General Background
I have explored various education and career paths.
Including working as a certified nursing tech at various bay area hospitals while considering R.N. education ( I decided to pass on a R.N. career ).
I also completed a training program as a Private Investigator through L. Scott Harrell,
along with taking his Bounty Hunter course.
Through the Conservation Corps North Bay I took a couple organic farming classes and worked at the College of Marin organic farm & garden.
Received training & certification in phlebotomy.
Completed and passed an Advanced First Aid / First Responder class at the College of Marin.
Worked in jewelry production and burnishing in my early 20s at Jody Coyote Jewelry.
Among others.
The meditative embodiment arts have been a core passion, inspiration & path of service since I was a teenager.
It, and open authenticity - honesty is what I am motivated by and respect as beneficial, natural ways of enriching my own health, awareness & growth. Of being of service for people who are actively respecting & caring for their embodying, healthy nature.
And of contributing positively to life overall.
Since the late 1980s, I have involved myself in self-motivated & formal learning of
various wellness & massage arts.
My inspiration for learning embodied wellness arts arose partly from having been born 3 months premature. A complication of which included being born with a congenital heart defect resulting in
4 open heart surgeries.
These, other experiences & my prioritizing honesty, freedom, true equality of rights balanced by equal unbiased honest investigation, responsibility & accountability, harmony & love contribute to my respect & support of healthy, honest & appreciative living and relating.
Including working as a certified nursing tech at various bay area hospitals while considering R.N. education ( I decided to pass on a R.N. career ).
I also completed a training program as a Private Investigator through L. Scott Harrell,
along with taking his Bounty Hunter course.
Through the Conservation Corps North Bay I took a couple organic farming classes and worked at the College of Marin organic farm & garden.
Received training & certification in phlebotomy.
Completed and passed an Advanced First Aid / First Responder class at the College of Marin.
Worked in jewelry production and burnishing in my early 20s at Jody Coyote Jewelry.
Among others.
The meditative embodiment arts have been a core passion, inspiration & path of service since I was a teenager.
It, and open authenticity - honesty is what I am motivated by and respect as beneficial, natural ways of enriching my own health, awareness & growth. Of being of service for people who are actively respecting & caring for their embodying, healthy nature.
And of contributing positively to life overall.
Since the late 1980s, I have involved myself in self-motivated & formal learning of
various wellness & massage arts.
My inspiration for learning embodied wellness arts arose partly from having been born 3 months premature. A complication of which included being born with a congenital heart defect resulting in
4 open heart surgeries.
These, other experiences & my prioritizing honesty, freedom, true equality of rights balanced by equal unbiased honest investigation, responsibility & accountability, harmony & love contribute to my respect & support of healthy, honest & appreciative living and relating.
Meditative Embodiment Background.
I began practicing foundational martial arts & meditation as a teenager in 1987. In 1989 I began Tai Chi, Qigong, Zhan Zhuang, Baguazhang & Wing Chun practice with Sifu David Leung in Eugene, Oregon. Eventually focusing on Tai Chi & Zhan Zhuang qigong as my main practice. During this time I was also studying / practicing various massage and energy-based healing arts , yoga and dance on my own, with practice & class groups and established practitioners & teachers.
From 1998 - 2001 in Eugene, Oregon, I taught Tai Chi Qigong and Zhan Zhuang classes to the public.
In 2002 I moved to the San Francisco Bay area. And also continued my learning & practice of Yiquan, Zhan Zhuang, Qigong & Tai Chi through attending classes from Fong Ha in Berkeley, Ca for a few years. While I did not approach my time with him to become an official teacher of Fong Has'
( or any other system or individuals ) lineage, rather to compliment my own independent learning & focus of the arts, I appreciate & respect his kindness & skill. And how my time with him has also enriched my own individual exploration & growth in being, practice & teaching - sharing of zhan zhuang and tai chi qigong.
Currently I am teaching Tai Chi Qigong & Zhan Zhuang classes in Marin.
Massage Background.
In early 1990s I completed & was certified in Reiki 1 & 2.
And Pranic Healing in 2001.
In 2004 I first formalized my massage experience by becoming a certified massage therapist through LifeStream Massage School in Napa, Ca..
Training included Deep Tissue, Swedish, Reflexology, Anatomy, Chair Massage and other courses.
In 2005 I completed a Thai massage course at McKinnon Institute.
