My Story

Kia Ora Wāhine,

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Someone recently asked me what the theme of my life has been, and only after some reflection can I say that it’s been Movement and Medicine.

Movement has been a part of my life in many forms. My free spirit thrives on the movement of travel and adventure, while my affinity for Eastern traditions has seen me explore moving practices, such as Yogasana, Tai Chi Chuan (Yang Style) and Qi Gong. Spending two years training in the tradition of Iyengar Yoga was more than a physical experience; it began more contemplative practices, such as meditation, the artistry of Sanskrit (Devanagari), as well as private scriptural studies in non-dual Vedanta, and Classical Tantra. 

Medicine, for me, implies natural medicine, and the natural world is my medicine. As a child, I made herbal remedies in my outdoor kitchen and dug up a part of the yard to grow food. Living in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado gave me a vast and varied landscape for exploring the natural world. My interests in food and wild plants as medicine continued as an adult, as I went on to formally study Western Herbalism in California, making medicinal tinctures, salves and teas, before diving into a four-year Master’s of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine, where I learned the art of raw Chinese herbal formulation. Another degree in horticulture kept my hands in the earth, and it was in New Zealand I discovered biodynamics, a way of gardening that tickled my esoteric heart.

Moving to Taranaki wasn’t easy. After living on the South Island for 11 years, with 100 acres of bush and birdsong between two rivers, a waterfall, and a large garden, I couldn’t image anything better. However, by leaving Eden, I entered paradise, finding the healing medicine of Somatic Dance and a community of exceptional women.  

Somatic Dance is a transformative embodiment practice that, in many ways, saved my life because it brought me home to myself. I now call this return: native body - natural wisdom, and we can all access it. 

I offer women a space to rediscover this for themselves; it’s a deep knowing often buried by externalising our lives - overthinking, overgiving, over accommodating, self-sacrificing - pretty much the program for being a woman - and certainly normalised for mothers. Throw in some guilt, a shadow of shame, a few repressed emotions and some childhood trauma; no wonder many of us don’t recognise ourselves anymore. 

The journey of rediscovery will be unique for each woman; however, I bring five decades of experience and a variety of therapeutic practices to assist us, from embodied movement to voice activation, meditation to somatic awareness, grounding techniques and releasing resources. This amalgamation I’ve named Somatic Awareness ~ Movement Integration (SAMI) because it encompasses more than dance. 

I also co-facilitate weekly Somatic Dance classes for women in New Plymouth (which you are welcome to join) and am available for 1:1 sessions at the WHŌ and online. 

If you still have questions, please visit my website, where you can schedule a free 15-minute call or book an appointment.