Paradoxically, the more we try to change ourselves, the more we prevent change from occurring. On the other hand, the more we allow ourselves to fully experience who we are, the greater the possibility of change.

Heller Phd, Laurence; Lapierre, Aline Psyd. Healing Developmental Trauma (p. 31). North Atlantic Books. Kindle Edition.

“You still do not make use of the many opportunities given to you to unite with the divine world in order to calm yourself and recover your inner balance. And yet, you know very well that the agitation of daily life eventually weakens your nervous system. Human beings are not made to live in this constant tension that drains them of all their energies. It is not normal to run from morning to evening or to be harassed from all sides, and you eventually become worn out, both physically and psychically. Several times a day, therefore, stop for a few moments. Concentrate and try to create an atmosphere of harmony and love within you and around you. By repeating this exercise often, you will succeed in touching your higher self which will project beneficial rays into all your cells. It is thus that you will restore balance and be able to deal with all your daily tasks again.”
– Mikhaël Aïvanhov, Bulgarian mystic, author, alchemist and spiritual teacher

Working with Karin has been a revelation for me, moving my focus away from my mind / story and into the wisdom of my body has allowed me to go much deeper into self than I ever have before. I know now that the body is everything – the surface on which all experience takes place, the tool that teaches us, and the companion that walks with us on our journey. Karin has has guided me to this understanding with endless grace, love and patience. She has gently guided me, step by step into the hidden corners of self, slowly so as to ensure a lasting opening. And she has empowered me with a sensitivity to my body that will form the bedrock of my ability to navigate my life experience with awareness and compassion. This applies to past experiences and those yet to come. I am forever grateful, and know that our paths will reunite again as we dive deeper and deeper into self-knowing. Thank you Karin with all my heart xxxx lucia brain – cape town

‘That night I dream I am dancing to Stevie Wonder…. as I dance, whirling and joyous, …another bright-eyed dancer joins me. The other dancer has obviously come through it all right, as I have done. She is beautiful, whole and free, And she is also me.’ Alice Walker

The novelist Alice Walker (The Colour Purple) reminds me of the wholeness in me that is untouchable and patiently waits to be known and danced no matter what happened… in essence trauma resolution is about accessing that again and again… – karin ritchie

“Traumatic symptoms are not caused by the event itself. They arise when residual energy from the experience is not discharged from the body. This energy remains trapped in the nervous system where it can wreak havoc on our bodies and minds.”

~ Peter Levine

‘The beauty of being shattered is how the shards become our character and our marks of distinction. This is how we are refined by our pain. When the storm rips you to pieces, you get to decide how to put yourself back together again. The storm gives us the gift of our defining choices. You will be a different person after the storm, because the storm will heal you from your perfection. People who stay perfect and unblemished never really get to live fully or deeply. You will not be the same after the storms of life; you will be stronger, wiser and more alive than ever before!’
— Bryant McGill

i am honoured by the opportunity to work with people that have been ‘shattered’ by life…we all have been in one way or another. i also am awe struck at the new life that is waiting within the shards to create new beginnings

~ karin ritchie

My therapist told me this, and it changed my life:

“You’re not healing to be able to handle trauma, pain, anxiety, depression. You’re used to those. You’re healing to be able to handle joy and to accept happiness back into your life.”

~ found online

Dear Karin As the Himalaya team, we would like take this opportunity to relay our heartfelt gratitude for a fun-filled Yoga session you conducted during our 2017 KICKOFF Conference. Your willingness and enthusiasm to come on board at such short notice is commendable and greatly appreciated. It was a new but awesome experience for most of us, which we found to be de-stressing, relaxing and most importantly inspiring. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Keep up the good work, keep shining and keep smiling! Warm regards Chaithanya Pandith & Precious Ntonga

“Hi Karin. Thank you for our session yesterday. I find this time incredibly valuable beyond words. Thank you for Being present, skillful, experienced and human. It’s a true blessing for me to engage on this level of our embodied human life.”

our mind wanders incessantly, but our body and senses are always in the present. to investigate our embodied experience is to investigate the living present ~ anne c klein

Somatic Experiencing session 10^th March 2021

Dearest Karin, I want you to know, I am a thousand times better today.  I don’t say that lightly, or that what I mean is, I feel a thousand times better – I really am a thousand times better. During our last session I experienced a ‘dropping in’ as if everything just ‘dropped in’ to my body and awareness. It felt immensely powerful. It was strengthening and deepening and expanding and painful and beautiful and exquisite and ineffable. The real implications and reverberations from this place of releasing from those things that entangle and bind, is the palpable experience of moving ever more into an expanded sense of freedom – personal freedom. At the same time, I feel this love that accompanies me, holding my hand, as it were, as I navigate the spaciousness I sense around me with my every interaction.

Everything seems new and wondrous and my capacity to appreciate the beauty all around me increases with every session. This appreciation extends to you for the gentle and gracious way you meet me every time. Thank you for the work you do dear heart.

Astrid L

Sedgefield