"Green was the silence, wet was the light,
the month of June trembled like a butterfly..." 

Pablo Neruda, 

100 Love Sonnets 

Like many seekers, for many years I walked down the path of yoga without significant guidance. I had many wonderful teachers, a voracious desire for freedom (moksha), and an unquestioning faith (shruddha) that it was a worthwhile journey, but I always felt like the orphan who just has to make it on her own, and does, because of her pluck and will.

8 Limbs was born out of that will, and that faith, and a desire to form a community of others interested in the gifts that yoga offers. It was, and remains, a place where there is no one teacher, no one style, no singular way to do yoga.

Read the extended version of this letter on the 8 Limbs Blog.

Eventually there arose in me a hunger for a teacher, someone to guide me. I was ready. Within a year of putting that intention, or sankalpa, out there, I met the first of my two teachers, Shari Friedrichsen, in 1998. Shari offered me a way into the emotional possibilities of the practice, through the body. She had spent years in personal study and practice (sadhana), investigating her demons and patterns, and had come out the other side a shining beacon.

In 2003 I met Rod Stryker. Rod, who I now call Yogarupa out of respect, laid down the foundation of science that helped me understand the power of this practice like never before. He was also so clearly connected to his own teacher, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, and his teacher's teacher, the Himalayan Master Swami Rama. This powerful lineage traces back to Adi Shankaracharya, one of the greatest teachers in India's history.

I could feel the power, the Shakti, of these teachings. I was receiving oral transmission of practices and knowledge in an unbroken link from teacher to student over hundreds of years. It felt like grace, and magic, and relief.

A few years later I found out that Shari had become a student of Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, who is known by many as, simply, "Panditji." Both of my teachers had found their way to the same source. 

This month Panditji is coming to Seattle and I (and I hope many of you) will meet him for the first time. It is an incredible honor for 8 Limbs, and feels quite beyond words. He's been described to me as a teddy bear, and a storyteller, and a wise, wise man.

This past month I have had the amazing grace to spend extended time with both of my yoga teachers. It has strengthened in me the importance of transmission, of passing on these teachings from one human to another. Knowledge is power, and power is required for us to find and follow our path, our dharma. I hope you'll join us in welcoming my "grand teacher" to 8 Limbs at 7pm on June 22. The event is at the First Covenant Church, 400 E. Pike St. A full description can be found at the end of this newsletter. Click here to register. 

See you there!

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