About Diana
In April 1974, when I had been meditating for a year, I developed a profound yearning for spiritual liberation. In Ram Dass’s book Be Here Now, I read that when the student is ready the teacher will come. With that promise in mind, I hitchhiked from my hometown of Toronto to the supposed spiritual mecca of coastal California. I was nineteen. I arrived in Pasadena in late spring and soon met the famous guru, Swami Muktananda.
That was the beginning of a challenging and transformative association with him, as well as a personal and professional investigation of tantra, including the tantric tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, a profound body of work about which Muktananda was a leading expert. Kashmir Shaivism is a non-dual Hindu tradition that is also deeply rooted in yogic philosophy and practice. I studied with Muktananda from 1974 until the early 1980’s and later expanded what I learned from him in my academic studies and elsewhere.
As a woman schooled in these ancient tantric and meditation practices, and as a Western contemplative and academic, I offer a perspective free from many historical cultural encumbrances. Having meditated formally since 1973, my practice is rooted in the deep tantric wisdom of the Heart. Mystics across traditions speak of the piercing, penetrating, awakening and opening of the Heart as integral to spiritual development.
I anchor my teachings and writings in ancient tantric and yogic insights and my own spiritual turning points, culminating in a profound awakening of my Heart in the spring of 1989. This transformation shifted my perspective entirely; I no longer saw spiritual liberation as a distant destination to be achieved. Instead, I recognized that the realization and expansion of the Heart is a holistic, lifelong process that encompasses body, mind, emotion, and spirit.
Within this space of the Heart, I discovered a sacred inner sanctuary—a quiet reservoir of wisdom, stillness, peace, and love that anchors me through life’s challenges and forms the ultimate foundation of my work today.
Bridging Wisdom & Academia
As an Associate Professor Emeritus from the University of Waterloo, author, poet, and educator, my work bridges the domains of communication arts, transpersonal psychology, holistic education, and sacred tantric traditions. Following a distinguished academic career, I now focus my research, consulting, and spiritual teaching on the transformative power of the Heart as a site for relational healing, conscious leadership, and profound internal inquiry.
By integrating Western psychological frameworks with Eastern philosophy, this dual lens allows me to help individuals move from the head to the Heart—building the emotional resilience, compassion, and authentic presence required to navigate complex modern landscapes.
My journey began in the late 1970s with an undergraduate degree in English and creative writing. By the early 1980s, I was teaching meditation and running a private consulting practice in stress management for organizations. Driven to deepen my impact, I turned to graduate studies at the University of Toronto, which provided a transformative space to align my spiritual calling with my career:
· MA in Adult Education (1989): Specializing in Human Resource Development, my studies integrated transpersonal psychology with adult and arts-based learning. My thesis, Presence, was a phenomenological exploration detailing the early awakening of my Heart.
· PhD in Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning (1996): Specializing in Holistic and Aesthetic Education, my doctoral dissertation, In the Tenderness of Stone: A Poetics of the Heart, blended contemporary transpersonal psychology with the ancient non-dual tantric texts of Kashmir Shaivism to map the contraction and expansion of human consciousness as linked to the awakening of the Heart.
Throughout my decades-long academic career, I have designed and taught university courses on spiritual development, conscious leadership, communication, holistic learning, and conflict management—always integrating contemplative and imaginal practices. Today, my writings and teachings continue to offer modern seekers the somatic and philosophical tools needed to live with deeper purpose, fulfillment, and profound expansions of consciousness.
Expanding the Work
As a researcher and practitioner, I ground my scholarly insights into transformative real-world applications. My signature Heart-based approach helps both individuals and organizations cultivate conscious leadership, navigate complex conflict management, and deepen authentic communication. Beyond my consulting work, I design and facilitate immersive workshops and retreats rooted in deeply embodied, contemplative inquiry and meditative practice.
My teaching, research, and publications emphasize holistic, experiential learning that engages the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. I have facilitated workshops and given talks across Canada, the United States, England, and the European Union.
Additionally, I have co-edited and contributed to three foundational books exploring spirituality in education:
· Spirituality, Action & Pedagogy: Teaching from the Heart;
· Holistic Learning and Spirituality: Breaking New Ground;
· Spirituality, Ethnography & Teaching: Stories from Within.
My articles, book chapters and other writings further express my understandings and teachings on the awakening and deepening of the Heart realization for contemporary seekers.
An Invitation
I invite you to explore this realm of the Heart. To ask the deeper questions and welcome the sacred wisdom of your own Heart. To notice what calls to you as you listen inwardly. To tap the well of love, peace, inspiration, energy and fulfillment that dwells within.
The Power of The Subtle Heart
When I speak of the Heart, I am not referring to the physical organ, but to the subtle Heart—known in Sanskrit as hrdaya. Sensed near the center of the chest, ancient traditions identify this space as the seat of the soul, or Atman, authentic emotion, and deep relational wisdom. Across history, mystics have recognized the opening of the Heart as essential to human development.
My work draws on the creative power of metaphor and imagery to facilitate this awakening. In my teaching and writing, metaphors are never merely poetic devices. Instead, they serve as somatic and spiritual bridges that help us access realities beyond literal language.
Working with experiential anchors—like "the stone heart," "the broken heart," or "the inner flame"—allows us to give our inner landscape a tangible form. This process moves us past abstract spiritual concepts and invites direct, embodied encounters with the power, presence, and wisdom of the Heart, beautifully mapping our internal shifts and transformations.
Awakening the Heart
Between the constant noise of the world and the relentless demands of daily life, it’s easy to feel like you’re running on empty. When anxiety, burnout, or uncertainty take hold, your heart naturally closes off just to survive.
If you are struggling to catch your breath, find your balance, or simply remember who you are in the middle of it all, you are not alone.
Awakening the Heart is the key to breaking through. When challenging emotions take hold, it is vital that we kindle feelings of hope, compassion, kindness, and love within this inner space.
Through meditative practices and creative reflection, you can reclaim your Heart's freedom, responsivity, and resilience, allowing you to anchor into your own internal center and access a deep, abiding peace.
By deriving sustenance and inspiration from your inner world first, you develop the strength and calm needed to guide your life forward, creating a natural ripple effect that brings healing to your relationships and the community around you.
Benefits of this Approach
· Radical Self-Acceptance
o The Shift: Moving away from spiritual bypassing or harsh self-judgment → Toward honoring your unique individual humanness as sacred.
· Integrated Wholeness
o The Shift: Healing the divide between your inner and outer landscapes → Toward recognizing the profound interdependence of spirit and matter, seamlessly weaving your unique path into the tapestry of the whole.
· Somatic Grounding
o The Shift: Escaping a racing, anxious mind → Toward resting in a deeply embodied, Heart-centered presence.
· Inner Sanctuary
o The Shift: Feeling untethered by external chaos, burnout, or uncertainty → Toward building an unshakeable internal compass rooted in the Heart's flame.