About Amanda
Amanda Murphy (Owner/Instructor)
(360)969-2401
My movement journey so far:
I began by practicing yoga in my 20’s, because I loved how it made me feel. After eventually finding the right teacher for me I dove deeply into the practice and became certified in the Indra Devi branch of Hatha in 2001.
Jump ahead to my 40’s and my practice has evolved into a whole body movement program I use to maintain good health and freedom of movement.
My background and continued education in somatics has led me to delve deeper into biomechanics and evolve into teaching movement re-education. In 2012 I discovered the work of Biomechanist Katy Bowman and began my journey toward becoming certified as a Restorative Exercise Specialist through Nutritious Movement. I started with NM by becoming a Healthy Foot Practitioner, and went through their 2 year program to become a certified personal trainer. The more I worked with clients, the more convinced I became that our gait cycle (how we walk) is the key to health, injury prevention and recovery, and peak performance. Then I found the work of Gary Ward : Anatomy in Motion. I read his book, “What the Foot” and knew I had to complete his 54 hour immersion course in whole body mechanics of gait, so I dove in. It has absolutely transformed how I work with clients, from chronic pain, to acute injuries, to those looking for enhanced sport performance. I currently work one to one or with small groups to teach the natural alignment of movement, mostly through gait, which puts the body into a position of strength for day to day activities. I believe we all have healthy and free movement within us, and we can find it through awareness and practice.
Past studies and trainings:
I became a Holistic Health Practitioner in 2002 (through the School of Healing Arts), with an emphasis in massage therapy. For 5 years, my massage practice focused on structural reintegration and somatics, and I taught a few group yoga classes on the side. More and more, I moved towards helping people empower and heal themselves with movement and away from massage. My anatomy and structural massage background still guides me in hands-on adjustments and manual therapy techniques during movement sessions.
As a young yoga student I gravitated toward Ashtanga and Iyengar Yoga, two very different styles! I loved the anatomical specificity of Iyengar Yoga, it went hand in hand with my education in bodywork. Astanga held interest for the athlete in me, leaving me feeling strong and sweaty after a great class. Throughout the years I took numerous yoga workshops and teacher trainings (including several by Roger Cole, and Jules Mitchell’s Yoga Biomechanics and Asana, Science of Stretching, and Beyond Yoga Alignment) to evolve my practice and my teaching. I was also trained as a Stott Pilates Instructor. All of these have led me to my current yoga teachers, who were inspired by the work of Vanda Scaravelli. This style of practice focuses more on moving with interoception, to uncover our bodies’ innate wisdom in natural movement. I love bringing anatomical detail into strong fun movement.
