my story
raised by the beach in Florida, as a child I could spend hours making sand castles and was happiest being creative. After high school, I left home for Boston to attend the Museum School/Tufts university and eventually settled in New York as a junior art director.
Years later I lost several in my family in a short period of time, my grandmother, grandfather, aunt and someone very close.. my father.
I tried to stay positive but my heart was heavy and for the first time
creating anything felt like a chore.
I sought the help of a grief counselor who helped me recollect the parts of myself I had buried beneath my sadness. She also suggested I try a retreat at Kripalu (Lenox, MA) where i could explore self-care.
It was remarkable, with daily yoga, meditation and grief support
my emotional fatigue began to lift...
there were even moments of new purpose.
I could see the value of this inner work and wanted to learn more.
a turning point.
I shifted from my career in the Arts and went to grad school for psychotherapy (Smith College). I also joined a Kriya Yoga/meditation group and my fascination with meditation and healing grew. I led an empirical study on "the impact of meditation on therapists clinical skills." and concurrently studied meditation with Thich Nhat Hanh/Deer Park Monastery and at Paramahansa Yogananda's Self Realization Fellowship/Encinitas.
After completing my masters I worked as a psychotherapist and on weekends practiced yoga, eventually becoming certified in Hatha yoga at the Shambhava School of yoga/Boulder. Yoga was the perfect balance for my professional career as a therapist in medical clinics, at the University of Colorado/Boulder and
in private practice.
Decades later I can still say that after working with many individuals, couples and families, having a large family of my own,
and regularly adding to my professional training and knowledge:
the single most powerful tool for transformation I have is my ability
to practice meditation and mindfulness.