DAVID M. RINALDI

I began meditating at the Zen Buddhist Center in San Francisco in 1996. A few years later, I began practicing yoga. In 2003 I went on a life-changing 10-day Vipassana Retreat and decided from then on, I would practice meditation every day. That lasted a few months and eventually I began to slip into old habits.

In 2008 I began found my first spiritual teacher, Pema Khandro. I immediately fell in love with the teachings of Tibetan Buddhist Tantra that she beautifully embodies, reveals and transmits. I attended her teachings and workshops for a few years, eventually moving into the schools' Gompa (Tibetan spiritual practice house) and felt the full support of a Sangha with a shared practice every morning. 

The Great Mystery brought me back to Connecticut, where I searched for Yoga Teacher Training to deepen my practice. Little did I know, when I signed up for the YTT200 course with The World Yoga Center in NYC, I was also signing up for a 3-year deep dive into the philosophy and practices of Kashmiri-Shaivism (classical tantra) as taught to me by my second spiritual teacher, Rudrani Farbman. Rudrani was an early devotee of Swami Muktananda, who is known for bringing classical tantra to the west in the 60's. His school, the Siddha Yoga community, thrives today under the wisdom and teachings of Gurumayi. Rudrani taught us mediation techniques, breathing techniques (pranayama), and the non-dual philosophy of Kashmiri-Shaivism in a poetic, embodied and erudite way. I am forever grateful for her loving wisdom and mentorship.

During my Yoga Teacher Training, I read “Many Lives, Many Masters”, by Brian Weiss and became enamoured with Hypnotherapy and its ability to unlock memories and heal the mind. I studied under Paul Aurand, a world-renowned master hypnotherapist, former Director of the Michael Newton Institute and current Director of the Holistic Healing Center. Under Paul, I became certified for Hypnosis and Regression Therapies through the International Association of Counselors & Therapists in 2016. I moved to Kingston, NY and opened a Hypnotherapy practice. During this time, I studied under Sifu Pedro Yee and received a certification for Qigong Healing. In addition, I sought out the local Hospice to ask about volunteering. They asked if I would like to be a Death Doula, and that they would put me through a free training. My soul leaped and said "YES!" Soon I was in training with the International End-of-Life Doula Association (INELDA) and was an official End-of-Life Doula.

Side note: After spending a decade studying classical Tibetan and Kashmiri Tantra, I admit to having held several conceited judgements of Western Tantra. My stories were that it was too focused on sex, not rooted in any spiritual practice or lineage, was being used to commodify sex in a more spiritual package and was being taken advantage of by fake gurus who were wolves in sheep’s clothing. I was also very curious to see if these stories were true. When I was invited to a Western Tantra workshop in the Hudson Valley area, my body was an immediate “Yes!” Little did I know it would be a life-changing experience. At this workshop I found a new teacher, Nayano, a new school of tantra, Ipsalu Tantra, a new lineage of Kryia yoga passed down for centuries from Babaji Nagaraj and a new love, Amanda Ananda. I fell deeply in love with Amanda and the teachings of Babaji as transmitted through Nayano and decided I would dedicate myself to the practices. Ipsalu shattered all my stories about Western Tantra. It had a lineage, it held a sacred container, we were shown how to cultivate and transmute sexual energy through Kriya Yoga, but it was never about sexual gratification. It was always about using the creative life-force energy for inner healing and union with Divine Consciousness. Several months later I moved back to Connecticut to be with my love.

While living with Amanda, we studied and practiced Babaji Nagaraj’s Cobra Breath together, we co-facilitated workshops and retreats together and I also fell in love with her two sons. Although Amanda and I are no longer romantically partnered, I recognize her as a soul companion, and I am ever grateful for her presence in my life. She and her boys have taught me more about being a man than 40 years of living did. During our time together, I began to seek out other conscious men and became involved in Men’s work. In 2019, I took an 8-month Men’s Leadership Training course with John Wineland. John was my first Male spiritual mentor, and I devoured his teachings around presence, energy and consciousness. I was broken open by the community of men vulnerably sharing about the pain we so often silently carry.

TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT (too late!) I have been practicing meditation and yoga for 28 years. I have been studying Classical Tantra for 16 Years. I have been studying and practicing Ipsalu Tantra for 6 years. I am certified for Hypnosis and Regression Therapies, Qigong Healing, Yoga Instruction, Meditation Instruction and Death Doulaship. I have been coaching individuals, couples and groups to listen to the guide within for several years now. I have struggled with what to call what I do. Coaching has so many opposing connotations. Spiritual Coaching doesn’t quite capture it. Therapy isn’t right either. Recently I realized that I have been coaching people into greater intimacy with their selves, with others and with the divine light within and without. I sat with it, and it feels right and aligned to now step into the roles of Intimacy Coach and Death Doula with deeper commitment. I look forward to the peaks and valleys along this path.
 
Om Namah Shivayah,
David