Story Time, My Experience with Meditation

Going back in time, my story begins when I was around eight years old. I was a child who couldn’t sleep. I would sneak out of my home and sit beneath the moon, staring up at her. That year, I spent many nights meditating under the night sky. Eventually, my dad discovered I wasn’t sleeping, and he taught me a meditation technique that slowed the body, mind, and breath. Using that practice, I finally began to rest at night.

I was also highly allergic to animals. Often without my inhaler, I was forced to rely on slow, mindful breathing to stay conscious and make it through those constricted moments. They were terrifying, but also clarifying. I had to find singularity in the present moment, relax, and allow my body to take in more air. As challenging as they were, these experiences became my first and greatest teacher.

As time went on, my curiosity about meditation deepened. At eleven, I searched the early internet for anything related to meditation and psychic enhancement. I came across a few obscure blogs with royal blue pages, lime green text, and cheesy clip art from the early 2000s. Despite their outdated look, I found a meditation technique that I memorized and practiced regularly. I even began testing my telepathy with my sisters and friends.

At twelve, I was introduced to yoga through a summer health class project. We were asked to choose a topic, and I chose yoga. At home, we had a VHS tape featuring a serene man on a sand dune, gently guiding viewers through sun salutations. Between that tape and classes at the gym my family attended, I started to learn more. The teachers there turned out to be hidden gems. Their poetic guidance and use of Sanskrit felt incredibly rich despite the unassuming setting.

Through yoga, I began to connect with myself somatically. Using breath, I learned to move energy through my body and become more aware in each moment. Fully understanding presence took years, but these practices became the foundation of how I perceive the world.

Over time, my path with mindfulness was shaped by many experiences, including psychedelic journeys and visits to yoga and meditation studios. Each teacher offered a unique insight that unlocked something within me, deepening my connection to myself and the world around me.

At twenty, I began studying Kundalini meditation through a teacher named Anmol. His teachings were pivotal, and I started having consistent prophetic dreams. That same year, I attended singing workshops, exploring how sound could tone the chakras and move blocked energy through the body. I experienced firsthand how powerful sound can be in shifting internal states.

As I outgrew my town, my sister and I set out on a rambling journey that opened even more doors. During that time, I had a near-death experience while meditating at a world rainbow gathering near Palenque, Mexico. On 12-11-2012, I lost my sight, hearing, bodily control, and consciousness, alone in the back row of an outdoor class. I still don’t fully understand what happened, but in that moment, I believed I was dying and consciously accepted death.

A week later, in Piste, Mexico, I attended a breathwork class with about thirty people. We were guided through rhythmic breathing for forty minutes, and it felt as though my nervous system was cleansed of the trauma it had been holding. During that trip, I met wise elders, and small words and synchronicities aligned in ways that felt almost impossible to explain.

After meeting many strange and beautiful characters throughout Northern California, I eventually settled into massage school in Santa Cruz in 2014. There, I learned to work with people’s energy both through touch and subtle awareness. This is also when I became deeply committed to herbalism, expanding my knowledge of both growing and preparing plant medicine.

After school, I lived at a hot springs retreat community, where I connected with teachers from many different paths. In a cob yoga dome, I experienced sound healings and classes that continued to awaken both my mind and body.

I am now 35, and over time I have refined my understanding of meditation and yoga, drawing from many different traditions and teachers. My interest in the soul, mind, and breath has been a lifelong pursuit.

If you are curious why I might be a good fit to guide you, I hope this offers some insight into my path. At the end of the day, we are all practicing. I believe all rivers meet the same ocean.