From Beth

My first love is stillness meditation.  From stillness, I create movement. I have a natural passion to share with others all that I learn.  

I began moving at age 7 as a gymnast and cheerleader throughout my youth in Atlanta.

I participated in my first Hatha yoga class at Clayton State College in 1982, then sought to study every form of yoga I could find the past 30 years, including Ashtanga, Integral, Kundalini and Kripalu.

In 1992, I received certification in Neuromuscular, Swedish and Sports massage therapy at the Academy of Somatic Healing Arts in Atlanta, and in Therapeutic Touch energy healing.  I created a successful massage therapy practice at physical therapy clinics and spas in Atlanta.  Helping others reduce stress became my passion after seeing and experiencing the detrimental effects of stress while working as a legal secretary.

In 1994, I discovered Soto Zen meditation through Dr. Jon Kabbot-Zin (an internationally-known meditation teacher, author, researcher, and clinician in the fields of mind/body medicine, and integrative medicine).  I learned zen meditation at the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and felt right at home.  Shortly thereafter, I attended my first 5-day silent zen meditation retreat with Cheri Huber at the Southern Dharma Retreat Center in North Carolina where I had a profound experience of seeing and experiencing the inter-connectedness of all life, and have continued zen practice for the past 18 years. 

I have attended zen meditation retreats at Upaya, Southern Dharma, Green Gulch, Margaret-Austin, the Atlanta Soto Zen Center and Zen Desert Sangha in Tucson.  

In 1995, I moved to Massachusetts for formal yoga certification training at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lenox, MA.  I worked in their health services department, and at other spas in the Berkshires, as a massage therapist, and completed 4 yoga-based training certifications:   Kripalu Yoga Bodywork, Kripalu Hatha Yoga, YogaRhythmics and Kripalu DansKinetics certifications.  

I enjoyed studying ancient yoga texts at Yogaville in Virginia, and dancing the 5 Rhythms at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA.

After numerous training programs, I became a staff instructor and program director at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Lenox, MA and enjoyed sharing my love of moment with many different types of populations.

In 1997, I visited Sedona, AZ and participated in numerous sweat lodge ceremonies and was capitivated by the beauty of the landscapes.  I created Healing Retreat Adventures to share the beauty of Sedona, AZ with my students back east. 

I’ve shared the joy of dance movement with a wide variety of populations, a few of which were at the Beth-Abraham Hospital in New York City for wheelchair patients, at the Valleyhead Treatment Center for teenage trauma survivors in Lenox, MA, and on the Inner Voyage Cruises in the Caribbean.

My most influential teachers have been Daniel Leven of Leven Movement Therapy, Gale Turner of Body-Mind Centering, Ken Sudhakar McRae, Jeff Prabhakar Migdow, Connie Miller of YogaRhythmics, Roshi Michael Elliston, Zen Teacher Cheri Huber, and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of Art of Living Ashram in India.

Throughout my adult life, for fun and fitness, I have participated in African, Latin, Haitian, Modern, Ballet and Jazzercise dance as well as the ecstatic, shamanic, transformational dance of 5 Rhythms, which all have influenced Yoga Meets Dance. 

In 2001, after receiving many requests from students, I created Yoga Meets Dance 10-day Teacher Trainings to further spread the joy of movement.

I am an eternal student and love learning.  In 2004, I roamed the birthplace of yoga in India, and participated in breathwork courses at the Art of Living Ashram in Bangalore, and in 2006, I had life-changing experiences with raw veganism at the Tree of Life Rejuventation Center.  

After teaching almost 3000 classes since 1995 (woo hoo!), I am keeping a light teaching schedule this year to rest.  In my free time, I enjoy offering astrology readings, painting, attending dance classes of all kinds, enjoying Zen studies and simplicity.

I have natural passion to share with others all that I learn. 

Contact me to create a special movement class for your group, meeting, conference, or celebration; for an astrology reading or just to say hello!

A Buddhist Metta Meditation:

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be free from suffering.

May all beings experience the kindness of others.

 

More offerings with Beth:  Astrology * Massage Therapy * Poem