Personal Story
My Story
With a given birth name like Satori (sudden enlightenment gained through intuition), it only seems fitting that our ability to tune inwards and move towards living authentically and in alignment with our Self, has shown itself crucial to me for vibrant health and wellbeing; not only for ourselves but also for our local and global communities and ecosystems.
I have a life experience filled with diverse and disciplined spiritual pursuits in solitude, small groups, and large gatherings; through singing, dancing, and creating visuals; through hours of self-inquiry and reflection; close relationships with teachers, mentors, friends; years communing with the intangible presence of life’s energy (some call Source. Creator. The Universe. Love.). I have spent countless hours learning the subtleties of holding space for others to feel safe, met and held as they are, with no expectations or demands. I was taught well while volunteering with youth in my community; they showed me how.
Alongside these experiences, I received formal education of the interconnectedness of mind, body, emotion and spirit through the registered holistic nutritionist program at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition (CSNN). Developing awareness of body, mind and mood responses to food and digestion; diving into anatomy and physiology of our various systems (digestive, endocrine, muscular, immune, etc.); how stress and inflammation influence ALL of these; and (thankfully!) engaging with practical and effective tools to support balance in all areas.
After educating groups and individual clients, guiding them through detox and lifestyle changes, I returned to academia. Rather than declare a major, I asked a question (check out Quest University if you haven’t heard of it. A beautiful approach to higher education!!):
What are the mechanisms and consequences of our conscious and unconscious mind?
Broad? Yes.
Fascinating? Entirely!
…for me anyway.
This was the journey that introduced me to my inner neuro-nerd. I was drawn to the power of our mind in creating our experiences; the way we interpret reality greatly impacts our sense of wellbeing, which also translates to our physical health. The relationship between the physical mechanisms in our nervous system and our psychological world is a lens through which I continue to interact with the world. My pipe dream and intention with this intellectual pursuit is to create access to effective alternative methods for mental health and wellbeing, addressing the causes of our suffering rather than replacing band-aids on the symptoms all our lives.
The technique of Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) found me in 2016.
As I engaged with this method I became a witness to changes in my thoughts, reactions and felt a sense of wellbeing, the profundity of which demanded the attention of my academic endeavours. After years of personal development using meditation, mindfulness, yoga, prayer, outdoor therapy, counselling, EMDR, etc. etc.; this technique catalyzed the process of embodying values I had long-established. I.E. instead of reacting, then consciously wishing I could take it back and respond differently, I began to notice that my reactions changed. As if my conscious ideals had finally become embedded in my subconscious and living from those values and ideals came more naturally to me.
And thus, a thesis was born (found here). I conducted research and reviewed the surrounding literature, intending to create a foundation for future studies on this technique. I was invigorated to pursue training as a facilitator by what I saw in the literature and heard from participants in my study.
We have an innate capacity to heal (the well-established placebo effect), and this is one way we can tune into it. I passionately offer this service as I have witnessed myself and my community empowered and transformed, using a profound tool that is free and, quite literally, right under our nose.
As always, keep breathing.
