Personal Stories

A Renewal of Spirit (True Story): The drive was long but finally it was over. The walls of the prisons looked foreboding – a thirty foot wall interrupted only by gun towers. I clearly remember the words of the judge as he sentenced me, “Young man, for as much intelligence as you have, it’s a waste to send you to prison. But, you’re 28 years old, and you were just released from prison less than two years ago. Admittedly, your crime this time is drugs, but three years ago you served time for attempted murder and drugs. I’m sorry son,…

Several years ago, I enrolled in Kundalini Yoga teacher training with the intention of “deepening my practice.” I had no plans to teach—ever! In fact, I had a long history of shying away from teaching, though I had studied education in college and at my late father’s urging had procured a teaching certificate for English 7-12. After graduation, however, I never used the certification, deciding instead to pursue a career as a writer. In truth, the idea of teaching terrified me. During my college years, I was required to practice/teach English to a group of seventh graders. The experience (though…

How do we choose to change our lives? What part of us makes that choice that leads us closer to the center of our own heart? Who do we become when we become the best version of ourselves? This is the story of my journey through the Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training Program. As I glided past the closed door on my way from a Hot Yoga class to change out of my hot sweat-drenched clothes, I was stopped short by the strange yet somehow familiar sounds that were emanating from inside. Others pushed past me in their rush to the…

How Kundalini Yoga (Literally) Saved my Life in Graduate School It’s August 26, 2014 at 4:15am and I’m taking the old-fashioned elevator up to the 5th floor where my former yoga home is located. As the gate of the elevator closes and the man sitting inside presses a button, I feel like I’m in a time machine that’s taking me back to 2006.  Eight long years have passed since I stepped foot in this magical place, Kundalini Yoga in the Loop, situated between artist shops in the Fine Arts Building on South Michigan Avenue.  My last memories of practicing Kundalini…

The Kundalini Co-op is the first California worker owned yoga cooperative.  We designed the cooperative to create and support community through yoga classes and events in a sustainable manner for ALL individuals.  It is our hopes that more worker-owned yoga cooperatives follow across the world to make the TRUE art of yoga affordable and accessible to ALL individuals. In 2009 I moved from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The change of cities was welcome and what an incredible city to move to! Yet there was something most definitely lacking…… a thriving Kundalini community such as the one I had been a part of in Los Angeles….