Hi! I’m Dian ~

and I’m here to guide you inward ~

to touch your heart 

and allow your InnerLight to awaken!

You feel ready for a change.

You are willing to take the steps to take charge of your health and your life.

There are lots of things you could be doing for yourself, but it seems you never make any forward progress.

The problem is, you’re overwhelmed with so many conflicting choices, programs, and lifestyle options – unsure about what is the right one for you.

Nothing’s easy – and stuff just gets pushed back and no forward movement occurs.

And you have such high expectations for yourself.

Then you beat yourself up because you don’t have the energy to do what you need to do – and want to do. 

You get stuck in a loop, and don’t do anything; it’s like Groundhog Day over and over and over.

You begin to notice discomfort in your body – nagging aches and pains, lethargy, stagnation, worry, and fear. 

You don’t feel worthy of living a life of vibrancy, happiness, and joy.

You dream of feeling grounded, connected, and authentic in your daily interactions and activities!

Your heart longs to feel fulfilled by your work and daily tasks!

You would love to wake up ready to dive into your day with energy and a sense of purpose that brings you total joy!

Most of all, you want to greet each day of your life full of love for everything about it!

THE JOURNEY

Buried deeply within each of us is a connection to our true Self -- a light that was snuffed out as we tried to get our needs met in a world not attuned to our developing desires; that didn’t understand our soul’s deepest longings.

As we grew older and more self-aware, we began to realize that our true nature is not in sync with how we are living in the world ... usually due to nudges by upsetting or traumatic losses in health, loved ones, a job, finances ... or a deep longing that there’s more to life. You probably know what I’m talking about.

As children, we adopted beliefs and chose actions to keep us safe in a world that couldn’t accept us as we were. As adults those patterns may no longer be serving us and may only create confusion -- like a veil of fog dims the light on a bright sunny day.

For thousands of years ancient wisdom traditions have shared the tools that help us uncover our deepest driving desires by connecting us with our true nature – by healing the separation that has evolved from the many experiences that have occurred throughout our lives. These experiences are opportunities, often created (and re-created) with a common thread, to guide us back to our truth.

It is this separation from our truth that creates much of the suffering we experience as adults. The suffering can be physical symptoms in our body or mental and emotional pain supported by beliefs that we have outgrown. 

Just as Mary Oliver writes in her poem “The Journey,”

“You slowly begin to recognize a new voice among all the voices around you shouting their bad advice and then set out to save the only life you can.”

It’s my deepest, driving desire to to support you as you save the only life you can! 

Through my journey into the wisdom of Vedanta, my InnerLight has begun to awaken. The practices and commitment to a new lifestyle have gradually lifted the veil that kept me from knowing my own voice. They have helped me tune into the core of my being and find the guidance to live from my inner essence. Now there is no going back; my compass is set.

The self-empowering practices of meditation, yoga, and Ayurveda will allow you to truly heal from the inside out, relieving you of nagging pains and physical and emotional suffering. With commitment to yourself, you begin to cultivate qualities of peacefulness, compassion, non-judgment, self-confidence, self-awareness, love, living on purpose — as the ancient traditions say, living your dharma.

According to Dr. Deepak Chopra in The Secret of Healing,

“Healing is a return to the memory of wholeness. When you feel unbounded and free, you will begin to heal yourself.”

Your InnerLight will truly shine!

These practices from ancient wisdom bring balance back to your body, mind, and spirit. They do not merely address the pain but often the root cause of the recurring suffering, whether it is back pain, digestive issues, anxiety, depression, low self-worth, lack of purpose, or any other aspect that is causing suffering for you. These practices have been around for thousands of years and are now being validated by science.

As you increase your self-awareness by tuning in to your body’s wisdom, you become more present and more aligned with your InnerLight. You begin to honor your inner-knowing as your body, mind, and spirit become integrated. As your journey starts to unfold, you gradually encourage your magnificence to awaken and shine out into the world. 

In my work with you, I use the knowledge I’ve acquired from many years of study and my own experience of healing – plus integrity, compassion, and gentleness. I help you find the right tools to go inward to allow your InnerLight to quietly stir, awaken, and transform your life. 

By working with me you will begin to develop the self-awareness to listen to the wise guidance of your body and support its natural ability to heal. You will develop a toolkit of preventative self-care practices customized just for you that have the potential to transform your life.

I was recently truly humbled when one of my yoga students told me she believed her autoimmune condition improved significantly from attending my gentle and nurturing yoga classes.

