• awareness in just one breath ... and another ...

    • wellness coach, meditation/yoga teacher since 1999

       

      Breath-based practices have supported us for thousands of years through all the uncertainties and joys, accomplishments and losses, of this life.

       

      To maintain well being, my clients practice at home, using personal guidance. Some just want a clearer mind and lighter heart, others are navigating recovery from illness, or suffering from life trauma.

       

      I coach and teach in small groups, in coordination with psychotherapists, and also on my own, online and live ... through the auspices of Tibet House and Nalanda Institute.

       

      Mindfulness-based health coaching (Duke University certified)

      Healing breathing techniques, and sound practices for post-illness or trauma recovery

      Certified Yoga Therapist, (IAYT certified therapist, Krishnamacharya tradition)

      Trauma-sensitive mindfulness practices (Certified by the Greater Good Science Center)

       

       

       

       

       

    • where does well-being begin for you?

      A famous (and somewhat frustrating) answer in my tradition to this question is: "It depends."

       

      But it really is down to the individual heart and mind. That's where we start.

       

      The practice sheets below show a breath-based approach for recovering health and well-being. The practice is designed for one individual I've coached for years. It's focused on what was happening for her, but with an eye to future development of practice, and building on her previous skill set.

       

      Needs, competencies, and future goals are unique to every client I've taught ... from athletes to differently abled, from kids to elders.

       

      The practices look complex at first but they are well-explained  and rehearsed together, live on ZOOM.   In the pages below, the text as well as the drawings are shaped to the student's interests, and schedule, to ensure regular practice.

       

      In cases where wellness has been very hard to achieve, I often suggest a formal coaching plan, based on the Duke University Wheel of Integrative Health (see graphic below).

       

      It has been a joy to see students thriving and empowered to meet life challenges with greater health, joy, kindness and confidence.

       

      I began practicing in 1970, and started teaching in hospitals before there was the incredible phenomenon of wellness marketing.

       

      To become acquainted, I still offer a very old-school, 30-minute free consult to new students and coaching clients.

       

      Or you can listen to my Monday lunchtime classes at Tibet House. And contact me directly for a link to my yoga/meditation ZOOM classes on Friday.

       

      Then, we can be present together, and you'll know if it's a fit.

       

       

      SAMPLE PRACTICE

      Excerpted pages from a recent personal practice, shared via laptop and telephonic support.

       

      They are very short, optional daytime practices for an academic researcher on intensive 12 hour-deadline at home. She did not need health coaching at this time, since her diet, exercise, and spiritual life were already well-adapted to her current lifestyle. But she had not been able to do her usual practice, due to new time constraints.

      Another page, same client, same date.

      The breathing ratio chart (a pranayama technique) represents four stages of breath

      IN, pause, EX, pause; with breath length noted in seconds.

      SAME CLIENT, THREE WEEKS LATER

      Another two-page excerpt, this time a follow up focusing less on posture, more on meditation and pranayama, yoga breath practice. Breathing technique fosters resilience and vitality. It is also a key practice for stabilizing the mind and intention, making room for some kindness and clarity.

      SAME CLIENT, 2nd PRACTICE

      Another two-page excerpt, this time a follow up focusing on resilience and especially the breath, which is an essential practice for stabilizing the mind and intention.

      SAME CLIENT, TWO WEEKS LATER

      Another two-page excerpt, this time a follow up focusing on resilience and especially the breath, which is our key practice for stabilizing the mind and intention.

    • Learn more

      HOW IT WORKS:

       

      First, the free 30 minute FaceTime or ZOOM consult (see below).

       

      Then, three, 75min. sessions are usually the basis for our work. Follow up when needed. Three 30 minute telephonic coaching sessions to answer questions.

       

      In the first meeting, we get familiar with each other, discuss priorities for practice, and map out some ideal outcomes. Then I offer a practice and health plan, in written form.

       

      Over the past few years, I have been sharing practices and coaching plans almost exclusively online, using Zoom, or Facetime, if that's your preference.

       

      Over a few months, we discuss a follow-up plan to help you develop mastery in contemplative practice, increase your vitality and add to your self-care skills.

       

      After that, we follow up on your preferred schedule, weekly, monthly or bi-annually. My rate is usually $85 per hour. But in the current emergency I am happy to adapt the fee for clients dealing with financial adversity.

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      *Certified by Duke University Integrative Health as a professional health coach

      *Certified Teacher in mindfulness meditation through UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center

      *Certified Yoga Therapist by International Association of Yoga Therapists, training including onsite work in hospitals, and twenty years of one-on-one training through respected senior teachers in the Desikachar tradition of viniyoga. [@1500 hours in traditional-style, closely supervised yoga teacher training].

      *Level I Somatic Experiencing credential for trauma-resilience

       

      At University of Virginia Graduate School, I studied Sanskrit, the Patanjali Yoga Sutra, Tantra and Mahayana and Samkhya philosophical traditions.

       

       

      CURRENT/RECENT:

       

      I currently support clients' lifestyle and behavior change at Mindful Living Space, a private therapy center in Kingston NY. I also teach meditation at Tibet House in NYC.

       

      With the support of Sentara Hospital in Charlottesville, I opened the first independent meditation/yoga center inside a Virginia medical center, serving all patients, and physicians and therapists, at every income level, both in-hospital and in community centers.

       

      With a team of clinicians, I also designed and taught the hospital's meditation/yoga program for women's health, in their cardiac and cancer care departments, where I was also a partner in hospital based research on yoga for breast cancer.

       

       

      RESUME/CV HERE

    • for a complementary 30 min. consult

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