“This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected
visitor. Welcome and entertain them all!” - Rumi
This poem struck a cord with me the first time I heard it. Life is like
a roller coaster and if we respond to all of the ups and downs with a welcome,
glad and open heart the ride is a lot more fun! I’ve had a good ride so
far including the many twists and turns.
My family and my roots are in the San Francisco Bay Area but I’ve been
fortunate enough to travel wide and far finding “home” where I am at
the time. Right now home is in Tokyo.
My Work: Coming full circle, I’m teaching English and this time
I’ve decided to quit resisting my natural talent as a teacher and embrace
it fully. My college students are adults mostly from Asian countries other
than Japan (www.sundaigaigo.ac.jp) Teaching is dynamic, challenging, and
rewarding. I enjoy the interaction among my students and getting to know
their personalities, struggles and triumphs. The cross-cultural exchange
is very stimulating and enlightening. I think I learn as much, if not more,
from my students as they do from me. Eventually, I plan to move from the
classroom into a cross-cultural experiential working environment that includes
conflict management and peace education. I’ve also had some new and fun
learning experiences in English language learning since I’ve been back
in Japan. Check out www.tatsujin-english.com
My Travels: My passion. I’ve lived in England and Japan and
have traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia (far and near), North
Africa, Oceania, and South America. It seems my life goes ‘round in four
year cycles. My first sojourn was in a 1953 Chevy pickup truck after high
school graduation. My friend and I put 12,000 miles on the rebuilt engine
going from San Francisco to Miami and back ? with only one break down!
After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, I headed for Europe and lived in
England on a work exchange program. Another four years later and a semi
career in advertising I headed to Japan. Things get fuzzy. My job took
me on over 30 international trips from Japan as a group leader for an English
language club based in Tokyo (www.club-aie.com). When it was time to leave
Japan in 1996 I sojourned on my own mostly throughout southern Europe,
India, Tibet and South East Asia for 18 months. I became an international
tour leader and trip planner (www.eldertreks.com and www.crossculturaljourneys.com)
and shared the joys, discovery, and wonderment of travel with others. Moss
doesn’t get a chance to grow too long on my feet and I returned to Japan
after another four years in the Bay Area.
My Yoga: My peace of mind. Unexpectedly, I was introduced to
Iyengar yoga on a trip to Bali in 1993. I was smitten. Unfortunately, my
attention span can be quite short and although yoga has been a part of
my life since then it has waxed and waned. I’ve spent time in meditation
retreats in India and Thailand and yoga resurfaced during these and other
periods but after a while it gets buried when the videos and tapes don’t
seem to be enough motivation. Then I had an awakening and decided to commit
myself to yoga and make it a part of my life. Suddenly, amazing things
began to unfold. In a short period of just six months I found a wonderful
studio in Tokyo, Sun
and Moon, and a catalyst for change in its owner, Leza Lowitz. I now
have a consistent daily practice, teach classes at Sundai and at Sun and
Moon and offer introductory yoga workshops through Workshop Land (www.workshopland.com).
It has been a wonderful internal as well as external journey that keeps
me grounded, focused, and light in times of darkness. The mental and spiritual
benefits of yoga are just as important, if not more so, than the physical
benefits. The union of mind, body and spirit (also one definition of yoga)
is an experience that no other exercise has been able to deliver. The beauty
of yoga is that its magic happens not only on the mat but in daily life
as well.
My Education: A continual process. I received a BA in Communication
Studies from the University of California in Santa Barbara. Currently,
I am in the Master’s program at Teacher’s College Columbia University
in Tokyo (TESOL/Teaching)(www.tc-japan.edu). Certifications include: White
Lotus Yoga Teacher Training in Santa Barbara (www.whitelotus.com), Introduction
to Teaching English as a Second Language from the Japan Times in Tokyo,
and International Tour Management Institute in San Francisco. Interests
include Japanese calligraphy, festivals, goddesses, travel writing, scuba
diving, mountain biking and hiking.
One of my favorite websites (and people) is Raphaella. www.heartfulart.com.
I agree with her and Henry DavidThoreau. “Go in the direction of your
dreams.”
