The AMBIKA Method® is a framework designed to ensure that you’re nourishing yourself across all six dimensions of wellness: mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, and inspirational (that last one is often called “vocational” in the literature, but I’m more interested in what lights you up in general than by how you make your money). 

One of the things I’ve noticed about most healing modalities (and I’ve studied a lot of them!) is that they tend to touch on only one or two. That doesn’t make them any less valuable. It just means that we need to supplement them with other practices to make sure our self-care plan is well rounded. If we’re going for total wellbeing, we need to take a holistic approach.   

The AMBIKA Method encourages you to apply practices (ones you already have, as well as some that I’ll teach you) to each pillar. We focus on the principles of Awareness, Movement, Breath, Intelligence, Kindness, and Artistry as a foundation to both organize our efforts and inspire our actions. The end result is that you’ll never be at a loss for something good to do for yourself, while knowing why these often simple actions will be both meaningful and sustainable. 

The AMBIKA Method is a complete system on it’s own, and pairs beautifully with other modalities, traditions, and practices. Once you have the basics, you can continue to add to it as your interests and needs change, giving you a lifetime of support.

The AMBIKA Method is a deep bow to the spiritual name “Ambika,” given to me by my beloved teacher, Ram Dass (author of the book Be Here Now, and many others).  

I lived with RD on Maui as his caregiver in 2016. The name itself means "little mother" in Hindi. He said in my role I got to mother him, which was unique in that there were few women who assumed caretaker roles in his life. 

Ambika is the goddess of the moon, a warrior goddess, and is sometimes credited with being the "creator of the universe." 

While that’s a lot to live up to (it's sometimes said we are meant to grow into our names), RD did tell me she has eight arms, and that in each hand she holds a different tool. He said I also have my hands full of tools, and that we shared a desire to help people heal. 

He also explained that she is a fierce protector, and when crossed, is a force to be reckoned with. RD knew me well, and smiled slyly when he said, “you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

I was so moved by the meaning behind the name, and touched by the reasons he decided on it for me.

And, I’m happy with the name my parents chose for me. So I found a different way to honor this gift. 

Not long after I was given the name, the acronym appeared to me. I was searching for a way to explain my theoretical orientation for my clinical work (an academic exercise that I had rebelled against) and began to list all the things that were most instrumental in how I work with people. I arrived at AMBIKA: Awareness, Movement, Breath, Intelligence, Kindness, and Artistry.

I shared this with Ram Dass when I went back to Maui to visit, and he gave the work his blessing.

While the AMBIKA method isn't designed to be a "goddess practice," you can choose to layer on the goddess energy imbued in the name if you'd like. My prayer is that in whatever way you choose to engage with it, the method serves you. 

I’m Jennifer Benetato. I have a string of official letters that go after my name (LCSW, LMT, E-RYT, C-IAYT, R-DMT...a whole alphabet soup). You can find out what all that means, resume-style, here.  

But to answer your question another way, I’m a soul who can remember her zip code.*

It’s 12508 if you were wondering. 

I lived and worked on unceded Lenape land, otherwise known as NYC, for the better part of the last 22+ years, and now call the Hudson Valley home. 

*My teacher, Ram Dass, said “Just because you are seeing divine light, experiencing waves of bliss, or conversing with Gods and Goddesses is no reason to not know your zip code.” I think that’s pretty sound advice.

This is where I get to share all kinds of tools, tips and tricks to support you to recover from burnout, overwhelm, and the effects of chronic stress. 

It’s my virtual classroom!

(This means that the stuff I say on this site is for educational purposes only. I might be a therapist, but hanging out with me here doesn’t make me your therapist). 

If you’re looking for my psychotherapy practice, you can pop on over to www.redefiningtherapy.com. 

I highly recommend you work with a therapist if you can. Good therapy can be life changing!

Absolutely! In fact, one of the things I encourage everyone to do is to have a beginner's mind, so that part will be easy. 

Also, I love working with beginners! In fact, I think my superpower might be helping people get started on a lifelong love affair with themselves.  

I try to make my lessons as simple and thorough as possible so that they are accessible to people at any stage in their journey. And if you need some extra help, that's what the practice labs are for. 

I repeat myself often, so don’t be surprised if you hear some of the same messages again and again. This not only helps you to retain information, but allows for you to deepen your understanding of concepts over time. I know I gain a lot from revisiting things I might “already know,” so this is as true for my “advanced” students as it is for those just getting started.  

One last note: some people do best with 1-1 support when they're first getting started. This program is designed to give you all you need without it, but if you want a boost, you can always reach out to schedule a private coaching session.  

Remember, we were all beginners once. And chances are, you know more intuitively than you'd think.

Absolutely! The AMBIKA Method is designed to play nicely with your existing practices, and can grow with you as you learn new ones.

It’s also important to show up with a beginner’s mind. There’s a lot of benefit to going back to basics at times, and we can miss out if we think “I know this already.” I'm an "expert" and I use The AMBIKA Method everyday. 

I’ve taught this framework to some of my very own teachers, and most of my clients have been professional coaches, therapists, and wellness practitioners, so I can assure you you’re in good company. 

One of the side-benefits of learning and using the AMBIKA Method, should you happen to work in the health and wellness field, is that you might find it’s a useful framework to conceptualize your work with clients. While I desire to share AMBIKA with as many people as possible (and would love for you to incorporate the principles into your practice), I do ask that you credit the work should you reference it. 

An important note: I know it can be tempting to take programs and get inspired by all the ways you might apply what you are learning to your professional life. I ask that you make a conscious attempt to set this time aside for you, and your self-care. 

If you’re interested in professional training and/or consultation using The AMBIKA Method, please reach out. I'm considering developing something just fo you.