During her later years Felicity’s focus changed but did not waiver. As she aged she wanted to help others going through the same process. Silent Dance Center (HI) echoed those sentiments with,“Felicity was one of my first and most inspiring teachers.” And Ingela Abbott, who hosted Felicity yearly for week long teacher trainings in Washington, said, “One of the main gifts Felicity gave to us was her rich and in-depth understanding of the yoga philosophy that we continue to share with our students today.” In addition, Felicity was an IYNAUS assessor and a founding board member of the IYANW region. In 1984, along with 4 other teachers, she established a yoga cooperative in Seattle called Community Yoga Circle. Reflecting on this part of her life, Felicity would tell the story of a dream she had about a place called Lopez. She turned her dream into reality when she purchased a property on Lopez Island. She named it “Lavanya” meaning naturally beautiful. Lavanya was special in part because of a 300-year-old Douglas fir tree—which Felicity called the Shiva Tree. She hosted summer yoga retreats at Lavanya until 1997 when she moved to Lopez full time and relocated to Midnight’s Farm. On the farm, she hosted karma yoga retreats and, with the help of students and friends, she built a small studio and landscaped the surrounding grounds. Felicity was an avid gardener and lover of nature. She could identify any plant and recognize the song of every bird on the island. Felicity especially loved the wild turkeys that would wander through her front yard. workshops both around the region and around the world. She taught in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Switzerland. June Cooper, a teacher from South Africa, remembers that Felicity “was one of the first teachers from overseas to visit South Africa when we were all deprived of any guidance or firsthand teachings from the source.” Leslie Hogya, from British Columbia, called Felicity “hugely influential in developing our community.” Phyllis Rollins from North Carolina wrote: “Her teaching and guidance was instrumental in me becoming a teacher and I will always be grateful for her inspiration and support.” Sandi Jordan of the
The Light | Spring – Summer 2021
In 2005, at the age of 72, she taught a teacher training workshop in New Zealand for six hours a day for six days. After this trip she developed heart trouble and contended that it was pushing herself through the course of teaching and travelling that brought it on. Even though she longed to return to India, Felicity knew it was not wise and Guruji reinforced this, so she never went again. During her later years, Felicity’s focus changed but did not waiver. As she aged, she wanted to help others going through the same process. Many workshops were devoted to navigating menopause or adapting practice
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