returning to the body as sacred ground
Yoga
Traditional healing systems such as yoga and Buddhist contemplative practice have long recognised what modern neuroscience is now confirming: the mind and body are inseparable. Our emotional, cognitive and spiritual experiences live not only in our thoughts but also in our muscles, breath, posture and nervous system.
Embodiment invites us to return to this understanding. The body is not simply where stress is stored — it is also a profound source of wisdom, resilience and awakening. When we learn to listen inwardly, our physical experience becomes a guide for healing and transformation.
Ways to Practice
with Me
Therapeutic yoga for chronic pain & trauma — A one-to-one 75-minute session tailored entirely to your nervous system, your history and your needs. In person in Ottawa and online via Zoom. → Enquire about private sessions
The Inner Refuge Retreat — coming soon A half-day in-person retreat in Ottawa — restorative yoga, breath work and inner child work though somatic parts theory.
Yoga & Nervous System Healing for Chronic Pain — coming soon An eight-module online program weaving restorative yoga, somatic practice, Pain Reprocessing Therapy and Vajrayana Buddhist wisdom into a complete path toward healing.
Lineage
My teaching has been shaped by complementary lineages: the precision and embodied wisdom of Iyengar yoga, the contemplative subtle-body practices of Tibetan yoga, the energetic and breath-based practices of Kundalini yoga, and a 300-hour training in therapeutic yoga that has shaped how I bring all of these traditions into the service of healing. Together they inform how I understand the body — not just as a physical form, but as a living field of awareness, and innate wisdom.
Tibetan Yoga
Tibetan yoga is a traditional mind-body system that understands awakening as an embodied process. Rather than transcending the body, these practices invite us to work directly with movement, breath and subtle energy to cultivate balance, clarity and inner resilience.
Drawing from Vajrayana Buddhist lineages, Tibetan yoga includes several complementary traditions:
Tsa Lung — breath and energy practices that help clear blockages and restore flow in the subtle channels.
Yantra Yoga (Trul Khor) — dynamic movements coordinated with breath to awaken vitality and stabilise awareness.
Nejang — gentle self-care exercises from Tibetan Medicine that support relaxation, mobility and inner healing.
Kum Nye — slow, meditative somatic practices that soothe the nervous system and deepen body-mind integration.
Across these systems, the body is viewed as a powerful doorway to insight — a living field where emotional, energetic and spiritual transformation unfolds. Tibetan yoga supports nervous system regulation, reduces stress and helps practitioners reconnect with their natural sense of groundedness and presence.
At its heart, Tibetan yoga offers a simple understanding: the body itself is a path to awakening, and each breath invites us closer to our innate clarity and wisdom.
Iyengar YOGA
In the Iyengar tradition, spirituality is experienced through the body. B.K.S. Iyengar taught that precise alignment, steady breath and focused attention transform asana into "meditation in action." I have been shaped by this lineage and return to its principles of precision, attention and devotion throughout my teaching.
Iyengar yoga emphasises:
Precision and presence — refining posture to cultivate deep concentration and mindful embodiment.
Pranayama — systematic breathwork that steadies the nervous system and opens access to subtler states of awareness.
Study and self-inquiry — reflecting on classical yogic teachings to integrate practice with inner understanding.
Ethical living — grounding the practice in the yamas and niyamas, which guide compassion, honesty, discipline and devotion.
Restorative stillness — using supportive postures to encourage profound rest, introspection and surrender.
At its heart, Iyengar yoga reveals that the body itself is a pathway to insight — a place where strength, softness, attention and devotion meet. Through consistent practice, the physical becomes spiritual, and presence becomes a lived experience.
Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini yoga works directly with energy, breath and sound to awaken vitality and clear the subtle body. Its practices — kriyas, pranayama, mantra and meditation — move quickly and powerfully through the nervous system, creating profound shifts in awareness and physiological state.
While my therapeutic work draws most heavily on restorative and somatic practices, Kundalini informs my understanding of the body's energetic architecture and the relationship between breath, sound and nervous system regulation. It is a tradition of extraordinary depth and I carry its teachings with deep respect.
Ways to Practice
with Me
Therapeutic yoga for chronic pain & trauma — A one-to-one 75-minute session tailored entirely to your nervous system, your history and your needs. In person in Ottawa and online via Zoom. → Enquire about private sessions
The Inner Refuge Retreat — coming soon A half-day in-person retreat in Ottawa — restorative yoga, breath work and inner child work though somatic parts theory.
Yoga & Nervous System Healing for Chronic Pain — coming soon An eight-module online program weaving restorative yoga, somatic practice, Pain Reprocessing Therapy and Vajrayana Buddhist wisdom into a complete path toward healing.
