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
Learn more about private yoga for Chronic Pain and Trauma Recovery→ click here
The Inner Refuge Retreat — coming soon A half-day in-person retreat in Ottawa — restorative yoga, breath work and inner child healing through somatic IFS.
Yoga & Nervous System Healing for Chronic Pain — coming soon An eight-module online program weaving restorative yoga, somatic practice, Pain Reprocessing Therapy and Buddhist wisdom into a complete path toward healing.
Lineage
My teaching has been shaped by years of dedicated practice and experiential study across several complementary traditions: the precision and embodied intelligence of Iyengar Yoga, the contemplative subtle-body practices of Tibetan Yoga, the energetic and breath-centered teachings of Kundalini Yoga, and a 300-hour training in Therapeutic Yoga. These diverse lineages have deeply informed my approach, allowing me to draw from each tradition in service of healing and transformation. Together, they shape my understanding of the body—not merely as a physical form, but as a living field of awareness, vitality, 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.
Restorative stillness — using supportive postures to encourage profound rest, introspection and surrender.
Pranayama — systematic breathwork that steadies the nervous system and opens access to subtler states of awareness.
Ethical living — grounding the practice in the yamas and niyamas, which guide compassion, honesty, discipline and devotion.
Study and self-inquiry — reflecting on classical yogic teachings to integrate practice with inner understanding.
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 breath, sound, movement, and awareness to cultivate vitality and support the flow of energy within the subtle body. Through practices such as kriya, pranayama, mantra, and meditation, it offers powerful pathways for exploring the relationship between consciousness, embodiment, and transformation.
While my therapeutic work draws most heavily from restorative, trauma-informed, and somatic approaches, my study of Kundalini Yoga has deeply informed my understanding of the body's energetic dimensions and the relationship between breath, sound, attention, and nervous system regulation. It is a tradition of profound depth, and I hold its teachings with great respect.
My understanding of Kundalini arises from the broader context of the Tantric Yoga traditions, where kundalini is understood as a universal principle of awakening and transformation. Although I completed a 500-hour teacher training in the lineage popularized by Yogi Bhajan, my current perspective is informed by a wider range of historical and contemporary scholarship. Over time, significant concerns have been raised regarding both the historical presentation of that lineage and allegations of ethical misconduct by its founder. As a result, I do not teach from or endorse that specific framework. Instead, I draw upon the broader wisdom of the yogic traditions while remaining committed to ethical, trauma-informed, and evidence-informed practice.
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
Learn more about private yoga for Chronic Pain and Trauma Recovery → Click here
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.
