Laura’s first grace was to be born under the astrological sign of Taurus the Bull, keeping her steadily plodding toward her goals no matter what the picadors of the world might throw at her. Her second was to find Yoga.

Laura’s Yoga initiation took place in the basement of a Brooklyn gym, where she begrudgingly took a class at the urgings of various friends, seeking respite from chronic back pain due to scoliosis. The heroine of our story, very practical and down-to-earth, neither seeking nor particularly interested in spirituality, began to sense that within this system were answers to questions she didn’t even know she wanted to ask. She tried to fight it, but to no avail. “Ugh! Next thing you know, I’m going to become a vegetarian and wear flowery clothes!” she exclaimed in disdain.

The reality of this path, with its potential to fill in the holes left by a lifetime of competing, striving, and amassing, compelled her to complete a teacher training course, despite being utterly convinced that she had nothing to teach. Her practice deepened but she was left feeling that she had learned all that she could from her present teachers and her attention was drawn toward the East.

In 2003, she gave up her home, sold everything she owned, packed a bag, and moved to Asia. She traveled in India, Thailand, and Vietnam, and in early 2005 she found Agama. Though impressed by Swami Vivekananda’s logical, practical, and un-New Agey approach to spirituality, she was reticent to plunge into the school headlong and took Swami’s advice to try the practice and let that speak for itself. She returned to Vietnam and did just that: practice. After a few months of heartfelt effort, she began to see changes in mind and spirit hitherto unimagined and she realized that she had found what she had been seeking.

In late 2005 she rejoined Agama and has been part of the school ever since. She began teaching in early 2007. There aren’t words to express her gratitude and devotion to the Yoga system, to Swami, and to God for what she has had the grace and privilege to learn at Agama. She is also humbled by the opportunity to share what she has learned with others.

Laura has been a vegetarian since 2003, but to date has no flowery clothes. Her favorite practices are Hatha Yoga and Tantra.