About Toi Lynn
The Short StoryI am a holistic psychotherapist, life coach, writer, blogger, yoga and meditation teacher, lifelong learner and all around lover of life. Whew, that is a mouthful, but how this applies to you is this: My passion is co-journeying with others as they create Zen lives, lives that are authentic, purposeful, awake, and where they take those lives and offer them as gifts to the world. I love working with folks just like you and me, real people who want to live real lives, who want to dig deeper, fly higher and enjoy all the in between.
One particular calling I have answered is to coach what I call Soul Entrepreneurs: artists, healers, therapists, coaches, yoga teachers, green evangelists, and other business creators who want to be powerful change agents for the planet.
In addition to coaching, I write about spirituality in everyday life. My blog “This Zen Life” is the place I live inside out, with hopes of inspiring others to do the same. Also, I teach yoga classes, what I call mini-retreats on the mat. And I lead various retreats, 1/2 Day Plunges, Full Day Immersions, and 3+ day long Rest, Reclaim and Renew Retreats, locally and around the world.
I live with my best friend and husband, Jordan, and our gentle fur-ball-of-love yellow lab Bodhi. We currently reside in San Francisco and spend much of our free time with family in Kauai, Hawaii. We are in process fulfilling another dream of ours, of creating our new home on a sunny spacious piece of land here in Northern California where I will lead retreats in the future. I’m looking forward to seeing you there!
For those interested, the Epic
How did you discover your calling?
This calling has called me all my life. I honestly feel like I was born to do this work. I was the little girl who was always scrambling up the trees, scrapped knees and torn-clothes-be-damned, to see what was beyond, curious about a world out there I could not see. I would sit for hours in a coppice of pussywillows near the creek, senses awakened by connection to such vibrant life and beauty, seeing lessons in everything: butterflies celebrating their birth transformation from cocoon to freedom, working bees savoring flower nectar even as they went out their busyness, the budding catkins, small soft grey cat tails, signs of potentialities. I was the stargazer, lying on that sweet fresh cut grass on a warm summer night, face to sky, knowing deep in my bones that everything is connected, everything has purpose.
Ok, what is up with your name?
Toi Lynn is my given name. I didn’t make it up, I promise. My dad was a passionate, creative, soulful man who also happened to be a pilot for the Air Force. In fact, I was born at the Air Force Academy in Colorado where he was an instructor. When I was born as a surprise for my parents already in their forties with five other kids, my dad announced “I am naming this one…her name is Toi Lynn.” Having spent most of his life in various parts of Asia, the story he told is that when he was in Korea he and several squadron buddies approached their commander and asked: “We see all these orphans, we miss our kids, and it is Christmas. Is there anything we can do for them?” As a result, the members of his squadron were all matched one-on-one, like Big Brothers, with a child. His match was a little 5 year old with a huge smile, Lin Toi.
What is your professional story?
My professional story to date can be explained in five easy chapters:
Chapter 1: Play Is for Grown Ups, Too!
After getting my degree in Human Development in ’88, I began working with kids and their families in a variety of places. Wanted more impact, so in ‘92 got an MS in Clinical Psychology, became a child therapist, then quickly learned I wanted to play as much as my clients. Went on to study expressive arts, play therapy for adults, and led many fun groups and workshops in my psychotherapy practice.
Chapter 2: Living Dreams Out-loud
I figured out as a young therapist that as much as I loved helping others interpret their dreams, I loved even more helping them live them. So, in ’98 I trained as a Life Coach with CTI, Coaches Training Institute, in San Rafael, CA. This opened the door to working in Silicon Valley for several exciting years as a coach and career counselor supporting others in going for the gold and making big things happen in their lives.
Chapter 3: It’s All Connected
In the middle of coaching others in changing their minds to change their lives, I discovered yoga, that Hot kind to be exact, and fell in love. Yoga was yet Another Door to Discovery,which for me always means Another Adventure. Remember that life-long learner thing I mentioned above? I became excited, so starting in ’01 I got a bunch of certifications (Bikram Yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, Reiki, Thai Yoga Massage, Transformational Hypnotherapy, Clarity Breathwork) and taught bunches of yoga classes. Loved teaching yoga so much that I shared a dream out loud with my boyfriend, now husband, and together we co-created and co-directed our own yoga studio.
