Coleen Elwood

About Coleen Elwood

Coleen was introduced to meditation in 1971 by her groovy theater parents. Initiated in the TM tradition, she was given a walking mantra at 10, seated at 13. As a child, she found the natural world to be a place of serenity & wonderment, and she was drawn to indigenous people & traditions.

A childhood of dancing, singing, acting & playing music (violin) culminated in 9 years as a bass player, singer & songwriter in the indie band Zuzu's Petals (Twin/Tone). She discovered yoga in 1995 as the band was breaking up & was instantly drawn to its calming, meditative nature. After her community-ed yoga teacher moved, she began teaching yoga out of her house (1998). After attending a weekend with Christopher Baxter (co-founder of Yoga Alliance), she signed up for & completed a 200-hour teacher training in Atma Yoga in 2001. Prenatal yoga training followed with Janice Clarfield in 2002. Drawn to the energy realm, she became a reiki master in 2003 (The Center for Happiness, Minneapolis).

Since then, she has studied with Nischala Joy Devi, Guru Dev, Rod Stryker, Judith Lasater & Gary Kraftsow, to name a few. Coleen brings over 10,000 hours of teaching experience in prenatal, restorative, gentle & chair yoga & meditation to the Yoga Center of Mpls Yoga Study program. She has been a proud member of the YC faculty since 2009. Coleen continues to blend yoga & music. Together with her pal Tara Cindy Sherman, she continues to lead kirtans & retreats worldwide.

Her desire to bring healing & unity consciousness to the planet along with a deep love of the natural world drew her to mystic, shaman, & author Christina Donnell (Winds of Change Association). In 2008 she completed a 2-year training of the Inca Wisdom Teachings. Since meeting Christina in 2004, she has taken over 450 hours of trainings in receptive wisdom, deep seeing, & energy medicine. Her study of spirituality, yoga, & healing continues to this day. Her classes are soul-centered, Earth-based, gentle, & meditative, designed to connect people to their bodies' wisdom & intuition. Intended to raise consciousness & nourish peace within.