Behind the Screen & Vision
In the thirty-five revolutions I have made around our Sun it seems to me that the dichotomies we see with, for instance, life and death, love and hate, suffering and joy, endless beauty and destruction, all have a single thread that connects these seemingly opposed forces. What is that thread? What is that coin that shows two vastly different concepts on either side? What is the encompassing circle that binds the yin and yang elements of this universe?
Somewhere in the midst of my learnings from death, from change and uncertainty, from grief & obstructions, from naivety, I found an opening in my heart that broke through the many layered armour I had built around it. I have since learned from reading about the phenomenon that there is a concept in the Buddhist tradition called Boddhichitta, a person who is a warrior of the heart path who seeks to dive into what they call the soft spot in the heart that is essentially the crack into our inner Universe. But when we experience this crack into the essence of heart space and tender joy, what then is the outer expression beyond our reach? Is there a crack in the external Universe, I think perhaps somewhere behind the Moon, where creative Life Force can move into and cannot be separated(1)? This union of innefible humility and gratitude is, I think, the thread that connects our tiny little human existence to the all encompassing never ending Universe.
Traditionally, yurts were made for the wanderer but built to withstand harsh climates by design. The yurt became my turtle shell when I moved to Vermont and I immediately felt at home; living in the round made me feel closer to the natural world.
Moving the shell a few times, I was given the opportunity to trade Yoga for land to nest my yurt and so I created a Yoga space for couples and privates.
Thus, birthed, Sacred in the Round.
It has now, several migrations north and many years later, maintained status as my home, and continues to inspire the many projects that are projections of mySelf.
It has evolved into an umbrella term to hold space for Yoga and female wellness, as well as reclaiming rites and celebrating human ceremony with the Red Yurt Project.
Nestled in the foothills of Mt. Mansfield, we are a growing community and still Sacred in the Round is always arriving home. Stepping Stone Yoga Studio was named in large part for the steps we need to take toward the grand vision of a giant yurt Yoga studio,
steps just as important as the vision itself.
Pippa Dorfman, the creator of Sacred in the Round, has taught Yoga for over a decade and practised since she was a teenager, she holds a Bachelor(ette) of science in wellness and natural medicine, and has spent the years following this degree devoted to her development in and study of woman-centered childbirth assistance and female well-being from various programs, mentorships, and self-study.
You can visit the Yoga schedule at SteppingStoneYoga.com
Donate to Sacred in the Round crowdfunding campaign HERE
and be part of the celebration of the sacred feminine at the Red Yurt on 16 Iris Lane, Jeffersonville, VT.
Resident Teacher, founder & facilitator at Stepping Stone Yoga Studio, and, the Red Yurt Project, both born in the summer of 2016, at 16 Iris Lane in Jeffersonville, VT.
Pippa is a certified Kripalu Yoga Teacher, has a Bachelor of Science in Wellness & Alternative Medicine and is a DONA Internationally trained labor/birth Doula. She is part of the team at Birth Love Family, a resource for expecting parents, and she teaches prenatal and postnatal Yoga classes at Stepping Stone Yoga Studio.
Where Did I come From? Who am I now? Where am I going?
...Hi world! I want to introduce myself as devoted mother, humble sister, grateful daughter, and loyal friend, and I lead my Life based on the fundamental lessons I received as a teen from my greatest teacher, Death. In my last two years of high school, I lost my brother and then my father, which propelled me to follow the advice of my first Yoga teacher (introduced to me by my father), Pam Britton, and take a visit to Kripalu Center. Taking a leave from Bates College in 2004, I devoted 4 months to work, live, and breathe in Yoga as a lifestyle at Kripalu in order to attempt at healing the wound of grief and loss. I was so captivated by Yoga as a lifestyle and philosophy toward wellbeing and grace that I then enrolled in the teacher training program and became certified in 2005. I want to thank my mother for, if not always agreeing with my ideas, always supporting me as the person I am and teaching me the way of Compassion, Generosity, and Love.
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I grew up on the east coast of Massachusetts,
US to an Australian mother and father from New Jersey (my Poland/Russia/German heritage) and had the opportunity to grow up knowing my mother's side of the family too, as I visited Australia every five years of my life. After dabbling in the Liberal Arts of Bates College in Maine, learning how Yoga was my way to healing, and then traveling and volunteering in Tanzania and Thailand, I found my way back home to get my ducks in a row and transfer to the University of British Columbia where I joined the School of Human Kinetics to study more about the human body and how it functions within movement. Another few ventures to Alaska then back to Australia led me to a journey on my bicycle to raise money for cancer and bipolar research via the northern tier route of America with two friends. This was a test of endurance, yes, but no match for what I witnessed through childbirth. I finished my B.Sc. in Wellness and Alternative Medicine at JSC in Vermont, and here opened SSYS and the Red Yurt Project.
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I love to dance with hoops (especially to James Brown), snowboard and hikes with my dog and daughter, and spend time mostly outside in Nature as my temple.
I currently teach regularly at Stepping Stone Yoga Studio & facilitate ceremony, celebration, and learning programs through the Red Yurt Project. Stepping Stone Yoga Studio (Tradename) was created under the LLC, Sacred in the Round as a symbol for life's ever-changing ways; where there is a dream, there will be many steps to take. My vision for the project you see at 16 Iris Lane involves not just the Yoga studio and Red Yurt Project, but a collective for teachers, healers and mindfulness-based lifestyle leaders to come together and share for the community in which we live. You can find more information about this vision by clicking the Sacred in the Round and/or the Red Yurt Project links below.
Education:
Bates College - Liberal Arts
Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health - Yoga Teacher certification
Cross-America bicycle ride 2008 West-East No. Tier. raising $11K toward Cancer Research with two others.
University of Britsh Columbia - School of Human Kinetics
Johnson State College - Wellness & Alternative Medicine, B.Sc.
The Farm - Midwife Assistant Training
Midwife International, Guatemala - Midwife Training
Prenatal Method - Prenatal Yoga certification
DONA International - Labor/Birth Doula training
Lifestyle Entrepreneur of:
Pippa Hippa Hoops, Sacred in the Round, Stepping Stone Yoga Studio, Sacred Circle School of Hooping Arts, & the Red Yurt Project
Dreams:
Aspiring Homebirth Midwife & Wildlife Rehabilitator
Off-grid Sustainable Homesteading
To show my daughter the world and let her shine...
Footnotes:
1.
like the Navajo relayed in the slightly altered designs of woven rugs)