Shelby Lafrinere
Chronic Pain Coach |Yoga Teacher Training
Travel Guide | Adventure Retreats
Hi! My name is Shelby.
I am a lover of laughter and all things ART, a yoga therapist, chronic pain specialist and health coach, and a thriving brain trauma and spinal injury survivor! I have had a life long fascination with movement, well being, and our natural world and my path lies within how they intersect and what I can do to be of best service in the revolution towards global equality and healing.
My work is a culmination of all I have experienced in life and is deeply informed by my journey of healing from a traumatic brain injury and the severe hyper extension of my entire spine that occurred in 2003, as well as the severe PTSD that followed. In addition to my brain injury, I tore numerous spinal ligaments from my skull to sacrum and many of the fascial connections throughout my abdomen. My injury also damaged tissue around all 31 pairs of nerve branches and the dura sac (membrane surrounding the spinal cord), collapsed many of the facets in my cervical and thoracic vertebrae, and severely impacted my heart, lungs, liver, and small intestine. Determined to find my way back to optimal health, I have dedicated my life to learning, healing, and teaching others along the way.
And here we are in the NOW. I am beyond thrilled to share that I am arriving at my goal of near 100% recovery - I am aging backwards! - and adore supporting others who desire to better manage their pain and/or shift their lifestyle towards positive transformation and healing. Please email me at shelbylafrinere@gmail.com for current program offerings.
I also train and mentor yoga teachers, work as a freelance dance theater consultant and choreographer, and am available for public speaking on wellness, healing, and environmental sustainability.
Learn more about my professional experience by reading below.
“Shelby's depth of knowledge about the art and science of yoga instruction is astounding. She truly is a master at her craft and we are fortunate to have someone of her talent, ability, and insight here in the yoga community.”
- Gretchen M. (Social Worker and Yoga Teacher)
“I very much appreciate Shelby as a person and a teacher; I always learn so much from her, and her kindness, expertise and ability to hold space helped
me reach my "goal."
- Joy K. (Yoga Teacher/Personal Trainer)
"Thank you again for coming in to chat with me. Already this week my attitude towards my routine has been healthier making what I do so much more enjoyable. "
- Baleigh A. (Jeweler)
- Aaron Palmer (Dancer/Yoga Teacher)
More about my professional experience...
A lifelong athlete, I have practiced yoga since I was a teenager, and began teaching in 2005. I teach the full 8 Limbs of yoga and nine styles of asana. I was asked to begin training teachers in 2010 and have continued to do so ever since, creating curriculum for 200 Hr and 300 Hr Yoga Teacher Trainings, Continuing Education Intensives, and workshops. I have worked as a Yoga Therapist in both private practice and clinical settings since 2005 with focus on Injury Recovery, Chronic Pain and Stress Management, Breathing Improvement, Postural Re-patterning, Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, trauma support, and Eating Disorders. Additionally, I have held management positions at high volume and high-quality yoga studios in Southern California and Ohio, taught yoga and philosophy as a Lecturer at the Ohio State University, was employed within professional dance companies as an injury recovery specialist and arm balance/inversion coach, and have had my work published in the IDEA Fitness Journal and American Fitness Magazine. Recently, I was invited to become an Advisor to the Yoga Alliance Standards Review Project on Teacher Trainer Qualifications.
I began my professional dance career in 2000, and although I have taken a few years off here and there for deep healing (that whole spinal injury thing...), I have been able to perform throughout much of the United States and western Canada as both a freelance soloist and as a member of several award winning multi-media and multi-disciplinary dance companies and Hip Hop teams. With an extensive background in Mixed Freestyle, Modern (Horton; Release Technique), Contemporary, Contact Improv, classic Hip Hop and Street Dance styles, Improvisational Theater and Performance Techniques, Fire Poi, and costuming, I am committed to creating art as often as possible and am particularly interested in projects that promote social and environmental awareness and justice.
I am also a Personal Trainer, versatile Chef, certified Polarity Practitioner (integrative bodywork) and a lifelong environmental and social justice advocate and activist. In 2019, I graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Environmental Leadership and Global Interaction from the Metropolitan State University of Denver, with a sub focus on climate change and racial justice. I was invited to present my honors thesis research, H.I.P. H.O.P. - Healing Inter-Personally, Healing Our Planet at the 2019 Western Regional Honors Council Conference.
