Lyla graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with a BA in English and Drama. While engaged in an early career in the theatre she met Edward, a fellow actor. The two married and moved into a brownstone on Manhattan’s west side. Edward turned to his carpentry skills to make a living while Lyla became the mother of two sons. They found a spiritual home at the School of Practical Philosophy in New York City where they studied and taught philosophy and meditation. It wasn’t until their sons were grown and out on their own that Lyla revisited the academia. She earned a Ph.D. in Anthropology at the State University of New York/Albany and taught courses in anthropology and religious studies for 18 years at the college level.
Since her retirement, Lyla has been presenting courses at lifelong learning centers at college campuses in Hudson Valley. Lyla is a reiki master with training in shamanic healing. She received professional training in mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR) from Jon Kabat-Zinn. Lyla has written two books. The first, Pause Now: Handbook for a Spiritual Revolution (2009), describes the spiritual practice of pausing – an exercise in sensory awareness. Lyla teaches that pausing helps us stay in the present moment where life is taking place. Only in the moment can we learn how to release our talents for the welfare of the community and the world.
The second book, Homesick: Finding Our Way Back to a Healthy Planet (2018), explains the origins of global warming and offers solutions based in ecological sustainability. Lyla was inspired to write Homesick by the students in her ecological anthropology course. Lyla is also an accomplished poet. Her poetry appears in Chronogram magazine.
When Lyla’s husband of 54 years of marriage died of Alzheimer’s disease almost two years ago, she felt compelled to write a book that might be of help to fellow caregivers. Lyla was Edward’s sole caregiver for six years. It was a difficult experience. But difficult experiences can yield important lessons.
Her new book, My Years as an Alzheimer’s Caregiver: Transcending Loss by Nurturing Spirit, traces the journey she and her husband took through the labyrinth of Alzheimer’s disease. The book’s approach is unique. It weaves together three elements: first, a scientific description of the normal brain and how it becomes disfigured by the toxic proteins that define Alzheimer’s disease; second, a spiritual teaching embodied in the mystical heart of religions that declares the soul to be untouched by the physical breakdown of the body; and third, an experiential component that brings to life through daily journal entries the progression of the disease and how the soul of the loved one can be nourished, even as the body fails.
To find out more about Lyla’s work as an author and teacher visit www.lylayastion.com.