Cyndi Lee

Cyndi Lee began practicing yoga and meditation when she went to college in 1972. She began teaching yoga in 1978 and at the behest of her root guru, the great Tibetan master, Gelek Rimpoche, she began teaching meditation in 1992. The first western female teacher to combine yoga and Tibetan Buddhism, Lee founded OM yoga Center in NYC, which became a mecca for yogis worldwide.

Known as a “teacher’s teacher,” Cyndi has been invited to teach workshops and trainings all over the world.  Through her students, her work has been integrated into the NYPD, NYFD, and the NY DOE, as well as hospitals, parole work, college counseling centers and even accounting firms.

For two years in a row, she was been invited to be one of only 20 presenters at the Dalai Lama Global Vision Summit and the Women of Wisdom Summit hosted by Lion’s Roar.  She was invited to represent the West in Moscow at the launching of Yoga Journal magazine in Russia, where she taught workshops and gave a toast at the launch party surrounded by yogis, journalists, belly dancers and a lot of vodka.

Cyndi is the author of five books including The New York Times critically acclaimed May I Be Happy: A Memoir of Love, Yoga, and Changing My Mind, the classic yoga text: Yoga Body Buddha Mind and her newest book, Long Life Yoga.

In 2018 Cyndi was ordained as a Buddhist Chaplain, under the guidance of Roshi Joan Halifax of Upaya Zen Center.   She holds a BFA and MFA in Dance from University of California, Irvine.

Cyndi leads an online meditation community called Lifting the Gaze and write a substack called Drip, Drip, Drip the Bucket Fills.