Katie Blecker Yoga

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Katie Blecker Yoga

Gentle & Accessible Yoga

virtual studio / education / mentorship

she / her / hers

I lead various yoga asana and meditation classes that focus on mellow-paced therapeutic movement, mindfulness, and restorative practices. I often work with folks who experience chronic pain & illness, impaired mobility & other disabilities, and anxiety. With over 700 hours of formal yoga & mindfulness education, I have spent the last several years of my career focusing primarily on developing skills in facilitating accessible practices for a wide variety of student populations in both group and 1:1 settings, including in yoga studios, retirement & long term care communities, healthcare facilities, corporate workplaces, and online. I live with multiple chronic illnesses and chronic pain, which have furthered my interest in making yoga more accessible to the chronically ill and disabled communities. As someone who has struggled to feel safe and supported in many conventional yoga studios, I aim to cultivate more inclusive, welcoming, and judgement-free spaces when and where I can. My background is in hatha yoga rooted in classical Tantrik philosophy, yin & restorative, yoga nidra, chair yoga, yoga for older adults, and trauma-informed yoga facilitation. I offer deep gratitude to the many teachers who have come before me, and offer particular reverence to those of South Asian descent from whose cultural and ancestral knowledge & practices I benefit. I’m grateful to live and work as an uninvited guest on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples (known as Vancouver, BC).

12/11/2025

I’m now accepting new clients in my emerging death doula practice!

I’m a Disabled Death Doula and Grief Companion, multidisciplinary artist, and adaptive yoga teacher. My new body of work is centred on education, death care, and coaching for fellow disabled and chronically ill folks working through grief (including by not limited to bereavement…we honour all types of losses here!), end of life planning, and developing creative projects such as legacy arts and personal rituals.

This all takes place 1:1 over Zoom at your own pace.

My work is rooted in nearly two decades of lived experience with illness and disability, creative flow, nature, *living* my yoga practice, and continued learnings of disability justice and death care. I’m part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and identify as queer/bi. I’m a white settler of German and Scottish heritage living on Coast Salish land.

Should you be seeking support around the experiences of death, loss, and grief, please don’t hesitate to reach out by email at katie.blecker@gmail.com. (I also welcome folks who don’t identify as disabled or chronically ill too.)

🌟Please share this post with your network so the folks who might benefit from this type of care work can see it!

ID: selfie of Katie, a white woman with auburn red hair cut into a pixie style. She’s wearing dark oversized glasses, two nose rings, silver hoop earrings, and a striped collared shirt. Hanging on the wall behind are some sculptures Katie made.

28/09/2025

I’ve been fortunate to have some capacity to be in my art room the last couple weeks. This painting was made with oil pastels from a royalty free reference photo I found.

Enjoy the calming vibes!

ID photo of an oil pastel painting. The scene features a moody ocean view with dark water, golden clouds, and birds flying by.

12/08/2025

Imagining the end can help us live more in alignment with our values and get clear on what matters.

What would you like to be proud of? What are you proud of now?

ID: 7 slides with light text on a photo of a sunset that has been desaturated and darkened. The seven slides read as follows:

1. When I reach the end of this life I will be proud of (blank)

2. …how I cared for others.

3. …how I never stopped learning and growing.

4. …how I lived my values.

5. …my creative spirit.

6. … how I love and am loved.

7. How about you?

03/08/2025

Death can be one of our greatest teachers by showing us how to live and love in alignment with our values.

ID: a darkened and faded image of a forest overlayed with the above text in white.

01/07/2025

We held a beautiful memorial for my Dad this past weekend. The weather was perfect and the day was filled with the warmth of family and friends. Below is the speech I wrote and spoke in his honour:

Thank you everyone for being here today to celebrate my Dad’s life. It’s clear that he meant a lot to many people and he would be so happy to see you all gathered here today.

Hans was a man of many talents and passions. Those who knew him well probably know just how passionate he could get about certain topics, like his garden, professional soccer, motorcycles, ice skating, and of course his love of cooking. And truthfully, like all of us, he was a complex person. His nature was often stoic, instilled in him from his German heritage and the challenges faced when immigrating to Canada as a young boy. And yet, when you got him talking about something he loved, those walls easily fell away and he could talk to you for hours about his many niche interests.

My dad was an incredibly creative, curious, and often rebellious individual; qualities that I’m proud to inherit from him. I always loved hearing stories from his time in high school when he was part of the AV club and a satirical student paper that critiqued the school administration. As a kid he used to read the encyclopedia - so if anyone wonders how he knew something about almost everything… now you know!

My dad could seemingly solve any problem that came his way. He and our mom Jeanie worked hard to give us kids a great life. We are so privileged to have had a father that fully devoted himself to us in that way. We can be comforted to know that the love he had for us is passed down through my sister April’s, and brother Karl’s devotion to their own children now.

So thank you everyone, for your presence today and your presence in my dad’s life.

❤️

17/06/2025

This latest piece is the first in a series of handmade altars that I’m creating representing beauty, decay, and healing. I usually share my artwork on my other page, but this fits well here too. Altar building has become a very meaningful part of my spiritual practice of late.

I made this from leftover cardboard that came with my medication delivery, cotton fibre, glue, and paint. The flowers and leaves are from various bouquets I’ve been gifted that I dried, so there’s a little bit of community magic woven in.

I’ll be taking this piece to be displayed in a local space for a while, but it’s available now if you let me know ASAP.

