About Michelle
As human beings, we are wired for movement, growth, and connection to community, nature, and our authentic self. Life is so much easier to navigate when we’re attuned to our inner compass and follow its guidance rather than current socio-cultural ideals which tell us what we should be thinking, feeling, doing, having, consuming…
Everything I offer is an invitation for you to reconnect with who you most deeply are, to find your own voice, and to stand in the power of knowing that you are enough.
I’ve worked with many people in the last 24 years, initially as a massage therapist and yoga teacher in London, followed by various other locations before settling in Portugal in 2008 to build a retreat space. My personal and professional journeys have always been intertwined, and I’m so grateful for everything I’ve received from the many passionate teachers and facilitators who shared their wisdom so generously, and guided me on jounreys into the depths of my being.
The body continues to be a source of fascination and amazement for me. It has an incredible capacity to adapt to life’s circumstances; and what I noticed in clients over and over again, were patterns of physical and emotional holding and constriction showing up, and the impact this had on them. On the flip side, facilitating retreats showed me how quickly the body will orient back to integrity and resilience, given the right conditions to do so. Hosting guests in the intimacy of a retreat setting also made me realise that trauma is part of the human condition, and the importance of recalibrating the nervous system to support lasting transformation.
So I followed my interests and took a deep dive into the fields of trauma healing and nervous system regulation as I feel this is what is most needed in the world, both individually and collectively. I continued to deepen my understanding in both of theses fields, which led me to training in Somatic Experiencing®. SE™ feels like a coming home - an alignment with my own embodied experience of the healing journey - as it recognises the existence of something deeper as the source of our resilience, let’s call it the organismic blueprint or the wholeness that we already are.
Whether you’re looking for practices to nourish you and support more resilience in your daily life, or are ready to turn towards the wounded parts of yourself to heal unresolved trauma, I look forward to sharing my skills and passion to help you start or continue your journey towards feeling more balanced, integrated, and inspired to enjoy life to the full.
“Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I’m possible.”
— Audrey Hepburn
Trainings & Experience
2025 Workshop From Subjectivity to Objectivity: Therapeutic Plans based on SE with Liane Pinto, Online
2025 Workshop Essential Strategies for Healing Sexual Trauma & Sexuality with Ariel Giarretto, Lisbon
2025 Workshop Eyes & the Nervous System with Kimberley Ann Johnson, Online
2025 Training Somatic Experiencing®, Somatic Escola de Psicoterapias Corporais, Lisbon
2022 Training Chavutti Thirumal Massage Advanced Level with Helen Noakes, Greece
2022 Training Befriending Your Nervous System with Jo Kemp, Way of Soma, Online
2021 Training Being Breathed with Jo Kemp, Way of Soma, Online
2021 Training Compassion Inquiry™ Level 1 with Gabor Maté and Sat Dharam Kaur, Online
2020 Intensive Yoga Nidra and Somatic In-tuning with Godfrey Devereux, Radical Ecology, Online
2020 Intensive Meditation: The Place of Greater Safety with Godfrey Devereux, Radical Ecology, Online
2020 Intensive Breathwork: A Breath of Invulnerability with Godfrey Devereux, Radical Ecology, Online
2019 Intensive Embodied Resilience Retreat with Godfrey Devereux, Radical Ecology, Online
2018 Intensive Dynamic Yoga Teachers' Refresher Retreat with Windfire Yoga, Portugal
2018 Intensive Dynamic Yoga Depth Intensive Retreat with Windfire Yoga, Portugal
2017 Training Chavutti Thirumal Massage Levels 1 & 2 with Helen Noakes, Portugal
2007 Training Dynamic Yoga Apprenticeship with Windfire Yoga, Italy
2006 Intensive Silent Meditation Retreat with Windfire Yoga, Italy
2006 Intensive Vipassana Meditation Retreat, Australia
2005 Training Dynamic Yoga Apprenticeship with Windfire Yoga, Italy
2004 Intensive Silent Yoga and Meditation Retreat with Sarah Powers, Scotland
2003 Training Dynamic Yoga Teacher Training with Windfire Yoga, Spain
2002 Training No Hands Massage Foundation Course, London
2002 Training Dynamic Yoga Foundation Course with Windfire Yoga, Spain
2002 Training Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training, Bahamas
2001 Training Diploma in Holistic Clinical Aromatherapy and Therapeutic Massage with ITHMA, London
2001 Training Diploma in Anatomy and Physiology and Basic Clinical Science with ITHMA, London
2000 Training Aromatic Indian Head Massage with ITHMA, London
1999 Training Chakra Healing and Indian Aromatics with ITHMA, London