Pat is teaching an all level Flow class on Fridays at 9:30 am. “Today when I stand in front of a yoga class, I feel I am standing on the shoulders of many teachers before me. I always feel blessed with the privilege of helping to pass on the grace and wisdom that is yoga.
I am the mother of two children, both of whom, I am lucky to say, live within 45 minutes of me. One is a gifted social worker. The other creates magic in furniture.
That means I get to have the luxury of time with my four grandchildren. What a gift! My own grandmothers helped form my life. I can only hope that I can be the same presence for my three granddaughters and one grandson. I certainly try.
I was raised in a large Cincinnati family of six children, one of whom died tragically in a road accident in his early twenties.
Family life in abundance, therefore, has helped shape my outlook on life.
In the 1960s, I felt a call to be of service. I joined VISTA (volunteers in service to America), now part of AmeriCorps. My brother was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tunisia, so I had some understanding of what full-time volunteering might entail. VISTA was called the domestic Peace Corps. I trained in Chicago, and was assigned to Appalachia and later to Spanish Harlem in Manhattan.
I also met my husband in VISTA and we have had a magical ride together (including lots of twists and turns) for over 44 years in Ohio, New York, Washington, DC, and California. I marvel at all that he has accomplished (www.statsky.blogspot.com) and am deeply grateful in his support of my journey of discovery.
Since I was a young teen I felt drawn to learn yoga but there were no classes for me in Cincinnati. In the early years of our marriage in New York City, 1968, I saw an ad for a yoga class. There I met Swami Satchidananda, the originator of Integral Hatha Yoga. I felt a dramatic awakening from my first encounter. I felt the physical challenge of yoga because I was stiff, yet left class feeling ecstatically happy. Little did I know then that yoga would breathe new joy into every aspect of my life. As it is still doing. Yoga has brought me strength and flexibility and helped me avoid back surgery. Yet, the most precious aspect of yoga for me is meditation.
In 1990 I met my Guru. The peace and calm gained from this practice is my life line.
In 1995 I began training as a yoga instructor and have completed other trainings as well, including Pre-natal, and Restorative, and Healing Arts such as REIKI.”
