ABOUT
In addition to being a writer, yoga teacher and photographer, Beckie Dumas O’Neill is also a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, neighbor, former substance abuse therapist, and wanna-be earth steward who drives a hybrid yet still buys coffee-to-go with plastic lids.
Yoga
Beckie attended her first yoga class in February 1977. In a black leotard, with a ring of fat around her middle, she broke free of self-consciousness long enough to follow the teacher’s instruction, “Feel the stretch.” Tuning into how good it felt to carefully stretch her body, she accompanied her posture with deep breathing and relaxed into the pose. She became hooked and has practiced yoga virtually every day since. Okay, not on the days she had babies.
Oh yeah, and she lost that ring of fat. But…occasionally relocates it.
In 1980, friends encouraged Beckie to share what she had learned from her practice. Her “Yoga Sharing” classes sprouted, took hold, and grew to approximately 30 hours per week throughout the North Country.
Along with teaching yoga for almost four decades, Beckie has served in several capacities including as an addictions family therapist for eight years and as an Adult Center Director for nearly two before retiring in 2015. Today, she provides chair yoga classes in Saranac Lake and to some residents at Sunmount DDSO in Tupper Lake.
Writing
Since retiring, Beckie and her muse have enjoyed an increasingly prolific and rewarding outlet through creative writing. When Beckie encountered a situation at work over which she was powerless, she began writing about her resentments and the parts she owned in the dysfunction. “It was as if a plug had been pulled out of me,” she says. “After that, there was so much I wanted to give voice to. My creative juices began flowing and haven’t stopped.”
Photography
Beckie’s interest in photography developed in a similar way. She recognized her powerlessness in another scenario and sought ways to bend her mind away from the frustrations. She found it helpful to go for walks each day to capture with her camera lens what was beautiful, unusual, or unique. While her spiritual path and practices continue to help her let go of outcomes she can’t affect, she has expanded her visual search for textures, layers, and arresting contrasts of light.
All of the above pursuits, and intermittent doses of dark chocolate, contribute to her ability to accept what she can and cannot change.
Credentials, Recognitions, and Certificates
Master of Science, Health Services Administration, Sage Graduate School, Troy, N.Y.
Yoga Teacher Certification, Sivananda Yoga Centre, Woodbourne, N.Y.
Yoga Teacher Certification, Cardiac Yoga, Integral Yoga Institute, Buckingham, VA
Registered Yoga Therapist certification at the 500 level
C.A.S.A.C, i.e. Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor certification
Beckie was awarded recognition as “Woman of the Year” by the Adirondack Chapter of New York State Women, Inc., for her decades of dedication to fostering health and wellness across the region through both of her small businesses, “Yoga Sharing” classes, and later “Managing Wellness”, which provided stress-management workshops for organizations, and yoga-adventure retreats in the Adirondacks and Costa Rica.