Beth Pettengill Riley
M.A. Dancer, choreographer, somatic educator arrived with a soul call: MOVE! 15 years of professional ballet training and performing later, she discovered modern with dance pioneer, Hanya Holm, while completing a BA in Literature at Colorado College. In 1981, she received her Masters in Education with a Dance Specialization from Stanford. Beth served on the faculty of Cabrillo College for 17 years where she taught all levels of dance, fitness, yoga and creative movement. Beth was a performing, teaching and administering member of Tandy Beal & Co, an internationally recognized modern dance company for over 10 years. In 1975, Beth began a passionate exploration of Yoga: origins, theory and practice. After two years at the Iyengar Institute in San Francisco, CA, she went on to become a founding member of Mt. Madonna Center where she served on the staff for more than 10 years. Baba Hari Dass continues to inspire her life and her teaching. In 2001, Beth received the Good Times award for the “Best Yoga teacher in Santa Cruz” in its annual readership poll.
Continuum awakened a deeper calling in 1978 when she began studying with Emilie Conrad and Susan Harper. It was spiritual practice, creative art, psychotherapy and fitness regime all in one. She began apprenticing with Emilie in 1986 and for 18 years has been leading classes and workshops locally and nationally. In 2001, she pioneered a graduate level course in Continuum at the newly formed Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, specializing in Somatic Psychology.
Beth is actively exploring the interface between Yoga and Continuum working closely with Emilie Conrad in creating innovative approaches that address the deeper currents common to both. She lives in Aptos, CA with her husband, her 11 yr old daughter, three horses and a cat.
