Ruth Lauer-Manenti is the daughter of Lothar and Stefanie Lauer. Her parents came to the United States from Europe as refugees. Her father was a scientist and her mother is a published author. Both set an example of how to be a decent human being. Ruth found her way to yoga twenty-five years ago after spending a year in bed due to a serious car accident. She has been teaching yoga for the past eighteen years to students from around the world, primarily at the Jivamukti Yoga School in New York City. Ruth is a devoted student and has the blessings of her teachers: Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Saraswati Jois, Sharath Rangaswami, Sharon Gannon and David Life, Dr. Jayashree, Prof. Nagaraja Rao, and Dr. Gurudath and his family. Her husband Robert is a humble tai chi master and a gentle nurse who works with those in critical care at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City. Ruth also has an MFA from the Yale School of Art, and sometimes teaches drawing and painting at Dartmouth College.