Jean was one of the first teachers certified in the standards of the Yoga Alliance, an international registry of yoga teachers. Yoga Alliance came into being at the very start of our teacher training program with Narayani Schalk. She made sure that her newly formed school, All People Yoga, was certified according to the standards of YA and our curriculum was designed to fulfill their requirements.
Since then Jean has had much additional study. For years she studied Vedanta and Theosophy with a group of HImalayan yogis led by Rose Getz. She is an initiate of AHYMSIN, Association of Himalayan Yoga and Meditation Societies International. And in 2012 she traveled to Rishikesh, India in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains and sat at the feet of Swami Veda Bahrati and his Pandits for an additional 200 hours training.
Truly, the life of the Sadhu, or seeker, is one of never-ending self-awareness, study and sadhana, or spiritual practice. We make greater progress at some times and less at others. We make our best efforts during times of chaos and crisis. During these days as we practice Hatha and meditate we grow ever closer to equilibrium and can increase our physical compassion centers. Even in the ease of peaceful days we should never pause in our practice. In the words of Sri Swami Veda, “50% my effort. 50% Grace.”