Hi, I’m Carolyn.
I’I'm a meditation and mindfulness teacher, breathwork facilitator, retreat leader and coach, supporting individuals, teachers and organizations through practices that cultivate resilience, presence and nervous system awareness.
My work weaves together mindfulness, breathwork, meditation and embodied practices to help people navigate stress and reconnect with themselves in meaningful, practical ways.
Since 2009, I've led teacher trainings, retreats, workshops and corporate wellbeing experiences across Canada and internationally. Along the way, I've had the privilege of sharing this work through communities and organizations including Insight Timer, Wanderlust Festivals, lululemon, Love Your Brain and Mala Collective.
My path has been shaped by studies in Environmental and Resource Management, years working in the non-profit sector and extensive training in yoga, meditation, breathwork and somatic practices. Today, my teaching continues to evolve through ongoing study in trauma-informed approaches, end-of-life support and mentorship with Georgina Eden.
Above all, I lead from a grounded, human place - bringing both depth and lightness to the work. I remain a lifelong student of what it means to live with greater presence, curiosity and compassion. I believe it's never too late to breathe more deeply, learn something new or begin again.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
It was meditation that hooked me onto the path of transformation - in the best possible way.
I accidentally meditated for the first time on a yoga retreat with Clara Roberts-Oss. I thought I had signed up for giggling through backbends, not sitting quietly with myself. The meditative component was incredibly challenging and emotionally uncomfortable, but I sensed there was wisdom in that discomfort and that I needed more of it if I wanted to grow.
Around the same time I began teaching yoga, I also committed to a personal meditation practice. Since then, I have gratefully studied with teachers from Buddhist, Vipassana, and Zen traditions, including Tara Brach, Adyashanti and Reggie Ray, among many others.
Today, teaching meditation takes me from retreat centres and community gatherings to corporate settings and anywhere there is a genuine desire to learn.
After sharing these practices with thousands of people over many years, I have come to believe that life itself is the practice - not how many hours you can sit quietly on a cushion.
Every conversation, challenge, relationship, setback and moment of joy offers an opportunity to practice awareness. There is no need to do it perfectly. Showing up is what matters.
MY PATH
I was a strong-willed young woman.
I left home at sixteen and ventured even farther away at eighteen, eventually finding my way to Whistler, British Columbia, where I completely immersed myself in yoga.
At the time, I was snowboarding, skateboarding, trail running and searching for something that felt grounding. Yoga seemed to meet me exactly where I was. Whistler also became an escape from an unhealthy environment and a party scene in Vancouver that no longer aligned with the life I wanted to build. Looking back, discovering yoga would eventually support me in more ways than I could have imagined.
After nearly a decade of practice, I finally gathered the courage to take my first Yoga Teacher Training. During those years I also completed a co-op Bachelor of Arts degree at Simon Fraser University, worked for Environment Canada and the BC Wildlife Federation, began formal therapy and slowly started the deeper work of understanding my patterns, relationships and ways of moving through the world.
Since completing my first 200-hour training in 2008, I have continued studying with inspiring teachers including Ana Forrest, Schuyler Grant, Clara Roberts-Oss, Shiva Rea, Judith Hanson Lasater and many others.
Over the years, I have contributed to wellness publications, created educational content for leading brands, presented at festivals and conferences, facilitated teacher trainings and led retreats and workshops internationally. Yet the most meaningful education continues to come from practice itself.
LIFE’S TEACHINGS
Change is always occurring - As mindful humans, we can learn to pause, breathe, honour what we are feeling, and respond with greater awareness to what life is asking of us in any given moment.
Practicing for life - This lifelong practice has taught me that there is no single path and no perfect way to do any of this.
There will be seasons of connection and seasons of disconnection. Moments of clarity and moments of uncertainty. Times when we move forward with confidence and times when we begin again.
All of it belongs - The practice is not about avoiding life. It is about meeting life as it unfolds.
TODAY
Over the years, my work has become simpler, quieter and more focused on what I believe creates meaningful and lasting change.
While yoga was my entry point into this path, meditation, mindfulness, breathwork and nervous system awareness have become the foundation of how I support others today.
I am endlessly curious about our capacity to adapt, heal, learn and grow. Through both personal experience and years of guiding others, I have seen how small, consistent practices can profoundly shape the way we meet stress, navigate challenge and relate to ourselves and those around us.
Whether I am mentoring an individual, leading a retreat, facilitating a corporate wellness program or training teachers and facilitators, my intention remains the same: to offer practical tools that help people become more present, resilient and connected to their lives.
These days, I continue to teach from a place of curiosity, humility, and lifelong learning - grateful for the teachers, students, experiences and life lessons that continue to shape the work.