Svadharma is that action which is in your nature to carry out—the thing you are compelled to do. It is something between duty and joy. Mine is to expand our Western understanding of yoga through sharing its deeper teachings, along with the complementary and timeless wisdom of Ayurveda, “the knowledge of life”.

These ancient Indian sciences show us how to align with cosmic law (rta) which runs everything from the smallest atoms of our bodies to the grandest celestial bodies. Yogic and Ayurvedic practices synchronize us with the great cosmic rhythm, setting us on course to heal and to be stewards — of ourselves and our planet.

I have chosen my teachers carefully — masters native to India who have been steeped in original Vedic and Tantric traditions.

In the West we tend to augment original yogic practices, canceling out the efficacy. For example, the deeply restful and rejuvenating practice of yoga nidra must be practiced in silence. The absence of added sound or music serves to guide your awareness to the interior (antara) of your being, where stillness is realized.

Withdrawal from stimulation of the five senses (pratyahara) is key in moving the brain wave states from beta to alpha, theta, and delta. We may feel initial discomfort with silence, but come to experience that it is the doorway to inner peace.