Benja Peterson is one of the most joyous people I have met. She radiates enthusiasm and encourages people to thrive with cheerfulness. The phrase “walk on water” is an idiom that means to do something impossible, to have the courage to overcome obstacles and ultimately achieve something extraordinary. Benja, as a restaurant owner, former hairdresser, Mary Kay Cosmetics representative, NuSkin consultant and yoga studio owner, has done just that—and she continues to walk graciously on the spiritual waters of her life.
Will you share a poignant story from your childhood?
My mother once told me, when I was about five years old, we lived in a city called Ayutthaya, Thailand. I had begged my mother to allow me to go swimming. She said no, and I went anyway. Thailand was always flooding, and our home was very close to the river. She told me I almost drowned, and my father saved me. I was crying and standing upright with my head out of the water when my father ran from his office and jumped into the water. Some said it was a miracle from God that I was saved, since the water covered his head.
Has water always been important to you?
Yes! Since I began Kundalini yoga in 2003. I have taken a cold shower in the early morning hours. The cold water gives me physical and spiritual energy.
How old were you when you had your first conscious spiritual experience?
I grew up as a Buddhist, and my parents were both meditation teachers. My father traveled for work as he had business in different cities and sent money back to us, coming home once a month. My mother raised seven children by herself. When I was 14, we moved to the mountain. Sometimes my mother would say, “Just go sit.” Once I went to a cave and I sat counting my breaths. When I walked home and into the house, I felt like I was floating—like my feet didn’t touch the floor. I didn’t realize that it was a spiritual experience, but I know now, and I can often feel it in my feet.
How did your spirituality expand over time?
In 2001, before I moved to Utah, I was introduced to Hatha yoga. In 2003, I began practicing Kundalini yoga. Yoga gave me the courage to start my successful restaurant business.
What was the strong impulse to embrace Kundalini yoga?
When I was teaching Hatha yoga at the community center in St. George and the Summit Athletic Club, I didn’t know about Kundalini yoga. Later, I was given a Kundalini videotape, and it changed my life. After certification, I started teaching Kundalini yoga classes through Continuing Education at Dixie State University, now Utah Tech University. I began with seven students and ended with about 200.
I know you’ve practiced many spiritual traditions. When did you stop teaching yoga?
In 2013, I started traveling and stopped teaching yoga. But, in 2017, my husband Eric introduced me to the spiritual practice of Zen Buddhism. Silence let me know “who” I am. In silence, I could feel my body awakening and being aware. Silence has given me moments of being one with nature and developing a meditative mind.
Have you had any challenges or suffering on your spiritual journey?
My children have been part of my suffering, because things are different than what I experienced growing up. But my children have also been my greatest inspiration on my spiritual path. My suffering has directed me to the light.
What do you feel has been your greatest achievement?
All my life, I have been seeking truth by asking myself three important questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What happens after this life? When I walked into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thailand, those three questions were on the board. That's how I became a member, because they gave me those three questions to ponder. Those questions are still with me, but my understanding has grown deeper, expanded wider and higher in consciousness.
One of my favorite quotations is by Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti when he told his disciples: “Develop river-like generosity, sun-like affection and earth-like hospitality.” I am now in the “be still and know that I am” mode.
"Since I began Kundalini yoga in 2003, I have taken a cold shower in the early morning hours. The cold water gives me physical and spiritual energy."
"My children have been part of my suffering, because things are different than what I experienced growing up. But my children have also been my greatest inspiration on my spiritual path. My suffering has directed me to the light."