yoga classes, workshops and teacher trainings world-wide for the next eleven years. It’s hard to believe that back then there weren’t many people who even knew what yoga was and it was thrilling to share it’s many gifts with so many people both throughout India, Japan, China, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, Australia and in all the major cities in the United States. And who knew that by 2020 “Om” would be a household word, a yoga mat would be in everyones’ carry-on, and most doctors would be recommending yoga for good health… what a blessing.
In 1989 I returned to the Northwestern corner of Connecticut where I founded “Yoga Sangha”, a community with heart. During that time I took courses with such spiritual luminaries as Byron katie, Narayan Liebenson, Pema Chodron, Thich Hanh Khan, Daido Lori and Enkyo Pat O’Hara. A few years later, I got introduced to Anusara Yoga. This new paradigm consisted of applying Principles of Alignment, and Balanced Actions for the inner and outer body that where in harmony with the pulsation of the Universe. And after continued study and practice I got certified in this methodology and continued offering Anusara classes, workshops and Immersions for the next decades.
In 2012 one of my students introduced me to Life Coaching where i got reintroduced to The Work of Byron Katie and the magic of mind Inquiry and deceided to became a Certified Life Coach.
In 2019 I taught my first Yoga Sangha Teacher Training which was not associated with any past system of yoga or but which honored all the wisdom i have received from all the great hearts that have passed it on through the years.
In 2020, during the pandemic, my first book of poetry wrote me! The book is called “Pure & Simple Poems” and it is available on Amazon. It was so unexpected and I am tickled to be able to offer it. My second book is calling and also are my memoirs so stay tuned….
My body turned 80 this year but i still haven’t caught up with it yet hahahahah. I still practice yoga and meditation daily; teach public and private yoga classes, and offer life coaching and spiritual mentoring.
I am pausing more, not because i am an old fart , but because I don’t want to miss the sacredness of each moment. I spend summers in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia where I get further inspiration from my great love… the Sea.
Namaste
.