18/05/2025

Celebrating by wearing a blue shirt, hanging out with my blue bird, and drinking this delicious iced matcha latte I just made!

Follow .me to learn more about Blue Sunday. Today we encourage folks to donate to the ME organization of your choice. Might I suggest the raffle being hosted by thru the end of May (hint - has a prize available there!)

ID 1: selfie of Katie holding up her matcha latte in a clear glass. Katie is a white woman with short layered hair, dark glasses, and gold nose rings. She’s wearing a navy blue embroidered blouse.

ID 2: the Blue Sunday logo that features a circle containing various teacups, teapots, desserts, and tea bags. The L in “blue” is shaped like a blue ribbon for ME/CFS awareness.

ID 3: video of Katie’s budgie chirping and talking while sitting on her leg. His name is Miso and he’s got a white head, blue chest, white body, and grey and white striped neck and face.

Hashtags

12/05/2025

Wearing blue for ME Awareness Day and participating in the campaign by and

I share lots about my life with ME and other chronic illness on my Instagram account, so feel free to follow along 💙

Alt text and ID will be added soon when I have the energy. If anyone wants to write them for me, please send in a DM, thanks!

Hashtags

31/03/2025

Restorative Yoga Series: Making Rest Practices Accessible 🎉 Registration is now open!

Rest is an essential practice for everyone, especially for people who are marginalized and are dealing with systemic stressors. However, many people find restorative yoga challenging, whether it’s because of trauma, anxiety, neurodivergence, lack of comfort, or accessibility.

In this 20-hour live online series, we’ll examine how everyone can benefit from the practice of rest. This series features a diverse and dynamic group of presenters who will look at restorative yoga in a broad and inclusive way.

〰️

Restorative Yoga Series:
Making Rest Practices Accessible

April 24 - May 27, 2025
Tuesdays & Thursdays
9-11am PT (12-2pm ET)

Featuring workshops with:
Tamika Caston-Miller
Indu Arora
Katie Blecker .blecker
Shawn J. Moore
Rodrigo Souza
Shannon Kaneshige
Tejal Patel
Theo Wildcroft
Arturo Peal
Jivana Heyman

Tiered pricing, payment plans, and partial scholarships are available.

Learn more and join us! https://www.accessibleyogaschool.com/making-rest-practices-accessible

[ID: Dusty blue and light yellow gradient event flyer with a flower mandala motif in the background, headshots of the instructors, and yellow text.]

31/12/2024

And we’re back! New schedule is live on the site now. Join me for easy-going classes to support your wellbeing. Scroll through for class and accessibility info.

NOTE: folks who want to join my membership and also attend the Cosy Yoga series that Audrey and I co-lead, please let me know so I can arrange a good discount for you.

Hope to see you soon! We start up on Jan 5th.

https://www.katiebleckeryoga.com

01/11/2024

I’m pleased to be leading two adaptive movement sessions at this year’s Pain Canada Conference, Putting the Pieces Together.

Registration is free and there are lots of amazing presenters throughout the week, including a session with on Wednesday.

Here’s a blurb about what I’ll be offering:

“Chronic pain, illness, and disability are experiences that can lead us to feeling disconnected from our bodies, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the only outcome. Our bodies are inherent sources of wisdom and creativity. When we learn to listen closely, honour our realities, and prioritize self-compassion and self-expression, we may find that it is possible to hold two truths simultaneously: that we can experience persistent pain AND we can also find intentional ways to cultivate presence, connection and joy.

Join us for an adaptive yoga session for all bodies and levels of experience. Together we’ll explore a gentle movement practice designed to support you in finding safe, supportive ways to experience self-connection. You are invited to participate to whatever degree is most suitable and accessible for you - bed, mat, chair, wheelchair - all are welcome!”

Let me know in the comments if you’re coming! 💕

01/10/2024

Personal update:

Hi everyone,

I’m writing this post to give you a bit of a personal update. My capacity for *everything* is extremely limited right now. The cognitive side of my disability has been difficult to manage these days. I live with two overlapping neurological illnesses (among other chronic conditions). ME and chronic migraine get significantly worse with stress.

A big reason I’m overwhelmed is that my dad has been fighting terminal cancer this year and it’s been a huge emotional stressor for our family. With my own limitations, I am unfortunately unable to help out as much as I would like to, which is hard to come to terms with. There are also some other personal things going on behind the scenes that are adding to these daily stresses, including navigating the ongoing pandemic as a high-risk person.

While everything feels incredibly difficult, I’m very fortunate to have good coping skills and management tools at my disposal, as well as an amazing supportive partner and loving friends. I mainly wanted to share this so that you have an idea of what’s going on with me, especially on days when I have very limited energy or capacity to engage with stuff, which is most days right now.

I’m practicing as much self-compassion as possible, and I’m so grateful to Arash for gently nudging me when I’m being too hard on myself. At 36 years old, a lot of this is uncharted territory for me. Having lived with chronic illness for half my life has given me a lot of perspective, but it’s still a challenge to navigate my changing symptoms and ability levels while life throws me the hardest year yet.

This is all to say thank you for your patience, support, and understanding while I ride these waves. I’m so grateful for this community.

If you want to offer any extra support during this time, you’re welcome to come to my classes, support my artwork on IG , or buy me a coffee at www.ko-fi.com/katieblecker

xo much love

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https://www.katiebleckeryoga.com/

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