Jalaja Bonheim, Ph.D.
Jalaja
(pronounced DJA-la-dja) Bonheim, Ph.D. is an author, counselor,
workshop leader, public speaker, and one of the most engaging
teachers of non-religious spirituality today, with a unique
gift for helping people overcome the obstacles that would prevent
personal fulfillment, satisfying relationships, and healthy
communities. Fresh, clear, and compassionate, her work has touched
thousands of lives. She has been leading circles and studying
the dynamics of the circle for over twenty years.
Jalaja was raised in Austria and
Germany, where she completed her doctorate in English literature
and studied various healing and therapeutic modalities. From
there, she went to India, where she trained in classical Indian
temple dance before coming to the United States in 1982. She
is a student of Hinduism, Buddhism, and other world religions,
and an avid believer in the importance of cross-cultural and
interfaith encounters. She now lives in Ithaca, NY, where she
maintains a private counseling practice.
Jalaja Bonheim has been leading circles
and developing a community of Circlework™ practitioners
since 1982. She teaches around the country at centers such as
the Omega Institute, Kripalu, California Institute of Integral
Studies, Rowe Conference Center, and others, and lives in Ithaca,
NY.
Besides offering circles for the
general public, Jalaja trains professionals, such as ministers,
teachers, social workers, psychotherapists, and corporate executives,
to apply the principles of Circlework™ in their chosen
field of work. She is especially interested in using Circlework™
to improve and heal the relationship between people of diverse
religious and ethnic groups, and has been working with Jewish
and Palestinian Israelis committed to the goal of peaceful co-existence.
Another
important focus of Jalaja's work has been the healing and celebration
of the feminine spirit. Since its publication in 1997, Aphrodite's
Daughters: Women's Sexual Stories and the Journey of the Soul
has become an underground classic. Based on the stories of ordinary
American women, it proves the immensely important role sexuality
plays in shaping our spiritual journey. Witty, wise, entertaining
and compassionate, Aphrodite's Daughters has transformed the
way American women view their sexuality.
Her articles
have been published in Yoga Journal, New Age Journal, Lapis,
and other publications. She is the author of four books.
View Jalaja's website.
