I’m a long-time Buddhist practitioner, though I was brought up by Christian parents. I rejected Christianity during my teens after revelatory atheist experiences, brought about by reading existentialist fiction and surviving a nasty car crash age 15. I had a profound non-God experience on a hospital trolley and have been atheist ever since.
I have studied international diplomacy, anthropology and economics as a post-graduate. I have MScs from the School of Oriental & African Studies in London, and the London School of Economics. My work at SOAS focused on Bhutan’s development policy. My LSE thesis was a statistical approach to high-tech industrial development strategies in India and China.
My professional work was somewhat related, mostly characterized by working for social change in one form or another. I spent periods of a decade or more in international community development and in mental health services and human rights.
In my twenties I traveled and worked in India, Africa and the Middle East. Since then I’ve grown to love the Himalyas and visit Nepal sometimes with my Buddhist friends, for retreat, pilgrimage, momos and chhaang. Conventionally, I learned to meditate in Bodh Gaya on that first visit to India. And, rather conventionally as well, it was mind-blowing. After several years of practicing with Theravadin and Tibetan groups, I was still looking for a practice that worked well with my queerness. I found Vajrayana through a teaching couple in Cardiff, Wales, and after some years became apprenticed to them. I have immense gratitude to them. They put up with my stroppy belligerence for years and nurtured me towards a non-monastic, yogic Buddhist ordination, which I took in 2002, with Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro Déchen.
Since 2006 I’ve adopted an itinerant lifestyle. At first I moved around every few weeks or so, but that was exhausting and not conducive to yogic practice in the way that I’d anticipated. I now spend a few months here and there, often in Britain or America. In keeping with the yogic approach to life, I spend short periods in retreat – a few hours, a day or two, a few weeks, sometimes a few months – and integrate formal meditation and practice with ordinary life. I spend much of the year round with my long-term boyfriend. He also writes on Buddhism.
Vajrayana is multifaceted and over the years the style and emphasis of personal practice changes. When I first started out I practiced mainly meditation and yogic song. In preparation for ordination, my focus was on the Dzogchen ngöndro, mantra recitation and study. My core practices these days are silent sitting meditation, chöd and the martial arts and physical yogas of the Ling Gésar tradition associated with Aro.
Although I’m authorized to teach some specific practices in the Aro Vajryana tradition, I do not regard myself as a teacher on this site so much as a facilitator. I’d like to help more people access and benefit from Vajrayana and expect to learn from others in the process.
If you’d like to get in touch with me privately, use this web contact form and I’ll email you back:
