My story and the evolution of what became Rasa Yoga Experiment

Stella's work was rooted in the coaching she received from Constantine Stanislavski during her time in Paris.  Stanislavski drew heavily upon sensory and emotional memory voicing the text.  Stanislavski's own study of yoga and meditation inspired his use of "the art of experiencing" and the concept of "I am being." 
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In 1974, I began to teach yoga, having trained with Katya Delakova in her program, "The Art of Moving" which she taught in tandem with Dr. Erich Fromm in his "The Art of Loving" retreats in Switzerland. At the same time, I was encouraged by Stella and the highly regarded pianist and teacher, Seymour Bernstein (see Ethan Hawke's documentary, "Introducing Seymour,") to apply to a four-year conservatory training in acting at Purchase College School of the Arts. 

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During my four years at Purchase, I was mentored by Joan Potter, a remarkable actress and teacher.  Joan's background was with the Actors' Studio.  The Actors' Studio and Stella's studio used different interpretations of Stanislavski's system.  At times I was uncomfortable with Joan's philosophy and direction.  This discomfort created an opportunity to question my attachments to any spiritual, artistic and intellectual biases I held.  This was enormously freeing.  
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At Purchase I encountered the voice technique of Kristin Linklater, a psycho-physical discovery process of the places where sound and emotion live in the body.  Her work is called, "Freeing the Natural Voice."  For me it was  an even deeper exploration into the resonances of memory.  I continued to teach yoga, both through a work-study program at Purchase and, also, by commuting into Manhattan to work with private students, including Samuel Barber, the American composer.  
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Shortly after graduating from Purchase, I was hired as an actor by Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, Massachusetts where we lived and performed at Edith Wharton's,  "Berkshire Cottage,"  The Mount.  Kristin Linklater was the co-founder of and voice mentor to Shakespeare and Company.  During my time with the company, I had direct experience of Kristin.  Her brilliance, the depth and breadth of her knowledge was astounding.  
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Next, I made a big change and moved across Lenox into the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.  At Kripalu, I embraced the practices of atithi (receiving the guest with respect and highest regard) and seva (selfless service with no expectation of compensation, praise, or even gratitude.)  Eventually I became a co-director of our program, "Health for Life."  It was a month-long immersion in yogic lifestyle for persons with life-threatening or chronic diseases.  We also worked in coordination with the AIDS Action Coalition in Boston to offer small retreats for persons in the HIV and AIDS community. At Kripalu I was introduced to ayurveda, an ancient science of healing disease with food, herbs, mantra and yoga.  
 
In the spring of 1990, I left Kripalu and moved back to NYC, initially to pursue a study of ayurveda in England.  However, my plans changed when I was diagnosed with HIV.  A close friend, Laura Glenn-Hershey, hired me to create a yoga program for dancers at her summer dance festival in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Laura taught dance at the Juilliard School and her festival drew dancers from Juilliard and around the world.  At the dance festival I introduced sounding practices into my yoga classes.  There was an immediate and enthusiastic reception from the dancers, and, as a result, I taught yoga for dancers and musicians at Juilliard for several years.  My teaching at the dance festival coalesced all my previous trainings and practices.  This was deepened even more when I began to study ayurveda with Maya Tiwari and her Wise Earth School of Ayurveda.  Maya's sadhanas (wholesome practices) of food, breath and sound, and her teachings of cognitive memory are singular. At the same time, I pursued trainings in cranial-sacral therapy, a certification training in Polarity Therapy, and direct experience of Sri Shyam Bhatnagar and his work Inner Tuning. It was during those years that I gave my work the name, "Rasa."  In ayurveda, rasa is the first constituent tissue of the body.  Biologically, rasa is the blood plasma and chyle.  Spiritually, rasa signifies joy.  The integrity of all other bodily tissues depend upon the health of the joy tissue.  All things reduced to their essence are joy.

 

 

My dear friends, Lance and Neila Wyman introduced Austrian photographer, Renate Graf and German artist, Anselm Kiefer to me and to Rasa Yoga.  Afterward, in summers, I traveled to the south of France to teach Renate and Anselm at their home and studios in Barjac.  
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Now, years later, after a hiatus from teaching, I look back over the evolution and development of Rasa Yoga and appreciate the rich tapestry of this practice.  As I look back over the course of my life, I appreciate the extraordinary people I've had the opportunity to know.  In 2016, I traveled to Orkney, Scotland, where Kristin Linklater had returned home.  At her voice center in Orkney, I renewed studies with her  because now, living with Parkinson's Disease, I wanted to address some vocal degeneration I experienced as a symptom of this disease.  With the humming practice of Rasa Yoga and further study of "Freeing the Natural Voice," I have been successful in reversing these symptoms.
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Since the "Health for Life" programs and studies of ayurveda, Rasa Yoga evolved into a practice of self-care.  Students who came to Rasa with physical and mental health issues began to notice positive changes in their conditions. Emotional memories stored in the cells of the body and recesses of the mind were transmuted in the digestive fires of yoga and in the free, natural expression of each individual's personal sound allowing significant improvements in mind and body. 
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My intention with Rasa Yoga Experiment is to awaken the wisdom of the heart, respect the intelligence of the gut, to give voice to pure awareness and to re-awaken joy. 
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The experiment continues to unfold.