AVOLINE'S STORY

My journey into healing and holistic wellness began not in a classroom or clinic, but through personal crisis. I left a PhD program during a period of profound upheaval—searching for meaning, healing, and a sense of higher connection. It was then, in early 2000s Toronto, that I met a little-known but deeply impactful local shaman. That encounter became the spark that ignited a lifelong path of study in Qigong, Shamanism, and embodied, integrative healing.

Driven by both spiritual hunger and unrecognized trauma, I immersed myself in energetic and esoteric studies. While the practices were powerful, my early path was unbalanced. Like many trauma survivors, I sought transcendence while bypassing pain. What began as sincere devotion spiraled into a spiritual and Kundalini crisis—my nervous system overwhelmed, my mind fragmenting under the weight of unresolved complex PTSD.

That crisis became one of my greatest teachers. It revealed a core truth: true healing must be trauma-informed. It must be rooted not only in spiritual insight, but in somatic safety, emotional integration, and nervous system regulation. In 2007, I began working with practitioners trained to bridge the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—an approach that changed the trajectory of my healing and my work.

Since then, I’ve pursued extensive training across multiple disciplines. I am a certified Medical Qigong Therapist through Wendy Lang at the Empty Mountain Institute / International Institute of Qigong and Shamanic Chinese Medicine, and have been a practitioner since 2011. I’m also a certified Taoist Qigong Instructor through Minke DeVos and David Gyurkovics (Universal Tao / Tao Alchemy Arts).

To ensure my work is grounded and safe for trauma survivors, I’ve trained in somatic and trauma-informed modalities, including parts work and nervous system education. I’ve studied with pioneers such as Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) and Stephen Porges (Polyvagal Theory), and I’m currently pursuing advanced somatic education at the Tamalpa Institute.

My background also includes martial arts—holding a brown belt in Shotokan Karate—which informs my understanding of embodied discipline, boundaries, and the martial roots of Taoist practice. Martial, medical, and spiritual traditions form the three pillars of Taoist cultivation, and I bring all three into my work.

Today, I support clients in reclaiming wholeness—through an approach that is trauma-informed, body-centered, and spirit-led. I offer one-on-one sessions (in-person and online), and facilitate classes and workshops designed to nurture physical vitality, emotional resilience, and soulful connection.

This work is for those seeking healing not just in the mind or spirit, but in the whole self. It’s for those ready to move gently, wisely, and powerfully—toward integration, embodiment, and transformation.