Hi, I’m Lisa.

I have spent most of my adult life exploring and learning various ways to address physical, energetic and emotional pain. My largest interest lies in the relationship between the physical & energetic bodies and how the mind, body & spirit intertwine. And I enjoy writing about what I find.

BODYWORK BACKGROUND

I grew up in the Midwest and received my bachelor's degree in physical therapy from Saint Louis University in 1995. I began to practice yoga shortly after that and began teaching yoga in 2000. My physical therapy and bodywork career has been focused on orthopedic injuries with special interest and attention to the fascial system, the spine and chronic pain.

I have taken a multitude of continuing education courses in various forms of manual therapy, including John Barnes Myofascial Release, Upledger Craniosacral Therapy and Certification in Lymphedema treatment along with many techniques in Joint Mobilization, Muscle Energy Techniques, Soft Tissue Mobilization and Aromatherapy. I currently work in Ventura, California.

YOGA, WRITING & TEACHING

I am a long-term yogini, having studied many different styles of practice. My first teacher, Linda Owen was a Daoist yogini with a background in Iyengar. I am grateful to be able to study with many amazing teachers, most influentially Kira Sloane, Erich Schiffman, Ravi Ravindra, Patricia Sullivan and most recently Bhavani Maki. I dabbled in Ashtanga (does one dabble in that practice?) and Kundalini yoga, but I lean heavily into the paths of Freedom Style Yoga, dance and intuitive movement, Bhakti, and tantric philosophy. My current practices, writings and teachings help to bring energy down and into our bodies, connecting deeply to the feminine essence inside (Shakti)—the force that makes up manifest life. Finding this balance helps us dive into the shadowed spaces that most of us avoid and repress until we can no longer suffer the consequences of letting them subconsciously control our lives and want to find more freedom