Lauren Cowley
Yoga Warrior. Heart Opener. Gypsy Soul.
Counselling Background
I have been a long-time student of the medicine of expression through movement and music through my experiences as a former professional figure skater. Since 2016, I have delved further into the therapeutic art of movement through teaching yoga as a means of healing, with an emphasis on working with trauma. Aside from my love of serving my community through yoga classes, workshops, and training yoga teachers around Calgary, this path led me to attain my Master of Counselling degree and become a Canadian Certified Counsellor with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. I focused much of my learning on somatic movement, emotion-focused therapy, grief and loss, trauma-informed practices - included trauma-sensitive yoga - and post-traumatic growth. Therefore, my offerings take a holistic perspective that explores the sacred healing of body, mind, and spirit.
As a self-professed nerd and lover of learning, I am always seeking new areas to grow and better support my clients. I have had the privilege to learn with some truly inspirational humans, including training on Hakomi and Mindfulness of the Body, Polyvagal Theory, Eating Disorders and Diet Culture, Inclusive and Affirming Care for the Trans Community, Trauma Master Series, and Trauma-Informed Care, as well as over 500 hours of yoga training, including one focused on cancer training for healthcare professionals,
These experiences have enabled me to work in various fields with a diverse clientele. I have provided services to the eating disorder community in collaboration with the Silver Linings Foundation and have led the therapeutic practices for several research studies with Sick Kids Toronto and the University of Calgary Kinesiology Department. These studies focused on utilizing yoga and mindfulness for children undergoing cancer treatment and young adults affected by cancer.
When I’m not in counsellor mode, you can find me in the mountains rock climbing and hiking with my two rascal golden retrievers, initiating impromptu dance parties, learning new songs on the guitar and piano, and brushing up on my dad jokes and Gen-Z lingo. On top of that, I’m always trying to keep my indoor jungle of plants alive too
Yoga Background
My feet first landed on my yoga mat….
back in 2006 as a means to rehabilitate my body from a lifetime of figure skating injuries. After a career ending stress fracture in my lower back in 2010, I found myself back on my yoga mat working through the physical frustration of my lengthy healing process. What I didn’t anticipate, was how much more challenging it would be to meet my mental resistance to slowing down. And yet, in the depths of that discomfort, grew a beautiful understanding of yoga (and life) beyond the physical. These moments became the pillars in my style of teaching even today: functionality over depth, mindfulness over perfection, and grace over judgement.
After spending 2 years travelling the world as a professional figure skater, a year backpacking through various countries, as well as finishing my Bachelor of Interior Design, I was ready to come back to my mat, but this time in a different role. I started teaching full time in Calgary in 2016, completed my 300hr yoga teacher training in 2018 and began leading yoga teacher trainings with Altr. Yoga this past year. I continue to be overwhelmed by the support of the yoga community, especially here in Calgary, and am grateful to have this beautiful connection.
Yoga brought me back home to myself. It allowed me the space to step outside of the “should’s” and to move into what truly inspired me: connection. I am continually offered grace to just be exactly where I am and to trust that that is enough. Yoga has taught me to make the most of the ordinary, to feel fully alive even in the softer moments, to hold the quiet moments in the highest regard, and to welcome with open arms the moments I normally waited to pass. It has allowed me to cultivate this practice of listening, REALLY listening, to body, heart, and soul.
Therefore, in my classes, my intention is for you to embrace this connection to yourself, no matter what that moment holds. Within each breath of the practice, I aim to be your reminder that there is always space to feel, to shift, to love, and to simply BE.
Past Yoga Trainings:
200 Hr YTT: Marianne Wells Yoga School (Costa Rica, Intensive)
300 Hr YTT: Mynah School of Yoga (with Kate W. Mak)