Between 2006 - 2009 I completed an additional 500+ hours of additional training at The Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, Ca.. Courses of study included Shiatsu, Anatomy & Histology, Acupressure, CranioSacral, Thai Massage, Lomi Lomi, Tui Na, Myofascial, Sports and other modalities ).
Completed & passed Emergency First Responder / Advanced First Aid course at College of Marin.
The cumulative years I attended & learned from many different massage schools. courses & teachers, along with my own ongoing self motivated study, learning & growth, naturally contribute to expanding my awareness & appreciation. Both of massage methods and of the diversity of perspectives, methods, defaults of appreciation, openness & ways of viewing & healthfully relating to our human body, wellness & consciousness.
Some teachers I studied with were very formal, clinical and cerebral.
Some were very focused on physical therapy, rehabilitative and fitness performance. With a strong anatomical focus. Especially utilizing deep tissue, sports, myofascial, pnf & related methods.
Some women & men teachers were very earthy, affirming natural sensual, nurturing and shame free ways of being & relating. A few of the women teachers actively promoted openly inclusively nurturing, accepting ways of viewing the human body, nurturing & massage which I initially felt challenged my own personal inhibitions, comfort & judgements at the time.
Growing to appreciate varied perspectives, ways of being, relating & supporting unitive wellness even when seemingly different from ones own comfort zones of understanding, familiarity and preferences is part of being & relating honestly, lovingly and respectfully.
This is part of maturing & respecting diversity. Not oppressively expecting or demanding life and everyone mind read & default to ones own limits of appreciation, comfort, boundaries and understanding.
For personal relating in any context, of course we have a right to have our personal boundaries & preferences respected as long as we own our responsibility for proactively and responsively honestly directly stating such clearly to whoever we relate with before expecting them to know & thereby respect such equally, so that they can and are not passive aggressively or directly mislead.
As long as we equally respect ways of being, relating & supporting wellness both similar and different from our own preferences, comfort & familiarity.
This foundation of mutual respect, honesty & appreciation also nourishes a deepening root of trustworthiness, love, empathy & integrity in us and how we relate with each other & life overall.
Since my original training in these arts, I have been providing massage as a wellness support for people at my office. And at spas, a hospital, for corporate & event massage at businesses such as Google, Microsoft, Intel, Bloomspot, various high school, college & city parks events
and other locations.
And Pranic Healing in 2001.
In 2004 I first formalized my massage experience by becoming a certified massage therapist through LifeStream Massage School in Napa, Ca..
Training included Deep Tissue, Swedish, Reflexology, Anatomy, Chair Massage and other courses.
In 2005 I completed a Thai massage course at McKinnon Institute.
Between 2006 - 2009 I completed an additional 500+ hours of additional training at The Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, Ca.. Courses of study included Shiatsu, Anatomy & Histology, Acupressure, CranioSacral, Thai Massage, Lomi Lomi, Tui Na, Myofascial, Sports and other modalities ).
Completed & passed Emergency First Responder / Advanced First Aid course at College of Marin.
The cumulative years I attended & learned from many different massage schools. courses & teachers, along with my own ongoing self motivated study, learning & growth, naturally contribute to expanding my awareness & appreciation. Both of massage methods and of the diversity of perspectives, methods, defaults of appreciation, openness & ways of viewing & healthfully relating to our human body, wellness & consciousness.
Some teachers I studied with were very formal, clinical and cerebral.
Some were very focused on physical therapy, rehabilitative and fitness performance. With a strong anatomical focus. Especially utilizing deep tissue, sports, myofascial, pnf & related methods.
Some women & men teachers were very earthy, affirming natural sensual, nurturing and shame free ways of being & relating. A few of the women teachers actively promoted openly inclusively nurturing, accepting ways of viewing the human body, nurturing & massage which I initially felt challenged my own personal inhibitions, comfort & judgements at the time.
Growing to appreciate varied perspectives, ways of being, relating & supporting unitive wellness even when seemingly different from ones own comfort zones of understanding, familiarity and preferences is part of being & relating honestly, lovingly and respectfully.
This is part of maturing & respecting diversity. Not oppressively expecting or demanding life and everyone mind read & default to ones own limits of appreciation, comfort, boundaries and understanding.
For personal relating in any context, of course we have a right to have our personal boundaries & preferences respected as long as we own our responsibility for proactively and responsively honestly directly stating such clearly to whoever we relate with before expecting them to know & thereby respect such equally, so that they can and are not passive aggressively or directly mislead.
