Are you searching for a sense of balance, meaning and connection?
A way to unplug, feel grounded, and find clarity of mind.
Perhaps you are curious about your own True Nature - your basic goodness and love for life.
You are not alone in your search. You've landed on the right page.
Life is precious. Let's not miss it.
ABOUT
I am a Buddhist Chaplain, Meditation, Somatic Movement & Trauma Informed Mindfulness Teacher, and Masters of Clinical Psychology Counselling student. I work with healthcare professionals, parents, university students, women in addiction recovery, retirees, not-for-profit leaders, innovators, artists and activists. As a female with Indigenous roots, I welcome diversity in gender, race and form.
Based in Kelowna, I lead retreats and workshops throughout Canada.
Check out some of the amazing people and organizations I love working along side. Curious about working together? Please do send me a note.
MEDITATION & YOGA
Explore how alignment, breathing, balancing, stretching and strengthening provide the ideal opportunity to apply Buddhist meditation techniques to experience your mind, bring awareness to habits, and open your heart. My teaching guides both movement and stillness practices, as well offers dharma and poetry readings. Each class encourages gentleness of breath, attention to alignment, creative movement, relationship to the ground and the process of gravity.
I offer a variety of ways to enter practice by teaching workshops and practice series in studios and various organizations. I am an education Chaplain in residence with Third Space Charity, The University of British Columbia Okanagan and visiting education Chaplain at Kelowna General Hospital.
BUILDING BUDDHA BODY
Meditation & Movement
Intensive
6 nights
with Melissa
& Jill Bodak
Stowel Lake Farm
Salt Spring Island, BC
June 16th - 22nd, 2022
SPIRIT OF ZEN
Meditation & Yoga Retreat
with Melissa & Suniti Dernovsek
STOWEL LAKE FARM
September 12-18, 2023
PORTUGAL RETREAT
Yoga & Meditation Retreat with Melissa & Brian Dean Williams
Sept 24 to Oct 1, 2022
Vila Nova de Milfontes, Portugal
ALINDA MICHAEL
Brian and Melissa role model presence and respect in their language, in their way of being. I’m a nurse and I’ve worked with people my whole life; I consider myself someone who’s very respectful of people. So to meet two people who are on whole other level, I really appreciate it a lot. That’s where I want to be.
DR. DAVID KATES
"I’m looking forward to taking what I learned here and continuing on. I feel inspired to make some changes with my work schedule and my self-care. I’d like to do more yoga, meditation, reading. Those changes will have an impact on my practice, and will make me more human to my patients."
LINA TURESKI
I learn a lot on retreat, both from the planned program and the people who attend. Some retreats are about rest, some are more about being in community. They’re always about taking a break from daily life to build skills, rest, and work on things in an intentional way without distraction.