Lori Schmidt in seated meditation on a cliffside hiking trail, trees and skyline behind

Trauma-informed yin yoga · Thunder Bay

Slow down.
Come home to yourself.

A quiet, welcoming space to slow down. No mirrors, no judgment — just an hour to be still.

See what I offer Get in touch

What I offer

Three ways to practice with me.

Group Classes

$20/class

Yin yoga at Castlegreen Community Centre. Find the current class schedule on Instagram. Small groups, gentle guidance. You don't need to be flexible or have any experience — mats provided if you need one.

6-Week Block

$96/6 classes

Build a rhythm. Classes run in 6-week blocks — I need at least 8 people registered to make each block work. Best value for a regular practice, works out to $16 per class.

Private Sessions

$150/hour

One-on-one practice tailored to your body, your pace, and where you're at. Good for beginners, injury recovery, or working through something specific.

Lori Schmidt spreading her arms beneath a native bird painting, welcoming and warm

Your teacher

Hi, I'm Lori.

I've been practicing yoga for 25 years — it's been the one constant in my life, something I can tap into anytime. Yoga isn't about the postures. That's a small part of it. It's about learning to be with yourself, exactly as you are — without fixing, without striving, without performing.

I became certified as a Trauma-Informed Yoga and Meditation Teacher in January 2020 through Anuttara Ashram, and I'm registered with the Yoga Alliance. My career in the field of addictions deepened my understanding of how trauma lives in the body. I've also experienced vicarious trauma firsthand — the kind that comes from years of holding space for other people's heaviest stories. That experience shapes how I teach: I know what it feels like to carry weight that isn't yours, and I know how gentle movement can help you put it down. If you're a first responder, a frontline worker, or someone who's spent a long time taking care of everyone else — this space was built with you in mind.

RYT · Yoga Alliance Anuttara Ashram, 2020 25 years practicing

The practice

What is trauma-informed yin yoga?

A trauma-informed practice means I pay attention to everything: the words I use, the music I play, the poses I offer. Nothing is random. The goal is a space where you feel safe enough to notice what's happening in your own body — without anyone telling you what you should feel.

Yin yoga is a slower practice where poses are held for several minutes at a time, working into the deep connective tissues — ligaments, joints, fascia — where we hold so much tension. It's the quiet half of yoga. The part that asks you to stop doing and just be.

“Most forms of yoga today are dynamic, active practices designed to work only half of our body, the muscular half. Yin yoga allows us to work the other half — the deeper tissues. All our tissues need to be exercised so we can achieve optimal health and vitality.”

— Bernie Clark, The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga