Chopra Center Staff Spotlight

Claire Diab

This month Namasté is pleased to spotlight Claire Diab - the Director of the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga Teacher Training. Deepak, David, and Claire developed the yoga teacher training as a way to build community and integrate this timeless wisdom into a daily practice of body-centered restful awareness. Claire has spent the last 15 years in service to The Chopra Center and this week she sat down with Namasté to share a few insights.

Where did you grow up?
In Millburn, New Jersey, just 30 minutes from New York City . . . Exit 142 on the Parkway!

What drew you to The Chopra Center?
I am a believer in the spontaneous fulfillment of desires. By setting my intention to share yoga with the world, I was led to the very first Seduction of Spirit meditation retreat where I met Deepak and David. I offered to teach a yoga class to the attendees, and it was a love connection. That experience led to more invitations for me to teach yoga at other Chopra Center events, and in time I was asked to be the director of the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga Teacher Training Program.

What do you love most about your work here?
Getting to collaborate with all the wonderfully unique people at the Center. We are all living our dharma synchronistically. Every day I get to work with people from all over the world who attend Chopra Center events, and I help them stretch beyond what they believe are their limitations.

Do you have a favorite Chopra Center program?
Yes, Seduction of Spirit is my favorite! There is something very special about the collective consciousness of 400+ people tapping into their divine essence at the same time - for a whole week! I have attended more than 25 of these magnificent retreats and every single one has its own unique flavor, vibration, and beauty. I encourage anyone who is on the path to higher consciousness - whether that's meditation, yoga, Ayurveda, or another practice – to free their souls at Seduction of Spirit. It is a spiritual transformation that changes your life forever. The spiritual essence that shines and sparkles through your eyes will shine and sparkle more brightly after this amazing experience.

What is your primary dosha and how do you stay in balance?
My dosha questionnaire identifies me as tri-doshic (containing an equal balance of the Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas). However, my friends and the people I work with see me as a Vata, and I must admit that I see myself as predominantly Vata as well. Vata here, there, and everywhere! I balance my Vata with my daily meditations and yoga, and by eating heavier foods such as nuts, beans, brown rice, and olive oil.

Do you have a favorite Chopra Center product?
Yes! It's davidji (the Chopra Center's lead educator). He is the most special thing to come out of The Chopra Center in a decade! Seriously . . . I love Deepak's Chakra Balancing CD and David Simon's book The Ten Commitments.

Who are your archetypes?
I have several: Lakshmi for her abundance, dancing, and free spirit; Saraswati for her love of learning and knowledge (and because it is said that when you focus on Saraswati, Lakshmi gets jealous and chases after you with her wealth and gifts!). My other archetypes include Jackie Onassis for her diplomacy, Princess Diana for her courage to be different, Jesus and Buddha for their teachings, and Kwan Yin for her compassion. And there are many more!

Where would you most like to travel?
I have traveled to many incredible places around the world, but the ones that really stand out are Crete, Italy, and New Zealand. I want to go back and experience more of their beauty. I also love Ireland because of the amazing people I met there at last July's Seduction of Spirit. I have also always wanted to go to Thailand (Thai food is my favorite!).

What are your favorite films?
My most recent favorite is 21 - I really enjoy true stories. I also love Adam Sandler's movies Click and Big Daddy. Others in my top twenty include Merlin, The Painted Veil, Bronx Tale, Titanic, Dead Poets Society, Seabiscuit, Field of Dreams, and Ladder 49. I have enjoyed so many other movies as well.

What is your favorite book?
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success I read this book when It came out in 1994 and it has changed my life forever. I continue to read the Law of the Day every morning! Each day the Laws take on new meaning depending on where you are and what's happening in your life . . . it is truly a gift to all on this beautiful spiritual journey. Perhaps the reason why I like Seduction of Spirit program so much is that we spend the week exploring and living the Seven Spiritual Laws.

What kind of music do you enjoy?
I enjoy all music! This is a hard question to answer and the list is long, including dance music, the Spice Girls, the Rolling Stones, lounge music, Thievery Corp., B-Tribe . . . and sooo many more . . . James Taylor, Elton John, Yes, Moody Blues - and of course all of my yoga music, especially "Vata,"from the Magic of Healing CDx; "Sea and Silence" by Deuter; "108 Names for Mother" from the Mother Divine album; and Deepak's Chakra Balancing CD. And I love Alicia Keyes, Paula Cole, Dotti Taylor, and Sting, who is not only an amazing musician but also seems to live yoga the way I do - to bring more joy, centering, and healing into life.

How do you spend your Sundays?
When I'm in New Jersey, I get to share the timeless practice of yoga with my local students and connect to my spiritual community, which is how we change the world. The other Sundays I am traveling with Deepak, David, and davidji, sharing the Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga with guests at SynchroDestiny, Journey into Healing, Seduction of Spirit, Renewal Weekend,and The Yoga Retreat. In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, the law for Sunday is The Law of Pure Potentiality, and I always feel blessed to live that law while performing my dharma.

Do you have a list of dreams that you want to fulfill in this lifetime?
Oh yes! My list is long. My biggest dream is to continue to share yoga with the world . . . well into my 100s. Another major dream for me is to live and embody the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and the sutras we learn at Seduction of Spirit. . . and to have fun along the way. Every day the intention that I repeat to myself is "I am the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. I am the sutras."

Who would you most like to invite to a dinner party?
My list is huge. It would be a dinner party of 200 or more (obviously catered!). I'd invite my family and all the wonderful people I work with at The Chopra Center, Seton Hall University, and the American Academy of Yoga. In terms of actors and entertainers, I'd include Robin Williams, Will Smith, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Mel Gibson, and David Letterman. I'd also invite writers Alex Grey, Leo Bascaglia , Marianne Williamson, Wayne Dyer, and Alan Watts, and all my archetypal figures. Finally, I'd want to include all the teachers who have shared their yoga wisdom with me.

Do you have a favorite quotation?
I've been collecting quotations since I was 12 years old. I have a notebook full of them, and they are all my favorites! Here are few that I've loved for a long time:

"Dance as though no one is watching.
Love as though you have never been hurt before.
Sing as though no one can hear you.
Live as though heaven is on earth," by Souza

“It perhaps it does not matter how heaven and earth meet . . . but that they do,” by Terah Cox

"If there were no change, there would be no butterflies," by an apparently unknown author

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, we must dream; not only plan, we must also believe,” by Anatole France

And finally, there's a proverb I love: "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."