Reciprocity and Service: Honoring a Lifetime of Wisdom
Growing up in an intentional community shaped every layer of my personal and professional identity. The foundation of this community was not just its philosophy or its communal resources, but the people—a vibrant arrayof passionate baby boomers who were at the center of a grand experiment in living and relating. As those adults aged, our community landscape subtly transformed, and this gradual shifting of generations became a critical influence in my own path as a wellness practitioner, yoga therapist and Thai massage therapist.
From early childhood, I was surrounded by an atmosphere of warmth, curiosity, and an abiding commitment to honest, skillful communication. Relationships were not a sidebar—they were the heart of communal life. I learned to value connection over competition, meaningful interaction over small talk, and collective joy over individual achievement. In this environment, it became impossible to ignore how my "communal family"—a constellation of loving mentors and peers—was evolving as age increasingly became a central reality for many.
A Calling to Serve
My decision to dedicate my work to older adults, seniors and people with disabilities emerged organically from this tapestry of lived experience. I watched them navigate the transitions of later life: physical changes, shifts in purpose, and the reckonings that aging brings. The beauty of communal living was that we witnessed—intimately—each other's vulnerability, resilience, and need for support. People there offered steadfast and genuine support to one another—rallying around those in need with practical help, open-hearted listening, and a shared commitment to each other’s wellbeing—creating a culture where trust, care, and true belonging flourished. I felt, and still feel, a deep responsibility to reciprocate the care, wisdom, and example I received from the elders who shaped my world.
One of the defining features of my adolescence was my introduction to yoga by several community members who served as my informal mentors and guides. At the tender age of 13, I found myself stepping into a twice-weekly yoga classes at the local YMCA, where I would later have my first on-going teaching position. The classes were always multigenerational—sometimes two or three generations unrolling their mats side by side. I was the youthful, flexible, and energetic participant, surrounded by elders who moved with slow, deliberate intention—receiving thoughtful guidance and adjustments from the teacher— and everyone else at every stage in between.
What touched me most was not any physical feat of flexibility or strength, but the quality of presence in the room. The older adults—some of which were the original baby boomers who had founded the community—brought a calm, grounded energy that felt almost magnetic. In their company, I felt safe and welcomed. They made room for my teenage awkwardness and emotional turbulence without judgment, offering instead a model of gracious self-acceptance. The yoga sessions transcended exercise; they became a container for connection across generations, a living demonstration that community can be a multigenerational web rather than a cluster of age-based silos.
Witnessing Aging
As time passed, I witnessed those older adults facing new challenges—aches, injuries, the loss of peers, and the cultural invisibility that often accompanies aging. My perspective shifted from simply being nourished by their presence to wanting to become a resource and advocate for them. This calling only intensified after my own life-changing accident, which brought a profound new awareness of the body’s fragility and resilience. Healing my own body, with guidance from both ancient practices and contemporary therapies, deepened my empathy and equipped me with tools I felt compelled to share especially with those entering elderhood. Pursuing formal training in yoga therapy further expanded my understanding and skills, enabling me to offer tailored, compassionate care that addresses the unique physical and emotional needs of older adults.
Supporting Holistic Wellness for Elders
My work provides seniors with compassionate, holistic care that addresses their unique physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. I promote health and well-being by addressing an individual’s specific physical, mental, and emotional needs through tailored yoga postures, breathwork, meditation, and lifestyle management I help older adults improve mobility, reduce chronic pain, and enhance overall well-being. Beyond the physical benefits, my approach fosters a deep sense of connection, calm, and self-acceptance, empowering seniors to embrace aging with dignity and resilience. By creating a supportive space where they feel seen and valued, I aim to enrich their quality of life and inspire a renewed sense of vitality and purpose.
Serving older adults and other vulnerable populations is more than professional work for me—it’s an act of reciprocity, a way of honoring the interdependence that I learned was possible within intentional community. It is a privilege to offer support for mind, body, and spirit to those who, in so many ways, first modeled for me what authentic, pleasure-filled, and purposeful living might look like across a lifetime. Every class I teach, every massage I offer, and every retreat I lead is in some way an echo of the multigenerational circles of my youth, where wisdom and care flowed freely in both directions.