Hi, I’m Kelly (they/them)
I live on the unceded territories of the Líl̓wat Nation, the southern St’at’imc traditional territory, otherwise known as Pemberton, B.C., Canada. My ancestors are from Ireland, England and Scotland. I spend my days in a farmhouse surrounded by animal friends and Ts'zil, a giant mountain that towers above farm fields and lakes.
I am a Registered Somatic Movement Educator (ISMETA) and a graduate of The School of Body-Mind Centering®* Embodied Anatomy & Yoga program. I am an educator, writer and teacher who creates spaces for embodiment practices open to all genders, bodies and abilities. Since 2004, I’ve taught various forms of movement classes. For 11 years I practiced energy work and craniosacral therapy. The teachings I’ve received in somatics, embodiment practices and energy work derive their knowledge from cultural and philosophical traditional practices such as Ti-Chi, Qigong, Yoga and Buddhism.
I have been blessed along the way with many incredible teachers including, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Amy Matthews, Danielle McCulloch, Wendy Hambidge and Mary Lou Seeriter and Pippa Cherniavsky. I am deeply grateful for them and their teachers before them. I also wish to honor all my past clients and past and present students. You are all my teachers.
My specialty is working with people living with chronic illness and pain. I’ve been living in a body with chronic illness and pain for most of my life. My intimate communities and loves are people who live with disability. Our stories are as varied as our cultures, histories and bodies and yet, there are some strands of similarities in the way I see us surviving and thriving. I am currently collaborating with colleagues and creating online courses for navigating aging and pain that we hope to share in 2025.
HERE’S A FEW THINGS I WISH FOR
I want us to believe in the power of making pleasure a central part of our lives. I would love if everyone read adrienne maree brown’s book, Pleasure Activism.
I want to live in a world that embraces non-conformity and nurtures our inherent gifts. I would also like everyone to know who Alok is.
I want other chronically ill people and people from marginalized communities to be centered in our societies, because I truly believe that’s how we will all thrive.
*Body-Mind Centering® used with permission.
Writing & Projects:
I have written articles over the years on chronic pain. My articles have been published on various blogs, including My Yoga Online (2013).
In 2010 I released a CD of Energy Healing and meditation practices.
Related Volunteer & Activism Work:
2000-2012: North Shore Women’s Centre — Feminist Intersectional-based Social Justice Work, administration and event planning and organizing.
2001-2004: North Shore Multicultural Society— Youth led initiative as a workshop co-facilitator on Power & Privilege and Anti-Oppression work.
2008-2010: Vancouver Friends for Life Society— Provided Energy Healing for those with life-threatening illness and disease.