It was late 2007 and I was working in an oil refinery in western Canada. I hadn’t felt fulfilled in the role of engineer in the energy industry, working in vast expenses of concrete and steel, hungering for more meaningful connection and a role that aligned with my aspirations to work towards positive change. Serendipitously, a job I was working on was winding down right as a 30-day yoga training program in Northern India was to be underway and it felt like the stars had aligned perfectly for me.

Off I went with a one-way ticket and minimal belongings into the unknown, having no idea how the path would unfold before me. I had been finding respite in yoga during my travels as an engineer for quite some time but I’d never done something this intensive in a far away place.

The next few weeks were filled with hours of yoga practice each day, an introduction to Ayurveda, and an amazing diet of whole foods all grown within 100 miles of the school I was staying at. I also discovered classical Indian music on this trip and found immense mental exercise from the study of the complex rhythms and melodic structures rooted in naturally harmonic energy frequencies. The result was not only an appreciation for another culture but also a nourishing journey for mind, body and spirit.

My life today is focused on family, our humble farmstead and our business creating craft fire ciders and herbal supplements for our valued customers. But elements of this early experience still reverberate through all that I do. From the deeper understanding of foods as holistic nourishment to the thinking of the actions of herbs via Ayurvedic principles to my own physical practices that help keep me focused and grounded so that I can step up in life to the best of my ability, my experiences during this pivotal time of my life are still with me to this very day.