About
The Journey
Trudy’s childhood was filled with day after day of nature exploration, animals, learning about woodland herbs from her father and grandmother, and a passion for horses. She says her most important childhood lesson was to surrender to the dense silence of a deep forest without fear. Trudy’s meditation and yoga journeys began in 1968 with Transcendental Meditation. She completed a Mindfulness program at the Center for Greater Good and also follows the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sharon Saltzberg, Dr. David Frawley, Yogini Shambhavi, Sam Geppi, Dennis Harness, and Dr. Robert Svoboda. In 1980, she became a Reiki Master and in 2002, a certified life coach and owner of In-Balance Life. Trudy teaches classes and workshops for many age groups and body types focusing on deep restoration and whole-body wellness. Her teaching is influenced by Coaching, Somatic Techniques, Reiki, Tai Chi, the Warriors at Ease program for Veterans, Vedic teachings, Astrology, and Ayurveda. Her undergraduate degree in science and music opened the way to explore Sound Healing which facilitates a deep meditative state to balance the body’s energy centers; the chakras. Her passion is guiding people who are experiencing anxiety, trauma, depression, stress, and grief toward transformational change by focusing on mind, body, and spirit integration.
Trudy A. Shea, MSEd, ERYT-200. YACEP, Spiritual Life Coach, Reiki Master; Guiding you holistically to improve the quality of your life and gain wellness through the practices of Yoga, Somatic Movement, Meditation, Sound Healing, Tai Chi, Ayurveda, & Vedic Astrology
Spiritual Life Coaching
Trudy’s Spiritual Life Coaching brings over half a century of life experiences that ground her approach to provide authentic connection to her clients. Her background includes management in corporate and small business environments, higher education, teaching k-12 and adults, mentoring teachers, owning an equestrian center, two marriages, two adult children, and the owner of In Balance Life. Life brings a wealth of joy, transformational change challenges, and times of clear direction or chaotic confusion. Trudy’s evolution as a Leadership Coach, morphed into Life Coaching and has now shifted to Spiritual Life Coaching. Her work with clients increasingly dove deep into exploring their Soul purpose, inner Truth, and the alignments required for clients to integrate their conflicting priorities with their authentic selves. Her love of energy work, meditation, sound healing, and astrology have become keys to open dialogue and help clients gain awareness of who they are. During the work of integration, clients realize that they are managing various levels of trauma, stress, and grief. The healing required to help clients find their way led Trudy from her 40 years of yoga practice to certification in Somatic Movement. Both practices guide clients to release emotions and trauma that has become stuck in the body, often causing chronic pain, and can result in long term illness.
What is Somatic Movement?
Somatic Movement, founded by Thomas Hanna, integrates meditation, Hatha Yoga, and other movement methods to focus on releasing grief induced trauma from the body. Each event in our lives creates a reaction in the body that may result in tension, illness, or pain. Somatic movements are performed slowly, usually with the eyes closed, to mindfully become aware of the body, emotions, and thoughts. Somatic Movement is a practice of corrective movements and sequences that may include simple Hatha Yoga poses and short pauses for Meditation that guide you from within to explore a state of surrender and give the brain time to integrate the changes. The movements neurologically re-pattern reaction/response behaviors such as emotional reactions and body tension, when faced with trauma or stressful daily events. We learn to remind ourselves to maintain a sense of muscle relaxation, mental calm, and overall physical wellbeing. The gentle and simple movements replace “peak performance goals” with intentions of releasing, restoring, and healing areas of the body impacted by trauma.
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Somatic Movements helps decrease, correct, or eliminate:
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Chronic lower back pain, still neck and shoulders
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Poor posture
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Sciatica, Scoliosis, and Joint pain
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Muscle spasms
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Arthritis
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Headaches and Migraines
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TMJ
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Parkinson’s , Multiple Sclerosis, and Fibromyalgia
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Hip pain and Hamstring Tightness
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PTSD
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Grief Induced Trauma
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By practicing Somatic Movement regularly, the body becomes more flexible, the emotional stress held in the body is released, and the brain builds new neuropathways to facilitate healing and brain-to-muscle re-education.
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Yoga Philosophy
Yoga is greater than Asana. Yoga is a way of life, a way of being authentic as you show up in the world. Although the physical effort and mindful body movement of an asana is important to our practice, it is just one of the practices of the eight practices that provide guidelines for living a yogic life. The eight practices of yoga are identified as the “8 Limbs of Yoga” and often are illustrated as a tree with deep roots into the Earth and the eight branches reaching upward toward the sky. This illustration of the 8 Limbs of Yoga show the foundation of thought that we are bringing our life force (prana) from above and grounding it into the Earth. Each branch represents one of the eight practices. Each practice may occur simultaneously or sequentially resulting in a deep state of well- being (Samadhi). Yoga and meditation classes provide an integrated experience with breathwork, mudras, meditation, asana, and contemplation.
Yamas & Niyamas
Adapted from various texts including the work of Deborah Adele
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The Yamas and Niyamas are the structure – the foundation – of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, much like the limbs of the tree need a strong and resilient trunk with deep roots to withstand the challenges we face. The yamas are wise guidelines helping you along your life path. The Yamas are the values of your soul and the approach you take for living your life. The Yamas are the right actions you perform from the core of your being. The Niyamas provide our internal compass. The Niyamas create the self-awareness to become whole, raise our vibration, and take us on the path to internal bliss.
Ahimsa: Non-Violence
This is the core value that all other values stand on in yoga philosophy and practice.
Satya: Truthfulness
This requires integrity to ourselves and others.
Asteya: Non-Stealing
Being true to yourself and others and frugal with your energy and resources, and respecting others’ time, energy, thoughts, emotions, and possessions.
Brahmacharya: Non-Excess
Being mindful of over- indulgence and balancing wants, needs, and requirements.
Aparigraha: Non-Possessiveness
Finding a sense of detachment to create balanced perspectives while freeing us to appreciate all that life brings us. This brings us to non-possessiveness and not clinging to the past, the idea of the future, possessions, relationships, or other unhealthy or toxic thoughts or circumstances.
Saucha: Purify
Holding a sense of purity in our bodies, thoughts, emotions, and actions with courage and persistence.
Santosha – Contentment
Finding our calm center, expressing gratitude, acting moderately, and looking inward with self-love, compassion, and fulfillment.
Tapas: Self-discipline
Holding self-respect in building our character through transformations.
Svadhyaya: Self-Study
Look inward with honest reflection, to know your truth in your identity.
Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender
Recognizing that there is a divine plan and agreeing to live the plan and walk that path.
Seven Factors of Enlightenment
Quoted from What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula
Mindfulness
Beyond the meditation cushion, we bring mindfulness to every aspect of our lives, in all activities, thoughts, and movements.
Investigation of our Mental Objects
Living ethically and with high values.
Energy That is Balanced
Consider all energy centers and influences to work and finish what we start.
Joy of Living
Embrace all that raises the vibration of the mind, body, and spirit.
Relaxation of the Mind and Body
Increase flexibility of thought and movement.
Focus and Concentration
Draw on balanced energy centers (chakras) to complete thought and action.
Equanimity
Living life with calm of mind, bringing tranquility into every thought and action.