LISA'S STORY

I have always been tremendously curious.  I remember as a teenager wrestling with questions around the nature of who we are as human beings.  I started out reading books and having long drawn out conversations with my friends trying to figure it all out.  My thirst was unquenchable and all I wanted to do was finish up high school in Colombia, where I grew up, and go off and explore the world.

In 1991, a month after I graduated, that’s exactly what I did.  I spent the next 20 + years living, working and learning all over the world.  I lived in Paris for a year and half; London for 2 years; Tokyo for half a year; Bangkok for a year; Australia for a year; India for half a year; a few months in Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore and Bali; then California for a year; New York City for a decade with various extended trips sprinkled throughout and finally I landed in Venice, California which I now call home sweet home.

I traveled on my own and supported myself as I went along.  I learned how to connect with people from all walks of life.  Traveling pre-internet- Google- GPS- Instagram- Facebook days, I learned how to listen to my gut and find my way.  I developed a profound trust in life. I learned how to land in a country, make friends, create community and figure out how to make a living.  It had its ups and downs, but I loved the journey and it has made me who I am today.  I was blessed to always land on my feet and to allow the magic of synchronicity to show me the way.  It taught me how to embrace change, to fearlessly go after what inspired me and it gave me the faith to know that things always work out in the end, even when things gets super hard.

In 1995, when I was living in Thailand, I was invited to a Tibetan Buddhist meditation retreat at Kopan Monastery, just outside of Katmandu.  I accepted in a heartbeat and figured it would help to answer some of the questions that I had been pondering for years.  Little did I know that it was going to be the beginning of an insatiable journey of inquiry that I live and breathe to this very day.

I went on to study with teachers from all different traditions, ranging from the most traditional dogmatic schools of thought to those that offered rich, diverse and innovative perspectives.  I began to experience how in effect all paths lead to the same place and I was fascinated by all the different methodologies taught to help get us there. I studied the yoga sutras with Papa-Ji, a deeply loved and respected teacher, and got my Reiki level 1 and 2 initiations in India.  I practiced Chinese Taoist meditations with Mantak Chia in the north of Thailand.  I played with alternative meditation practices at an Osho center in Nepal.  I healed through fasting, raw food, and energy work in the south of Thailand.  I was transformed through Breathwork, Re-birthing and sound healing in Australia.  I got grounded through Yoga, Shamanism, Vippassana meditation, my Reiki mastership and untold personal development trainings in America.

As I deepened the embodiment of all that I was learning, I loved sharing as I went along. Yet as I went through my various studies, there was a longing that began to grow within me. I wanted to be of service in a deeper way. I wanted to know how I could contribute, give back and truly have an impact. I kept wondering what my purpose truly was? What did I come here to do? I started to understand that the only way I was going to truly be able to answer those questions was by simply having the courage to step more deeply into who I was as a teacher and to continue being of service.  I realized that perhaps there was no one particular thing that I came here to teach and that my life would continue to unfold and show me the way as it did all the years that I was traveling. 

In 2004, after practicing yoga for years, I encountered Anusara yoga.  It fully resonated with my way of perceiving the world.  It is a practice that is centered in the heart, fully honors life and considers embodiment a gift to be celebrated rather than transcended.  Every cell in my being was lit up and I decided to officially become a teacher and got certified at ViraYoga with Lois Nesbitt. I then went on to study at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, a school certified by the Teachers College of Columbia University, and became a Holistic Health Coach. The education it offered was so rich in it’s content and it correlated with many of the things that I had learned in Asia.  At the school I studied with many experts and leaders in the areas of nutrition, health and spirituality. Teachers such as Andrew Weil; Deepak Chopra; raw food guru David Wolfe; Walter Willet the head of nutrition for Harvard University; and John Douillard, a leader in the field of Ayurveda, amongst others. 

After completing both courses, I went on to build a successful practice teaching Yoga and Holistic Health Coaching in New York City. 

Given my insatiable appetite, I continued studying and deepening my knowledge. I became certified in Pre-natal and Post-natal Yoga with Mary Barnes, Yoga Trance Dance and Chakra Vinyasa Flow with Shiva Rea and did various other therapeutic and advanced courses with Tantric Scholar Douglas Brooks, Elena Brower, Amy Ippoliti and Doug Keller. I also did a year long intensive in the Psychology of Eating and Soul Based Nutrition.

As I continued working with my clients, I realized how deeply fulfilling it was to support them in going deeper and getting clear around what they really wanted to do and in going out and making it happen.  I was passionate about it and wanted to get even more skilled in facilitating this process for my clients so I went on to NYU and became a certified Life Coach.

My experience has shown me that to truly be able to be a guide for others, I must continue walking the path myself. Because of this, I am consistently deepening my capacity to support others by continuing to deepen and expand my skill set.  I went on to become a certified Conscious Uncoupling Coach and a Calling in the One coach with Katherine Woodward Thomas; a True Purpose coach and Voice Dialogue facilitator with Tim Kelly; a Human Design Specialist with Karen Curry; extensive studies in relationship coaching and EFT (emotional freedom technique) with Paul and Layne Cutright: Four level Certified Breathworker with both David Elliot and Judith Kravitz; Realtional Life Therapy with Terry Real; Evolutionary studies with Thomas Huebl and advanced continued studies with Eckhart Tolle.

I look back on my life and I see now how every experience has formed who I am today and how it has all lead to the creation of BLISSPOINT.

I am honored to be a steward of this work and so deeply grateful to be able to be of service in this way. I look forward to continuing to grow and expand with all of you along the way.