Teresa of La Lupa Via
Integrative BODYWORK ThErapist
FULL SPECTRUM BIRTH TO DEATH DOULA
GRIEF WORKER
meditation and YOga Teacher & trainer
CERTIFIED CELEBRANT & CeREMONIALIST
EMbodied movement and dance guide
yOUTH WORKER
I am an Italian-Scottish queer womxn (she/they) living and working on unceded land belonging to the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
I am entirely devoted to paths of embodiment and reclamation, including personal, cultural and collective.
For over 25 years I have had the privilege to serve my community in the most imprinting times of thresholds and transitions of their lives.
I am committed to a life long journey of doing the work necessary and using my place of privilege to support a world that is safer, more inclusive and just.
I bow to the teachers in all forms, guides and ancestors that have touched my heart and spirit, taught me, humbled me and guided me. From my Italian ancestry, Clara Renzetti, Rosemary Renzetti, Karyn Crisis, Maria Renzetti, from my Scottish ancestry Pamela Campbell, The midwives who mentored me, Paola Ochoa, Guadalupe Trueba, Dona Queta and Dona Angelina, Rocio Alacron, Maria Sanchez, Gena Kirby. The BIPOC who forever inspire and teach me Nikesha Breeze, Danette, The Reclaiming Collective mentor-Maecan Campbell and Zenith Virago.
I am committed to the work of engaging with community and cultural consultants. I am dedicated to continuing to grow an ethical healing practice that is accountable, honouring and rooted in social justice and inclusion. I am passionate about serving the underserved communities. All of my offerings are beyond the binary and support re-envisioning rites of passage, reclamation and healing.
My experience is vast and informed by:
Bodywork Therapist-Certified with VSOHA Vancouver School of Healing Arts (700 hours) with speciality in scar massage, deep tissue, deep swedish, Auyrevdic head massage, joint release, sports massage, pregnancy and postpartum massage.
Celebrant - Certified by The School of Celebrancy & Zenith Virago as a Ceremonialist & Funeral Facilitator including Complex Death Ceremonies I am certified to create and lead personalized ceremonies and rituals, group ceremonies of all kinds-for transitions of any kind, marriage, divorce, blessing ways, coming out, grief, celebration of life, living funerals, gender affirming surgery are some examples
Yoga Teacher Trainer-Certified with the Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500, RPYT, YACEP and Yoga Alliance Registered school RPYS
Grief and Bereavement Guide/Facilitator - Certified by Zenith Virago Deathwalker Training which includes Grief & Bereavement. Certified by Toni Bergens of Journey Dance and Amber Grey of dance and somatic grief facilitation.
I have grown so much from the experience over the years of offering one on one or group support for ANY and ALL grief journeys-whether it is a grief resurfacing from 20 years ago or fresh, grief from the death of a loved one, the loss of a community, health, identity and anything else you grieve you will be validated, held and offered paths for nurturing and care.
Full Spectrum Doula - Certified by Douglas College Doula Program and Trans inclusive Full Spectrum Doula Training
I have supported folx through the full spectrum of fertility journeys,conception, pregnancy, birth and postpartum experiences from abortion, pregnancy loss, adoption, surrogacy, miscarriage, still birth and end of life.
Somatic Dance Guide - Certified Journey Dance Facilitator and Soul Motion Foundations
Paths to embodied resilience, embodied boundaries, self regulation for daily life. I have studied with Jane Clapp, Nicole Marcia and Amber Grey (who advises the UN on psychological first aid and trauma therapy)
Prenatal and Postpartum bodywork - Informed by traditions/rituals from my roots in Italy, Scotland, England and informed by midwives ive been humbled and privileged to learn from Rocio Alacron- Ecuador, Gena Kirby, Maria Sanchez -Mexico.
Restoring, reclaiming and integrating rituals for any and all womb related trauma-sexual, birth, ancestral, menopause
Youth Worker- I have been blessed to work with LGBTQ2s youth in recovery for many years, inspired by their resiliency and spirits
Roots
As a little girl I followed my soul hunger. I was a seeker who challenged societal, cultural and religious conditioning. At the age of 6 I was the only girl playing in an all boys hockey league. As a youth I challenged religious leaders on the rituals that excluded girls and a challenged authority figures/teachers to create more inclusive learning spaces.
As a young person of 13 years old I was entranced by the books I was blessed to find at garage sales on yoga, transcendental meditation, yogic philosophy, earth based rituals. I was literally in the closet exploring these practices as I feared they would not be condoned by my family and contrary to their religious practices. I was grateful that I had these teachings to lean on as I was also deeply in the closet with my sexuality and drowning in religious/cultural stories of shame.
Earth based rituals, yoga, meditation, dance, martial arts and somatic therapy have saved my life on numerous occasions and continue to support me on this wild journey. These practices held and sustained me deeply when I have navigated dances with depression, sexual assault, cancer, divorce and coming out.
I bow deeply to the ongoing journey of restoring, reclaiming and knowing I am here learning. I am inspired by our capacity to rebirth.
I have always known my soul was called to serve the underserved, hold all beings in transitions and light fires.
When I am not guiding others I love surfing, trail running in BC mountains, being with dogs, dancing to deep bass, playing sports, reading and writing poetry, eating and hanging out with my beautiful family and friends.
What are my dreams for my clients and what do i love about what i do?
My dreams for my clients are:
For them to remember the power they had all along within them
My dream for my clients are for them to feel SEEN and HELD in the ways they deserve
My dream is for my clients to experience reclamation, freedom, healing, wellness, hope
To feel validated, nurtured and supported.
TO THRIVE MORE, connect to peace and possibilities in their bodies, minds and spirits.
To experience the care they dream of.
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I LOVE witnessing rebirth, birth and death and supporting people ( and animals) on their path to reclamation.
I love practicing total presence.
I love witnessing celebrating courage, breakthroughs, forgiveness and the resiliency of the human and animal spirit.
I love that I am ALWAYS learning.
I love going deep. I'm not scared of the dark.
I love the challenge of creating sacred spaces.
I love being constantly humbled in this great mystery.
I love creating spaces of raw transparency and sharing in a deeper intimacy.
I love feeding the revolution of love: through change, becoming informed, connection, awareness of choice, challenging what has been built up around us. I revel in the undeniable call I have to serve, uplift, poke, provoke, elevate and feed this revolution of love.
The Story of La Lupa Via
La Lupa Via translates as, The Wolf Way in Italian-Latin.
I am of Italian-European heritage and grew up with a potent and mystical affinity to both Italian Wolf Goddesses, Feronia-queen of the wilderness, fertility and wolves and Lucina-goddess of wild things, protector of childbirth and a guide through life's transitions. I have also felt a deep soul knowing and connection to La Loba, the story from Northern Mexico as shared by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, about a wolf woman-bone collector, who resurrects the wild spirit of life from the depths of the underworld and witnesses rebirth and revivification.
At the heart and soul of my offerings is the wisdom of wolves-
We need a wolfpack aka community
We need rituals to thrive
We need to howl and express
We need to play and touch nature
I have dreamed of wolves since I was a little girl and their presence in these dreams and in person have guided, inspired and protected me through the many deaths, rebirths and transitions in my life. (including the cancer journey-see picture to the right)
Wolves represent community, instinct, appetite for freedom, intuition, innovation, rituals, expression, intimacy, teachers, lunar connections-everything that my works holds as foundations for restoration and liberated living and dying..
May you come home to your untamed, wise, dark, light, messy transparency and remember the wolf wisdom within you that howls to remind you that you are wild, worthy, whole and free.