Still, listen, I swear, I have not set one word down
on top of another without
breathing into it!
-Mary Oliver
The relationship matters
– with oneself – with others – with events in history – with nature – with the world of ideas.
And yes, to the things of the spirit.
-bell hooks
on top of another without
breathing into it!
-Mary Oliver
The relationship matters
– with oneself – with others – with events in history – with nature – with the world of ideas.
And yes, to the things of the spirit.
-bell hooks
Along with my work as a writer and a full-time English professor at Pasadena City College, I am a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200) and an ACE certified personal trainer, and I am currently pursuing a second Master's degree in Kinesiology, with a focus on Integrated Wellness.
Many people ask me how I can manage to stay focused on my writing – for me, the answer is yogic movement and breathwork. Mindful practices (like seated/standing yoga poses, gentle movement, energetic focus, and deep breathing) offer a calming approach to the relationship between the body and the mind, and they can encourage a state of creative “flow” that can help students of all talents and abilities who are struggling with writer’s block or who simply don’t have the time or space to create. As a registered yoga teacher and creative writing instructor, I lead students through a very gentle seated and standing yoga practice, focused meditation, and writing, so that they can create from a place of joy, rather than suffering.
Here’s a sampling of the my offerings over the years:
- Monday, May 13, 2019, Speaker on Health and Wellness Career Panel, hosted by the PCC Robert G. Freeman Center for Career and Completion
Saturday, May 26, 2018, 1pm-3:30pm: Breath for Words: A Generative Writing Space, Workshop at Yoga Blend, Burbank, California Sign up here! - May 18, 2018: Presented on Mindfulness in Higher Education for Pasadena City College English Division spring retreat, included meditation
- January-February 2018: Breath For Words: A Generative Writing Space, five yoga and writing sessions offered to private clients
- December 6, 2017, Seated and Standing Yoga, Pasadena City College CalWORKs Program for students who are parents who have children eighteen and under
- Fall 2017-Spring 2018: Pasadena City College, Taught four sections of English 1A (Reading and Composition), themed “Researching Mindfulness,” for students interested in critically evaluating mindfulness and its connections to education, STEM/Health careers, and social justice; students explore historical roots of contemplative practices, investigate issues related to the commodification, appropriation, and simplification of practices rooted in Eastern traditions, reflect on first-person mindful experiences, research scientific studies related to trauma, healing, and social justice
- August 2017: Presented on Mindfulness in Higher Education for Pasadena City College Stretch Accelerated Composition (STACC) Program Conference on Student Equity
- 2017-2018: Completed sabbatical research on Mindfulness in Higher Education at Pasadena City College
- 2014-2015: Presented on Mindfulness to Reduce Stress (On Both Sides of the Desk), included seated and standing yoga, for Professional Development Day on Growth Mindset & Equity, for APL (Professional Learning Series), and for Nursing Faculty and Staff (invited by Student Health and Wellness)
- 2012-2017: Advisor and teacher for Pasadena City College Yoga and Meditation Club/ Group (sponsored by PCC Student Health and Wellness), with Professor Ling O’Conner and Professor Sherine Adeli
- Offered weekly yoga classes, all free to students, staff, and faculty
- March 2013 and 2014: PCC Yoga and Meditation Club Spring Retreat at Monrovia Canyon Conference Center, co-taught with Professor Ling O’Conner
- December 2013: PCC Relaxation Week, offered in conjunction with the Shatford Library and the PCC Psychology Club
- Spring 2012: Attended the International Symposia for Contemplative Studies, organized by the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society in Denver, Colorado, discussed practical ways to integrate contemplative practices in institutions of higher education (contemplativeresearch.org).