This mantra is my compass:

GATÉ GATÉ
PARAGATÉ
PARASAMGATÉ
BODHI SVAHA

Go go beyond
Beyond the highest,
Beyond the highest reality,
And too beyond enlightenment
Go beyond

(Prajñāpāramitā Heart Sutra)

A woman with long brown hair, wearing a beige shawl, mala, and prayer threads, sits outdoors to meditate, perform a puja, and with her ring finger on her forehead, applying a sandalwood tilak.

THE FASTEST WAY FORWARD is inward.

In our work together, you’ll hear me say this a lot. We live in a world overwhelmed by external input. Most of us have learned to address our challenges from the outside-in; exhausting our known physical resources, matching pitch with a sick society, and getting overwhelmed in the process. Without a strong counterbalance of inside-out, heart-centric, strength and resilience, we’re bound to topple over; disoriented, unclear, foggy, impulsive, paralyzed. Our internal resources are infinite and sacred, and it’s time to tap into that well.

ABOUT ANTESA

I could not tell you any story about myself without telling you about my teachers. These are the beings who blazed the trail before me, who showed me the way, and revealed what is available, countless times.

I call them My Divine Consortium — the people who led me back to my heart — and throughout my life, this type of Elationship (one that is elated in Love) has been pivotal.

My first teacher was my mother. Once my adversary, now my spiritual confidante. What got us from the former to the latter was my own willingness and receptivity, and unending support and guidance from Lynne Forrest and Alexandra Stockwell. Lynne helped me see and meet Reality so I could find liberation there. Alexandra taught me to trust myself while fostering my somatic agency, emotional maturity, and intuitive clarity. I also trained and mentored with each of them for years afterward to develop the skill to facilitate this quality of transformation for others. As I healed and moved through multiple spiritual awakenings, our relationships evolved, and I’m blessed to consider both of them dear soul companions still today.

Maman Bernadette, one of the 13 Grandmother Shamans of the world, from Gabon, initiated me into the Bwiti Rite, a ritual and initiation anchored in Truth (Bassé) and discovering Who You Are. During our time together, she reminded me that one cannot give until one learns to receive, and she was instrumental in getting me on my One True Path. She gave me the Bwiti Initiate name Miguemba, which is the one who does the makeup before ceremony; she who prepares the initiate for the way. Maman transitioned into the spirit realm in January 2021.

There is much to be said about what is required to realize your true nature, but one thing I know for sure, is that the path of discipleship is the most efficient way. It is in this elationship that we discover the depths of receptivity, willingness, discipline, and skill. It is here that we drink the sweet nectar of devotion and surrender.

ShantiMayi, my beloved guru, named me Ma (divine mother), and showed me the vastness, sacredness, and sheer power of the heart. She tenderized me while conjuring my strength. She showed me that love is not always warm and fuzzy; sometimes its being thrown into the fire with a fierce reminder that only what is not me will burn, while what is True always remains intact. It is through her grace that I discovered the beauty and bliss of total annihilation.

And perhaps most importantly, she showed me how to be a disciple through her devotion to her beloved guru, Sri Hans Maharaji.

ShantiMayi left her body in February 2025. I was graced to have five formidable years with a living master, and now I am graced to have her in the ethers guiding my every move from the center of my heart; never separate, always one.

A woman with short dark hair and a flower in her hair, resting her chin on her hand and looking at the camera, with a blurred background of people and trees.
Older woman with curly gray hair sitting outside, resting her chin on her hand, wearing a gray top.
A cheerful woman with gray hair wearing glasses, a maroon top, colorful beaded necklace, and bright red lipstick, smiling outdoors.
An elderly man dressed in traditional ceremonial attire, wearing a large floral necklace, a white head wrap with a horizontal orange stripe, and face paint, outdoors with blurred greenery in the background.
Smiling older woman with glasses and braided hair, wearing a white scarf and earrings.

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

— Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t voraciously seeking the divine.

Forever in awe of all that cannot be seen — The Great Mystery — I convened with it through music, through prayer, through nature, through flow-states as an athlete, through spontaneous intuitive insights that guided every major life decision I made, through breath, yoga, and meditation, through silence, and through the palpable liberation that comes from personal responsibility; the deeper inner knowing that I am both the Creator and the Created, at once.

I’ve always been who I am. But like most of us, it took me a few decades and countless, painful, detours to realize it; to remember what has always been True, but which I had forgotten. And yet, there wasn’t a single mistake made. Each moment was carefully curated to lead me home.

