I am from New York City and attended Catholic schools until 6th grade, after which i had the privilege of going to an all girls private school. During high school a life-long involvement in religion and mysticism became the primary focus and i went to Harvard college with the intention of studying anthropology to investigate ecstatic religious experience. While there i began to have extreme out-of-body episodes and spiritual visions.
On June 24th, 1976 i met the Siddha Guru, Swami Muktananda. His impact on me was immediate and completely transformative. He initiated me through “Shaktipat”, a transmission of spiritual energy. My spiritual life accelerated. I remained under his tutelage as resident for five years in his ashrams both in India and in the US. Then I left ashram life, married and have two beloved sons, both born on my birthday.
Since 1982 i have worked as a yoga instructor and also as a teacher of breathing awareness in the treatment of stuttering and of people with stress disorders in psychiatric care. Since that time i have also watched yoga become a major cultural phenomenon in the West, as it is an effective cultural ‘meme’ providing significant adaptive value during this global phase of increasing social and natural stress.
I strenuously disapprove of much of the way yoga is now being presented and taught, as if one can become “advanced” by standing on one’s head or bending back till your toes rest on your forehead. Even if you can kiss your own ass, it is not going to make you “advanced” in yoga. And anyone who claims that title is immediately disqualified. Attainment in the yogic realm instantaneously evaporates in a moment of pride. A true yogi sees the world, herself and others, as equal.
I thank you for your interest and hope you will find inspiration and assurance in my offerings here.
Love,
Mary
