Meditation for Inner Peace and Self Mastery is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded by people who are dedicated to the service and upliftment of humanity. The Board members are professionals in their fields but volunteer their time to help and guide the organization. The Board members, and others who offer their time and lend financial support, are what make it possible for us to continue our mission.

 

Pandit Jerome Smith – Spiritual Director

Jerome is an ordained Pandit in the Himalayan Tradition. He received his yoga teaching certification through the Himalayan Institute and is a registered teacher through Yoga Alliance at the E-RYT 500 level (and a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider – YACEP). His studies include several years of intensive training in India. As a teacher of the Himalayan Tradition, Jerome initiates students on behalf of the lineage and teaches and guides on various subjects such as Raja Yoga, Meditation, Tantra, and Vedanta.

Jerome has worked in the Integrative Medicine field for decades, bringing the teachings of Yoga to the realm of Western science. He lectures and teaches in educational institutions, corporations, and Yoga schools. Jerome is the spiritual director of Asheville Meditation Center, a non for profit spiritual organization based in Asheville NC, and also serves as a Spiritual Mentor for those who seek guidance.

 

Ben Nemeth -President

Ben Nemeth has been practicing meditation and yoga for over ten years and was initiated into the Himalayan Tradition by Pandit Jerome in 2019. He met Jerome and began studying with him during a short stint in Asheville in 2010. Throughout his professional career, he has been focused on working within organizations to find solutions to social issues. He has been living in Kenya since 2015.

 

Cynthia Latimer, RYT – Treasurer

Cynthia Latimer graduated from National Louis University in 1999 with a double major in Psychology and Social Science. After graduation, she moved to Seattle and spent a number of months traveling the world. Cynthia returned to Chicago where her family lives and began working for the Himalayan Institute Midwest Center. During this time in Chicago, she began her long journey with teachings of the Tradition. In 2003 she furthered her education with the Institute’s Teacher Training program in Pennsylvania. Since then she has continued to see the world and has had the fortune to study with numerous master yoga teachers. Cynthia currently resides in Bend Oregon.

 

Livia Budrys, LCSW, SEP 

Livia is an initiative and student of the tradition since 1999. Livia has completed a two-year residency at the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy and over a decade of advanced Yoga certifications. She also holds a Masters of Social Service and Administration from the University of Chicago. Inspired by both traditions, she has studied and developed yoga therapy interventions in the treatment of mental illness and for the effects of trauma. She is a practitioner and consultant on the integration of yoga, neurobiology, somatics, and psychotherapy practices in the healing of traumatization and the awakening of greater aliveness. www.liviabudrys.com

 

Karen Koffler, MD

Karen Koffler (Medical Director – Integrative Medicine at University of Miami) is a major proponent of Integrative Medicine and a consultant to the American Medical Association in this field.
Prior to joining Canyon Ranch, Dr. Koffler was Director of Integrative Medicine at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare.
Dr. Koffler studied for two years at the Fellowship on Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center under Dr. Andrew Weil.
Karen has practiced meditation and yoga for many years and is a student of the Himalayan Tradition.