Why Your Body Holds the Answers

Here's what I wish someone had told me years ago:

That knot in your stomach when your child melts down? The shallow breath during hard conversations? The bone-deep exhaustion sleep doesn't touch? Your body isn't broken—it's been trying to protect you.

Traditional approaches often stay in our heads, analyzing and understanding. But stress, burnout, and overwhelm don't live in our thoughts—they live in our nervous system, in the places where we hold our breath, brace our shoulders, clench our jaws, and forget we have needs too.

Somatic practices help you tune back into what your body has been trying to tell you all along.

This isn't about adding one more thing to your impossible list. It's about coming home to yourself in a way that feels sustainable, authentic, and deeply nourishing.

And here's the beautiful part: when you learn to regulate your own nervous system, the people you care for feel it. They co-regulate with you. The calm you cultivate becomes the safe harbor others' nervous systems learn from. It's not about perfection—it's about presence, and that's something you can build.

My Story

I'm a neurodivergent parent raising neurodivergent kids—which means I know the particular exhaustion of loving people whose brains work beautifully differently in a world that doesn't always see it that way.

I know what it's like to feel completely disconnected from your own body because you've been in survival mode for so long. I know the guilt of snapping when you're overwhelmed, then replaying it in bed. I know the loneliness of feeling like you're the only one who truly gets your child—and the weight of that responsibility.

There was a time when I was doing everything "right"—all the therapies, strategies, and support—but I felt like I was disappearing. I was so focused on everyone else's needs that I'd forgotten I even had a body, let alone one trying to communicate with me.

That's when I discovered that growth doesn't happen by adding more to our plates—it happens by coming back to ourselves.

By remembering that we are worthy of care too. By learning that our sensitivity, our depth, our way of moving through the world isn't something to fix—it's something to honor.

How I Support You

My work blends nervous system education with gentle somatic practices, always meeting you where you are. I specialize in supporting parents, caregivers, educators, and anyone navigating neurodivergence, sensitivity, or high-needs environments—but my approach benefits anyone ready to reconnect with their own inner wisdom.

Unlike many somatic practitioners, my primary movement practice is Qigong—a flowing, breath-based practice that feels accessible even when you're exhausted or disconnected. It's especially gentle for neurodivergent folks and anyone who learned to leave their body in order to cope.

I also weave in Reiki, HeartBreath, Access Bars, craniosacral techniques, and meditation—but only what feels right for you. This isn't about following someone else's protocol; it's about discovering what helps your nervous system feel safe, settled, and strong.

The Berkana Approach

Everything I offer is rooted in five foundational pillars. These aren't just concepts—they're a lived pathway for building capacity, understanding yourself, and creating sustainable change in your nervous system, relationships, and daily life.

Root – Learn Your Nervous System's Language

Your body speaks a language most of us were never taught to understand. That tightness in your chest, the way your breath gets shallow, the sudden exhaustion that appears from nowhere—these aren't random. They're your nervous system communicating.

In this pillar, we learn to listen. You'll discover:

• How your unique nervous system responds to stress, connection, and safety

• The difference between dysregulation and intuition

• Why your body reacts the way it does—and what it's trying to protect you from

• How to recognize your own patterns so you can respond with clarity instead of reactivity

This is where understanding begins—not in your head, but in your body.

Repattern – Practice Somatic Exercises That Build New Neural Pathways

Knowledge alone doesn't create change. Your nervous system needs experience—new patterns, repeated gently over time, so your body learns it's safe to respond differently.

Through accessible somatic practices like Qigong, breathwork, gentle movement, and sensory awareness exercises, we create new neural pathways. You'll learn:

• Simple, repeatable practices you can use anywhere—in your car, at your desk, during hard moments

• How to interrupt old stress responses and invite your nervous system into regulation

• Movement that feels good for your body, honoring neurodivergence, energy levels, and comfort

• Tools that work in real life—not just on a yoga mat

This is where transformation happens—one small, sustainable practice at a time.

Reframe – See Neurodivergence and Sensitivity as Wiring, Not Deficit

For too long, difference has been pathologized. Sensitivity labeled as "too much." Neurodivergence seen as something to manage or fix.

Here, we flip the script. Your wiring—and your child's—isn't broken. It's different, and that difference carries gifts: deep empathy, creative thinking, fierce loyalty, intense focus, and profound awareness.

