Marianne teaches at Seven Winds Yoga and Jyotish, which she founded in 2000, www.sevenwindsyoga.com She leads retreats and workshops, both abroad and in Ireland. She has taught philosophy for various teacher-training courses. A spiritual counsellor and Vedic astrologer, she assists clients in understanding the unique karmic forces active in their lives and channelling that power to realise their highest potential.
Yoga Alliance registered at E-RYT 500, she trained for many years in the Ashtanga, Iyengar and Sivananda traditions. Her own practice and teaching have evolved with these influences into a practice she calls Shakti Rasa, a fluid approach adapted to the individual that incorporates breath, visualisation and moving meditation into powerful asana work. This year, she began training with the last disciple of Krishnamacharya, Srivatsa Ramaswami. She has studied in India with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, V. Venkatesh, Vinay Kumar, Yogi Manmoyanand and BNS Iyengar, and returns often to India to revitalise her yoga practice, which she maintains daily.
Marianne’s interest in Eastern philosophy began nearly 50 years ago in San Francisco, where she was born. In 1968, she began meditating with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. She studied Eastern philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. Initially, yoga was for her entirely a spiritual practice. Though with a strong background in dance, she soon discovered the power of asana practice.
In the UK, she became immersed in Buddhism through Dharmavidya (a.k.a. David Brazier) of the Amida Order, where she did many retreats, trained in Buddhist psychotherapy, and qualified with an Advanced Certificate in Buddhist Psychology. With eminent yoga scholar, Georg Feuerstein, she completed over 1000 hours of certified course work in yoga philosophy and history. She also studied Shamanic practices for many years with the Sacred Trust in the UK. A spiritual counselling practice developed out of these modalities. Seeking clarity both for herself and her clients, she discovered Jyotish and its power to illuminate the deeper cosmic patterns at work in our lives. At the NW Institute of Vedic Sciences, she studied under the mentorship of eminent Vedic astrologer, Dennis Flaherty, qualifying with the Council of Vedic Astrology in the USA. She has a BA and MA in English Literature from the University of California, and has taught at both secondary and third levels. Her novel was published in 2008.
In 2003, Marianne met her guru, Ramesh S. Balsekar, who accepted her as his disciple in 2005. Until his mahasamadhi in 2009, she travelled regularly to Bombay to the satsangs he gave from his flat. His teaching of Advaita Vedanta, so profound and at the same time so simple, transformed her. It informs her teaching, her practice and her personal life. A lifetime of seeking found its resolution at the feet of Ramesh, and to him she is eternally grateful.