Fine Balance Counselling & Yoga Therapy

Fine Balance Counselling & Yoga Therapy I provide counselling, trauma-informed yoga therapy, and training for yoga & healthcare professionals.

As a registered clinical counsellor I provide trauma counselling & yoga therapy for helping & healing professionals and those in crisis response roles online and in person in Vancouver, BC.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve talked about:VulnerabilityShameSelf-compassionThe patterns that protect usMost people don...
05/01/2026

Over the past few weeks, we’ve talked about:

Vulnerability
Shame
Self-compassion
The patterns that protect us

Most people don’t struggle because they don’t understand these things.

They struggle because they don’t have space to practice them.

In real time.
In their body.
In relationship.

Still & Strong is designed to be that space.

A place to:

• notice your patterns as they happen
• experiment with something different
• stay supported while you do

Not theory.

Practice.

Still & Strong
June 12–14
Brew Creek Centre

If you’re ready to move from insight into practice, this is the work we’ll be doing together. Learn more at finebalanceyoga.ca/still-strong

Image credit Olivia Bauso via Unsplash









Many people I work with already know what they “should” do.Set boundaries.Be self-compassionate.Speak up.Ask for support...
04/30/2026

Many people I work with already know what they “should” do.

Set boundaries.
Be self-compassionate.
Speak up.
Ask for support.

The challenge isn’t knowing.

It’s doing it when it actually matters.

In the moment when your system is activated.
When vulnerability is present.
When the old pattern feels easier, faster, safer.

This is where most people get stuck.

Not because they’re unwilling.

But because change requires more than intention.

It requires practice — in environments where your nervous system doesn’t have to do it alone.

Where do you notice the gap between knowing and doing in your own life?









You can understand your patterns…and still find yourself doing the same things.Staying quiet when something matters.Over...
04/28/2026

You can understand your patterns…

and still find yourself doing the same things.

Staying quiet when something matters.
Over-functioning when you’re already stretched.
Being hard on yourself in moments that call for care.

This isn’t a lack of awareness.

It’s that insight and change don’t happen in the same place.

Insight is cognitive.
Change is experiential.

It happens in the body.
In real time.
In moments where you choose something different — and your system has the support to stay with that choice.

Understanding yourself is important.

But it’s not the same as practicing something new.

What’s one pattern you understand… but haven’t yet been able to shift?









Putting the Armour DownMost people don’t consciously choose their protective patterns.They develop over time.Perfectioni...
04/24/2026

Putting the Armour Down

Most people don’t consciously choose their protective patterns.

They develop over time.

Perfectionism.
Over-functioning.
Staying quiet.
Keeping things controlled.

These patterns often work — until they don’t.

They protect from vulnerability.

But they also limit:

Connection
Flexibility
Authenticity

Letting that armor soften isn’t about getting rid of it.

It’s about having a space where you don’t need it in the same way.

Still & Strong is designed to be that kind of space.

Where you’re not the one holding everything.
Where you don’t have to perform or manage how you’re seen.
Where there is room to show up differently.

Still & Strong
June 12–14
Brew Creek Centre

If you’re curious what it would feel like to set the armour down — even briefly — this is the work we’ll be doing.

Register or learn more at www.finebalanceyoga.ca/still-strong









The Cost of Always Being the Strong OneBeing the strong one often looks like:Holding everything togetherTaking on more t...
04/22/2026

The Cost of Always Being the Strong One

Being the strong one often looks like:

Holding everything together
Taking on more than your share
Being the person others rely on

From the outside, it can look like resilience.

But internally, it can feel like:

Not being able to put anything down
Not having space to struggle
Not knowing where to go when you need support

For many people, this role becomes a kind of armor.

It protects against vulnerability.

But it also limits connection.

Because connection requires being seen — not just as capable, but as human.

And for those used to being the strong one, that can feel like unfamiliar territory.

What would it feel like to set that role down, even briefly?









Perfectionism Isn’t What You ThinkPerfectionism often gets framed as high standards.But most of the time, it’s not about...
04/21/2026

Perfectionism Isn’t What You Think

Perfectionism often gets framed as high standards.

But most of the time, it’s not about excellence.

It’s about protection.

Protection from being judged.
From being misunderstood.
From being seen in a way that feels exposing.

For many people, especially those in helping roles, perfectionism becomes a way to stay ahead of criticism.

If everything is done “right,” there’s less risk.

Less vulnerability.
Less exposure.

But over time, this kind of protection comes at a cost.

More pressure.
Less flexibility.
Less room to be human.

Perfectionism doesn’t just shape how you show up.

It shapes how safe it feels to be seen.

Where does perfectionism show up as protection in your life?









If you work with people, you work with addiction.Whether it’s visible or not.Introduction to Addictions is a practical, ...
04/19/2026

If you work with people, you work with addiction.

Whether it’s visible or not.

Introduction to Addictions is a practical, foundational course for first responders and helping professionals who want to:
✔ Recognize early warning signs
✔ Understand stages and patterns of addiction
✔ Strengthen communication and trust
✔ Navigate real-world treatment and support options

You’ll also explore current issues, community resources, and culturally responsive approaches—including Indigenous perspectives.

