Dara "Darananda" Blumenthal, PhD

Dara offers contexts for embodied healing and awakening to unfold. She emanates a grounded field of Beingness: pure Presence and welcomes others to participate in/with/as this field - That is who and what we truly are. Said differently, Dara transmits pure Presence through the most subtle dimensions of reality directly "to" those receiving the transmission. Dara's approach guides people to access, know, and relate with more and more layers of direct experience beyond the dense physical level of the body and the personal-self-construct. As these layers get contacted by Presence, without effort or attachment, karma resolves. Self-trust and self-guidance blossom. As the nervous system clears and refines, aspects of separation held throughout the bodymind are reintroduced into Wholeness. More spaciousness and peace arise and the embodiment matures. From this refined and cultured ground of Being, the natural state emerges organically and Truth is revealed. This is a pathway to embodied awakening through deeply, fearlessly, and compassionately relating with what is.

Dara’s life has conspired to unfold a very clear and direct path to Divine Reality. She came into this life with an orientation to the “richness of Being” - a phrase that’s been with her for as long as she can remember - and a deep knowing that all there was to pursue was Self; Truth. Generously raised to trust and follow this knowing, the unfolding has been fairly continuous. Dara began formally studying and practicing mind-body awareness at age 20. This included mindfulness, meditation, and movement modalities including Feldenkrais Method, Alexander Technique, and Kinetic Awareness. At 23 she became a Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Master and has practiced energy healing since. Dara earned a BA in Sound, Self, and Embodiment from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, as well as an MA in Critical Theory and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Kent, United Kingdom. All of her academic work explored self-identity, (dis)embodiment, society, and ethics. Dara also holds certification as an Integral Facilitator (including adult developmental psychology, Zen awareness, subtle energetics, and conflict mediation) and training in Hakomi Therapy.

In 2019 after 14 years of embodied practice, Dara had a spontaneous Kundalini awakening while in a deep state of absorption (during a meditation retreat). The Kundalini progressed into a full-rising, over the course of about three years. This brought huge amounts of purification and refinement throughout the bodymind and nervous system, and the next level of Dara's healing gifts came online. At 19 years into her practice and during a yearlong retreat, the post-personal stages of development opened and unfolded. This brought radical shifts in the fundamental sense of Self, as well as an increased capacity to transmit healing Presence unfettered by a limited-self-construct or idea. While the primary shifts in, as, and beyond Consciousness (into Nothingness) have occurred, they are still fresh. The deepening and refinement is ongoing and there is still karma and fixation getting polished away.

Dara’s teachers and mentors from the past two decades include: Dr. J. Robin Powell; Diane Musho Hamilton Roshi; Dr. John Churchill; Rob Daishin McNamara; and Dorothy Rowe. She has also benefited greatly from the work of Reggie Ray, David “Davidya” Buckland, and Chloe Folan's Rainbow Bridge and Monadic Thread Techniques (for systematically clearing and maturing the subtle bodies).

Dara doesn't associate with any particular lineage or tradition. However, she has had a profound direct encounter with Tibetan Buddhism (and Dzogchen) over the course of about 14 years (picking up from a past life as Tibetan nun). Since 2020, she has also found immense support and connection in a group of highly awake and knowledgeable people who were all students of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and who each share their own teachings and approach. They include Dorothy Rowe, Davidya, and Lorn Hoff (LuciaLorn).

Dara is here to support the healing and awakening of others. If you have any questions at all for her, about her path, experiences, or work, please don't hesitate to reach out to her directly: [email protected]