Greetings and welcome to you!!! Thank you to those who shared space for our first gathering of the June-November YTT cohort! It was an absolute honor to meet so many of you and learn a bit more about what calls you to this training and to this practice! I am beyond excited to embark upon this journey with you all!! If you were unable to join for the live gathering, kindly watch the recording as you are able and share your introduction as a reply to this thread.
Your reply not only provides the opportunity for those interacting with the recordings to engage with the cohort, but it also supports me to manage attendance to the training. Thank you so very much!
Hi Everyone!
I've been watching the recap all morning and am in such awe of how many amazing folks have been called together in this cohort!
My name is Shauna (she/her), and I reside on the land of the Sto:lo and Matsqui peoples in Fraser Valley, BC Canada (about 1.5 hours east of Vancouver).
By "trade", I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Sex/Trauma Therapist. I worked in federal corrections as a Correctional Programs Officer with men (supporting rehabilitative programs in general for several years, but then really dug in and found purpose in facilitating programs with those incarcerated for harming sexually). In addition to running a full private practice (Fraser Valley Sex Therapy), I am completing my PhD in Clinical Sexology with a research focus on creating more trauma-informed clinical support for justice-involved individuals who have offended sexually (and am currently designing a curriculum for clinicians looking to enhance understanding in this area). Additionally, I have begun a non-profit, Reintegration through Relationship Society, which offers trauma-informed support to individuals from incarceration to community, training for clinicians, and bursary opportunities for kiddos with incarcerated parents.
Yoga has supported me through many challenging aspects of my life, and I am looking forward to offering it more intentionally in the work I do with others.
I'm so incredibly excited to be here 😀
Hi,
My name is Steve and I had a technical nightmare on a borrowed device yesterday so my apologies for not introducing myself . I live in the Uk in Yorkshire where I work as a Prison Officer on a recovery wing . In the end of 2023 I was invited to attend a short PYP course having never done yoga , 18 months down the line I am now putting on classes for staff and the men on my wing on a weekly basis . The men complete a 10 week course and finish by been awarded with certificates and a mat which they really appreciate . I’m looking forward to really expanding my knowledge in yoga and take my initial training to a higher level. It was amazing to listen to everyone’s stories last night and it will be great to connect with everyone during the course.
Hi everyone! First, I just want to say how inspiring all of your introductions have been. I’m truly sorry I wasn’t able to join the live meeting. I’m hoping to catch some in the future if my work schedule allows. My name is Mary, and I’m currently based in San Diego, though I’m originally from Baltimore. I’ve spent the past 15 years working in various parts of the justice system including child protective services, as a crisis counselor for youth in custody, and for the past six years, I’ve been doing mitigation work in public defense. I spend a lot of time in jails and prisons. I've worked in county and state facilities and now I am in federal institutions multiple times a week. I’ve seen how much trauma exists in these spaces, and I’m so passionate about bringing yoga and mindfulness into this work. Yoga has been transformative for me personally. I believe I’ve experienced some secondary trauma through my job, and practicing yoga has helped me reconnect with my body, find peace, and build resilience. I’m really excited to learn how to safely share these tools with people who are incarcerated and perhaps even incorporate them into my day-to-day work. My hope is to empower individuals with grounding practices they can use anytime, even without a teacher present. I’d love to see these offerings eventually expand into the federal prisons I work in, where I don’t believe yoga is currently available. I’m so grateful to be on this journey with all of you!