Thirty years have passed since the first time I walked into The Meditation Center in Minneapolis. I didn’t come to the Center for spiritual enlightenment or self-realization. I came because I was at a dead end. There was nowhere else to turn. The memories of that day in May of 1993 are still very clear in my mind. I was thirty-five years old and had been grieving the death of my mom for two years. The heavy grief had turned into numerous body pains. I tried everything to alleviate the intense discomfort, including homeopathy and chiropractic adjustments. Nothing helped. Many times, I cried out for a solution, but heard no answer. I didn’t think there would ever be an end to my suffering. Then I saw an article in the newspaper about how yoga could help people with back problems. Shortly after that, while visiting an osteopath for treatment, I mentioned that I was thinking of trying yoga. He told me that because of all my injuries, I should try a gentle type of yoga like they offered at The Meditation Center. At my first class we learned the Joints and Glands exercises. The long healing process began.

A couple of years later I found out that the osteopath who referred me to The Meditation Center was an initiate in the Himalayan Tradition and had gotten married at Sadhana Mandir (Swami Rama’s Ashram). That’s the first time I realized I was on a spiritual path, and not just bouncing around from one random event to the next. The journey to healing was, and is, filled with many challenges and obstacles. But the path started precisely where I was standing, at the exact time I needed it.  Looking back, I can see that my path has intersected with others as I moved through life. Some people walked with me on the path for longer periods of time, while others passed by in a brief encounter. I am grateful for whatever time we have had together. Thank you.

Editor’s Note:

Daniel Hertz (MS, BCB, E-RYT 500) has been on the faculty of The Meditation Center in Minneapolis since 1995 and has been offering individual Biofeedback sessions since 2007. He is the author of a memoir entitled Everything is A Little Bit Alright: yoga, meditation, and a dog named Roy. It is available on Amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Little-Bit-Alright-Meditation/dp/1951651294