"I am interested in integrating the dharma, meditation, and energy in all forms, and in using the body as a means to access wisdom, compassion and presence."
I first encountered Qi, the spirit that moves in all things, when I began Aikido in 1991. A few years afterwards, I was introduced to Vipassana meditation in a river in Java (literally!), and I have been practicing Aikido and meditation for over two decades. In 2006, on a silent retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, I was introduced to Qigong by Teja Bell. I have included it in my practice ever since. Inspired by the power of Qigong and dharma, I became certified to teach Radiant Heart Qigong by Teja Bell in 2013. In the same year I received my third degree black belt and I continue to teach Aikido. I am also a Registered Yoga Teacher. When I am not practicing Aikido, Qigong or meditating, you might find me backpacking, traveling or soaking in hot springs. I recently semi-retired from teaching community college after 23 years. I am looking forward to devoting more time and energy to practicing, studying and sharing my passions.
"Qigong offers a different form of mindfulness practice, and when I teach I really try to bring mindfulness, kindness and movement together to settle the dharma home in a deeper way."
Other things about me that you might be interested in:
I began practicing meditation in 1995 when I did my first 10 day silent Vipassana Buddhist retreat. I have attended at least one extended retreat annually since then and have led meditation sessions for various groups over the years. I started Aikido in 1991 after first seeing it 6 years earlier while I was living in San Francisco. I've practiced continuously since then and currently teach an ongoing Aikido class that usually begins with 10-30 minutes of Qigong and meditation. I developed curriculum for an Aikido course for Sierra College, which has, unfortunately, never been offered. When I started working at Sierra College in 2000, I met a remarakle woman who had also just started teaching Yoga at the college. I started taking yoga classes with her and eventually went through her yoga teacher's program. I taught introductory Yoga courses at Sierra College Community Education from Feb 2012 to May 2013 and a yoga class series in the Fall of 2006. For more than ten years I have taught two to four Student Success “Stress Reduction” workshops every semester to stressed out Sierra College students. In these workshops I incorporated Qigong and meditation with lecture and discussion about the fight or flight response and relaxation, and the workshops have been consistently very well received. Now meditation, qigong, yoga philosophy and aikido are all intertwined and inseparable for me. All in all, I have followed the path of embodied practices and their common thread.
The Thread by William Stafford
There is a thread you follow
It goes among things that change
But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what things you are pursuing
You have to explain about the thread
It is hard for others to see
While you hold it, you can’t get lost
Tragedies happen,
People get hurt and die
And you suffer and get old
Nothing you do can stop times unfolding
But you don’t ever let go of the thread.