Lara Oberlin Email and Phone Number

I have been based in Ireland for more than five years. I am a fully qualified craniosacral therapist (CST-T) with Upledger Institute Ireland, and first began those studies in the US in 2015. I also practice Somato Emotional Release, which is a part of the above training and is one of modalities in which I feel I can be of the most service at present. Additionally, I maintain my status as Licensed Massage Therapist in the US (and am also a current member of IMTA in support of standardization). I kept up my AMBP (massage) membership while in US since June 2011. I have been a Certified Yoga Teacher (RYT200) since 2014 and did my first training with Sangha Yoga Insitute, a branch of tantric yoga called Parayoga. I am currently studying with Lotus in the Flame School of Yoga for 500 hour cert. I have also studied Kriya Yoga with Self Realization Fellowship. I am currently half way through a well established, five year herbalism diploma program with The Plant Medicine School, and I'm an active student member of the Irish Registry of Herbalists. I passed my Techniques Certification exams in Craniosacral Therapy (CST-T) before my advanced training, in England in 2019 (with Maggie Gill). I then completed Advanced Craniosacral Therapy in Rhode Island US, with Susan Steiner, at Upledger Institute in Spring 2022. In December 2023 I was awarded my certificate of qualification from Upledger Ireland. Generally, all of my work has a strong Craniosacral focus, and is blended with inquiry into each situation, listening to learn how we can best support our healing journeys using gentle movement therapies and plant medicine. Currently my work is volunteering, precepting, teacher assisting, and teaching at Irish events such as Hopefest and Herbfeast until I am granted the visa needed to become a sole trader and to open a new practice here in Ireland.

I attribute my success in very rapidly establishing a strong practice to the very high quality of my extensive training, my interest in continued professional development, and to my foundational 13 month, 600+ hour certification training in bodywork at the fully accredited KCHA. Additionally, I had the unusual luxury to be able to live and breathe integrative bodywork for the duration of my studies and all through the process of establishing my first practice. When I first sat for the MBLEX, I was part of the first wave of Michigan massage therapists to do so (to earn a State Board issued "license to touch") in Michigan. Early in my career, I found (or was discovered by) a sacred space in which to give integrative bodywork from my own private office, which I rented 24/7 at the beautiful and well established yoga studio known as Down Dog Yoga Center. This fun, double studio with four offices (including my office) had the added perk of being in the heart of downtown and within ten minutes from my home and the gardens I loved. I also had the opportunity to teach yoga there, and designed three semester classes which I called Yoga for Inner Peace. I will always be grateful to Down Dog Yoga Center for the wonderful practices that I was able to have there as well, and the exposure to Ayurvedic practices as taught by Kara Aubin. I am grateful to remain connected to a community of wonderful teachers, students, and other practices that existed alongside my own.

I initially enrolled in this post baccalaureate accelerated (two year) program after traveling to India, thinking to reconnect with my family while studying and then depart again to teach abroad, but life had other plans! In the short time that I maintained my license as a highly qualified secondary education teacher, I found my life partner and sought local employment as a long term substitute teacher (accepting five positions of 2-3 months each, fufilling others' roles when tenured teachers went on leave during the school year for pregnancy or surgery leave). I loved supporting kids, and dedicated as much extra time as was needed to after-school tutoring, however there simply weren't any full time teaching jobs opening during that time, and it was tough going in, giving the students and the schools my all for a few months, and then leaving them behind forever, again and again. Additionally, I learned a lot about the public school system in that time, and perceived more changes were needed than I was prepared to facilitate. Soon enough, I made a career switch and was back on my path as a lifelong student of healing arts, which is a perfect fit for my love of working 1:1 with people, and for creating a sacred space for healing that can remain in place for long periods of time. I never looked back!