My Path
My intro into the yoga-spirituality -wellness world began when I moved from the east coast to California to attend Alive and Well Institute of Conscious Bodywork in 1995 - a few years after graduating from college - on a whim by a suggestion from my aunt. Prior to the move, I had hit a pretty low place that unfolded into (I guess you could call it) a spiritual emergence/awakening from living a pretty dysfunctional and unhealthy lifestyle, lacking higher self awareness. It's hard to explain my internal landscape, but something was shifting. I felt a presence guiding me and had a deep spiritual yearning. Landing in California exposed me to the healing arts, yoga & many new things that felt very natural to me and organically paved the way for pursuing wellness and spiritual disciplines that were abundant in the new world around me. As far as additional bodywork training goes, I also studied at Lifestream Massage School, World School of Massage and Thai Healing Massage Academy. I received my Reiki Master training with Suzanne Louise. I studied wellness coaching through Wellcoaches.
My initial experience with yoga began with some books, videos and general classes. I had a deep spiritual yearning so I was soaking up many spiritual and new agey books, dabbling in this and that, and started reading books on eastern thought. I was taking various yoga and dance classes and eventually began studies with Magaña and Walt Baptiste, as well as their daughter Devi in yoga and middle eastern dance. Magaña became one of my dear mentors, embodying the devotional & spiritual elements of yoga and dance. The San Francisco Baptiste Center was definitely a magical haven in my spiritual journey. I was a member of Magaña's San Francisco Royal Acadamy of Belly Dance Troupe and received certifications in the Baptiste Method of Yoga & Magaña Baptiste Method of Danse Orientale in 1998. I studied with Magaña and performed in her dance troupe through the early 2000's, and after my daughter was born in 2005 I would still drive down occasionally from Sonoma County for her classes.
My deepest influence has been as a devotee, student and initiate of living saint, His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda, a highly realized Himalayan Vedic/Siddha monk, Sanskrit scholar and Meditation Master from the combined heritage of Rishi Sages and Nath Yogis. His Holiness presides over vedic schools and other Sanskrit institutions in India and founded the nonprofit Self Enquiry Life Fellowship (Hansavedas) in the west - based in California - where His Holiness resides. Hansavedas is overseen by a monastic council of ordained erudite vedic monks - to preserve and disseminate indigenous Sanskrit wisdom. I've been under the formal guidance and transmission of His Holiness since 2012 in a holistic curriculum of Vedic Philosophy and Himalayan Siddha Yoga with initiation into an esoteric siddha practice of advanced Kriya - hatha & surya kriya pranayama meditation practices within the Himalayan Nath Kriya System of Meditation. My studies include personal guidance, Sanskrit Wisdom Teachings, Yoga/Sankhya/Vedanta philosophy in the Shruti method, Ayurvedic Wellness and High Pranic living based on the soli-lunar calendar, Mindfulness, Nyasa, Yoga Vinyasa Krama, Himalayan Pranayama, Mantra & Meditation. The teachings have clarified much of the confusion and contradictions in our current yoga culture. The teachings are so clear and profound.
Prior to my studies in Himalayan Yoga & Meditation with His Holiness, my introduction to Kriya Yoga Meditation (distinct from from other traditions that use the term Kriya Yoga) was through "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda which ignited my yearning to learn and seek out a living guru for the teachings. After returning from a trip to India, which rekindled my desire to learn Kriya Yoga, I began the Self Realization Fellowship's preparatory home study lessons. After about a year or so I received my first initiation in 2000 under another branch of Kriya Yoga with Swami Sarveshwarananda, a disciple of Paramahamsa Hariharananda. Soon after, I met Himalayan Master Yogiraj Siddhanath and studied with him for twelve years. He spends several months in California and the US, so I was blessed to be able to study and spend a lot of time in his presence. I was initiated into Kundalini Kriya Yoga, Surya Yoga, and Hamsa Yoga meditation, yogic healing practices and was authorized by Yogiraj to teach. Kriya Yoga, a system of esoteric advanced pranayama and yogic techniques, known as the lightening path for spiritual evolution, was the foundation of establishing my structured daily higher meditation practice.
My first guru, who sparked & cultivated my deep devotion, was Sai Baba. A friend had causally mentioned that her father was a devotee of this Holy man and it sparked something in me to seek him out. Soon after, I came across an article about Sai Baba - with his picture - and I started to have some inner experiences and dreams with him.... I immersed into reading books about him, devotee's stories, and studying his teachings focused on dharmic living, bhakti yoga & seva. I attended Bhajans and study groups at the San Francisco and other bay area Sai Baba Centers. I traveled to India in 1998 for three and a half months to mainly see him and do a little travelling. I resided in his ashrams in Puttaparthi and Whitefield for 2 months. I practiced Ayurvedic Yoga with Dr. Rao's Yoga and Ayurvedic Center while in Puttaparthi. I also stayed at the Anand Ashram founded by Papa Swami Ramdas in Kerala with Swami Satchidananda practicing Nama Sadhana and spent some time travelling. The trip was such an amazing experience - hard to put into words - the whole experience was profound and felt like Divine Providence. India feels like home and my future plans are to spend a significant time there for holy pilgrimage and study.