Some of my past experience and training:

• After an appetizer of Vedanta at The Chopra Center for Wellbeing during their signature Seduction of Spirit retreat, I longed to know more. I embarked on the Chopra Center Teacher’s Path to become a Vedic Educator, certified to teach Primordial Sound Meditation, Ayurveda Perfect Health, and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga (the same programs taught at The Chopra Center).

• That eventually led me into Somatic Yoga Therapy teacher training to become a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher and an International Association of Yoga Therapy Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), enabling me to teach yoga therapy classes and work privately as a yoga therapist.

• During my Somatic Yoga Therapy program, I also trained with Dr. Richard Miller in Integrative Restoration (iRest) Yoga Nidra, Level I. Now, having completed Level 2 and many workshops, I am in the process of the iRest certification program.

• From 2017 - 2022, my greatest healing occurred during Patricia White Buffalo’s Wheel of Awakening program. Here I learned and experienced deep healing of my mind, body, and spirit through shamanic practices and awareness of a lack of foundation in my lower chakras. I continued after graduation to apprentice under Patricia deepening my own understanding of chakra development during early childhood — where most of my inauthentic beliefs, patterns, and habits were created — the ones that encompassed the truth of others rather than my own truth.

• Through all my years of teaching elementary school, an entrepreneurial streak lurked under my dutiful daily classroom presence. Always yearning to start my own business – anything from a coffee shop (due to visits to coffee bars while living in London -- yes, before Starbuck’s), an after school creativity training program for kids, or a pottery painting venue, I’m now joyfully in the throes of sharing time-tested healing and wellness strategies with clients and students.

• I’ve used my knowledge and training of holistic healing in a variety of ways. During my graduate study in health and wellness, I learned about the power of visualization to achieve fitness goals in Sport Psychology. Delving into my passion for writing, a children’s book teaching the concept of visualization evolved. You can learn more about Every Reindeer’s Dream at dianshirleywriter.com.

• Through my past experience as an educator, I was naturally drawn to training in children’s yoga and meditation through YogaEd and RECESS+ (a local nonprofit). I have instructively and playfully engaged with many children in yoga at local schools and churches, in after school programs, and in private classes. Currently, I am developing a children’s meditation curriculum which you can purchase here. I have successfully implemented parts of it with children struggling to focus in a high-poverty elementary school.

• I have presented workshops on Primordial Sound Meditation and Ayurveda Perfect Health and teach yoga classes, both locally and online. I now work with small groups of women and men in a series of therapeutic yoga classes.

• I have presented on Ayurveda at a Naturally Well Tulsa Health and Wellness event and for students of massage at Clary Sage College, taught journaling to increase self-awareness and for personal growth, and every month at the new moon lead iRest Yoga Nidra.

• I lead weekly yoga classes at Domestic Violence Intervention Services that began during my practice teaching.

• A gently meditative flow of grounding poses gets my students off to a peaceful start on Monday mornings at pH Community House in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

When I’m not mentoring Ayurvedic self-care, offering opportunities for self-healing through yoga and meditation, or writing about most anything, I can be found...

• practicing yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda self-care strategies myself.

• enjoying nature; I love walking with my dogs, Jake and Kassie, along the back roads of Crestone or hiking on the beautiful trails of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

• sharing laughter – or tears – with a friend or two, either in person at a coffee shop or hanging out on Skype with friends I've made through my wellness studies.

• vulnerably workshopping personal writing with writing group friends, sharing intimate details of our lives through our stories.

• learning...learning...and more learning. With a strong teacher/student archetype, I am in my element when learning new things about body, mind, and spirit!

If you’re dying to know a little more about me, here are a few things most people don’t know...

• I witness much of life’s truths by spending time in the presence of my grandchildren.

• My inner child loves most any creative activity – jewelry-making, drawing, painting, writing, pottery! They force me to let go of my perfectionistic tendencies.

• I am full of respect for different cultures. My children were born in Saudi Arabia where we lived for 3 1/2 years before spending another 18 months in London. German was my original college major. That interest in languages led me to teach French and Spanish. Native American spiritual teachings resonate at a deep level within me.

• And, I love to move my body, whether it's yoga, walking, running, cycling, swimming, dancing, and – most of all – hiking.

Want to know more about how you can access the wisdom of your body-mind? 

... how you can holistically heal from the inside out? 

Do you want to live a little more of your life from your inner truth? 

Then here is your next move: Download my eBook: Dian’s A.M. Daily Detox

and

Check out events on my Website and Facebook page.

Or ... feel free to peruse the in-depth information on my website to become more familiar with ancient wisdom teachings still relevant today! They will bring more joy, vitality, and authenticity to your life!