Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Lee.
Hi Erika , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In my early college years, I had a near death experience. Prior to this event I had no concept of Spirit or any type of religion in my home. I was an anthropology major and only believed in the “science” of things. This was also a very dark and depressed time for me, my mental health was really suffering. Upon returning from where ever it is we go during an NDE, I was offered the information that there was much more to life than I ever knew, and that I had a purpose to complete. I knew the beginning was taking care of myself, and I began my healing journey through Yoga. I walked into an all women’s gym in Southern Alabama. They were not even allowed to call it Yoga due to religious reasons, so the class was called Mind Body Flow. I wish to this day that I knew the teachers name because she opened the door for me to all that I live and breathe now. One day she told the class she was leaving and she pulled me over to share that what we had been practicing was Yoga. Back then there was not much available so I went into a video store at the mall (yup dinosaur days lol) and bought two VHS tapes. And that was it! I dedicated years to healing in tandem with a wonderful counselor that I saw weekly. Slowly but surely my depression lifted, my anxiety went from a baseline of 8 out of 10 to about a 3. I worked on myself for years, and when I was offered an opportunity to take a teacher training at my favorite Yoga studio in Ft. Lauderdale, I jumped all in! The studio, Red Pearl Yoga is still open and successful! I taught there for 10 years and learned about energy medicine ( Reiki) as well receiving my Reiki Master attunement. Upon my relocation to Encinitas, I found a new Yoga home at The Soul of Yoga and I have been teaching there for almost 12 years. I completed my Yoga Therapy Degree in 2016 with a specialty in trauma and eating disorder recovery. In the midst of all of this I also received an apprenticeship in the Shamanic Pachakuti Mesa tradition via the Shipibo lineage from Peru. The weaving of all of these heart and earth based practices have helped me to create a loving and supportive web for my clients and students. I have been dedicated to teaching a sharing all of these tools as a full time career for over two decades, and I could not be more grateful!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh wow let’s see…no! Right out of the gate I learned that Yoga and all that comes with it is not a magic bubble. I worked at one studio in the beginning for six months with no pay to find out that the owner skipped town and moved to a different country leaving all of his teachers in shock! I arrived another time to a studio to teach a regular class I offered to find chains on the doors and eviction notices! I saw teachers and leaders, that I had placed on a pedestal as real humans and all that goes with that! But I am so grateful for these experiences though because it really kept things real for me! Yoga is a tool, mantra and meditation are tools, breath work is a tool…to help us with our messy humanity!! This knowledge has kept me humble with a healthy sense of levity!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The blending of Yoga, Yoga Therapy, Energy Medicine, Mentoring, and Shamanic healing work that I have been blessed to be educated in, has evolved into a beautiful private practice. Although I do still offer few public classes, Reiki trainings, and Shamanic events at The Soul of Yoga, my main avenue of work is one on one sessions with clients. I have created what I gently call a concierge healing practice. Each client is an individual and responds to different tools and energies. I meet everyone exactly where they are and allow them to feel into what is most needed whether it is more movement/somatic based, working with the elementals and the medicine wheel, Reiki, and everything in between. I believe the deepest medicine I carry is the ability to truly hold space for my clients. My own healing journey has informed me in ways that help me to truly see the individual, not just their stories and their pain.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Human Design
The Gene Keys
The Emerald Podcast
The Telepathy Tapes Podcast
Mark Nepo
Jack Kornfield
Michael Mammas
Ram Dass
Don Oscar Miro-Quesada
Sandra Ingerman
Melodie Beaty
Contact Info:
- Instagram: TheHealingHawk
- Facebook: Erika Lee
Image Credits
Miranda Guzman
