Zen Buddhism

I began my meditative journey as a student of Engaged Buddhism (Mahayana based Zen) with The Order of Interbeing and Plum Village as pioneered by Thich Nhat Hanh. My Dharma name is Pure Aspiration of the Heart and my mentor is Gurupriya Beth Sanchez. The monastics at Plum Village have not only deeply influenced my spiritual life, but also my artistic practice. 

Yoga

Yoga touched my life through the writings of J. Krishnamurti and teachings of BKS Iyengar as shared by my first teacher Meera Sanghani in 2005. I do not identify with a specific guru or lineage as a student of Yoga and that is a reflection of J. Krishnamurti’s impact on my practice. Krishnamurti advised against following any doctrine, discipline, or guru. However, he was a student of Desikachar and therefore Krishnamacharya. His pedagogy has greatly influenced my teaching practice; centering a global outlook, concern for people and the planet, as well as a balancing of the religious spirit with scientific temper.

Iyengar

I was introduced to Iyengar Yoga while attending Art School in Chicago in 2005 and have been a devoted student ever since. I enjoy the benefits of long holds buoyed up by props and the emergent therapeutic nature of B.K.S Iyengar and his family's teachings.

Sri Vidya Sadhana

Sri Vidya Sadhana is the confluence of Tantra, Vedanta, and Yoga known as the path of shadow and light. It is a transformative Yogic process for healing trauma and undergoing subconscious work. Generally taught through devotional relationship to the Mahavidyas. 

Ayurveda

I have studied Vedic Counseling, Ayurvedic Herbalism, and Yoga Therapy with Dr. David Frawley through the American Institute of Vedic Studies. My focus as an Ayurvedic practitioner is on the trauma informed diet emphasizing herbal medicine. I also trained in clinical western herbal medicine for women’s health with Dr. Aviva Romm. Diet and herbal medicine play a strong role in my Sadhana. 

Daoyin

I have been a lay student of Daoist Cultivation Arts and Classical Chinese Medicine since 2010 and have studied with Mike Ninomiya, Yoshi Nakano, Tias and Surya Little, Mimi Kuo Deemer, and Peter Deadman. I have developed a unique style of teaching Daoyin that is beloved in my community for it's healing benefits.

Dance, Somatics, & Embodiment

I am a professional dance and visual artist, writer, and scholar with 20 years of interdisciplinary teaching experience. Somatic Movement is a field of study developed by dancers and therapists, and my work contributes to the web of inquiry taking place at the intersection of psychology and movement. I specialize in trauma informed (healing-centered) ecological dance pedagogy and praxis. I completed my MFA and terminal research at University of New Mexico. 

With endless love and gratitude to my many teachers…

When a caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis, it begins by outgrowing its conditions. After a simple life of inching on branches and munching on leafy greens, there comes a point where there is no more elasticity to the larva’s skin, no more room to stretch. This resistance triggers a temperature shift, and the caterpillar begins to churn and molt into a vital aqueous. Swallowing itself in a sculpture of suspension.

The process of metamorphosis is unique to each caterpillar. Some will spin themselves into a silk cocoon to become a moth. Others will build a biotic armor called a chrysalis. Sheltered in solitude, this sacred being undergoes a brilliant cellular division. First through liquifying itself into an amalgam of intelligent mucus. Followed by the responsive formation of an entirely new body with fresh behaviors like flight and an increased capacity to listen.

Human beings are not unlike caterpillars. We also grow from a tiny egg that contains dynamic plasmic intelligence. By the time we are adults, we embody trillions of cells that live within our fluid fascial labyrinth. These cells are in a continuous state of embodiment, flow, and evolution.

There is a myth in our times that suggests only great force creates lasting change. The butterfly effect suggests otherwise. The flap of a butterfly's wing was hypothesized by mathematician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz, to have the capacity to create a tornado. While gritty transformation and honest healing does not always receive the acknowledgement and appreciation we seek. As students of embodiment we know that small enactments potentiate global change. 

I hope this space provides a cocoon for the flowering of your metamorphosis.  

Love,

Morgan Kulas