Woman sitting peacefully on the floor in her silk robe handmade in India, next to a bed, eyes closed and hand on heart, in a cozy bedroom with floral wallpaper, a headboard, and flowers on a dresser.

 inhale — exhale

ANTESA’S JOURNEY

The most important thing to know about me is that I am an enthusiastic student of life, of love, of nature, of the universe.

My life experiences are what has led to the wisdom I now share with my students. I share the transmission of what I have lived, learned, and metabolized.

Those experiences are as varied and versatile as a color wheel. My path has led me to some pretty extraordinary places, where I’ve had incredibly profound experiences, both ecstatic and excruciating, and everything in between.

The first 20 years of my life were singularly devoted to musical excellence, in both voice and the french horn. I moonlit as an athlete, and still hold the school record for discus at my high school. I had a 12 year career in Investment Banking both in New York City and Copenhagen before I walked away from that path to pursue my vocation. I’ve traveled to over 50 countries. I’ve been a student of yoga for over 20 years. I speak three languages (English, French, Danish). My education has not stopped since I was born, and left to my own devices, I’m still learning every chance I get.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes taking a selfie at the Delhi Airport, wearing a blue patterned jacket made in India and necklaces and mala, sitting on a black chair with wooden flooring and green plants in the background.
A woman wearing a pink sari with headscarf and patterned skirt looks at the camera while someone adjusts her clothing at an outdoor Bhakti Yoga Kirtan event in Rishikesh, India..

My life now is that of a modern monk. I am a renunciate (sanyasi). I am married to God/The Divine. I am devoted totally to Love. I am mother to all. My home is my temple. I live mostly in silence, but I love good music and will often play a song I love on repeat for hours. I converse with the elements and pay gratitude to nature. I go to the gym and eat well to honor the body. I chant. I pray.

I cherish moments with my sangha. I offer seva at my ashram (Sacha Lineage) up in the Pyrénées and in Rishikesh, India. I lead kirtans (devotional singing) in my neighborhood. I facetime with my mom and dear friends on other continents. I travel to wild, far out places in my dreams and meditations way more often than I do on planes, trains, or in automobiles now, but I still love a good slow-travel adventure. My life is perfectly ordinary, and after years of chasing the extraordinary with impulse and urgency (and a hint of escapism), I’m utterly satisfied and enthused, right here. I currently live in Southern France.

I have devoted my life to fostering the widespread reclamation of the most powerful muscle in our soul/body; the heart. I serve my students in Love as they reclaim their authority, emotionally mature, learn to follow their intuition, and discover their Dharma.

A woman chanting bhajans at a Kirtan event at Sattva Yoga Retreat Center outside Rishikesh, sitting cross-legged outdoors, with eyes closed and a tranquil expression, near a microphone stand and harmonium, surrounded by trees.
A woman with a pink shawl wrapping her hair, sitting on the beach in front of the Ganges River in Laxmanjhula, Rishikesh, waiting for Ganga Arati, smiling and looking over her shoulder, with buildings and trees in the background during sunset.
A woman with dark hair pulled back, smiling, wearing a blue shawl outdoors during sunset with a blurred background at the beach in Laxmanjhula, Rishikesh, next to Ma Ganga..

"I was originally drawn to Antesa because she is an example of what I was searching for in my life, although I wasn’t completely conscious of it at the time. I could sense a depth to her being and undeniable wisdom that I was craving to find in myself. Her intuitive approach maneuvers between fierce and gentle; guiding with expertise and genuine love. Her mastery of the language that defines the human experience has made me feel deeply understood and shifted my perspective countless times.

Antesa has immense complexity but has taught me that the tools that will lead to transformation in my life are simpler than first thought. She has helped me to uncover a personal power that has been life changing. Her guiding principle is that the fastest way forward is inward – her guidance first led me to understand this statement and then move to embody it. We often search for answers to questions in our lives outside of ourselves but it’s learning who we are at our essence that brings clarity. I am exceedingly grateful for her love and guidance and encourage anyone who feels drawn to work with her to take that step. I’m so glad I did!"

Kristin Schmidt — Regina, SK, Canada

REQUEST PRAYERS

I spend every evening praying for those who want or need it. Loving kindness and prayer has the power to move mountains, and I’ve been honored to pray for many who have subsequently experienced profound shifts in their lives over the years. If you’d like me to pray for you, or if you just want a big dose of love sent your way, get in touch using the form below.