EMBODIED WELLBEING YOGA THERAPY
Author, Speaker, Healing Guide
"The work of healing is not to become a different person but to shed all of the things that made us forget who we are in the first place."
​
Shawnee Thornton Hardy
MY STORY
"May you find the strength in your breath to speak the words your younger parts were too afraid to speak."
​
~Shawnee Thornton Hardy
I grew up in the mountains of Montana in a tiny round house, with no electricity or running water. I endured many challenges as a child and teen, which contributed to my experience of anxiety, autoimmune issues and disconnection from myself. I came to yoga as a means to address debilitating back pain, a diagnosis of Hashimoto's and to manage the intense stress of life's struggles and transitions. I cried the entire way through my first yoga class and felt such a cathartic release of grief and sadness that I was drawn to learn more about this ancient practice. Yoga helped me reconnect to my body, manage my lifelong anxiety and set me on a path towards healing. It helped me heal from chronic back pain and through my physical practice, meditation and proper nutrition, I was able to thrive even with a thyroid condition and fibromyalgia diagnosis. My adult traumas coupled with developmental trauma drew me to Somatic Experiencing, developed by Peter Levine. I am forever grateful for the impact SE has had in my life. As I navigated recovering from a near death car accident, a traumatic loss of a loved one and a cancer diagnosis, I was learning in real time about my nervous system and how to recover from childhood and recent trauma. Healing is not linear. I will forever be dedicated to my own process of health and restoration. My passion and Dharma is in supporting others in reconnecting to their bodies and having agency in their own healing journey. The greatest lesson I learned on my own path towards healing is that we can't do it alone. It is my honor to be able to walk alongside others and bear witness to their healing journeys.