Long before I found yoga, I suffered from deep trauma from a catastrophic childhood illness that nearly ended my life and left me with physical limitations. I spent my teens and twenties alternating between severe anxiety and numbing. I had no words to express what had happened to me.
My early yoga classes marked the first time that I began to feel safe and at home in my body. As I learned to pay attention to signals from my body and calm my mind, I found myself becoming stronger physically and emotionally. Eventually, I sought therapy for my complex childhood trauma — and I also continued to practice yoga.
The practice of yoga has allowed me to find joy in my body, to find clarity in my mind, to use my breath to calm myself, and to see my emotions as clouds that float by in the sky. After almost 20 years of practice, I decided to become a teacher so I could hold space for other people who found themselves on their yoga journey.
I teach yoga to make space for people of all ages and body types to meet themselves where they are. I help people come to their mat for a physical, mental and spiritual practice. I hope to create an environment where others can find what they need within themselves.
I’m a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher seeking to offer options to students so they can create their own practice, whether they have yoga experience or limited mobility. Seeking work with individuals, groups or communities who have experienced PTSD. I want to support people by creating a safe place for people to learn about their bodies and for them to find joy in doing so.
Yoga work experience:
- Currently teaching Slow Flow at Yoga in the Center, Mill Creek, WA
- Currently teaching 75-minute Vinyasa at Yoga in the Center, Mill Creek, WA
- Currently teaching Gentle Yoga at Yoga in the Center, Mill Creek, WA
- Taught Yoga in the Park through Yoga in the Center, Mill Creek, WA
- Substitute for Vinyasa, Postnatal, Prenatal, Yoga for Kids, Yin, Gentle, Yoga Nidra and Slow Flow at Yoga in the Center, Mill Creek, WA
Yoga Specialties:
- Ashtanga
- Vinyasa
- Outdoor Yoga
- Slow Flow
- Gentle
- Chair yoga
- Yin Yoga
- Yoga Nidra
- Guided meditation
- Safe and supportive hands-on assists
Specialty skills:
- Team-building experience
- Management experience
- Communications and marketing
Yoga Experience/Workshops:
- Backbend workshop, 2024
- Flirting with inverting, 2024
- 2-hour Yoga Nidra certification, 2025
- 19 years of yoga practice
- 300 hours of meditation experience
- Incorporating meditation into your yoga practice with Kelly Smith, 2025
- Day-long meditation retreat, Mindfulness Northwest, 2025
Education/Certifications:
- 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, 2024
- 15-hour Yin Yoga certification, 2024
Availability:
- Evenings and weekends as well as mornings and afternoons
- Often have last-minute availability for subbing
Melissa Lutz Blouin 