NICOLE LALIBERTÉ
first came across the books of the great saints, sages, and gurus of India in her early teens, steeping in the works of Ramana Maharshi, Krishnamurti, as well as ‘The Platform Sutra’ of Hui-neng, ‘The Diamond Sutra,’ and others. Nicole’s encounter with the recognition of her deepest intuition, “Not Two,” came upon meeting her teacher Swami Chandrasekharanand Saraswati in India, 2006. “There was something about Swamiji, in his presence all thought disappeared revealing true nature.
Nicole began intense sadhana (spiritual practice) immersing in a Vedic lineage of Kundalini specialists. Traditional Kundalini Vidya, Swamiji’s particular body of knowledge, is an off-shoot specialized branch within the Saraswati order, one among the 10 monastic orders born of Adi Shankaracharya and embodies the non-dual philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. She continues as an active member of this lineage today with continued guidance from Bri. Joan Shivarpita Harrigan..
Further refining her understanding of Not Two, she studied the teachings of A.H. Almaas as a member of Emerald Mountain III beginning in 2005, the east coast manifestation of the Ridhwan School, under late luminary Alia Johnson. Throughout these years she contemplated the teachings of exemplary monists such as, but not limited to: Ramana Maharshi, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Anandamayi Ma, Theresa de Avila, and is presently fond of the Tibetan tradition as conveyed by Yongey Myingur Rinpoche.
The study of Japanese shiatsu under Master Wataru Ohashi in New York City deepened the understanding of mind-body connection, the nature of grasping, and its function in disease.
Nicole studied at the Somatic Institute, completing certification in both Somatic Release and PsychoNeuroEnergetics in 2019 and was certified as a PNE Teacher by Judith Johnson in January of 2022.