Zhi-ba Shing-ga Yoga Studio for Holistic Healing

I started my own business of holistic healing through yoga in February 2014. The focus of this business is healing of body, mind and spirit, relationships, and by extension, our world. I include meditation and mindfulness practices in each yoga class. In addition, I do Reiki treatments on an individual basis.
My history is that of being a nurse for 39 years, a Family Nurse Practitioner for 8 of those years. My experience as an APRN is in family medicine and psychiatry. I began a spiritual journey in 2012 to understand my own stress and how to improve the wellness of my patients. I was discouraged that all I seemed to accomplish was, at best, helping patients maintain their health through applying the Western standards of care, which nearly always included heavy reliance on medications. However, few patients made real strides toward improving health. I felt I was perpetuating a cycle of functioning illness, but not wellness.
In October, 2012, I went to spend a month at Plum Village in the South of France, the Buddhist Monastery of well-known Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh. My husband, Greg Dike, a Methodist Pastor, had encouraged me to study the writings of Thich Nhat Hanh to find new tools to calm my mind through meditation, along with my Christian practices of prayer and devotion to God. I read his book, Happiness, which includes short descriptions of all his teachings in one book. These meditations helped me a great deal, and at that point, my husband suggested I take the spiritual journey to Plum Village. It was life-changing to become immersed in meditation, learning how to live in the present moment, and the simple living practices of a monastery. I found the nuns and monks to be the kindest group of people I had ever known. I was privileged to hear Thich Nhat Hanh speak in person on eight occasions while there.
Next, I went to the Anand Prakash Ashram in Rishikesh, India, for two weeks. I had been practicing yoga since the year 2000, and loved the combination of physical activity in a gentle, meditative atmosphere. During that time, I became interested in becoming a yoga teacher. After working so many years in nursing, I had several spinal injuries, as most of us do. I was concerned that I would not be able to complete yoga teacher training, but it stayed in my mind.
In 2014, my family and I went to McLeod Ganj,in the Himalayas of India, the home of the Dalai Lama. It was for a two week visit. We expected the atmosphere there to be inspiring, and it was. There is a large community of Tibetan refugees, and it was inspiring to hear their stories. I was able to attend one of the Dalai Lama's appearances in his temple there, and heard him speak in person.
While in McLeod Ganj, I found the Kailash Tribal School for Yoga and Holistic Healing and took classes with Yogi Sivadas. The timing was perfect for starting a Yoga Teacher Training course, and it began the day after we were to return home. My husband Greg and I agreed it was the right time to stay and obtain authentic Indian yoga teacher training from a Yogi I respected. Physically, I took one day at a time, not knowing if my back would cooperate with 4 hours of yoga a day! But, the practice was gentle, and we were taught to always listen to our bodies and avoid pain and injury. I was able to complete the 10 week advanced yoga teacher training. My back pain improved immensely, which is encouraging to my students! I continue to teach Hatha yoga in the tradition that I was taught by Yogi Sivadas, "pain, no gain".
I feel so clear that all paths in my life brought me to this point, and that my calling now is to teach the vast world of yoga and holistic healing to the people in my area of Eastern Kentucky. I believe this is the answer to my concerns about people really having the tools to take charge of and improve their own health. I do not teach the use of pharmaceuticals or prescribe medications, although some need to take them, certainly. However, dependence on medications takes a back seat to the practices of yoga which treat body, mind and spirit naturally. In addition, I was trained in Ayurvedic Yoga therapy and Yogic management of common diseases. I emphasize proper nutrition as a key to all aspects of health.
I find great joy in being able to live this life and share it with others. I meet the most incredible people in my classes and have the privilege of practicing together with them. Nothing is more satisfying to me than to find that I have helped someone discover real healing.