I have been involved with Body/Mind Integration for well over 30 years. After an eleven-year adventure as a professional actress in New York City, then known as Bonnie Cousins, I moved to Florida in 1972 and re-defined myself, becoming a teacher of yoga and creative movement. An affiliation with the Association for Humanistic Psychology introduced me to my mentor, Ilana Rubenfeld, who encouraged me to move back to New York City to train at the American Center for the Alexander Technique. I later became a founding member of The North American Society for the Alexander Technique. It was also in the early '70s that I met my spiritual teacher Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) and traveled to India. Returning to New York I became the founding director of a large meditation center where I supervised the running of a successful meditation center, and where I with others, taught Osho's dynamic meditations and Peace Dances .

In 1982, I moved to New England where I opened a private practice as an Alexander teacher, raised my son, and offered workshops in movement and meditation as well as the Alexander work. During that time I traveled back to New York bi-monthly, to assist Ilana in a two year program teaching Alexander Technique to Rubenfeld Synergists. In 1990 I completed the training as a Rubenfeld Synergist and added the Rubenfeld work to my private practice.

In Vermont, I began studies in Sufism, learned the turn and was trained as a “Whirling Dervish,” in the Mevlevi lineage of Rumi through the Threshold Society. Ernestina Staleva, trained me to teach Paneurhythmy, a sacred movement practice from Bulgaria and I joined Erna in teaching Paneurhythmy at the Omega Institute in 1996. I continue to hold dances twice a week in Brattleboro's Memorial Park between the spring and autumn equinox and offer workshops wherever wanted.

Because of my love for International dance, Peace Dance and Paneurhythmy the door opened for me to teach in Macedonia 2001, Bosnia in 2004, and Turkey 2003 and 2006. In Macedonia I worked with teenagers who were survivors of violent conflict and in Bosnia with Serbians, Bosnian Muslims and Croatians from different religious traditions who were refugees and former combatants in the Bosnian war.

Currently I am president of the boards of the Vermont Healing Tools Project, and The Associated Psychotherapists of Vermont. A deepening interest in Interfaith service, has led me to facilitate the Brattleboro Area Interfaith Initiative for clergy and lay persons interested in social action. As of 2010 I have also joined staff of Making the Most of I, and The PNI Institiute of New England.(Pycho-neuro-immunology.)

When appropriate, I perform “Inspirational Turning” or will appear with others in traditional Sema, (Ceremony of the Whirling Dervishes, of Jalaluddin Rumi).

Seeing individual students and clients in the Alexander Technique and Rubenfeld Synergy Method occupy my day to day life, while my love for creative movement and sacred dance blossom into workshops using meditation, emotional processing, movement and mind/body awareness. Most recently, WHEN DANCE BECOMES PRAYER emerged as an offering to the Interfaith Chaplaincy of Maine, and at the Rowe Conference Center ( please go to the EVENTS page of this website for more information..

As often things go full circle, In the fall of 2009 I found myself co-directing an Arthur Miller one act play to be performed at the actor's theater in September of 2009

Life is Full!!

And Now a new focus for 2010...The  Connected Self.

                                   contact Rupa at 802-387-5276
                                         rupa@together.net