Wendy’s Story |
Am I living the Life of My Dreams?
I asked myself the questions: “Am I living the life of my dreams? “Are people seeing the real me?” Realizing I couldn’t emphatically say yes, I took a path of self-discovery that lead to major transformations in how I approach life and I am now blessed to help others live authentic lives as they balance and harness the power of their energy.
Guided by my inner knowing & 21 years on the yoga path, I bring a sacred approach to my teaching & healing work fusing Hatha, Shamanism, Intuitive Energy Healing & the beauty of Yin Yoga. Having always been drawn to nature, I studied with gurus in the Himalaya Mountains of India and it was there I saw clearly my past life as a yogi. Couple with yoga, my shamanic practice began when I was sought out by a shaman named Eddy. He stated I knew “The Way”. Humbled and completely afraid at that time; I now fully embrace my calling as I use my gifts to help students flow with nature’s current; tapping into their inner spirit along with the outer spiritual world. I teach weekly yoga classes in small communities in Minnesota & travel globally leading workshops & retreats. A little longer version of my path of discovery (so far)...I had risen to success as a Director of Leadership Development for one of the world’s largest corporations. I was considered an expert at helping senior executives reach their full potential. After 15 years on this path with constant demands on my time, I found myself staring at my computer, isolated in an oversized office, and feeling uncomfortable in my expensive clothes. I wanted to kick off the high heels and run down the hall screaming that I was done. Yearning for something different consumed my thoughts, and I was physically and mentally tired—tired of hiding from who I really wanted to be.
I was seeking peace and tranquility (and grounding) in a world that seeks to compress time. With an abundance of passions in life, I took to the road on my motorcycle, hiked mountains, ran trails with my dog, read endlessly in coffee shops, and spent countless hours writing in my journal as I sipped wine in locations all across the world. I even spent time training with a professional boxer challenging my physical body. After much soul searching, I left the corporate world, and traveled to India and Nepal where I devoted myself to rigorous and intense training with a Swami, yogi, and spiritual teacher. For years, I had practiced yoga and had felt that it naturally came to me. Now, I wanted to understand the true origins and teachings of yoga. I searched for a place to train, and while there were many yoga schools in the U.S., my heart kept pulling me to the mountains of India. I found a school in the Himalayan Mountains that had been detailed in my dreams. There were to be four other students joining me from different parts of the world, but a week before I was to leave, the school contacted me to say that I would be the only student in attendance. I loved to travel alone and jumped at the opportunity to receive personal training. When I arrived in Delhi, the sky was dark, and as the taxi drove me to my hotel, I saw people huddling next to small bonfires in the parking lot of the airport, in desperate attempts to keep warm. It was instantly clear that I had left the comforts of home far behind. I was alone in a strange and completely foreign land, and yet as the taxi bounced into the darkness, I had no sense of fear. I felt protected. The next day I woke to sounds of the Hindi language seeping through the wide gap in the bottom of my hotel door, and after a loud knock, I learned that the train that was supposed to take me on my long journey to the mountains was not in operation. A taxi whisked me to the private residence of my teacher, and it was from there that I traveled with my guru and a Swami through the vast lands of India. Jetlag had overcome me, but I groggily realized we had arrived at the Ganges River. The Swami with me was dressed in the traditional orange headdress. I watched in anticipation as I saw him remove it, kiss it, and my guru tossed it into the river along with a handful of coins he had me kiss. The Swami spoke to me for the first time and explained the spiritual power of the Ganges. This was my first glimpse at how powerful and spiritual my training would become.
Nina
After a slow and arduous drive to the institute, I sat on a spartan bed in a cold quiet room on the sixth floor of the seven-story facility built into the side of the mountain. This would be my home for the next several weeks. No TV. No books (except my assigned readings). No phone. I was in a world where the staff spoke Hindi, and I was reduced to communicating with gestures. Tourists and particularly Americans were rarely seen in this part of India.
My teacher told me of an old man from the south who wanted to visit the Mountain Institute who claimed to be a true yogi. In terms of the old man’s wisdom and skills in the yoga discipline, however, there could be no doubt. I had never met a healthier man with so much energy and zest for life. The old man was at least seventy, but he jumped and ran like a twenty year old. I smiled, with a deep understanding, when the yogi told me that he had traveled the long distance just to work with me; he had had a vision seven years prior that a student would arrive at this exact time and that it would be his mission to guide me. While working with this yogi, I studied Ayurveda, learning how to cleanse my body from the inside-out, how to quiet my mind, and how to cook and eat to help my emotions and energy stay in balance. I was learning to heal myself and to let my true self come to life. During this intense yoga training and spiritual self-examination, I found an inner peace (feeling my light within pulsate with pure loving energy). I came to know myself again, and what I wanted to do when I returned to the States was clear. I wanted to combine my love of yoga with my talents as a teacher. Through my own self-examination, I discovered that I had spent a lifetime denying who I was, and now I see the real me. And it is my life’s purpose to help others let their inner light shine. I smile with anticipation for our paths to cross. In love & light, Wendy |
