About Lynda

Lynda is a trauma-informed Certified Yoga Therapist who is passionate about safety, inclusivity and accessibility.  No one should feel that yoga is out of reach for them, because yoga is healing.  Especially if you’ve experienced trauma.  And Lynda understands trauma; the trauma of stress, of violence and abuse, grief, injury, chronic pain, family disfunction, poverty, addiction, and the trauma of mental illness. When Lynda first entered yoga, it was out of curiosity around the physical aspect of it, and was astounded to find that the deepest reward came in the way of a stronger mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.  Her journey really took hold the day she participated in a class designed for those experiencing anxiety & depression, that was led with a trauma-informed approach.  During her very first class something shifted.  For the first time, she felt comfortable and safe.  Trauma disrupts a sense of safety and trust where one can easily be triggered* by others and by external stimulation, so having a class led by someone who is trauma-informed, made all the difference. After a lifetime of trauma, Lynda felt that this was right where she was meant to be.  In that moment she knew that this was what she wanted to offer others.  

As the Director of Therapeutic Yoga Programming at the Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health & Addictions Lynda has welcomed hundreds of participants from all walks of life, in search of a healthier way of being.  With great encouragement and support she introduces them to yoga in a safe and non-judgmental environment.  Feeling safe allows the nervous system to settle, to relax and to slow down.  Being mindful becomes more easily accessible, so that opening up to the new experiences of yoga feels welcomed and effortless.  Yet, every class or private one-to-one session and every participant she encounters provides a chance for her to continue to learn and grow – “in yoga, as in life, we never stop learning.”   

Meeting you “where you’re at” can mean using props and modifications to assist and support you as you move toward a fuller, healthier, more peaceful state of being, through the experience of yoga.  Whether practicing on a mat, in a chair or wheelchair, having physical/chronic pain to mental/emotional/spiritual disconnection or distress, really, anyone can participate.  Says Lynda: “Chair Yoga is offered to those requiring the assistance of a chair during times of instability, whether the challenge is physical, mental or emotional.  Offering the support of a chair allows one to focus on their recovery and well-being, while being physically supported.”

Yoga is for every-body and mind.  It really is a “bodymind” practice and should be made available and accessible to all.  People shouldn’t feel intimidated or judged when they enter a yoga studio.  Coming into a yoga studio should feel like a soft place to land.  A place one can feel safe and accepted.  A place one can tune inward and really feel what’s going on inside rather than worrying about what’s going on around them.

Lynda teaches you to listen to your body.  But also, your mind, nervous system, intuition, wisdom, intellect and the energy around you.  Once you begin to tune inward, the rest follows, naturally.  It’s the inner knowing that provides the greatest peace.  For those who, like her, have experienced trauma in their lives and may continue to live with pain and loss, experiencing yoga through a trauma-informed approach can have a profoundly positive effect.  Learning how to self-regulate through times of distress is a gift she hopes to share with everyone.  Everyone deserves to feel joy and live effortlessly in the flow of life.

“While in a yoga session, when I see that spark appear in someone’s eye, that is where I find my stream of joy!”

*Triggers are anything that remind someone of previous trauma. To be triggered is to have an intense emotional or physical reaction, such as a panic attack, after encountering a trigger - www.dictionary.com

Experience & Certifications

Lynda’s work with mental disorders and emotional imbalances, combined with addiction recovery programs, physical wellness and yoga spans 20+ years. 

• Telephone Crisis & Information Counsellor | Greater Coquitlam Crisis & Information Line

• Director of Therapeutic Yoga Programming | Provincial Health Services Authority, Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health & Addictions

• Certified Yoga Therapist, C-IAYT |International Yoga Therapists Association |Vancouver School of Healing Arts

• Yoga Teacher Training Certification, CYA RYT-200 | Kushala Yoga

• Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Teacher Training | Fine Balance Yoga  

• Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma, Resilience and Emotional Well-Being | Langara College  

• Foundations of Yoga Therapy Program | Vancouver School of Healing Arts  

• Advanced Yoga Therapy Program | Vancouver School of Healing Arts 

• Certified Yoga Therapist | CYA - YT | Canadian Yoga Alliance  

• Restorative Yoga Therapeutics | Semperviva Yoga 

• Standard First Aid for Industry (OFA Level 1 Equivalent) Certificate | St. John Ambulance  

• Opioid Overdose Response Certificate | St. John Ambulance  

• Violence Prevention Training Certificate | Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA)

• San’yas Anti-Racism Indigenous Cultural Safety Training | Provincial Health Services Authority

• Indigenous Cultural Safety & Humility and Indigenous Trauma & Equity Informed Practice | PHSA 

As a Yoga Therapist Lynda’s focus and passion is working with trauma survivors and mental & emotional wellness such as stress reduction, relieving symptoms of anxiety & depression, insomnia, grief, chronic pain and addiction.  She welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds and the results are inspiring!

“You can’t see the glory of life if you haven’t seen the dark side of life.”  Bessel van der Kolk, MD - The Body Keeps the Score

Lynda is the Director of the Therapeutic Yoga Program for the Provincial Health Services Authority where she develops and delivers a comprehensive yoga therapy program for in-patients with complex, concurrent mental health disorders, and are recovering from substance addiction at The Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health & Addictions.  As well, for Coast Mental Health, she offered continued support with an advanced yoga therapy program to in-patients as they transition back to their home communities at the Rehabilitation & Recovery Program facility, located at Riverview.

Lynda has offered therapeutic Chair Yoga to residents with various degrees of mental and physical challenges at Holyrood Manor by Revera, a Long-term Care facility in Maple Ridge.  She prepares, coordinates and delivers Chair, and Gentle Hatha classes at the Ridge Meadows Seniors Society, as well as Chair Yoga and "Healing Touch" Meditation classes at Sunwood Senior Living Community by Revera.