I have also been dedicated to practices taught by Sri Krishnamacharya's students since 2000 - firstly with Ashtanga Vinyasa, studying in Sonoma County and throughout the bay area, as well as developing a discipline personal practice. I had the opportunity to practice with Pattabhi Jois for a few days during one of his tours in San Francisco. I attended workshops with senior teachers including an anatomy training with Iyengar and Ashtanga based trainer, Tias Little. After dedicated study and establishing a discipline personal Ashtanga practice, I pursued my Ashtanga Vinyasa Teacher Training in 2003 at Greenpath Yoga with Clayton Horton. As vinyasa has also taken on modern approaches, I did practice and teach modern influenced vinyasa for a bit - but was internally conflicted about it's disconnection to the philosophy and principles of yoga.
In 2012 I was introduced Yoga Vinyasa Krama and was completely awed by my first experience - I felt so "lit up" with prana in every cell of my body......it was the first practice of yogasana/vinyasa that felt related to my meditation practices due to the conscious breathing pattern, slow movements & pause, and subtleties. I had wondered why vinyasa had not been taught like this and why it was not well known. It aligned with yoga philosophy and clarified my inner conflicts of how modern vinyasa and mainstream yoga in general felt contrary to my meditation practices and other traditional yogic teachings. After this experience, I shifted my personal physical based practice and started using it's influences in my classes. I was initially introduced to Vinyasa Krama through the Hansa Yoga Tradition of Swami Vidyadhishananda and was referred to the Vinyasa Krama teachings that Sri Krishnamacharya taught Srivatsa Ramaswami (who studied one on one with Sri Krishnamacharya for over 33 years) as they are very similar. I immediately bought all of Ramaswami's books and developed my Vinyasa Krama practice at home and soon began studying and mentoring with Pam Johnson (yoga educator, one of Srivatsa Ramaswami's first American students). Through my studies I realized how comprehensive the system was embodying a true, traditional hatha method with aspects of raja yoga - so it felt a natural companion to my other practices (most importantly this system is transmitted intelligently through bona-fide lineages). I felt it was the one of the most comprehensive system available for those seeking an authentic tradition, as well as the perfect complement to serious seekers & devotees and those with discipline meditation & yogic lifestyle practices. In 2014 Pam authorized me to teach the system and in 2015 I attended my first training with Srivatsa Ramaswami in Vinyasa Krama and Yoga for the Internal Organs. I have also taken an advanced teacher training with him, online trainings & workshops in VK and yoga philosophy. I continue ongoing study in VK with Ramaswami & Pam & Hansavedas.
As Yoga Vinyasa Krama is part of the Himalayan tradition taught by the Hansavedas curriculum - I have learned it's connection and subtleties to higher practices of the Himalayas. Although the VK traditions have slight variations they maintain the same emphasis/philosophy and practice. Through my deep study of this vinyasa and pranayama system, a practice that leads to neuromuscular fitness, enhanced concentration and stillness, with heartfelt sincerity, I am dedicated to sharing this rare science to the modern yoga student.
I received my Yoga Nidra Certification at the SF Sivananda Center with Dr. Marc Halperin (founder of California College of Ayurveda). Knowing the personal benefits and it's importance in a holistic approach to yoga, I wanted to take a course to feel more comfortable guiding sessions. Yoga Nidra helps remove disturbances, compliments other practices and is a more accessible way for many to experience a meditative state. I chose the training from Dr. Halperin as it seemed more traditional as opposed to some western practices. In my guided sessions I also use the work of Swami Satyananda, a realized yogi and leader in bringing an accessible approach to yoga nidra to the west.
I attended a Trauma Informed Yoga training with Uprising Yoga focused on teaching to the incarcerated, at-risk youth and underserved communities. I like to point out that teaching specifically to the at risk community needs to be discerned from teaching yoga to other populations. (Because yoga has been taken out of it's original context and taught in new ways, it's now a targeted to be trauma informed, inclusive etc. If taught traditionally with qualified teachers, those become irrelevant). The training itself seemed to just emphasize important elements of yoga that are often missing in western practices. However, it was a very informative background into the at risk, incarcerated communities and justice system.
Ayurveda has also been alongside my personal and formal yoga studies. In 2004 I had the opportunity to work as a back office assistant to Dr. Helen Thomas (Ayurveda, NAET, Chiropractic), soaking up Dr. Helen's knowledge of Ayurveda and working hands on with herbs - including small batches of handmade herbs from India. Dr. Helen initially trained me in Shirodhara and I received my Shirodhara Certification with Dr. Narendra Pendse. I'm trained in marma therapy through an in-depth program with the Marma Institute of Ayurvedic Acupressure with Dr. Anisha Durve (Dr of Acupuncture & Ayurveda who co-authored a marma book with Dr.Lad). I am pursuing an Ayurvedic Certification program through the American Institute of Vedic Studies (Dr. David Frawley) and ongoing continuing studies with other traditional renowned ayurvedic teachers and Hansavedas.