my story

There is a common thread that weaves throughout my life’s Yatra ~ sacred journey, in this Earth School. Since my earliest memory of playing with my brother in a park in Toronto, Canada, I can remember a sense of aliveness and pure love that filled me.

This thread of aliveness  (my living experience of an expansive presence) grew for me when I began to study dance.

As life has its inevitable heartaches, losses, stress and varying degrees of trauma. I have learned to cultivate a healing strength in my darkest hours, and a faith in a higher power. I believe we are a part of a kind, intelligent, generous and loving universe.

David Spangler in his book “Everyday Miracles” speaks to this so eloquently: “There is a presence within me that knows all of my needs, even those I haven’t yet, realized & this presence is in touch with a creative power that can meet those needs fully & lovingly.”  

My experience of embodied presence gives me a strong sense of connection and communion with Source ~ Creator.

Another writer, Amy Cuddy, explains this “presence” beautifully in her book called Presence. I resonate deeply with her words: “Presence doesn’t always have to be linked to a “crystalline awareness” in achieving an enduring state of philosophical in-the-momentness… And that, there are other ways to feel present & powerful in how Presence is a state of being attuned to and able to comfortably express our true thoughts, feelings, values and potential. Presence emerges when we feel personally powerful, which allows us to be acutely attuned to our most sincere selves. In this psychological state, we can maintain presence even in the very stressful situations that typically makes us feel distracted and powerless. When we feel present, our speech, facial expressions, postures and movements align. They synchronize and focus. And that internal convergence, that harmony, is palpable and resonant – because it is real.”  

This is true in my development & learning to live with presence during challenges and the basic ebb and flow of life.

For me, presence is also about an honest connection created internally within ourselves. I believe presence in a person entails the qualities of attentiveness, connection, integration and focus. In the fullest sense these qualities define what it means to be alive for me. To find your true presence gives you the strength to keep going and allows a deep state of balance, because you’re not trying to protect yourself, you just are. This is a true state. I believe we can self-induce presence, which is helpful in challenging moments and additionally helpful to truly embrace and receive the fullness, the richness & beauty this gift of life offers and the genuine connections shared.

I am blessed with dual-citizenship – it opened the world for me to travel, live and work abroad. I was away from family for a good 10 years and learned a lot about myself and life during this time period.

My travels took me through many ‘twists, valleys & turns’ and enabled me to meet one of my first most influential yoga teachers, shakti mhi. As a teenager I tried to teach myself yoga & meditation by reading books in the backyard of my parents’ home but, it was through being immersed in shakti’s teachings that I truly connected with the depths of this practice.

I have since been very blessed to have crossed paths with other great teachers: Dr. Ian Johnson, who has coached me personally & professionally throughout my years of being a Studio owner and has remained a great mentor & friend helping me path my way on my journey through the living experience of human flourishing; shakti mhi, Sharon Abbondanza, Julie Peters, Nicole Marcia, Nevah Eyton, Bernie Clark, Donna Farhi, Leila Stuart, for widening my knowledge and experience of the self-healing & empowering teachings of this living tradition, Yoga; Swami Vivekanada, Burnaby Hospice Society & Zenith Virago for the pioneering & evolutionary teachings you have shared with me and assisted me to find my way of service for those who cross my path, nearing end of life on this Earth plane; Bliss Prema, for teaching me the Prema Method Indian Head Massage an extremely powerful massage and spiritual experience for both the giver and the receiver. And thankyou, Andrea Alexander for opening new pathways for me to learn, grow and integrate my shadow and my light, to weave my humanness with my soulfulness to live from a genuine, embodied flow state that enriches my experience of life & all its beauty and broadening my abilities to handle life’s inevitable adversities and changes via, the wisdom of the body and body psychotherapy. And thankyou, to Guy Bennett for opening up the world of Kinesiology for me and thankyou to Terese Mudgway & Sarah Gilmour – Mayne for refining my ability to truly ground and recalibrate my heart and soul with the work of Kinesiology, this holistically comprehensive energetic modality.

Finally, to heal and thrive, self-empowerment is key. I’d love to provide for you a unique opportunity where I am a supportive guide; by bringing out your greatest teacher and healer, the one that resides within your own body, mind & soul.

“Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes.
If it were always a fist or always stretched open,
you would be paralyzed.
Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding,
the two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as bird wings.” – Rumi

Health & Wellbeing

The Institute of Body Psychotherapy – Brisbane QLD
The Institute of Body Psychotherapy is a Core Energetics Institute in Australia, more info.

The BackMitra – Belgium, Western Europe.
The BackMitra is an ingenious foam strip that is effective, to release tension in the spine & is supportive with a regular practice in assisting to realign & reestablish the natural curves of the spine. While increasing mobility, breath capacity and health, more info.

InnaBliss Yoga | Bulimba & Camp Hill Studios

Yoga delivered with heart

Est. in 2008, we are a yoga school committed to bringing to life the magic and sharing the richness of the practices.

Our yoga is honest and down to earth and it invites you to meet yourself precisely where you are in your body and your life.

We invest our hearts & energy into holding exquisite space for you to engage in the richness of the practice & explore & enjoy breath inspired and alignment infused yoga classes that support you to grow into your most vibrant self – more info.

Movement Vitality | Yoga and Mobility, Indooroopilly – Brisbane QLD

Movement Vitality extends benefits beyond the mat into your life. On the mat: It’s all the yoga you love, broken down in a simple way so you can benefit from it long after the class is over. Beyond the mat: Lifting a suitcase, falling over, turning suddenly.. our yoga can help you all these ways. And with kids, partners or work, you need to know how to breathe! For what matters: The more you know the more you can feel your body – all of the time. And that makes every day better – more info.

SoHo Yoga, Grange – Brisbane QLD

SoHo stands for ‘Soul Home’. A unique, boutique yoga space in Grange on Brisbane’s north side where everyone feels welcome, and anyone can take time out to nurture the soul, more info.

Sharon Abbondanza, Vancouver BC 

Sharon’s reverent love of the body infuses her teaching. She artfully combines the healing awareness of yoga therapy with the restorative alignment of the BackMitra and the exploration of tensegrity all within the enlivening practice of a flow-style (vinyasa) Hatha yoga, more info. 

Sunny Trim, Vancouver BC 

Founder of Vancouver Corporate Yoga. Sunny is passionate about bringing yoga to as many people possible, making their lives happier and healthier, teaching locally in Vancouver and abroad for special groups, retreats and adventure holidays, more info. 

Creative & Media

Rachel Kaye – Photography & Video 

If you are looking for maternity, family or couple’s portraits, or have an event, wedding or small business you would like photographed I’m your girl. Based in beautiful Brisbane and regularly travels to Sydney, Melbourne and Bali, more info.