In this pillar, you'll explore:

• How to honor your own neurodivergence and sensitivity as strengths

• Reframing "behaviors" as nervous system communication

• Releasing shame and embracing your unique way of being in the world

• Teaching your children (by example) that they are whole, worthy, and exactly as they should be

This is where shame loses its grip—and self-acceptance begins.

Relate – Build Co-Regulation and Connected Communication

You can't regulate for someone else, but you can regulate with them. Co-regulation is the invisible nervous system conversation happening between you and the people you care for—your kids, partner, students, clients.

When you learn to stabilize your own nervous system, you become a safe anchor for others. In this pillar, we practice:

• Co-regulation techniques for family, classroom, and caregiving relationships

• How to stay grounded when others are dysregulated

• Communication that honors both your needs and theirs

• Building connection without losing yourself in the process

This is where relationships transform—through presence, not perfection.

Rhythm – Develop Sustainable Daily and Seasonal Practices

Healing isn't a one-time event. It's a rhythm—a practice woven into the fabric of your daily life and honoring the natural cycles of energy, seasons, and your own capacity.

In this pillar, we create sustainability. You'll learn:

• How to build routines that support your nervous system instead of depleting it

• Practices that adapt to your energy levels, not demand you show up the same way every day

• Honoring natural rhythms: daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal

• Making self-care doable, not another thing on your to-do list

This is where lasting change lives—in the small, repeated moments that add up to a life you can sustain.

Why These Five Pillars?

Because real growth doesn't happen in a straight line. It's cyclical. Sometimes you need to return to Root and listen again. Sometimes Reframe is where you need to live for a while. Other days, Rhythm is all you can manage—and that's exactly enough.

The Berkana Approach meets you where you are, guides you forward at your pace, and reminds you that you're not broken—you're learning a new language.

What We Can Explore Together

One-on-One Somatic Sessions
Personalized support combining nervous system education with gentle practices you can actually use in daily life. We work at your pace, honoring your neurodivergence and unique way of being in the world.

Beyond Surviving Membership
A first-of-its-kind weekly community for parents, caregivers, aides, and families in Okotoks. Build capacity, connection, and practical skills through nervous system education, somatic practices, and authentic community support. Neuro-inclusive childcare available through The Point.

Radiant Lotus Women's Qigong
Gentle, accessible movement designed for women's bodies and nervous systems. Restore your energy, reconnect with yourself, and build resilience—at your own pace.

Workshops for Educators & Professionals
Custom-designed trainings that equip caring professionals with nervous system tools they can use immediately. Focused on regulation, co-regulation, and neurodiversity-affirming practices that honor the full spectrum of how minds and bodies work.

My Training & Approach

My education comes from both formal training and lived experience:

Current Certifications:

• Brain Body Being – Two-year Registered Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator certification through Homebody Healing (Complete Spring 2026)

• Mindful Somatic Wellness – Embodied Trauma Skills for Caring Professionals (all three phases)

• Orenda Society Teacher Training

• Radiant Lotus Women's Qigong Teacher

• Ongoing studies: Interpersonal Neurobiology, Play Therapy, Attachment Theory, and more

• Enrolled in Somatic Experiencing® (SE) 2026 training cohort

But beyond credentials, I bring the deep knowing that comes from walking this path myself. I understand what it's like to feel disconnected, overwhelmed, and like you're failing the people you love most. I also know the profound relief that comes from learning you don't have to carry it all alone.

What I'm Building

As Berkana grows, I'm creating the ecosystem of support I wish had existed when I was drowning in overwhelm:

• Weekly community spaces where supporters of all kinds can build capacity together

• Educational workshops that truly prepare professionals to support diverse learners

• Accessible daily practices for nervous system support at home

• A culture where sensitivity is seen as a strength, not a problem

Every offering is shaped by the real needs of the families and professionals I work with—because you're the experts on your own experience..

An Invitation

If you're tired of being told to just "manage your stress better" or that you need to be more resilient, you've found your place.

If you're ready for support that honors your sensitivity, your neurodivergence, and your deep capacity for care—even when you don't feel very loving toward yourself—I'd be honored to walk alongside you.

You don't need to be fixed, optimized, or different than you are. You just need to remember that you matter too.

Ready to begin?
Book a Discovery Call where we can explore what nervous system support might look like for you.

Explore My Offerings:

• One-on-One Somatic Sessions

• Beyond Surviving Membership

• Radiant Lotus Women's Qigong

• Professional Workshops

With deep respect for your journey,
Lauren Haugrud
Somatic Therapist & Educator
Berkana Somatic Wellness