Hi, I’m Gillian
I have been intrigued by non-traditional healing modalities and wellness my whole life.
Linking breath and attention to movement became how I connected with my body from about age 16. I was in a state of permanent stress, having had to start school as a new kid 14 times over. It was affecting my sleep and turning me into a nervous zombie. My mom suggested autogenic training and brought home cassette tapes of ‘the sounds of Algonquin Park’ in an effort to help me out. Then magically, a teacher in Grade 7 introduced the class to Transcendental Meditation, a shiny new tool which captivated me enough to illicit mantra repetition to the cadence of my footsteps on the way home from middle school. And again, choosing yoga taught by Mrs. Miller in grade twelve, which revealed another well-tested method to soothe the galloping horses.
After two college diplomas and a fitness certificate, I landed a job at an addiction rehabilitation centre which opened my eyes to the desperate ways we all seek to remain buoyant throughout life’s up and downs.
The practices I teach are an exploration of the geometry of the body and it’s eco system, which has the potential to heal and reconcile with itself.
And one more, magical secret:
our journey is being guided by the refined navigation system of our personal abode.
Do you speak its language?
A SHORT BIO
Gillian shares practices and teachings that are pragmatic, inspirational and a bit magical. Becoming the author of your own life and operating from the uniqueness of your personality is at the centre of her methodology.
Her wellness training includes thousands of hours of fitness, various forms of yoga and meditation, TCM, addiction rehabilitation, nutrition and coaching.
Gillian’s speaking engagements include corporate kickoffs, various transformational immersions and retreats, and the Gross Global Happiness Summit in Costa Rica.
She has successfully authored two successful DVD’s “Yoga macht Froehlich” (yoga makes you happy) and “Shine on Yoga”, was featured in “Flare”, Canada, has been a Nike sponsored athlete, a Les Mills Master Trainer, a Sports Clubs of Canada “Rookie of the Year” and was proclaimed the most watched teacher on an international streaming service, “Zenward”.
Gillian’s latest project, her book, “the Alchemy of Joy” (soon to be released), is dedicated to thoughts and inspiration of self mastery, self exploration and our simplest altruism. It also reveals a riveting inner guidance system: “The Magic Square”.
Her uniquely relatable perspective and palpable warmth combine with 30 years of experience and self-deprecating humour, to relieve the sensation of overwhelm felt in a complex, modern world.
Education & Certification
A Study of Daoism (Kyle Henry)
Yin Teacher Training 60 Hours (Jo Phee)
TCM Meridian, Acupressure & Moxibustion 60 Hours (Jo Phee)
Body Reading Methods (Nevine Michaan & Abbie Galvin)
Katonah Yoga® 300+ Hours (Abbie Galvin, Dages Keates, Ivy Ray, Nevine Michaan, Harriet Schreger, David Regelin)
BDY 500 Hour (Hatha Yoga)
Pilates Certification (PilateSwiss)
E-RYT 200+ Yoga Alliance Certification
Maya Yoga Vinyasa Fusion Intensive (Nicki Done)
Ashtanga Yoga Intensive (David Swenson)
Addiction Rehabilitation Training (Bellwood Health Services, Toronto)
Personal Training Certification & Coaching (American Council on Exercise)
Fitness Leadership & Nutrition (Humber College,Toronto)
Graphic Design Diploma (Humber College,Toronto)
Tourism Industry Administration Diploma (Seneca College, Toronto)
Hatha Yoga Introduction
Transcendental Meditation
The Movement Practice
Gillian possesses a warm sense of humour and an innate ability to read her students. She assimilates intuitive and functional elements from Yoga, Breath Work, Meditation, Qi Gong, Pilates, and Fitness into a smooth, continuously changing practice. Her spirituality and wisdom are born of a great curiosity for the intersection of eastern philosophies and modern science.
Laden with humour, metaphors and insight, Gillian weaves her abundant creativity and the body's own magic geometry into a practice which potentiates self-awareness and self-healing.