MY STORY
FIRST, THE MISSION ///
Our wellbeing is collective.
While we are each uniquely impacted by our personal and intergenerational trauma, our return to compassion and the recognition of our wholeness and humanity unfolds when we are held in community.
NOW, MY STORY (told personally)
You could say I finally landed on the mat when I became a family physician. Days, hours, weeks of being asked ``What do I do for my suffering?`` ultimately led me to share my methodology of self care and burnout prevention.
My practice gave me a sense of inner peace, calm and clarity in my purpose.
What I gained through yoga and meditation became so essential, so relevant to the people I was witnessing daily.
And no matter the diagnosis, the symptoms, it was lack of clarity, dis-embodiment, unbelonging and loss of self-connection that created the most suffering.
My practice is what taught me who I was, what I was passionate about and how I wanted to live my life each day. Navigating from within, moment to moment. And it was the reclamation of this capacity, a remembrance of wholeness, that in the end, that my patients and students were looking for.
During my medical career I saw again and again that living well and living happy requires a foundation of both emotional and physical wellbeing.
My greatest patient success stories came from were those who were willing to embrace their mind-body connection and use it to transform their lives.
In teaching these tools, I witnessed people living their same lives outwardly but experiencing them totally differently inside.
I was hooked, and Ke'ala Living was born.
I believe there are many ways to create the life you want to live, and I can only offer the things that worked for me. My practice is influenced by humanistic psychology (trauma informed mindfulness + sensorimotor psychology, IFS, interpersonal neurobiology); somatics (Hakomi, Somatic Experiencing, polyvagal approaches), eastern philosophy (Vedanta, Tantric Yoga, Mahayana Buddhism) and energy medicine (the work of Janet Amare & Barbara Brennan).
THE STORY (told professionally)
Dr. Ang is a medical doctor turned group psychotherapist, wellness educator, yoga and meditation instructor.
Her life’s path has been driven by a single question: how do we heal humanity? She holds a medical degree from Queen’s University, certifications in Spiritual Healing and Energy Medicine from the College of International Holistic Studies and over 20 years of study and practice in vajrayana buddhism, vedanta and contemporary mindfulness. Her inquiry on wholeness ultimately crystallized in the field of trauma-informed somatics, sensorimotor psychotherapy, tantra and yoga nidra, where the technology of ancient and modern science meet.
She weaves these threads together in multiple roles: as a group psychotherapist, combining mindfulness meditation, nervous system regulation, somatics, buddhist psychology and radical self-inquiry for the treatment of mental health and stress related disease; as an educator, co-directing Restorative Rhythms (200/500 hour YTT on the Internal Healing Arts) + serving on faculty of several 200/300 hour YTTs locally and internationally, and as sacred space-holder, facilitating retreats, workshops and immersive experiences for collective awakening and healing.
Testimonials
“Learning mindfulness with Jackie has fully changed my attitude towards myself.” My inner-critic who told me that I wasn’t ever going to be “enough” at anything is gone. I hope she never comes back (which is why I continue to practice). Through this course I’ve learned to like myself… maybe even love myself (which is HUGE!). My relationship with others has improved, too. I am more patient and focused – listening to hear what they’re saying, rather than listening to form my response. I am more open with my emotions, too. This course has been truly life-changing and I can’t thank you enough. I feel like I’m finally living & I love it! – MBSR Participant
“Taking the MBSR course with Jackie was a transformational experience!” As a committed meditator, I was looking forward to learning more about the science of mindfulness and adding new tools and techniques to my daily practice – what I got was a whole lot more than I could’ve imagined. Taking this course online during the COVID-19 pandemic certainly helped me deal with the emotional rollercoaster that came with it – and connected me to a supportive community that I looked forward to seeing each week.
The biggest shift was learning to accept myself and acknowledge whatever is going on inside me in each moment – physically, mentally and emotionally – with love and compassion. The biggest “measurable” difference is the (noticeably less) amount of time it now takes me to process/experience challenging/negative/difficult emotions – especially anger (I am no longer fuming for days after my partner forgets to take the garbage out)!
As a recovering perfectionist who loves planning ahead and having control, I am so much more at ease managing whatever unexpected situations (and emotions) that pop up at any moment. I’m excited by my newfound knowledge and am confident that my lived experiences with mindfulness are having a lasting effect.
Whatever brought you here, I’d recommend listening to that inner call and sign up for this course – it’ll be more than you can imagine – and it will change your life for the better. – Amanda T.