From Yoga Teacher to Coach to Clergy

For many years now, I have been writing and sharing online about the changes and transitions that I have gone through in my professional and personal life.

I learn best from shared stories/experiences and enjoy connecting with people around the twists and turns of their lives. You are welcome to email me your own stories of following your intuition, interests and flows! pleasance@lilomm.com

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I spent 15 years as a “yoga teacher” and 8 years identifying as a “yoga studio owner ” and in 2015 closed my studio for a variety of reasons.

Since then, I have been trying on all sorts of labels & identities.

From Health Coach, to Author to Professor to Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counselor to Learning Advocate, to Business Consultant to Inner Voice Facilitator, to Trauma Resolution Practitioner- the list goes on and on for turning my interests and passions for healing, harmony and wholeness into ways of working with humans and organizations.

And, I have learned so much.

I believe the future of our “careers” will be more diverse, varied, expanded and shifting due to the nature of what’s needed now both on a global and micro community level.

There have been times when I felt as if having a “ large” presence and following to raise awareness on a topic was very important, for example, The National Kids Yoga Conference.

And now, I believe that my hands, heart and head are needed in my community, on the ground, working with grief, death, dying, aging adults and aligning myself with an organization that has done this work for many years (47!)feels so good.

I love collaborating and working in community, so finding a place that can fill this need while also providing stability is a gift at this time.

I also want to share a bit about the transformation that has occurred in my own spiritual practice shifting away from Vedic and Buddhist teachings as my primary path to widening the lanes a bit to include my own blood heritage.

Since 2018, I have been immersed in both Jewish earth based/ feminist, holistic/natural/embodied/ indigenous practices, rituals, studies AND simultaneously diving deep into my Celtic ancestry learning the ways of the Goddess, the moons, the land, the seasonal celebrations that honor cycles and spirals. I often describe this path as being more mystical or Witchy ( Woman in total coherence with herself)

This shift in what I’m studying/ learning/ practicing has impacted my professional path and the depth/ width from which I bring experience and teachings.

In order for me to be aligned with right livelihood, I am moving away from teaching a particular lineage “yoga teacher/health coach/life coach” and answering the call to “ clergy”. For me, clergy is not a “career choice” but a visceral response to what’s needed in the world and sharing my own unique strengths and gifts, which is something I want for all humans.

Devoting myself to healing/wellness/harmony for communities and individuals is not new for me, but clarifying my heart-full attention to this path as on purpose, soul affirming, honoring my highest and best self with an integrated spiritual and justice framework, is a pivot away from the coaching industry frameworks, offerings and models.

And yes, while “clergy” has mostly been associated with Christian values and views- I’m expanding the below definition to move towards what’s needed now- “ Clergy are responsible for religious education, spiritual guidance, and moral counseling.”

The wisdom traditions I study and am bringing to life are the ways in which I hope we all can pray in the future:

In circle,

embodied,

with nature as teacher/ guide/ wisdom keeper- along with

our human & more than human relationships at the center ( not a person/object or something unattainable, etc)

I am on track to be ordained as a Kohenet, “Hebrew Priestess” next summer, begin chaplaincy this Fall in a Jewish home- all while leading “ The VILLAGE” an online pyscho-spiritual home for womenx &while doing community outreach for Iona Senior Services and seeing private clients for healing sessions.

For me, this path of right livelihood aligns to my core values that can be boiled doing to one idea “ I want to leave the world better than I found it.”

For example, here are some things I’m currently living into-

• working in community on the ground and online ( dismantling guru systems &turning toward community wisdom and layers of support)
• Prioritizing humans over greed, hoarding, outcomes, productivity
• Prioritizing creativity, a loving -stable home with rupture AND REPAIR for my children, small adventures ( regularly!), time in soulitude as non- negotiable.
• Sharing my commitment/practices around mental health as I continue to embark on my own trauma resolution and unpacking diagnosis, recovery and healing
• Redistributing accumulation ( money, materials, wisdom)
• Simplicity as lifestyle choice and path to freedom
• Attuning to spiritual practice, activism & social justice, mental and physical health all as path of devotion to a life well lived and being a better human ( and sharing these practices with others as sacred responsibility)

So.. here’s a bit about the changes I’ve been going through and while this is nowhere near the depth of what we could talk about, I think it’s a good starting point for us to begin.. And away we go..

Love and Care,

Pleasance ( Shamirah bat kol)