As my life story has unfolded, I have found two consistent themes that run throughout — music and helping others.
I can’t remember a time when music was not an integral part of my life. It was a major component of our time as a family when I was growing up. In my twenties I began songwriting and performing. It was very rewarding creatively speaking. It took me to places I could never have imagined – some of them beautiful memories now (and some of them best forgotten.)
At thirty I decided that I wanted something more. I went back to school and earned a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. As much as I loved it, counseling was not a perfect fit for me, and after several years I rededicated myself to songwriting.
But the desire to somehow be involved in the helping professions always stayed firmly rooted. I just wasn’t sure how it would manifest. Meanwhile, now in my 40s, I began writing articles, essays and short stories. (This was a natural outgrowth of my songwriting. It came to me that the great thing about writing prose is that it doesn’t have to rhyme! I’ve recently compiled some of my essays in a book: This I Believe. . . I Believe.)
My journey with yoga began in my 50s when I was recovering from a bout with cancer in 2002. Since that time the calming, grounding, and cleansing effects of yoga have helped me to strengthen my immune system, develop physical strength and flexibility, and quiet and focus my mind. Now, as a yoga teacher, it is a joy and an honor to share this gentle practice with others who, like me, are making the transition from illness to health.
The story is far from finished, and in the coming years I hope to find an effective way to integrate my music with my work as a yoga teacher, bringing both of these aspects of my life into balance and harmony.
