Our Instructors
The path leading me to Cielo Sanctuary has been one of continuous personal and professional transformation and growth. As a board certified clinical neurologist I have had a fascination with the brain/mind all of my life. I have studied the science of brain function for over 30 years and yet so many aspects of how we humans navigate this world using our brains has been a mystery. I realized a number of years ago that there was much more to our us and our sense of self than could be explained by the 7 lbs of fatty material stored in our heads.
I found that in studying the wisdom traditions from across the world that they were the keepers of a deep and profound knowledge of our place in this world as well as in the ‘matrix’ we call the universe. Through the study of the Vedic (Indian) tradition known as Ayurveda (I am a certified Chopra Ayurveda Health Instructor) as well as the Energy medicine traditions of the peoples of the Amazon I have come to see that we are more than physical matter with an ability to think but rather we are an integral part of a universe of energy with intelligence and purpose. Spirituality to me has come to be more than as set of dogmatic beliefs but rather a relationship with this universal intelligence (some call this God).
More than ever, I believe that we as a species are now at a crossroads where the old paradigms are falling and a new human is evolving. Health is no longer defined by the absence of disease but by a state of holistic balance in which our bodies, mind and higher selves are in a state of growth and expansion. It is with this philosophy that we started the Cielo Sanctuary in order to create an environment of healing and growth physically, mentally and spiritually. My teachings will combine the best available knowledge that modern medical science has available as well as the wisdom of ancient as well as new thought traditions.
Peace and Blessings
Carmelo Graffagnino, MD
Untangling the knots of my life has become my sacred practice. Being raised in a beautiful but extremely fundamental Christian church-centered life worked perfectly well for me until at the age of 20 I felt that I needed to ask questions about what I had been taught my whole life. As I started to question the validity of this “Airtight Fundamental Christian belief system”, my house of cards came crashing down. I truly felt I like I had suffered a traumatic experience and was now in a state of shock, realizing that so many of the pillars of my belief system were now gone, leaving me to ask the question: “Why am I alive?”
Although I maintained my external joy for life, I truly felt that I believed in almost nothing, spiritually speaking. Through suffering panic attacks for 2 years and battling a food disorder, I thought that only science could give me the truths that I needed.
So, here I am now at 61 years of age, having raised 3 sons with my best friend and husband, Carmelo, while also having been so fortunate to have worked for over 2 decades as a preschool teacher. I have found my way back to a very personal kind of spirituality. Through the Buddhist writings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, as well as the teachings of Taoism, New Thought philosophy, and the core love-teachings of Jesus, I now have a faith that is stronger than ever before. Now I see and believe that “God - Divinity” is in everything and we are here to heal and grow to be a beneficial presence on this Earth.
Namaste
Sharon Kivell Graffagnino
Luz Brown
Once upon a time Luz was a schoolteacher. Her path mainly consisted of planning lessons, grading papers, attending meetings, and dealing with classroom management issues. Health concerns and a lifestyle themed by a meaningless routine led her to chaos. Her journey lacked purpose, joy and love. Then she started to listen to that voice in her head, she started to say yes to new adventures and experiences. Yoga & Pranayama reignited her Agni, her fire within; Meditation & chanting calmed her mind and opened the door to her heart; Reiki made her aware of her energetic connection to all around us; Shamanic medicine has led her back to her essence.
She quit teaching for the school system and decided to follow her "Ikigai", her Soul purpose. She started her own business: Soy Luz (soyluz.org). She leads Yoga & Shamanic Medicine retreats in English & Spanish. She teaches yoga; she facilitates breathwork sessions; she guides shamanic journeying and meditations. She lights the path for those that are ready to discover the healer in them.
The path led her here!
Suzanne Hidore, Ph.D.
My first introduction to meditation was in a yoga class when I was 21 years old. I was seeking to manage the stresses of graduate school in counseling. At that time I didn't practice daily, but it became an increasingly positive support. I returned to it again and again until meditation became a transformational path. That yoga class was the first step in a long journey...and it's still on-going.
After graduate school I worked as a counselor. My meditation practice included Transcendental Meditation and an eclectic confluence of styles, as I was looking for "what works." For several years I offered public stress management workshops grounded in mindfulness and meditation. In 2000, I began studying Vipassana meditation in-depth and have practiced that form daily throughout the years since. In addition to meditation, I practice Qi Gong, Reiki, and Bodytalk. For the last 30 years I have been facilitating corporate individual/team processes and workshops in self-awareness, all in the service of professional leadership development.
Amy Rossi
I came to yoga in my 20s, looking for a way to stretch my body and help still my busy mind. What I found was a very physical practice at a local gym. After years of practice, I still couldn’t touch my toes and my mind was as busy as ever. A turning point came for me when, in my mid thirties, I joined a behavioral therapy group at Duke University that used mindfulness to help adults with ADD. I took what I learned from that group and brought it with me when I became certified as a yoga instructor, and mindfulness continues to be a crucial part of my practice today.
To me, yoga is about connection--connection to self in mind and body, connection to Self in spirit, and connection to the world around us. I try to weave many parts of yoga’s rich tradition into my teaching--using the yamas and niyamas as a guide for self-study, linking the body and the mind through breath and sensory work, and practicing asana as a way of keeping the physical body healthy.
Through the connection between mind, body, and spirit, yoga can help us see ourselves more clearly and live more purposefully. As we cultivate the ability to take a step back and take a good look at ourselves with curiosity and compassion --beholding our strengths as well as our weaknesses-- we come to know our potential while accepting and honoring our limitations. In short, with practice we become better at living our lives.
I am currently working on my RTY 500 certification, and have advanced training in flow, yin and restorative yoga, as well as the therapeutic aspects of yoga. My continuing education interests include the evolving science of neuroplasticity and the use of yoga as a way to calm the nervous system and build new connections in the brain to replace those that are no longer serving us. I look forward to holding space for you to get to know yourself and find the ways we are connected, one open-minded breath at a time.
Audrey Green.
We welcome Audrey Green to our sanctuary for the “Healing the Whole Self Retreat”. Audrey is a certified personal coach, trainer and yoga instructor.
She has conducted trainings and workshops for small groups and individual coaching clients for over a decade. Her professional and personal philosophy draws upon the incredible healing power of listening deeply to self and others. She earned her coaching certification from the Academy of Leadership Coaching and Neuro Linguistic Programming in 2012.
Earning her yoga certification in 2018, Audrey developed and leads online Wisdom Yoga twice weekly with participants across the US. Wisdom Yoga is a mindfulness practice focusing on low-to-the-ground, slow, focused movements of the body, breath and stillness. Her instruction invites the participant to listen to their bodies closely as they navigate through the asana (pose) and pranayama (breath) practice.