Foundations Program Graduate
Advanced Program Student
C-IAYT Candidate
Yoga Therapist, Yoga Teacher
Location: Portland, OR
Website : A Bend in the River

“Since starting the Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Program, I have deepened my own practice and my love and reverence for yoga. I have also connected with a community of friends that I know will support me for the rest of my life.

I am currently working with people at a nursing home in extreme illness or end stages of life, and so I am not ‘curing’ anyone; I am, however, reaching people on a deeper level through the practices of meditation and surrender. I feel honored to be able to help people in this way.

I came into the program with a big story of childhood loss and physical trauma. I have been given the tools to ease myself and heal. It’s an exponential process, and I feel very lucky to be on the journey with everyone at Breathing Deeply.

Teaching yoga after becoming a Yoga Therapist is a very different animal. Foremost in my mind while

teaching is the whole person; physical, spiritual, emotional. I am so much more aware of safety in the poses, and the value of pranayama and spiritual teachings.

When I applied to the Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Program, I was sort of at a crossroads, and I am so happy that I took the right turn. I saw an ad on Facebook and spoke to a student in the program who highly recommended it. When I checked out a video of Brandt teaching, I knew immediately that I had found the right school.

Brandt’s teaching style allows for all things: practicality, reality, spirituality, and meeting every student where they are. It’s extremely inclusive, non-judgemental, and he is an amazing communicator of complex material.  For me, this is what set Breathing Deeply apart from other schools. I almost passed up the opportunity because it meant I’d have to fly across the country to come to retreats. I hate flying. But I would do it all over again.

One rewarding client story is that of a person with whom I am currently working.  He had a brain injury, and he is really engaged in the practices. He tells me (and everyone else at the care center) how much I am helping him.

To anyone considering the Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Program, they should know that it’s a lot of work, and a lot of love, and a lot of fun.”