James was exposed to yoga in 1996 through his first spiritual mentor Jeri Lucas, who continues to inspire him today. With a growing love for the practice, James participated in the 2001 Ana Forest teacher training. In 2003 he traveled to Kiev, Ukraine for a four-month intensive training in Universal Freestyle Yoga with Andrey Lappa. After a couple years of teaching and studying in Chicago, he took an 8-month sabbatical to study with the beloved Dharma Mittra in New York, NY. His interest in Ayurveda then took him to Albuquerque, NM. There he studied Ayurvedic Medicine at the Ayurvedic Institute with the renowned Dr. Vasant Lad, M.A. Sc. James is also an ordained reverend through Ron Brown Grayson, PhD in Universal Studies, co-founder of Source Legacy.