The Beginning
Since I was a little girl growing up in Kansas City, I have been deeply curious about life. By the time I was an adolescent, I was intensely exploring the many paths life had to offer. I struggled at times to find what I was looking for in those years. I faced some severe challenges as I continued my journey and learned a tremendous amount about myself in the process. At the root of my activities and exploration was an unquenchable curiosity and thirst to experience the most from life. I knew there had to be more.
Discovering Yoga
In 2006, I participated in a month-long yoga asana teacher training at the Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA. At that training I experienced a profound energetic awakening: an unexplainable stir of energy in my body. The following January, I found myself on a trip to India. It was during this trip that the energy I first felt six months earlier intensified, culminating into an awakening on both a subtle and intellectual level. I knew that what was awakening was not something I could decipher on my own. I had to find a teacher.
I spent the next two years diving into my yoga asana practice in Austin, TX as this was the closest experience of going deeper inside myself that I had access to at that time. I read books in various spiritual and yogic traditions and met a variety of teachers while taking seriously my commitment to not jump into just any practice and teachings that came along.
In 2008 I met my teacher, Paul Muller-Ortega. Shortly after, I took up formal practice and studied with Paul in his school of meditation, Blue Throat Yoga. Paul teaches the elegant, sophisticated and effortless practice of Neelakantha Meditation. Since that day, I have practiced my Neelakantha Meditation with fervent commitment. I have also immersed myself in deep study of the Kashmir Shaiva tradition and the theory that informs the practice of Neelakantha Meditation.
Teaching
In 2016, I became an Authorized Teacher of Neelakantha Meditation. Since that time, I have been sharing this practice and knowledge with individuals in the US and abroad.
In 2017 and 2018, I had the good fortune to co-teach the foundational course of advanced study in Blue Throat Yoga, Entering the Heart of Shiva and the bridge course to the next level, Indra Dhanu.
I strive to teach from a place of humor, sweetness, love and deep experience as a result of my own commitment to practicing Neelakantha Meditation. This gives me the unique perspective to distill and convey the relevance of the ancient teachings of this tradition in our modern daily lives. I have found that when I hold myself in this lighthearted yet deep space, I am best able to support others as they take their first steps in learning this beautiful meditation practice that allows us to traverse deep inside ourselves.
Neelakantha is the meditation I didn’t know I’ve been waiting for my whole life. This simple style really works and I’m finally able to focus after a lifetime of restlessness. I’m hooked! Catherine is an exceptionally joyful, compassionate, and knowledgeable teacher. Invest your time and energy into this meditation and witness the transformation. It’s worth it!
I have been practicing Neelakantha meditation after being taught by Catherine in 2017. Before that time, I never felt successful or like I understood meditation. What I learned from practicing with Catherine in the Neelakantha style was to let go of my idea of perfection. Meditation is not about clearing my mind or about having certain expectations of myself or the experience. I learned to be in the moment of the meditation instead of being distracted by judging myself and the experience I was having. I learned that ANY experience during my meditation is relevant. I found a calmness and clarity that I’ve been able to take into the world. It’s a tool I can come back to day-in and day-out and has been hugely influential in the way I relate to myself and the world. The way Catherine helped me understand this style of meditation is clear, accessible and thought-provoking.
“I have tried to incorporate meditation into my life for years. I have worked with meditation coaches, apps, and yoga meditation classes to no avail. I just knew it would be a different experience for me learning meditation through Catherine. Her energy and passion for her teaching are both infectious and calming. Catherine helped me to slow down, focus and take the practice and myself less seriously. I have been able to incorporate this into my life and it has helped me immensely. I look forward to the time to myself where I can just be, and as hard as it is to find those quiet moments, it is important to me, so I try my best to do it. Catherine is always available for additional help, questions and support. I highly recommend working with Catherine.”