Hello :)

I come to this work because I lived the first 33 years in a body that had trauma and I didn't know it. I had many symptoms such as chronic migraine, anxiety and panic attacks, a lot of social anxiety and trouble being in relationship with others, drug addiction, digestive issues, acne- the list goes on. I tried for all of my 20's into my 30's to try to get some kind of control over my body, my pain, my anxiety and my emotions in general by experimenting with drugs, magick, nutrition and cultivating a yoga practice. I would have experimented more in western medicine if I had the access to it. I spent a lot of my life with out health insurance and avoided the doctor out of financial insecurity. My first step on the healing path was with food, which was such a game changer in how I related to my body. Then in my late 20s I found my yoga practice which put me in my body in a way I didn't know was possible. But the real shift came when I found Somatic Experiencing- it connected all the dots for me. I still practice yoga and nutrition, but the Somatic Experiencing gave the trauma lens, and I learned how change is something that can only happen when our nervous systems are flexible enough to do so. This has redefined my idea and relationship to "healing" as I now see it not as something I do to fix my body, but process/practice of nurturing capacity so that my body can be with, and integrate the different experiences that life presents us with. 

Below is a list of my teachers. I have had so many amazing teachers I had to list them all. My credentials are I am a  certified SEP (somatic experiencing practitioner) I am trained at the advanced level of SE. I am a ERYT (experienced registered yoga teacher) which means I have taught enough hours of yoga that I can (through the yoga alliance) teach other folks to become yoga teachers. I am also certified as a Holistic Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition out of NYC and have been practicing nutrition since 2014. 

Some other things to know about me:

I love to play music and am a punk at heart. I played bands in NY all through my early 20s and then in Seattle through my 30s. I am now here I am in my 40s new to Portland OR and in  a new band. Can't stop, won't stop. Making art and music was my bodies first way of finding regulation and self expression in a way that felt safe. It is still my happy place. 

Magick is a big part of my life because I became a magickal thinker as a kid out of a trauma response. My imagination was one of the only fun and safe places for me to be when I was a kid. As I grew up I started to notice a lot of the things that I had imagined, the worlds that I had created, started to actually manifest and I became interested in the connection between our thoughts and the world we experience. This lead me into studying the occult for many years, getting into astrology and the like, but it wasn't until I found yoga that I really feel I found a magickal practice. Yoga is a practice of "union" and magic happens when we are in union with the moment, as a participant, not a passive bi-standard. Magick is so many things but it has a lot to do with expressing your point of view, your Will, and loving yourself regardless of whether or not others understand it. Its really hard to express yourself and live into your potential when your body is chronically activated due to trauma. I am deeply fascinated with this intersection of trauma and magick, our bodies capacity to actually receive, embody and express the desires we want to manifest.

I love dogs and have a sweet senior pup named Luci. Speaking of seniors, I also teach fall prevention and fitness to a group of seniors though the Pike Market Senior center, and that group is a big part of my life and my heart. 

There is more, obviously but I share what I do with you because maybe you relate, or maybe I sound like a person you might feel comfortable going on this kind of deep work with. I hope so! Reach out to me with any questions at [email protected]