Women Who Embody: Shannon Turner
On trusting the body, keeping grounding simple and choosing kindness.
At Embodyme, we believe in the power of women learning from women, sharing the rituals, practices and everyday moments that help us live more connected, embodied lives.
Women Who Embody is a monthly series dedicated to women we admire who live with presence, connection and intention.
For this month’s conversation, it was a joy to speak with Shannon Turner, trauma-informed yoga teacher, Eat Breathe Thrive practitioner and founder of Lionsgrace.
For over fifteen years, Shannon has guided people back into a relationship with their bodies through movement, breath, meditation and embodied practices. Her work is guided by her own eating disorder recovery journey and a belief that healing does not come from becoming someone new, but from learning to listen to ourselves with greater compassion and curiosity.
Q: What does living an embodied life mean to you?
Living an embodied life means learning to trust my body as my lighthouse. For many years, I looked outside myself for answers, validation and purpose. But over time, I’ve learned that my body is constantly offering guidance through sensation, intuition, energy and emotion. The practices of yoga, breathwork and meditation help me tune into that inner light on my mat. But the real gift is learning to access it off the mat as well, especially when I’m navigating challenges, making decisions or simply moving through everyday life.
Q: What is one daily ritual that helps you come back to your body?
One of my favourite rituals is waking up and resisting the urge to look at my phone. I turn on the coffee maker, it must be the American in me; I love drip coffee! And step outside for a few moments. If it’s not too cold, I love to be barefoot. I take in the morning air and feel the ground beneath my feet. Later, I’ll spend a few minutes on my yoga mat, or sometimes stand and move gently. I just like to check in with how the night has settled in my body and what I might need from the day ahead.
Q: When life feels full, what helps you feel grounded?
When things feel overwhelming, I try to dial back to the basic things that I know can help me shift down a gear: a few deep breaths, playing a favourite song, taking a walk outside or rinsing off in a warm shower. I don’t want to be dramatic about grounding when life already can feel dramatic. Sometimes it’s just about creating enough space to reconnect with myself before responding to everything else.
Q: What do you do when you want to feel more energised or uplifted?
Definitely music! It’s one sure-fire way to shift my energy. I also love what I call “shopping in my own closet.” I’ll pull out something I haven’t worn in a while and get dressed as though I’m going out with girlfriends. A shower, fresh clothes and a little movement can completely change how I feel.
Q: What helps you feel deeply rested or restored?
I love this question because the answer came so fast. Without question, Yoga Nidra. It’s been one of the most transformative practices in my life. Twenty minutes can feel like a complete reset for my nervous system, helping me access a level of rest that sleep alone doesn’t always provide.
Q: Which Embodyme ScentState™ are you most drawn to at the moment?
Now this is the hardest question! I love them all for all the reasons their names invoke. I mean, truly, who doesn’t want to incorporate all of these characteristics all of the time? But since you’re asking me to pick one, I’d have to say Kindness. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older and wiser, but I’ve realised that kindness doesn’t mean softness. Even Rihanna sings in FourFiveSeconds: “All of my kindness is taken for weakness.” But we women know better. Kindness helps us meet ourselves with less judgment and more understanding, especially on the days when life feels messy or uncertain. It’s a reminder that how we speak to ourselves matters just as much as how we care for everyone else.
Shannon’s Choice: Kindness
Kindness is our nurturing ScentState™, created to support feelings of warmth, compassion and care through the ritual of scent, touch and presence. Kindness is available in Nurturing Body Oil.
