Michelle’s Qualifications & Trainings
In progress:
Kapala IV Training In Magyu: The Mother Lineage at Tara Mandala
Bibliotherapy, Literature and Mental Health with Bijal Shah
Past Trainings (most recent first):
Mandala Method Facilitator Certification with Tara Mandala
LGBTQIA+ Advocacy in Action with Proud Wellness
300hr Advanced Yoga Teacher Training at The Shala, London
Trauma-informed yoga with Ellie Grace
Ayurveda Health Counselling 600hrs with Katie Silcox at The Shakti School
Restorative Yoga with Adelene Cheong
Menopause Yoga with Petra Coveney
Pause Place Facilitator Training with Katie Abbott
Yoga Philosophy with Daniel Simpson
40hr Pranayama at The Shala with Melanie Cooper
Feeding Your Demons® Facilitator Training with Tara Mandala
Circle Facilitator Training with Mitle Southey at Circle School
Ayurveda Wellness Coach training 300hrs with Katie Silcox at Shakti School
60hr Core Module Advanced Yoga Training at The Shala, with Melanie Cooper, Gingi Lee, Anne Malone, Barrie Risman, Jennie Wadsten.
Professional Diploma in Group Sound Relaxation Therapy (with Distinction) with the British Academy of Sound Therapy
Yoga Nidra training level 1 and 2 at The Shala with Melanie Cooper and Jennie Wadsten
Menopause: The Great Awakener with Red School
MA in Buddhist Studies (with Distinction), University of South Wales
Breath for Long Covid at The Shala
40hr Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Norman Blair
Breathing School at The Shala
40hr Yoni Shakti Yoga Therapy (including Yoga Nidra) with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Sivani Mata
200hr Yoga Teacher Training with YogaLondon
1yr Diploma in Counselling Skills at the Mary Ward Centre, London
Postgraduate Diploma in Adult Nursing, City University, London
ACSM Personal Trainer certification with JJ Armstrong
BSc (Hons) 2:i Psychology, City University, London
Michelle is a 500+hr yoga teacher, with advanced training through The Shala in London, and certification through YogaLondon. She is a 600hr Ayurvedic Health Counsellor and Wellness Coach with The Shakti School. She is a qualified Facilitator of Feeding Your Demons and the Mandala Method through Tara Mandala. She is also a qualified Sound Bath practitioner through BAST Sound Therapy, and has undertaken the Pause Place Practitioner Training,
A former NHS clinical nurse specialist in women's health, she now runs Opting Out, a space on Substack for radical rest and reflection, where she shares restorative and yin yoga, nidra, reflections and a slow reading group.
She is currently guiding 20 people through her signature Wintering Well journey, a 5 month online group program featuring sound healing, yin, slow flow and restorative yoga, Ayurveda, reading reflections and nature connection.
All of her offerings are currently online and by donation.
She is a queer, lay-ordained Vajrayana Buddhist based in Brighton, UK. She home educates her son and works part-time so that she can enjoy a slower, more spacious way of living. She enjoys reading literary fiction, live music and walks by the sea.
She is passionate about making wellness accessible to those who really need it, and works through an anti-capitalist, trauma-informed, queer-friendly, intersectional and trans-inclusive feminist lens. 🏳️⚧️