My Feathered Pipe story, or rather my relationship with India Supera, founder of the Feathered Pipe Foundation, began back in the late ‘90s after my late-wife and I had shifted to Missoula, Montana from Austin, Texas. I had been forced to go out on the road as a truck driver to make sure enough money and health insurance were there for my wife Maile, who was struggling to overcome a violent attack and historical trauma that had put her life in great danger.
During that time, I as well was trying to find remedy for the severe, chronic pain from a past athletic injury during my college years. I had found my way to a local yoga teacher who was teaching me privately on the rare occasion that I was off the road. She told me that I should consider going to the Feathered Pipe Ranch for a yoga retreat, suggesting that I write to India and ask for a scholarship as my wife and my financial situation was quite dire.
I wrote India a letter and she immediately wrote back saying come on over. I enrolled in a retreat program with Ramanand Patel and George Purvis, both early proponents of BKS Iyengar’s method of yoga. By the end of the week, it was clear to me that through diligent practice and attention to posture that I could become pain free, even amidst the rigor of living on the road for 48 weeks out of the year. I consequently revamped my double-bunk sleeper in my truck to include a mini–yoga studio complete with maple wood flooring!
Over the next ten years or so, I continued to come to Iyengar yoga retreats at the Ranch, from Mary Dunn and Dean Learner to John Schumacher and Patricia Walden, who both became my core teachers. India would make a trade with me each year — my farm boy, jack-of-all trades labor for one week a year at the Ranch. Over that time, I did everything from landscaping and excavation, tipi and yurt repair, forest maintenance, to working in the kitchen prepping meals.
Ultimately, Maile passed, not being able to overcome her demons of the past. In 2006, I ended up in India studying with BKS Iyengar, thanks to an invite facilitated by Patricia Walden. In truth, I was wanting to be anywhere but America, where everything reminded me of Maile and the incredible struggles we had gone through. I subsequently asked for Patricia’s blessing to stay in India and did not return for the next five years.
I volunteered in the slum areas doing social work during those early years in India and ultimately ended up in Indian IT startups trying to find American and European business customers with dreams of making it big with their proposed software development project. In the midst, I kept an eye from a distance as to how India and the Feathered Pipe Ranch were doing. Things were not going well.
The Feathered Pipe Ranch, which had been the premier destination for those interested in deep exploration in fields of yoga, health, and wellness during the 70s, 80s and 90s, had not kept up with how fast the world was changing. The burgeoning internet and social media platforms were becoming the predominant means to reach new audiences and communicate with one’s community. This combined with severe economic recession, health problems, and alumni teachers that were desiring to travel less and/or retire, made for a perfect storm.
I came back to the US in early 2011 and approached India about building out Feathered Pipe’s online services. That meeting in the middle of a winter blizzard in India’s cabin is what began the journey I have been on ever since. India and I worked closely during that winter hunkered down in isolation, me working on the website and our early social media platforms, India dealing with the aftermath of cancer and severe heart problems, and together watching silly Canadian comedies and Doc Martin.
I continued my work on the Feathered Pipe’s online services, dividing my time between the US and India for the next five years while India went into retirement, needing a much-deserved rest and hoped-for recovery of her health. India came back to the helm of the struggling Feathered Pipe ship in 2016, and by God’s grace and much effort, the Ranch returned to prominence in the health, wellness, and yoga world. Right before her death in 2019, we were named the #1 retreat center in America by the Yoga Journal and India was honored by LA Yoga for her life’s work.
In October of 2019, India passed on after a long and difficult struggle with liver cancer. Thankfully, not long before India’s death, Crystal Water, India’s daughter and a small business owner, was asked if she would consider being executive director. After much thought and discussion with others and invitation from the board, she accepted. From that day forward, it has been “full on”, weathering COVID, reflecting on what India’s original vision was and what our core mission is, and doing our best to “walk our talk”.
This journey has been anything but easy. But from my perspective, missions of the heart do not necessitate ease, but ultimately, if one stays true to course, bring inspiration and benefit to all. I look back and think of all my times with India. She never took the easy road, but she most definitely took the truest road. She inspired all who were able to see beyond themselves and their desire for possession or personal advantage to live for something higher.
I never once in all my time with India heard her say, “my ranch” or seek praise of herself. That speaks of something remarkable. We are all simply stewards here and vehicles for manifesting the Highest Reality — Truth, Consciousness, and Contented Being.