Healing from Within with Daphne Chua
“Distractions only go so far without you hitting another wall.”
Summary of Episode:
Jenn connects and speaks to Daphne Chua for the first time, founder of Somatic Therapy Asia. A native Singaporean, Daphne grew up checking off all the boxes in life. A degree, corporate job, successful until the 2008 financial crisis. From there her spiritual journey began where she found herself living a nomadic life, teaching yoga, falling in love, and a decade later reconnecting with her family, her roots and in the process uncovering her own inner healing journey.
I think sometimes when you have a spiritual practice there is the expectation that you put upon yourself to be able to be more resilient and to rise above challenges. I realized that I wasn't above that and I was still stuck in this mess, and I was longing for what I was before.
About Daphne Chua:
Daphne is a registered yoga therapist, movement educator, bodyworker, and a specialist in somatic therapy. A self-professed geek, she is always exploring underlying principles of the human body and movement patterns as embodied relational beings. Daphne applies principles of kinesiology and natural movement, somatics, neuroscience, and yoga philosophy in her trauma-informed work. Her work aims to hone sensory awareness, cultivate resilience and regain agency so as to fully experience life.
She has helped people of all ages rehabilitate injuries, regain neuro-motor functions, manage chronic pain, and work through trauma. Daphne also facilitates trainings, workshops, and mentorship programs for both individuals and organizations, movement educators, and healthcare professionals.
I have had at different points of my life, been called to give up everything I have, including homes, countries, relationships, identity. The last one being the call to return to Singapore in the wake of my father's passing. My practice in Yoga and Somatic Therapy has been pivotal in helping me navigate my relationship with myself, and how I perceive the world, in moving through some very dark periods of my life dealing with physical ailments isolation, and depression.
