Much of Nancy Tan’s interest in the subject of stress stems from her own formative life experiences, in which stress was a constant companion. Nancy was born in occupied China during World War II. By the time she turned eight, she had experienced two evacuations, a war, and a revolution. She immigrated twice with her family, first to Argentina, and later to the United States. Her adventures did not end there. At age fourteen, she was held in detention for a week upon entering the United States because the U.S. consulate in Argentina had kept the papers she needed for entry into the country. Six months later she traveled alone to a boarding school in the Midwest, where she remained until she graduated from high school.

Perhaps because of this diverse background, Nancy has studied and trained in a variety of subjects and enjoys an integrative approach to almost everything she does. She has been a psychotherapist for over thirty years, and is trained in Gestalt Therapy, Transpersonal psychotherapies, Relational therapies, and Body-Mind Integrated psychotherapies. She has worked at several mental health agencies in California’s Central Valley, served as adjunct faculty in the graduate social work program at California State University, Fresno, and has been in private practice for the past twenty years.

Ten years ago Nancy became interested in yoga. She became a certified yoga instructor through Integrative Yoga Therapy, and has trained with internationally known master teachers, including Rodney Yee, Gary Kraftsow, and Donna Farhi. When she became interested in Ayurveda, Nancy studied the subject through the American Institute for Vedic Studies, and trained in Ayur-Yoga at the Ayurvedic Institute. More recently, Nancy took a certification course as a Tai-Chi Easy facilitator.

In 2000 Nancy opened Fig Garden Yoga Studio, the first yoga studio in Fresno. She currently co-directs the studio with her daughter Audrey, a certified Iyengar yoga teacher and back-care specialist. Nancy enjoys creating workshops that blend her many fields of study, and she has presented them at various venues statewide. In 2008 the studio offered its first yoga teacher training program, with Nancy serving as the Director of Training.

When she’s not teaching, writing, or studying, Nancy loves to travel. She takes a minimum of two international trips a year and enjoys co-leading local and international yoga retreats. Nancy is an avid reader and knitter, as well as a Life Master in duplicate bridge. She has three children, four grandchildren, and lives with her husband in Fresno, California.