Chapter 4: I’m the Boss of Me!
Having fulfilled 2 dreams in a few fast paced years (#1: Open my own healing center, #2: Find the love of my life), I learned that instead of managing 25 folks at a time (herding kittens, anyone?!), I really, really wanted to manage my own self again. The dream “Live a Life of Ease” called. So, we sold the studio in ‘07, moved to Hawaii for a bit of slower paced life in paradise, and eventually arrived back home where we had left our hearts in San Francisco.
Chapter 5: Living Now, Living Zen
My work is now focused on Zen Life Coaching, blogging, leading workshops and retreats. My living is now focused on being Zen.
Ok, so you talk about Zen Living. What physical practices do you do that keep you Zen?
I believe nature is healing, so I hike weekly, walk daily and swim 4 times a week. I practice yoga several times a week as well, especially the more “feminine” (think Yin and Yang) practices such as Yin, Restorative, Gentle Vinyasa.
Do you meditate?
Oh, most definitely. I discovered through trial and error that I am a completely different person if I do not take the time to slow down and move into presence. Because my soul thrives in diversity, I use a variety of meditation techniques. Daily I practice insight meditation, Vipassana, sitting 10-30 minutes in the morning, and occassionally at night. I often journal, writing free form to clear the mind and gain insight. And when I feel called, I use creative expression as my meditation, such as painting, movement, playing an instrument. As much as I am able, I doing simple walking meditation in nature or visit the nearby labyrinth.
What are your top 10 values?
- Spirituality
- Nature
- Compassion/Love
- Beauty
- Creativity/Play/Adventure
- Learning/Growth
- Teaching/Serving/Healing
- Community/Connection
- Authenticity
- Peace
Are you religious?
No. I am spiritual, a seeker of knowledge and dedicated to living a life of service. I believe that all forms of religions and spiritual traditions offer us ways to access the divine, in whatever form each person seeks. In my life and work I support each person where they are in their spiritual journey. I am most influenced by teachings from Buddhism, Sufism, philosophies of yoga and teachings from earth based religions, particularly Native American.
What are the books you keep on your bookshelf?
Here they are, in order of discovery (and quite reflective of my own life journey to date):
Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis
There and Back Again (aka The Hobbit), along with The Trilogy by J R R Tolkien
Care of the Soul : A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life by Thomas Moore
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Visualization for Change by Patrick Fanning
Calling the Circle: The First and Future Culture by Christina Baldwin
Sacred Circles: A Guide To Creating Your Own Women’s Spirituality Group by Robin Deen Carnes
Life’s Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest by Christina Baldwin
The Woman’s Comfort Book: A Self-Nurturing Guide for Restoring Balance in Your Life by Jennifer Loudin
The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living by Janet Lurhs
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
Everyday Zen: Love and Work by Charlotte Joko Beck
Nothing Special: Living Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck
8 Weeks to Optimum Health: A Proven Program for Taking Full Advantage of Your Body’s Natural Healing Power by Andrew Weil, MD
Zen and the Art of Making a Living: A Practical Guide to Creative Career Design by Laurence G Boldt
The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
Sweat Your Prayers: Movement as Spiritual Practice by Gabrielle Roth
Dear Lover: A Woman’s Guide to Men, Sex and Love’s Deepest Bliss by David Deida
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz
Easer Than You Think – the Buddhist Way to Happiness by Sylvia Boornstein
Seven Masters One Path – Meditation Secrets from the World’s Greatest Teachers by John Selby
Living Presence: A Sufi Way to Mindfulness & the Essential Self by Kabir Edmund Helminski
Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron Katie
The Places that Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chodrin
Bringing Yoga to Life: The Everyday Practice of Enlightened Living by Dona Farhi
The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems by Jalal al-Din Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks
Essential Rumi – Jalal al-Din Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With The Heart of Buddha byTara Brach
Unattended Sorrow: Recovering From Loss and Reviving the Heart by Stephen Levine
Freedom from the Known by Krishnamurti
