Since 1999, a select smattering of Calgary-area individuals and groups have been enriched by Lonnie’s quiet sharing of her love of the life-enhancing benefits of yoga. Guided by inner knowing, she has based these humble offerings on training and self-practice in a number of traditions. She works with individuals, couples and small groups using an integrative, inquiry-directed approach to recover health and wholeness.
Lonnie (she/her) is the married mother of two adult children, both who have disabilities. Her work life has spanned unionized public service, corporate, small business and self-employment in arenas of military, social work, IT management consulting, and for the last twenty-five years, yoga and meditation instruction/therapy and spiritual direction.
While she recognizes that her life has been one of relative privilege, she is no stranger to difficulty and loss. She recalls being highly sensitive and deeply compassionate from an early age. Combined with a robust work ethic, these qualities rendered her vulnerable to the massive challenges she was to meet earlier than most. After journeying with family members through a series of tragedies, she has survived by many years all of her nuclear family. Yoga as a lifestyle has been crucial for survival and well-being in her life. When she works with people, it is from a place of understanding and a sincere desire to empower them to embrace the fullness of what life is offering.
Spiritual directors are trained to provide non-judgmental spiritual companionship whose only goal is to nourish the conditions for deepening connection with the Great Mystery.
Yoga Therapists offer yoga-informed services that complement Western medicine. Yoga therapy sees people holistically through a yogic lens that considers individual constitution, current situation, and environment while helping them to access their own internal healing mechanisms, and uncover natural True Essence, their natural state of balance.
Credentials:
- C-IAYT – Certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists
- Certified iRest(R) Yoga Nidra Meditation teacher
- Certified Senior Yoga Teacher (1000 hr+) – Yoga Association of Alberta (YAA) (qualified to teach teachers)
- LifeForce Yoga Practitioner, Level II – LifeForce Yoga(R) Healing Institute
- Certified Spiritual Director – FCJ Centre
- Certified Yoga Thrive(R) for Cancer teacher
- Certified Trinity Yoga Adaptive Yoga teacher
Other trainings of note:
- 75 hours with Maria Mendola, RN and trainer in several IAYT-accredited yoga therapy programs: Advanced Assessment and Treatment Plans in Yoga Therapy
- five days yoga for chronic pain with Neil Pearson
- Level II Critical Alignment Therapy (CAT) with Gert Van Leeuwen
- several years of Iyengar asana and pranayama
- restorative yoga with Judith Hansen Lasater and teachers of Kabir Baug as well as Dean Ornish Program, specializing in yoga for back and heart problems
- certified Yoga4Kids teacher
- years of training and experience in vipassana (insight and mindfulness) meditation, including many silent residential retreats.
- training in other forms of meditation in the yoga tradition, including advanced silent retreats with Richard Miller, founder of Integrative Restoration and International Association of Yoga Therapists.
For more information about how Lonnie uses yoga, see here and here and here