Emily grew up in Westport, Connecticut with a curiosity about what makes life meaningful and how people thrive. This inquiry led her to earn a Master’s degree in Industrial Psychology, and eventually to Los Angeles, where she managed the careers of artists and musicians while working alongside an entrepreneur. During this time, she explored balance through spiritual philosophy and practices centered around consciousness.
Returning to New York City, a place that had always felt like home, she discovered Vedic Meditation. What began as a personal practice soon became something she immersed herself in. She entered a long-term mentorship with her teacher, Thom Knoles, and in 2018 traveled with him to the Himalayas. There, she underwent the same training through which Thom had been trained by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the sage who brought meditation to the West in the late 1950s and guided cultural icons like the Beatles.
Since then, Emily has taught students around the world. In her first four years of teaching, she lived nomadically, traveling through seven countries to bring Vedic Meditation to communities without local access to a teacher. Living within different cultures expanded her perspective, while sharing a practice she found so valuable deepened her sense of purpose.
She later co-founded a nonprofit bringing meditation into conflict zones, including three months of teaching in the Middle East during wartime - strengthening her belief that inner peace is the foundation for collective peace.
She now lives in Hudson, New York, while continuing to travel and teach worldwide. Emily is dedicated to sharing Vedic Meditation in a way that is practical, approachable, and deeply life-enhancing.
years teaching Vedic Meditation globally
students personally taught (and growing)
Countries where Emily has taught Vedic Meditation
Emily’s path to becoming a Vedic Meditation teacher included advanced preliminary study in New York City, followed by a residential training at an ashram in the foothills of the Himalayas in India. During one month of this immersion, she meditated for fourteen hours a day alongside a small group of fellow trainees.
Under the guidance of Thom Knoles, this training prepared her to skillfully share the practice and hold space for students with clarity, depth, and care. It remains one of the most formative and cherished chapters of her life.
She continues to study closely with Thom with what has now been a decade of mentorship.
