About Lyla

Lyla Yastion graduated Phi Beta Kappa from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, with a BA in English and Drama. She met her husband, Edward, at Herbert Berghof School of Drama in New York City where they were both taking classes. They married and were graced with two sons.

Their spiritual life was enriched by 30 years of participation as students and tutors at the School of Practical Philosophy in New York City. After their sons were grown and out on their own Lyla returned to academia, pursuing a graduate degree. She received a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Albany and went on to teach courses in anthropology and religious studies at colleges in the Hudson Valley for eighteen years.

While teaching, she wrote two books: Pause Now: Handbook for a Spiritual Revolution and Homesick: Finding Our Way Back to a Healthy Planet. Since her retirement Lyla has been teaching courses at lifelong learning institutes (LLIs) at the campuses of Bard, Vassar, and SUNY New Paltz. She is a reiki master. Lyla received professional training in mindfulness-based-stress-reduction (MBSR) from Jon Kabat-Zinn. Her poetry has appeared in Chronogram magazine. Lyla lives in Tillson, NY with her cat, Henry.