Growing up I had never heard of yoga or meditation. I was brought up in a Unitarian Parish as was reasonably decided by my Jewish Mother and Italian/Catholic Father. There I learned the importance of acceptance and a concept of oneness. I also became aware of the absence of any teachings about direct spiritual connection.
When I was 10 years old, my younger sister died suddenly. This brought up many unanswered questions, but more importantly, it set me wondering how to feel safe and connected in this life. Other family tragedies occurred and made me more aware of what seemed to me the impermanence of all things. I studied western philosophy looking for answers. It had the effect of generating more unanswered questions.
After years of poor decision making and useless “self-soothing” addictive behavior, I found myself dying of an autoimmune disease just after my 30th birthday. Seeking a solution I found the meditation practices of yoga. Yoga Nidra balanced me and allowed me to regain my health physically and mentally. It also opened a dormant part of me. I wanted to know how this all worked and if there were peace and purpose to be found. Read more about how Yoga Nidra saved my life here.
I studied Yoga and Buddhism in different traditions. I studied with a Mukunda Stiles who helped me open the gates to spiritual perception through direct experience and intellectual study. He gave me the great gift of asking me to fuse seemingly contradictory teachings into a coherent narrative. During this time I had large experiences that showed me just how limited my perception had been. In addition to continuing my meditation practice and personally evolving, I began to see clients as a yoga therapist. This eventually evolved into having meditation students.
As a practitioner, I have had many of the experiences one might read about in regards to meditation. Big openings, huge Samadis. Months of distress hopelessness anger and sadness. I have been bored with my practice, I have found great solace in practice. Today I am at a place of continued evolution and relative peace.
As a teacher and yoga therapist, I have seen so many others go through the same process of lessening their suffering through expanding their perception. No two people are exactly the same, but there are similarities. The teachings shared with me have been invaluable in helping others onto the path of evolution.
So now I am happy to share these teachings through the filter of my own and so many others experiences in what I hope is a clear organized flexible system that will be of benefit to all who choose it.
May we all find peace today,
Brandt Passalaqua
Director and Lead Teacher, Breathing Deeply
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