About

Hatha yoga has been a part of my life for the past 11 years. My personal practice has also been influenced by restorative and kundalini yoga, as well as Korean yoga based on the 5-elements theory. I mentored with Karuna, a wonderfully sensitive and experienced teacher, for two years, receiving the oral tradition of hatha and assisting her beginner’s classes. Her teachings are heart-centred and combine classical yoga with the spiritual teachings of the Sufi mystics.

My yoga practice greatly informs my Thai massage practice, as Thai massage is often known as “lazy man’s yoga”. The movements and their relationships with other parts of the body is much of my interest while doing yoga asana and is, in large part, why I’m sensitive to this while working with others.

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” ~ Gandhi

Ten years ago, I began meditation in the Theravadan Buddhist tradition, which is an aspect of the teachings of traditional Thai massage and the cultivation of compassion, equanimity and loving-kindness. I have studied with three different Theravadan teachers, including Robert Beatty of Portland, Oregon, and have also sat and studied with monks and layperson practitioners of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, Zen, in South Korea and in Canada.

During the three years that I lived, traveled and studied in Asia, I studied Nuad Boran, traditional Thai massage, with Chongkol Setthakorn in northern Thailand who was the lead teacher at the Old Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai before opening his school in 1992. In 2011, after 3 years of practice and study I became a Registered Thai Therapist (RTT) with the Thai Healing Alliance International (THAI).

As a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy practitoner, I continue to explore my belief and experience with the connection between emotions, state of mind and disease. I began my studies in PRYT in 2003. Today, my interests and areas of study are in stress, anxiety, digestive issues such as IBS, intuitive eating and the bodymind connection.

I was born and raised on Vancouver Island. I have a B.Sc. in geography/ environmental sciences and a post-grad diploma in Creative Writing. I’m a freelance writer and a published poet. After years of carrying out scientific research in the field, working for eco-businesses and working for environmental non-profit organizations, being an activist with my pen, my voice and my body, I turned my attention inward to “Be the Change” I wanted to see in the world.

I continue to be inspired by the love for life and potential for healing that people bring to the mat.