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Jerry has also been active on several spiritual fronts as well. In 1996 he met a Native American gentleman who began teaching him regarding Native American Spirituality, ritual and ceremony. He was taught about how this way of life can profoundly transform ones life. Through the teachings of various Native American Elders from several plains tribes Jerry has had a unique opportunity to learn cross-cultural understandings and to bring these concepts to the lives and processes he has been engaged. Many of the rituals and concepts he was taught will help facilitate this retreat. Jerry has had the unique privilege of traveling to Peru and learning about Incan ceremony and traditions, playing with Radical Fairies in Tennessee and Oregon, and otherwise having a broad experience in working with the energies and ancestors of many lands and traditions. Honoring the sacred sensuality and medicine of our queer heritage is a daily priority in his practice and private life. He sees himself as learning and honoring the path of the “two spirited”, “third gendered”, and “walks between worlds”.
Jerry has served on several boards including the Utah AIDS Foundation, Naraya Cultural Preservation Council (Serving the Native American Community) and the National Gay Men's Health Movement. Jerry is aware of the various issues at play on many levels in the lives of gay men and knows how to actively facilitate a process that will provoke interpersonal motivation, growth and change.
John Cottrell, PhD comes to the table with a well-rounded background. Originally from Oakland, California, John developed a passion for working with people, music, and dance. He cultivated his skills and talents by attending Santa Clara University earning his Bachelors Degree in psychology. He attended Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in Palo Alto and earned his Masters Degree and PhD in clinical psychology. While living in Utah, John has been able to pursue many of his other personal goals: work as a psychotherapist, create and direct his own dance group, act, model, and become a certified yoga instructor. John worked for 10 years with Project Reality, a substance abuse treatment agency, where he continued to develop his skills as a therapist, administrator, consultant, teacher, and community liaison. John finished a tenure as the Director of Program Services with The Intermountain Harm Reduction Project providing services, education, advocacy, and counseling to active illicit substance users.
John has been a Power Yoga instructor for the past 6 years. He currently is the Life Studio Coordinator at Lifetime Fitness facilitating and coordinating the yoga and pilates program. He also teaches at Centered City Yoga in Salt Lake where he provides yoga instruction to a variety of aspiring yogis including an all men's Power Yoga class where the focus is on self-awareness, self-appreciation, inner and outer strength development, flexibility, balance, and focus. John continues to nurture his passion for working with people - helping others to develop and express their personal strengths and talents. Through the power of mind, body, and spirit, a true sense of self can be achieved.
