Buddha statue in Renate's garden
Structural Integration has no ties to religious or spiritual beliefs. Because of its focus on awareness and its holistic approach, it resonates with practitioners who are meditate. Renate started her journey with a meditation class through an adult education program. A few years later she became interested in Buddhism and has practiced in both the Zen and Vipassana traditions.
Renate practiced with Yvonne Rand , a Zen priest and householder for a number of years and took her Bodhisattva vows with Yvonne. In those vows, one promises to practice compassion and be there for others. As part of the ceremony, Yvonne gave her the Buddhist name Azure Sky Heart/Mind. Renate chose that name for her Structural Integration practice. Renate teaches yin yoga in Meditation and Yoga workshops at Insight Meditation South Bay on a regular basis.
Renate has found Buddhism helpful in her own development of body-mind mindfulness. She tries to go on a week long silent retreat at least once a year. Two of her favorite teachers are Stephen Batchelor and Martine Batchelor, who focus on secular Buddhism and practice in daily life. While Renate still appreciates Buddhist art, she likes to look at the Buddha’s essential teaching and prefers to work with teachers who do not emphasize religious aspects added by other cultures. This quote of the Buddha, which was in the first edition of Ida Rolf’s book, supports Renate’s belief in spiritual independence:
Do not believe in anything merely because it is said, nor in traditions because they have been handed down from antiquity, nor in rumors as such: not in writings by sages because sages wrote them; nor in fancies that we may suspect to have been inspired in us by a deva nor in inferences drawn from some haphazard assumption we may have made: nor in what seems to be a logical necessity: nor in the mere authority of our teachers and masters. Believe when the writing, doctrine, or saying is corroborated by reason and consciousness.
See Renate’s Yoga page for some information on her background as a yoga teacher and on how she integrates yoga poses into her SI work.