January 16, 2024 by Yoshi Ramanujam
A bit about Yoshi
Here’s a bit about me. I typically don’t divulge much about myself during my reiki sessions, so here’s a bit “about me” if you’re curious!
Childhood years
I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah. My favorite childhood memory is biking around the neighborhood. On my own or with friends, just feeling free! I have an older sister and younger brother, so I was a pretty typical middle kid. I got away with a lot of stuff! I grew up as a “Moonie,” a religious group most commonly known for their mass weddings. I broke away from that organization during my college years (phew!). I’ve had a violin in my hands from the age of 5. I enjoyed playing in my elementary, middle school, and high school orchestra - as well as the Granite Youth Symphony and the Utah Youth Orchestra. The Utah Youth Symphony was my favorite. The conductor, Barbara Scowcroft, is an excellent female role model. She is funny, talented, and has such a big heart. I remember one audition when I totally botched the sight reading portion (I knew I wasn’t hitting all the right notes, but kept going anyway), she looked at me a bit quizzically and then exclaimed “you’re very persistent!” The kindness and sincerity in her voice still echos in my head today. She did accept me into her orchestra, and I practiced hard to keep up! Looking back, I always loved “vibes.” By vibes, this includes literal vibrations. During orchestra rehearsals, I’d sit in my seat and revel in the sounds that surrounded me. I wonder if this was my first lesson in energy work, as I was always tuned into the vibrations that surrounded me throughout my life. As of now, energy work is full of vibrations that one can feel though not necessarily hear.
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Young adult
At university, I studied music education. I made full use of the time I was there, taking additional classes that interested me - accounting, psychology, physics, tae kwon do (where I met my husband)! I even delved into conducting New Music Ensembles, and shadowed the assistant conductor of the Utah Symphony for a little bit! I was convinced that I would know “everything” by the time I graduated. DaVinci as a ‘Renaissance Man’ was my inspiration. I started my masters in violin performance, but had the hard realization that this wasn’t the direction I wanted to pursue. I was ready to leave the world of academia and all those hours cooped up in a practice room - ready to step into the ‘real world.’
At this point, I was married and ready for new experiences! Jobs I had during these years include waitressing, music librarian, violin teacher, taekwondo administrator, yoga teacher (for kids and adults), I delved into website design, and more! Hobbies included traveling, hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, aikido, iaido, and playing with the Salt Lake Symphony.
This period of life was about feeling free to explore who I was and starting to honor my inner self. I began martial arts training, which my parents didn’t allow when I was living under their roof. Highly structured, powerful, repetitive physical movement was cathartic. I found that attending jazz and ‘new music’ performances was a place for me to “release stagnant energy.” The free, unstructured style of jazz and ‘new music’ was incredibly liberating. I could literally feel energy leaving my body through my shoulders and head, and always felt much lighter afterwards.
Parenthood
My husband and I moved to Portland when I was pregnant and spent several years there as a new family, exploring parenthood and enjoying exploring living in a new city. The down-to-earth culture was a breath of fresh air. And the city’s motto “Keep Portland Weird” was fully embraced. It was a place where my husband and I could reinvent ourselves - leaving behind the physical ties back to our childhood lives. We lived without a car, by choice, and embraced the biking culture. This was a transitory time, switching gears from myself to raising children. Kids are a mirror, and I saw patterns in myself that I thought I had left behind years ago. I saw no other choice than to pursue self-development, so I could raise my children in a different environment than the one I grew up in. I delved into parenting books, talk therapy, psychology (mostly through books & NICABM videos). Brene Brown, Esther Perel, Peter Levine, and others are still my mentors! Then I eventually found my way to meditation (and then reiki).
California, here I come!
The move to California was another adventure! Our family especially loves the weather, diversity, the mountains, and beaches. I stumbled upon and fell in love with the Redwoods. I spent a couple of wonderful years teaching preschool at an outdoor preschool. In hindsight, this helped with healing my inner child. Then, just when I was ready for it, I discovered reiki - California is also such a haven for reiki and energy work. I am so grateful for all of the people I've been able to meet, play, and work with!
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