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Hi, I'm Shannon McCall
Ayurveda Practitioner, Yoga Teacher, Writer, Mentor and Retreat Faciliatator
I am so grateful that my first mentor sent me to a hatha yoga class as a 20 year old college student. Tight and bound up from a traumatic young life, yoga brought me home to my body, supported me in unwinding emotionally and beginning to heal, opened me up spiritually, and later brought me a vocation that was inspiring and growthful.
Another blessing was discovering Dr. Vasant Lad's little red book in an esoteric book store in Seattle in 1988. I saw his smiling photo on the back cover, recognized him as a master healer, and brought the book home. 20 years later, my son launched, I met Dr. Lad in person in Seattle and had the recognition that he was my teacher. 4 months later I left my home and job to study full time with him at his institute, then located in Albuquerque New Mexico.
I was 48 then, and in perimenopause, so a full time course of study, including several trips to India was no small thing. But the pull towards Ayurveda and this lineage was undeniable, and it gave me the faith and confidence to follow my heart and leap.
Studying and living Ayurveda full time for two years with Dr. Lad, and spending time in India studying with him and receiving treatments, opened up my understanding of LIFE and the mystery of healing.
Ayurveda and yoga supported me through my bleeding years, conceiving and birthing, post-partum, peri and now post menopausally. For women drawn to healing naturally, these teachings are essential.
If you're a woman drawn to Natural healing and you know you could be living in deeper alignment with your body, Ayurveda may be an excellent path for you.
I offer Ayurveda for women in midlife and beyond (38+) who want to improve their health naturally. I also continue to teach a few yoga classes weekly for mature men and women, both live and online. I travel to facilitate yoga retreats in beautiful locations around the world each season.
After working with me, women report feeling more in touch with themselves, a return to their own deep wisdom, and more capacity to make the changes they've been wanting to make in a spirit of self-compassion and self-love. Yogis appreciate my detailed guidance, and focus on subtle body integration (breath, mind, focus) in the hatha yoga.
ABOUT
Besides Dr. Lad, I've been deeply privileged to learn from yoga luminaries in most of the major traditions, and Ayurveda from some of the best and brightest. I currently study yoga and Ayurveda with Scott Blossom and remain connected with Dr. Claudia Wlech and Dr. Robert Svoboda.
A life-long learner, traveler, and lover of good company. I lived part time on Bali during the 1990's for most of a decade, and have traveled extensively through SE Asia, India and the South Pacific. I believe Nature is the ultimate healer and I align with Her rhythms as much as possible. It is my privilege to learn and grow together with others drawn to holistic health, healing and psycho-spiritual transformation in the service of collective healing and evolution.
What makes me qualified to do what I do-
Board Certified Ayurveda Practitioner (NAMA), Graduate of Dr. Vasant Lad's 2-year practitioner program + Guru Kula program in Pune, India 2011 -2012, 2016, 2017 - 2018.
Certificates in Women's hormonal health and completion of two mentorships in women's health with Dr. Claudia Welch, 2013 -2014 and 2017.
Certified Health Coach, 2 year training through Yoga Healer, 2018 - 2020.
Yoga, E-RYT, 500 with Yoga Alliance since 2000. Daily practice and study of yoga beginning in June, 1984. Teacher Training certifications within Anusara Yoga, with Ana Forrest, and regular yearly study with Angela Farmer and Victor Van Kooten. 1993 - 2020. Study and practice of postural yoga within the Astanga and Iyengar traditions, 1988 - 1993.
Ongoing Studies in Ayurveda and Yoga with Dr. Scott Blossom, June, 2020 - Present.
Ayurveda Mentorship with Wahneta Trotter, Jan - April, 2024.
Astanga Hrdayam and Carak Samhita studies of the ancient Ayurvedic texts with Dr. Ramadas through Vaidyagrama, Coimbatore, India, 2020 - 2023.
Astanga Hrdayam studies studies of the ancient Ayurvedic text with the Dinacharya Institute, 2019 – 2020 with Dr. Bhaswati Bhattachaya.
Student in the Ridhwan School: (also know as the Diamond Approach) psycho-spiritual development-- continuing studies in self-psychology, enneagram, self-inquiry, Gurdjieff work, and what it means to be a human being. 2007 - 2019 group work. 2020 - Present, private teacher.
Student/Practitioner of Somatic Buddhist Meditation– with Reggie Ray, 2007 - 2014.
Certificate in Authentic Movement Studies–200 hours at the Authentic Movement Institute, Berkeley, CA, 1996 - 1998 with Neala Haze, Tina Stromstead, Janet Adler and Joan Chodorow
Independent Group Studies in Authentic Movement with Janet Adler, 1999-2001.
BA with honors in English Literature and Writing from the University of Washington, 1982. I spent 6 years as an full time undergraduate, originally a philosophy major (the first mentor who sent me to a hatha yoga class).
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