This month Namasté features Tiffany Murray, the newest member of The Chopra Center family! Tiffany works closely with our COO, davidji, in making the Center an amazing place to work, visit, and experience. She has her fingers on the pulse of the daily guest experience; she helps to translate Deepak and David’s strategic vision for bringing peace, joy, and fulfillment into the world; and she works to empower our staff to expand their abilities and their consciousness. Tiffany is also on the Teacher’s Path for the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga and is only one week from becoming a certified yoga instructor.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in the Bay Area, in San Francisco.

What drew you to The Chopra Center?
My dharma and SynchroDestiny. The job description piqued my curiosity, and I applied, without thinking that anything would come of it. When I was called in for an interview, I still had no expectations of getting the job, but I’d heard about the Center and had been wanting to check it out. Then something magical happened – I felt like I was in an instantaneous comfort zone. And here I am!

What do you love most about your work here?
I really enjoy witnessing the transformations each week at the Perfect Health program . . . those who come to the Center are seeking to become more mind/body balanced, and I find their drive to become more evolved incredibly inspirational. To get to that place of self-awareness that in turn becomes the moving force within you to make those necessary changes is beautiful. Here they learn the tools that they will practice, share, and cherish for the rest of their lives.

Do you have a favorite Chopra Center program?
I would say SynchroDestiny . . . I think that anything having to do with the power of coincidences is magical. To really sit down and think about your inner voice and how it is connected to universal vibrations is fascinating. I’m very excited about SynchroDestiny in Portland this year! I’m looking forward to learning how to manifest my deepest desires.

What is your primary dosha and how do you stay in balance?
I am primarily Vata-Kapha and I follow many of the Ayurvedic guidelines for balance and health. I meditate, practice yoga, and always drink a cup of hot water before each meal to strengthen my agni (digestive fires). I’m also a devoted ginger tea fan and have many cups throughout the day. I stay away from raw food to keep my Vata digestion on track and get a massage as often as I can. The Ayurvedic treatments here at the Center are amazing and are like no other. Our Healing Arts Masters are so connected energetically, and I can’t imagine going anywhere else for massage treatments . . . I’m so fortunate!

Do you have a favorite Chopra Center product?
I love the soothing Rupa oil and wear it all the time. It smells really good and calms me when I’m feeling out of balance. It’s contagious and I get compliments on it all the time!

Who are your archetypes?
Kwan-yin, the Buddhist goddess of compassion who hears every prayer. I have a beautiful life-sized Kwan-yin statue that my mother found in an antique store in San Francisco. She is hand-carved out of wood and intricately detailed, so when my mom moved to Bali, I inherited her because there was no way that she would make the trip in one piece. I love her and meditate next to her every day. She is beyond beautiful.

Where would you most like to travel?
Thailand and driving through the south of France would completely bliss me out!

What are your favorite films?
I am such a film buff that it is nearly impossible for me to narrow it down. Anything from the mid-sixties and seventies genre are at the top of the list . . . The Graduate, Shampoo, Harold and Maude, and the list goes on. I have to say that my favorite film last year was Into the Wild. I read the book when it first came out in the nineties, right around the time I first read The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, and it really opened my eyes to the importance of the Law of Detachment.

What is your favorite book?
There are so many! A recent favorite is Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts.

What kind of music do you enjoy?
I truly feel that music is the heartbeat in life. Music is a huge part of my life and carries me through each day. I love everything from Billie Holiday to The Velvet Underground. I often use music to balance my doshas. If I’m Vata imbalanced, I listen to someone like Nina Simone or Nick Cave. For my Kapha pick-me-up, I’ll listen to disco or maybe Pearl Jam, and to balance Pitta, I’ll listen to the Seven Metals CD or the Buddha Lounge.

How do you spend your Sundays?
I RPM (rise, pee, meditate), do yoga in my garden, and relax with my family, my beloved dog, Gizmo, or friends. My husband is a fantastic cook and we love to eat in, outside. Weekend getaways are always a treat . . . as much as I love my home life, being out of your everyday element always awakens the spirit and brings a fresh perspective.

Do you have a list of dreams that you want to fulfill in this lifetime?
To be happy and balanced . . . and to see and experience as much of the world as I can!

What was your most transcendent moment?
The day I gave birth to my son. I don’t think anything is more transformational than becoming a mother. People or loved ones try to explain it but you never really know until you experience it. That moment changed everything . . . beyond my wildest expectations . . . I saw the world with a new set of eyes, the way I viewed family, other people, nature, and myself. I became more compassionate, open-minded, and patient. Everything totally changes when you create life.

Who would you most like to invite to a dinner party?
What a dream it would be to eat and entertain with Andy Warhol, Charles Bukowski, the Dalai Lama, Eddie Vedder, Isamu Noguchi, Audrey Hepburn, Frida Kahlo and Bob Marley. I would love for Alice Waters to cook and for Jeurgen Teller to take photographs.

Do you have a favorite quotation?
“Live the life you love, love the life you live,” by Bob Marley. I've also always loved Audrey Hepburn’s words: “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”