Über mich
My name is Tati McDermott (neé Friar). Lu Jong found me at a moment when my body needed a gentler way of living. Through these Tibetan movements, simple shapes guided by breath, I learned to soften tension, deepen presence, and experience calm as something real and physical.
Lu Jong is an ancient yogic practice that works through the body’s 72,000 subtle channels, using slow, intentional movement to balance the elements and steady the winds that shape our emotional and mental life. Like acupuncture, it restores flow from within through motion, breath, and awareness. Its effects are quiet but clear: more ease in the joints, steadier energy, better sleep, less stress, and a mind that settles more quickly.
I am a certified Lu Jong teacher in both the Fundamentals and Advanced forms of Lu Jong I and the Five Elements under Tulku Lobsang Rinpoche, Doctor of Tibetan Medicine and founder of Nangten Menlang International in Vienna. I continue my Buddhist studies with H.E. Khangser Rinpoche, founder of the Dipkar Vajrayana Institute, where I have served since 2021 as a weekly Dharma class facilitator and as Director of Communications and Student Engagement.
Before this work, I spent many years in public service, education, and leadership. I hold a master’s degree in Public Administration and a bachelor’s in Sociology and Spanish Literature. I became a Reiki Master in 2014 and later studied Analytical Kabbalah in Spain and Mexico while completing my Lu Jong training. These lineages shape the way I hold space in a simple, intentional, and deeply respectful way for the nervous system.
I teach through Zen & Tonic®, the studio I founded for women who have carried too much for too long, a quiet space to exhale, unwind, and return to their own rhythm.
I retired in 2023 and now divide my time between Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, and San Antonio, where I live with my husband and our three dogs. Our blended family of five grown children and our luminous granddaughter Violet keeps life rooted in joy and meaning.
