She Bleeds Sestinas takes readers on a journey to explore the intersection of spirituality and art and guides them on their own spiritual journey. Why was this an important book for you to write?

For about a decade, I taught yoga and meditation classes in San Diego. I taught people from all walks of life, all ages, all backgrounds. It satisfied me to witness the depth of peace and connection that we could all access together in a kundalini yoga class (a unique and demanding form of yoga). In those classes, I experienced an introspective level of human solidarity and interpersonal peace that I have not experienced in any other context in life. When I learned that the supposed “master” of Kundalini Yoga was a rapist, I stopped teaching, abandoned those teachings, and studied yoga philosophy to figure out what on Earth went wrong here! Writing poetry helped through grief, and it helped me to learn. When those kundalini yoga exercises as taught by yogi bhajan were not possible for me anymore, I used intellectual inquiry and critical sensitivity to approach yoga. When my corrupt teacher lost power and hold, writing sestinas in seclusion helped me make it through the grief.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this collection of poetry?

I needed to share the idea of the Rainbow Body that rare yogis and meditators can achieve through esoteric daily practices. Plus, I wanted to explore writing about reincarnation, the death process according to yogic wisdom, and the vital role dissolution plays in yogic perception and yogic ways of being. The ideas are esoteric and steeped in Eastern mysticism. The deep realms of yoga philosophy are esoteric, and I find that the only way for me to learn about the esoteric is to write. Also, kundalini shakti travels through the body in spirals. Sestinas are spirals. There were embodied poetics that I was attempting with connecting kundalini energy with writing sestinas.

What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?

I have an advanced degree in Chinese language and literature. I married a Chinese man and his family is my family. We traveled to China a lot. I have also studied Gurmukhi and Sanskrit. Learning other languages is humbling, but it does marvelous wonders for a writer writing in English. Learning foreign languages strengthened my mind, expanded my imagination, and inspired fresh ideas for me. I am wanting to learn Tibetan language next. I’d also love to speak Welsh, Gaelic, and Italian.

What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this collection?

In writing this collection, I set a goal that each poem should try to expose shadow dimensions of consciousness. I also set a goal that all the poems relate to each other. Also, each poem is a sestina, though many of them do break the rules of sestinas. Breaking the rules was also an important goal because the yogic austerities I had practiced for many years now felt like arbitrary dogma taught by a rapist. Naturally, I was feeling rebellious at the time, but I also need to find my unique way to approach yogic teachings and philosophy. Thank you for asking.

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