mañjarī मञ्जरी: a cluster of blossoms; a collection of stories or tales; a pearl (sanskritdictionary.com)
Om Shanti Om,
My name is Megan (Manjari), and I am so honored that you have chosen to visit this site! If you have the chance, please visit the Connect page and let me know…
What is your story? What brings you to yoga?
I believe that the sharing of stories is a balm for the spirits of both listener and teller. My story with yoga is that it has saved my life. Since I can remember, I have struggled with depression and anxiety, which led me into many self-destructive patterns and addictions as a teenager. During this time, a friend invited me to a yoga class at the local gym (and later on, yurt) led by a Kripalu instructor. Although I came infrequently at first, maybe every other week, there was something about the practice that stuck within my soul: a profound peace that I had not found in any of my desperate seeking.
Upon moving to NYC to attend college, I experimented with many different styles and studios. Although things with my mental health got worse before they got better, I always kept showing up. I held onto the hope that, if I could just find my way, one day I could help others by passing on what I had learned, and by honoring the story that each and every one of us has to share from a place of continual compassion. I knew I wanted to study and attend teacher training at Kripalu, the lineage that had been my personal introduction to yoga, which I did in 2015. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the word Kripalu actually means “compassion!”
Another facet of my story is my lifelong adoration of reading and writing, which pushed me to study literature at university. Through participating in volunteer writing workshops with the homeless and other diverse populations, I have witnessed the therapeutic power of creative writing to transmute trauma through reflective and self-expressive release. It has long been my dream to fuse my three passions (poetry, yoga, and compassionate community work) into holistic healing offerings combining mind, body and spirit.
Over 10 years later, health, wellness, and union with the divine are still very much everyday practices for me. I have continued to deepen my knowledge with study in various connected healing arts (listed in Offerings page). I remain ever a student, and forever humbled and grateful to all of the lineages and teachers that have blessed my life. In no particular order, infinite thanks to Lyndsay Fraser, Danielle Karuna, Sara Clark, Yoganand, Coby Kozlowski, Marisa Sullivan, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Integral Yoga Institute, Sivananda Vedanta Center, Jivamukti Yoga Center, Hari NYC, Yogashakti Yoga Center, Three Jewels NYC, Kula for Karma, Anneke Lucas and Liberation Prison Yoga, Dr. Naina Marballi and Ayurvedas World, Pranakriya School of Yoga Healing Arts, and a special thanks to Mati Suryananda for support with this site and reminders of the wisdom of the Buddha. I remain inspired on the path of love in the footsteps of my guru, Bapuji (Swami Kripalvanandaji, video below).