As long as we equally respect ways of being, relating & supporting wellness both similar and different from our own preferences, comfort & familiarity.
This foundation of mutual respect, honesty & appreciation also nourishes a deepening root of trustworthiness, love, empathy & integrity in us and how we relate with each other & life overall.
Since my original training in these arts, I have been providing massage as a wellness support for people at my office. And at spas, a hospital, for corporate & event massage at businesses such as Google, Microsoft, Intel, Bloomspot, various high school, college & city parks events
and other locations.
Maturity, honesty, empathy & karma.
For those of us who are honest & loving, we can not change or accept responsibility for the choices of people who abusively negatively project, misleadingly passive aggressively & / or directly lie, falsely accuse, steal, ghost & are in additional ways abusive, dishonest - untrustworthy & unloving.
We can be open - provide opportunities for such people to grow up and communicate & relate mutually respectfully directly openly honestly, appreciatively & reliably trustworthy.
Not as an attachment to them personally, but as an affirming reminder for people of the importance of integrity, honesty, empathy & love💙.
That doesn't mean people will choose to appreciate, respect & embody in how they relate with us & generally, this foundationally integral, mature, honest, appreciative way of being & relating.
Many continue passive aggressively & directly lying to themselves & others, ghosting, being hypocritical & dismissive in attempt to excuse their narcissistic, dishonest, negative projecting, flaky, unloving ways of being - relating.
But as long as we choose to be, communicate & relate openly honestly, do not passive aggressively or directly lie, falsely accuse or ghost people, are loving intentioned & reliable with our word, plans & agreements, we are doing our part to be integral & loving.
We are doing our part for the co-creation of mutual understanding, respect, healthy, honest, harmonious ways of being & relationships.
The negative karma people earn for themselves by relating in abusive lying, flaky unloving ways is their own they will have to deal with.
Those of us who are honest, loving intentioned and mean and do what we say, are not responsible for nor obligated to try to fix or take on others negative karma in any ways.
We can be open to exemplifying & being affirming of truly trustworthy, openly honest, reliable communicating & relating.
And we can be trusting & generously open in relating with people who meet us with integrity, reliability, honesty & appreciation as a core part of their being & therefore also in their relating with us & generally.
* In support of ways of being & relating which are healthier, more honest & loving than what is normalized in much of society and many peoples choices, I have also created a website where I share posts affirming honesty & appreciation.
And am considering writing a book about this subject as well.
For those of you who are interested, the website is AppreciationAndHonesty.com
For those of us who are honest & loving, we can not change or accept responsibility for the choices of people who abusively negatively project, misleadingly passive aggressively & / or directly lie, falsely accuse, steal, ghost & are in additional ways abusive, dishonest - untrustworthy & unloving.
We can be open - provide opportunities for such people to grow up and communicate & relate mutually respectfully directly openly honestly, appreciatively & reliably trustworthy.
Not as an attachment to them personally, but as an affirming reminder for people of the importance of integrity, honesty, empathy & love💙.
That doesn't mean people will choose to appreciate, respect & embody in how they relate with us & generally, this foundationally integral, mature, honest, appreciative way of being & relating.
Many continue passive aggressively & directly lying to themselves & others, ghosting, being hypocritical & dismissive in attempt to excuse their narcissistic, dishonest, negative projecting, flaky, unloving ways of being - relating.
But as long as we choose to be, communicate & relate openly honestly, do not passive aggressively or directly lie, falsely accuse or ghost people, are loving intentioned & reliable with our word, plans & agreements, we are doing our part to be integral & loving.
We are doing our part for the co-creation of mutual understanding, respect, healthy, honest, harmonious ways of being & relationships.
The negative karma people earn for themselves by relating in abusive lying, flaky unloving ways is their own they will have to deal with.
Those of us who are honest, loving intentioned and mean and do what we say, are not responsible for nor obligated to try to fix or take on others negative karma in any ways.
We can be open to exemplifying & being affirming of truly trustworthy, openly honest, reliable communicating & relating.
And we can be trusting & generously open in relating with people who meet us with integrity, reliability, honesty & appreciation as a core part of their being & therefore also in their relating with us & generally.
* In support of ways of being & relating which are healthier, more honest & loving than what is normalized in much of society and many peoples choices, I have also created a website where I share posts affirming honesty & appreciation.
And am considering writing a book about this subject as well.
For those of you who are interested, the website is AppreciationAndHonesty.com
