About
Melanie Rowan Bonnell
My background includes some varied experiences. I was an information technology executive for over 25 years both in the public and private sectors. I fulfilled a life long dream of being a competitive equestrienne in dressage, competing at the national level. After a relatively early retirement from the business world, I retrained as a yoga teacher and taught yoga at my own small studio and with a studio in downtown Toronto for 13 years. I trained in and practiced Reiki beginning in 1992 and become a Reiki Master/Teacher in 2008.
Since late teenage I have had an abiding interest in mediation and Buddhism in general and in Tibetan Buddhist teachings in particular. I practiced various forms of meditation throughout the past 40 years. My teachers have included Swami Sivananda Radha, Pema Chodron, and Reginald Ray PhD. I am currently a member of the International Buddhist Community, Tara Mandala, led by Lama Tsultrim Allione who is my main teacher.
I recently moved to the beautiful old town area of Uxbridge, Ontario (North East of Toronto) where I now live with my husband and our two mini-Schnauzers.
Melanie Rowan Bonnell
Certified Meditation Instructor and Reiki Master / Teacher
About Golden Devi
In 2005, I was inspired to create a company to offer yoga and meditation classes privately and to groups. I had private students coming to my small studio on my property and was teaching classes and workshops at other facilities in the city. When I became a Reiki Master in 2008, I began offering treatments and training in my studio and at a studio in the city. I continued teaching in various locations until COVID. During COVID I converted some of my offerings to ZOOM including introductory Reiki classes, sitting meditation classes and a regular compassion meditation group which has been on-going since 2017.
I also took the opportunity during COVID to practice and study intensely with my teachers at Tara Mandala (online). By 2023 I was inspired to bring my depth of knowledge and experience to interested students. As a result, I am re-launching Golden Devi with a specific goal of offering practices and tools that can benefit people in these difficult times.
