Education/experience
American Institute of Vedic Studies – Ayurvedic Healing Course, (lifelong study). Topics include Ayurvedic anatomy and physiology, 0constitution for body and mind, fundamentals of diagnosis, nutrition, herbs, aromas, sensory therapies, Yoga, and spiritual methods.
Santa Barbara Graduate Institute – PhD program in Somatic Psychology (2yrs). Some of the topics include-Touch in Psychotherapy, Trauma and the Body, Life-Span Development, Body, Breath and Consciousness, Counseling Strategies, Body-Mind Psychotherapy, Neuroscience of Relationships and over a dozen additional modalities. The program was the only doctoral level somatic psychology program in the world and before I could graduate, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology bought out my graduate program and dissolved the PhD program in this field.
White Lotus Foundation – Certified Thai Yoga Therapy, 2006. An ancient and sacred system of healing with roots in Yoga, Ayurvedic Medicine and Buddhist spiritual practice. It is a unique and powerful system of Yoga Therapy, which combines rhythmic massage, acu-pressure, asanas (Yogic stretching exercises), gentle twisting, energy work and meditation. Thai Yoga Therapy stimulates and balances the flow of healing energy within the body, opening the areas which are blocked bringing the person deeper into balance and harmony for health, happiness and wellness of being. This system creates a powerful release of stress and tension, an increase in vitality and well-being and it deepens the connection between mind, body and spirit in both the giver and receiver.
Association for Integrative Psychology – Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming 2013. Some of the topics include -Building Rapport, Language and Communication, Sensory Acuity, Strategies of Human Behavior, Internal Representational Systems (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Eye Patterns), Anchoring and Reframing.
Hands on Healing Institute –Certified Massage Therapist. 2006. Primarily a Swedish massage training, the focus was on the power of touch, how massage affects mind, body and spirit, helps to facilitate the body’s healing process, and the indications and contraindications for massage. (150 hours ) Additional topics included Trigger Point Therapy, Energy Awareness,Deep Tissue, Myofacial, Structural Bodywork, Chair Massage and Anatomy/Physiology. Additional training in Aromatherapy , 2006. The practice of skillfully integrating essential oils in a wide variety of application methods and treatment forms to prevent illness, and to enhance and maintain physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. Aromatherapy, as with all holistic therapies, seeks to strengthen the body’s own innate, self-healing ability.
Yoga Ed.™– Certified Teacher Training, 2005. Qualified to teach to children grades K-8 and Tools for Teachers to classroom teachers. (Descriptions below)
K-8 Yoga Ed. is an educational program that combines a science-based exploration of the body, mind and self with the exercise system of yoga to support and enhance learning, health and personal responsibility. Yoga Ed. serves to help children be learning ready, physically fit, aware of self and others and confident. In the following 36-week program, the practice of yoga (defined here as a methodology for integrating movement and breath to strengthen, align and balance the body, focus the mind and soothe and recharge the nervous system) is informed by a study of the body’s systems, the mind-body interface and the impact and consequences of one’s behavior choices. Students learn how to move gracefully, breathe smoothly and deeply and sustain their focus and concentration, developing strength, flexibility, balance, mental clarity and emotional stability. Yoga Ed. presents this program as an effective and measurable methodology to achieve lifetime physical and mental health.
Tools for Teachers– Yoga based techniques such as conscious breathing, basic yoga poses, and simple movement games and visualizations. All activities are designed for the classroom, require no extra equipment or space and take only 5 – 15 minutes to produce positive results. According to the classroom teachers that use these tools, the time spent on yoga is well worth it! They not only help teachers and their students feel energized about the work at hand, they make class time fun, easier and more enjoyable. Fundamental yoga techniques such as conscious breathing, basic yoga poses, kinesthetic play and visualization techniques improve and enhance learning, behavior, harmony and balance. These yoga-based tools are simple and effective, producing both immediate and long-term results.
Yoga Teachers College- Certified Yoga Trapeze® instructor (2020).
Functional fitness requires the pushing, pulling, and holding of weight. In traditional mat-based yoga classes, you push and hold your body weight constantly, but it’s very difficult to find pulling motions in these classes. Pulling is a crucial movement for back, neck, and upper body health. The Yoga Trapeze® introduces functional pulling movements in a fun and dynamic way. It takes the ancient practice of yoga and turns it on its head.
Aside from inversions, there are dozens of hip openers, shoulder openers, and hamstring stretches that work amazingly well for flexibility. Using the leverage of the sling, suspension, and gravity, you can practice training in a whole new way. For students with back pain, poor flexibility, weak core muscles, and little to no grip strength (all very common issues), the Yoga Trapeze offers a way for them to experience remarkable transformation. Backbends are some of the most challenging poses in traditional yoga, and students often get so frustrated that they skip them altogether. On the Yoga Trapeze, you can do passive backbends (just hang and breathe) to open the stiff and stuck areas of your shoulders and thoracic spine.
Yoga Experience–Certified Yoga Instructor, 2003.
Teaching experience – Glendale Memorial Hospital, Crescenta~Canada YMCA, Descanso Gardens, Occidental College, Inspire Dance Studio, Glendale Yoga, Unity Church, Unitarian Church, Shakespeare Club Pasadena, Dance House, Yoga 4 Every Day Living, Roger Barclay Community Center, La Canada Country Club, Monte Vista Elementary, The Chandler School, The Laurence School, El Cerritos Elementary, and extensive on-line and Private Instruction.
Bachelor of Arts (theater) -Univ. of Calif. at Santa Cruz (1994)