Jenna Milner

Craniosacral Work

dynamicstillness.com The website of my biodynamic craniosacral mentor Charles Ridley. Thanks to him, I found my path in 2001 and received a powerful transmission through his mentorship. Author of two books including the indispensable Stillness: Biodynamic Cranial Practice and the Evolution of Consciousness, Charles is now semi-retired and lives in Mexico.

milneinstitute.com Scottish osteopath Hugh Milne’s “Visionary Craniosacral Work” blends shamanism, taoism, and osteopathic craniosacral work. I discovered him through his exceptional book, The Heart of Listening. For four years I organized classes for, studied with, and assisted my influential teacher Reiko Dewey as she taught the Milne Institute curriculum. I graduated in Big Sur with Hugh in 2000. (I didn’t take the exam, for reasons that I detail in my book.)

Stillness and Meditation

adyashanti.opengatesangha.org I highly recommend the audio files, videos, and books from contemporary spiritual teacher Adyashanti. Students of life and/or biodynamics will find distilled gems of helpful non-dual wisdom about using meditation to awaken to our nature as Stillness. Adya retired in 2023 but his teachings are widely available and inevitably applicable to biodynamics. His first book was the only required reading when I was a biodynamic student.

mukti.opengatesangha.org Mukti Grey is a master of deep listening and has been my primary meditation teacher for many years. If you have a chance to be on retreat with her, I recommend that you leap to it. As a licensed acupuncturist and chi gong teacher, she has a particular interest in integrating the body with spirituality. Since 2023 Mukti has been head teacher of Open Gate Sangha. Some years ago, she observed that I was pioneering something new in combining somatic work and meditation; and she encouraged me to teach about my insights (for which I am so grateful).

lochkelly.org I get very happy around Loch Kelly, though I’ve only been with him a day or two at a time. Friends, clients, and colleagues have benefited from Loch’s longer retreats. I recommend his book Shift Into Freedom.

Other Recommended Practices and Teachers

Continuum Movement. Continuum movement is a life-enriching practice of breath, movement and sound established by the late visionary Emily Conrad and still offered globally by certified practitioners. It enlivens the body and the Midline; and helps us to contact our fluid nature and expand beyond ordinary boundaries. (The work is so powerful that it has literally catalyzed movement in paralyzed individuals with longterm spinal cord injuries.) continuummovement.com

Telepathic Tuning. After studying Neurobiology at Cornell University, my teacher Deena Spear had a career as a violin maker before establishing herself as an energy healer for humans, animals, and stringed instruments. Her work takes our ideas about reality well beyond the usual limits — and provides a powerful new resource for creating healing, harmony and well-being. Deena’s book is Ears of the Angels. singingwoods.org

Philosophic Astrology. Linda Ruth has been my brilliant mentor and dear friend for 25 years. Through her teaching about the four quadrants, I discovered the archetype of “The Four,” which deeply informed my thinking about the universal nature of the four Biodynamic enfoldments. I recommend anything Linda offers, including private sessions, public talks, and workshops. heavenandearth101.com

Embodied Imagination Robert Bosnak is the author of innumerable books, the founder of the Santa Barbara Healing Sanctuary, and the inventor of Embodied Imagination, an approach to working with dreams and memories. My words, my thinking, and my work would all be impoverished without the inspiration of his own. A great interview with Robbie at http://www.barbaraplatek.com/article5.html and current and past courses at jungplatform.com

Divine Stream. Reiko Dewey was one of my first and most influential teachers, melding compassion, intelligence, and vivid subtle perception. She no longer teaches craniosacral work per se, but has recently begun to offer online training through a wider lens. https://www.divinestream.com/

Trager Approach. I highly recommend my foundational mentor Stephani-Lila Murdoch for her inspired blend of craniosacral work and Trager Approach. Her loving presence and emotional fearlessness are transformative. tragerapproach.us/pennsylvania/stephani-lila-murdoch

Location, Location, Location

clearpathhealingarts.com (Burdett, NY) Andrew and Barbara Seubert have created a magical space, elevated like a tree house above Seneca Lake. We blissfully hold small classes there and swim in the summer at our lunch breaks.

lightonthehill.org (Van Etten, NY) Light on the Hill is set amid fields, ponds, woods, and waterfalls. It’s an enchanting place, palpably conducive to deep work, located high in the hills about 40 minutes from Ithaca, New York. You can attend programs at the Inner Light Lodge, an architecturally stunning building with mountain views and an adjacent sacred chapel. You can also create your own individual retreat at one of the cottages or huts.

assisi-institute.org (Rochester, NY) Non-denominational and open to all, the Assisi Institute is influenced by St Francis of Assisi, Jesus, and Paramahansa Yogananda. They offer meditation, yoga, and a variety of workshops as well as affordable lodging if you wish to do your own retreat. The sanctuary is palpably saturated in stillness and presence, and the community is warm and welcoming.

southhillbusinesscampus.com/events-at-shbc/ (Ithaca, NY) The current One Heart group meets at this spacious and immaculate conference center moments from downtown Ithaca. Large, extended windows open to a view of sky, hills, and Cayuga Lake.

vajrapani.org/our-location/ (Boulder Creek, CA) The Vajrapani Institute is a spiritually powerful retreat center nestled among redwoods and streams in the Santa Cruz mountains. Though it was established in the lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, I have deeply benefited from non-denominational retreats there (which I have done with Mukti).

garrisoninstitute.org (Garrison, NY) An old Jesuit monastery repurposed for modern contemplative community. Their programs (Buddhist and other) address social justice, climate change, and the burnout of caregivers; open periodically for personal retreat. A place where some of my most magical retreat moments with Adya and Mukti have occurred. About 4 hours from Ithaca, just north of New York City on the Hudson River.

colgate.edu/about/campus-facilities/chapel-house/overnight-guests (Hamilton, NY on the campus of Colgate University) My students and I used to make annual visits to this charming place that is available for personal meditation retreats. It is affordable, and they provide meals, a library of books and audio, and private rooms.

kripalu.org This is the residential center in western Massachusetts where I received my yoga teacher training. At any time, they have a fabulous selection of workshops on yoga and wellness that are open to all. In particular, check out offerings with Stephen Cope, my favorite yoga teacher.

Artwork

helenacooperart.com In my search for a way to convey “liquid light” on this website, I was graced by Helena Cooper’s agreement to use her spectacular artwork. Helena, who is originally from Brazil, has made her home in Ithaca, New York since 1982. Her photos from nature capture the same evocative, richly textured feeling as her paintings. Greeting cards and canvases are available for purchase through her website.