Hello

Remembering the past, I’ve always had the heart of a mystic.

 

For my whole life, I have leaned towards being quiet, observant, and curious about who I am and why I am here. 

 

For many reasons, this wasn’t easy initially. Socially awkward, I used food, cannabis, and alcohol to mask my discomfort but that led to terrible behavior and self-destruction. When I was 24 years old, I had an awakening, a moment of clarity that how I was living life was killing me. I longed to know what to do, how to save myself.

This longing led me to a recovery program that saved me from the ravages of bulimia. At my first meeting, I poured my heart out to the people who said they understood what I was struggling with. Crying years worth of tears, I felt a new strength arise as I learned there was a way out of the hell I’d been living in. This way was to live in alignment with spiritual practices and principles. I was all in. 

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During my childhood, I had experienced religious traditions that didn’t feel good to me. During services, I wondered why people didn’t sing joyfully, why there was such heaviness in the air, and why people seemed unhappy and superficially engaged. I knew I didn’t want that. 

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As I learned to live honestly and with greater integrity, I began to search for meaning, for connection to what was sacred. I did this very imperfectly, outwardly struggling to “fit in” and  inwardly aching for mystical experience.

One of the greatest blessings in my life was working for 15 years as a field biologist - collecting data about birds and plants for various business, educational institutions, and agencies in several western states. Living outdoors for long stretches of time was profoundly healing. I was still terribly awkward socially but in nature I found tremendous comfort and connection. I had soul-nourishing experiences, synchronicities,and encounters that, to this day, cause joy to arise in my heart.

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In 1999, I went to a yoga class with a dear friend and, though I wasn’t an instant devotee, I started to regularly attend classes. After a few months, while talking with the teacher, I heard what I had been longing to hear perhaps since I was born. This teacher, Kim Schwartz, told me that yoga is a mystical practice. At that moment, which I still remember well, I knew I would pursue yoga practice sincerely. 

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Since then, I have practiced and studied yoga with great dedication. As the years have gone by, I’ve become more comfortable with honoring my strong, life-long call to spiritual life. Doing this while being married to a scientist has been a challenge yet the yearning for sacredness is too strong to suppress. I’ve learned to, and continue to grow into, embracing the  mystical and magical nature of this human life.

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In addition to yoga, I’ve studied astrology for many years. My interest in astrology began when I was a teenager when my mother brought home Linda Goodman’s book, Sun Signs. After years of dabbling in the study of western astrology, I learned about Jyotish or Vedic astrology, the astrology of India. Having found it far more robust and accurate than western astrology, I’ve been studying the patterns and movements of the planets through the sky for nearly two decades and how to work with these energies to lead a more balanced, meaningful, and mystical life.

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Throughout the years that I’ve practiced yoga and astrology, I’ve been studying Vedic philosophy. Here, I’ve found solace, inspiration, and guidance for day-to-day living. You see, the longing for understanding who I am and why I’m here has remained constant since childhood. I’ve found my answers in Vedanta. Here, the practical and mystical are co-existent. Life itself is a mystical experience! 

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I anchor my days in the practices of yoga, chanting, and sacred ritual so that I can better serve my family and community. I offer both group and private yoga classes, astrology consultations, and spiritual coaching to others who are wondering who they are and why they are here. As the poet David Whyte said,

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 “If you want a beautiful life, then ask beautiful questions.”

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