My journey to wholeness began the moment I came into this world. I believe the reason we are here on this earth is to heal- a journeying home to a feeling of wholeness as we have always known it, but have somehow lost touch with it along the way.
It wasn’t until I began studying Eastern and Western Psychology at Brock University in my 3rd year (2007), that I realized the path I was on. I became fascinated in studying the Eastern Psychologies of Buddhism and Hinduism along with the Western Experiential, Transpersonal and Eco Psychologies and discovering the overlaps between the two. Through the lens of Eastern Psychology I discovered a completely new way of seeing, thinking and experiencing the world that totally liberated me. There was no turning back at this point.
Prior to learning about the transformative effects of meditation on the body, mind and soul level, I experienced what I now know as panic attacks. But I didn’t quite know it at the time that this was what it was. A feeling of complete entrapment, as though I were being sucked into a black hole. I remember feeling like I would never be able to come out of it once I was there. A truly trance state. The pressure of always having to keep working harder, better, faster. Always needing to attain higher and higher grades, the competition between classmates and the constant anxiety about whether or not I would find a good paying job upon graduation. These recurring thoughts were almost unbearable. When I made the decision to take my first Eastern Psychology course and ‘Yogalates’ (fusion of Yoga and Pilates) class in the Winter of 2007, I had no idea this would take me where I am now.
A year and a half after graduation, I knew it was time for me to take the next step to embody the wisdom I had learned years previous. My body was yearning for it and I had no other choice but to comply with it’s wishes. The body is a powerful teacher in this way.
In 2011, I enrolled in a Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga Therapy Toronto, graduating the following year. Since then I have been practicing, teaching and continuing my studies in Yoga. In 2017, I made the decision to return to school to become a Registered Massage Therapist as a way to combine two modalities that I believed had enormous healing potential. In 2019, I travelled to India to deepen my studies in Yoga Therapy, studying in the Krishnamacharya Yoga Tradition with Dr. N. Chandrasekaran. Given the circumstances of the Pandemic in 2021, I had the rare and fortunate opportunity to continue the last 4 modules in my home town of Guelph, Ontario with Dr. NC’s senior teacher, Barbara Quinlan! I fully completed my training and internship at the end of 2022.
When I wake up in the morning all I can think about is sharing the beauty and healing powers of Yoga Therapy and Massage with the world. I wish nothing more than to share these gifts with you!
Photo Credit: Guyson Kuruneri