🖥 Fully online | Self-paced (within structured deadlines)
⏳ 10 weeks
📅 Starts May 5
💲 $650

✔ Counts toward the First Responders Trauma Prevention and Recovery Certificate

This is core knowledge for anyone working in complex human systems.

For details & registration https://www.sfu.ca/continuing-studies/courses/cris/introduction-to-addictions.html



















Practicing With Shame in a Supported SpaceUnderstanding shame is one thing.Being with it in real time is something else....
04/17/2026

Practicing With Shame in a Supported Space

Understanding shame is one thing.

Being with it in real time is something else.

For many people, shame leads to:

Pulling back
Going quiet
Disconnecting from others

Not because they want to — but because their system is trying to protect them.

This is why the environment matters.

Shame doesn’t shift through insight alone.

It shifts in spaces where:

There is enough safety
There is regulation
There is the option to stay connected instead of withdrawing

Still & Strong is designed as a place to practice this.

Not by pushing past discomfort.

But by learning how to stay with yourself — and others — when vulnerability is present.

Still & Strong
June 12–14
Brew Creek Centre

If you’re ready to relate to yourself differently in moments of vulnerability, this is the kind of work we’ll be doing together.

Learn more or register via finebalanceyoga.ca/still-strong









Addiction doesn’t always look the way we expect it to.Sometimes it’s subtle.Sometimes it’s normalized.Sometimes it’s sit...
04/17/2026

Addiction doesn’t always look the way we expect it to.

Sometimes it’s subtle.
Sometimes it’s normalized.
Sometimes it’s sitting closer to home than we realize.

This course invites you to look deeper—not just at addiction “out there,” but at patterns, behaviours, and warning signs we often overlook.

In Introduction to Addictions, we explore:
– personal and systemic perspectives
– mindfulness around addictive behaviours
– multicultural and Indigenous frameworks
– real-world approaches to prevention and care

Designed especially for those supporting others in high-impact roles.

🖥 Online | 10 weeks
📅 Begins May 5
💲 $650

Because understanding addiction isn’t just clinical—
it’s relational.

For details & registration https://www.sfu.ca/continuing-studies/courses/cris/introduction-to-addictions.html




















If you’ve ever:Gone quiet in a moment you wanted to speakFelt suddenly small or exposedStruggled to stay present in a co...
04/16/2026

If you’ve ever:

Gone quiet in a moment you wanted to speak
Felt suddenly small or exposed
Struggled to stay present in a conversation

It may not be a lack of confidence.

It may be shame.

For many people, shame activates a protective response in the nervous system:

Freeze.
Collapse.
Numb.
Withdraw.

These responses happen quickly — often outside of conscious awareness.

Which is why it can feel confusing:

“I know I’m safe… so why does this feel so hard?”

Because your body is responding to something deeper than logic.

Working with shame isn’t about forcing yourself to push through.

It’s about learning how to stay with yourself when these responses arise.

Have you noticed what your default response to shame feels like?









There’s a reason addiction is so often misunderstood.It doesn’t just impact the individual.It ripples through families, ...
04/16/2026

There’s a reason addiction is so often misunderstood.

It doesn’t just impact the individual.
It ripples through families, workplaces, and entire communities.

And for those working on the front lines, the stakes are even higher.

Introduction to Addictions is a 10-week, online course designed to deepen your understanding of:
– how addiction develops
– the stages and warning signs
– prevention and treatment approaches
– how to work more effectively and compassionately with those impacted

This isn’t just theory.
It’s about seeing more clearly what’s happening beneath the surface.

🖥 Online | Self-paced within guided timelines
📅 Starts May 5
💲 $650

Can be applied toward the First Responders Trauma Prevention and Recovery Certificate

If your work brings you into contact with addiction—even indirectly—this knowledge changes how you show up.

Visit https://www.sfu.ca/continuing-studies/courses/cris/introduction-to-addictions.html for details and registration


















Shame Lives in the BodyShame isn’t just something you think.It’s something you feel.A sudden drop in your stomach.Heat i...
04/15/2026

Shame Lives in the Body

Shame isn’t just something you think.

It’s something you feel.

A sudden drop in your stomach.
Heat in your chest or face.
Tightness in your throat.
The urge to go quiet… or disappear.

For many people, shame shows up quickly — before there’s time to make sense of it.

And when it does, the nervous system shifts:

Toward shutdown.
Toward withdrawal.
Toward protection.

This isn’t overreacting.

It’s your body responding to perceived social threat.

Understanding shame as a physiological experience changes how we work with it.

Because insight alone doesn’t always shift something the body is holding.

If this resonates, notice where shame shows up in your body — not just your thoughts.









Address

Vancouver, BC
V6A2A4

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8:30am - 6:45pm
Wednesday 11:30am - 6:45pm
Thursday 8:30am - 6:45pm
Friday 8:30am - 2:45pm

Telephone

604 725 7287

Website

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