Gurunam Pina
Gurunam Pina (Stephanie JT Russell) is a second-generation teacher in the lineage of Swami Rudrananda. She has practiced Kundalini Mahayoga since 1986, and has taught the form since 1990. Her forty-five years as a student and teacher of inner work have integrated Classical Yang Tai Chi and Qi Gong, sitting Zen, Sufi movement (through beloved “rapid method” master, Adnan Sarhan); she trained in her core practice of Kundalini Mahayoga during eight years' study with one of Rudi’s closest students, Stuart Perrin. A second-degree Reiki practitioner, Pina is also trained in acupressure and shiatsu. Her nine published nonfiction books include Everyday Zen and One Flash of Lightning: A Samurai Path for Living the Moment (Andrews McMeel). As a peacebuilder, educator, and cultural worker, Pina has worked extensively in West Africa, Europe, the US and Canada. She is Founder-Director and principal teacher at Samadhi Bhavana / Center for the Cultivation of Consciouness in the Mid-Hudson Valley.
Pina identifies as a secular mystic.
In the 1990s, Kundalini Mahayoga led to her evolution into a non-dual sitting practice, Doing Nothing Together. In her experience, this evolutionary development directly emanates from the source of energy flow expressed in the life work of Nityananda. Pina teaches this practice to advanced students who have done Kundalini Mahayoga meditation for more than two years.