Ellen McKenzie

Introduced to yoga as teenager, I began a casual love affair with asana. It was in my early 20’s that I dedicated myself more seriously to my practice. As I continued to study and exposed myself to senior and master teachers, my practice and my sense of self began to shift.

I remember very clearly beginning a class and recognizing that my practice was provoking a competitive intensity reminiscent of my years competitively swimming.

‍More about Ellen

That visceral experience allowed me to see that I was feeding the fire that provoked imbalance within me and subsequently inspired a years long journey towards yoga as therapy and Zen meditation.

Today I view yoga and meditation as a path to health and healing in the body, mind and spirit. It is a path I live and passionately share with clients and students.

My work is informed by Hanna Somatics, Zen, TRE®, yoga and ayurveda. My intention is to bring students more fully into their practice and support an internal environment ripe for sustainable transformation.

Ellen's Specialty

E – 500 Registered Yoga Teacher
200 Hour Certification – Prairie Yoga
300 Hour Certification – Theresa Murphy Yoga
1000 Hour Yoga Therapist – International Soma Yoga Institute
TRE® Provider
TRE® Certification Trainer
Safe & Sound Protocol® Certified Provider

Services Offered by Ellen

Somatics & Yoga Therapy

Somatic Yoga Therapy applies yoga principles for well-being, while Somatics and Yoga Therapy enhance physical and emotional health through mindful movement and awareness.

Zen Integration Bodywork

Zen Integration Bodywork uses touch, movement awareness, breath, and attention to vital energy (kiai) to help a person achieve mind, body, and nervous system integration.

Safe & Sound Protocol

The Safe & Sound Protocol (SSP) is a non-invasive auditory intervention enhancing neural pathways and regulatory functions in the brain by stimulating middle ear muscles.

TRE – Tension & Trauma Release

TRE® is a simple technique that uses exercises to release stress or tension from the body that accumulate from every day circumstances of life.

What Ellen's Clients Say

Here you will find heartfelt stories and genuine feedback from our clients. These personal accounts highlight the profound impact of our holistic approach on their physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

"Ellen has been such a joy to work with. I had nearly given up on the idea that anything outside of multiple surgeries would help realign my body. Now, I can’t imagine seeking out any other form of treatment. She has an incredible knowledge of the human body, and makes doing this hard physical work FUN! She’s helped push me through the tough spots, and see pain relief and fluid motion come back to joints I thought I’d just have to deal with. She’s great, and someone I hope to always have as a resource." - Susan T.

"Working with Ellen is a creative, empowering experience. Ellen brings a deep knowledge of the body and the mind, and yet she recognizes and values the wisdom that can only come from within. Together Ellen and I have co-created approaches and paths to support my physical, mental, and emotional healing. Ellen is humble, curious, and playful. She knows that sometimes we all need a good laugh, or cry, and she makes both feel like that is the most natural thing in the moment. Whether meeting in person or online, Ellen has a way with words that makes learning new movements accessible and she has the capacity to hold an incredibly safe and brave space for self-exploration. Working with Ellen has helped me slow down, be curious, soften, and learn to trust in my body." - Julia W.

"I had the pleasure of working with Ellen doing TRE sessions. When I came to Ellen, I had already been doing TRE for 5 months and was having difficulty getting the tremoring to move into the upper part of the body. Due to her intuitive guidance, within just a few weeks I was getting significant tremoring in the upper body and shortly thereafter, integrated full body tremoring. I’m tremendously grateful for the progress that was made in such a short time and the support she provided along the way. Ellen has great energy and a wonderful personality. I would highly recommend her to anyone wanting to start or progress their TRE practice." - Robert C.

"I've always been someone who'd rather be in the library than at the gym. So when I seriously herniated a disc in my lower back, I was completely unprepared for the recovery process. The injury was very bad, and I had to have surgery for pain relief. The surgery was successful, but for many years my core and leg muscles remained incredibly weak and intractable, and I was living with chronic nerve pain in my legs. ‍ Then, after multiple unsuccessful rounds of physical therapy, I met Ellen, and working with her changed my life. She met me where I was with my body and mind-body connection, which felt like rock bottom. She taught me fundamental somatics exercises for recovering command of my body, and radical knowledge for developing my own daily somatics practices. It's not an exaggeration to say her therapy renewed my relationship with myself. Today I feel more cognizant and comfortable in my body than I've ever felt before in my life. My daily life isn't organized around nerve pain anymore, and I'm able to relax and move again. I actually feel more desire to move and grow than ever before. I can't testify to her work and wisdom enthusiastically enough." - Christian A.

"Working with Ellen one-on-one was an incredible deep dive into self-knowledge through experiencing my body. Where Ellen shines is her talent for creating a space for exploration that is gentle, honest, safe, and empowering all at once. Ellen’s knowledge and expertise are clear, but her approach is one of partnership. And it works! I clearly see the physical and emotional results." - Marisa P.

"For the last 15+ years I’ve learned to function outside of my body as a method to suppress emotions and also as a protective means in an effort to deal with chronic pain. Not only has Ellen helped me find the ability to listen to my body, but she helped me find my voice and confidence, both of which I was previously greatly lacking. Ellen was a voice of strength when celebrating my success, and she also provided unwavering support when some of the work brought up “old stuff” that felt scary for a short time. To infer that the work we’ve done together has been transformational would truly be an understatement. Not only has my physical pain reduced, my relationships with my family and partner have flourished due to my ability to regulate myself and effectively communicate needs and hold appropriate boundaries. I am so grateful to Ellen for all she has done, and I look forward to continuing our work together as we continue to work on releasing the chronic stress and tension in my body, helping to calm my nervous system, and ultimately move toward an even more comfortable state of embodiment."

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Red Beard Somatic Therapy is a group practice serving customers around the world online and in-person in Madison, WI and Boulder, CO

Ellen McKenzie

‍More about Ellen

Ellen's Specialty

Services Offered by Ellen

Somatics & Yoga Therapy

Zen Integration Bodywork

Safe & Sound Protocol

TRE – Tension & Trauma Release

What Ellen's Clients Say

Newsletter

Services

Resources

Contact

TRE® Global Certification Module One + Supervision

TRE® Global Certification Module One + Supervision