Rather than chase what's trending, invest in what is timeless.
 
At the Soma Center we share knowledge, tools, and transformational practices -- all with the intention of supporting you in feeling more resourced and living with greater clarity.

When you are preparing for the arrival of a new baby, tending to ones who have already been birthed, or caring for aging loved ones, you'll find a safe harbor here.

Clients say Lydia is easy to talk to, deeply educated, gentle, and fiercely strong. They appreciate her tender care during times full with question and unknowing. 

With her expert guidance, clients become more confident advocates and better equipped to be active participants in their care. 

The practices she shares are deeply nourishing and revelatory, unique in their ability to dissolve unhelpful patterning and cultivate a sense of abiding satisfaction. 

Clients see and feel how Lydia's work inspired by her lived experiences and fortified by her training and continuing studies.

She too has weathered the upheaval that comes with transitioning from a couple to a family. Come through the other side of birth feeling a messy mix of triumph and defeat. Leaned into uncomfortable conversations to advocate for herself, children, and elders. Taken paths less traveled to uphold what felt most resonant. 

Most essentially of all, she has become skilled at caring for herself in ways that allows her to show up even more fully -- to herself, to others, and to her responsibilities. 

Lydia knows how hard it can feel to hold so much and to navigate the complexities of these seasons.

When you choose to work with her, you can trust she will show up with depth and a commitment to supporting you on your individual path.

 
Education & Certifications
• Hands-on Supreme Release Yoga Level I with Kaya Mindlin, 2025
• Illumination Certification with Kaya Mindlin, 2025
• Supreme Release Yoga Fundamentals with Kaya Mindlin, 2021 and 2020
• Parenthood Guide Certification, Becoming Us, 2020
• Childbirth Educator Certification, Lamaze International, 2020
• Childbirth Educator Certification, International Childbirth Education Association, 2019
• Prenatal & Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training: Part I Certification with Jane Austin, 2015
• 200-hour Yoga Teacher Certification with Maile Sivert, Caroline Kelley, and Kari Marble, 2015
• Master of Arts in Educational Technology, University of San Francisco
• Multiple-Subject CLAD Teaching Credential, University of San Francisco
• Bachelor of Fine Arts with High Honors, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Influential Studies
With Kaya Mindlin
• Sanskrit Pronunciation and Transliteration, 2026 and 2020
• Hasta Samudrika, 2025
• Nectar of the Bhagavad Gita, 2024, 2022, and 2020
• Supreme Subtle Body Revealed, 2024
• Nectar of Patanjali, 2023 and 2022
• Healing Hypermobility, 2023
• Vastu: Divine Patterns of Life & Yoga, 2022
• Minimal Props SRY Training, 2022
• De-Mystifying Karma, 2021
• Agni & Soma Ayurvedic Digestion and Nutrition, 2020
• Ayurvedic Yoga: Sequencing for the Seasons, 2020
• Nectar of Yoga Nidra, 2020

With Peter Levine and/or Somatic Experiencing International
• Case Consultation & Live, In-person Demonstration with Peter Levine, 2025
• Awakening Aliveness: A Somatic Approach to Healing Attachment Trauma with Peter Levine and Diane Poole Heller, 2025
• Basic Principles of Somatic Experiencing with Mashid Hager, 2025
• Healing the Body's Response to Attachment Trauma with Peter Levine and Diane Poole Heller, 2025
With Evidence Based Birth
• Induction Bootcamp, 2026
• ARRIVE Trial, 2026
• Evidence on Doulas, 2026
Evidence on Vitamin K, 2026
Evidence on Cervical Exams, 2026
Newborn Procedures, 2026
Big Babies, 2026
• Chorioamnionitis, 2026
Southern Traditional Herbs in the Perinatal Period, 2026
How to Help Families Get Evidence Based Care, 2021
Overturning Hospital Bans, 2021
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, 2021
Evidence Based Care for Suspected Big Babies & Gestational Diabetes, 2021
Premature Rupture of Membranes, Group Beta Streptococcus & Newborn Procedures, 2021
Inducing for Due Dates and Advanced Maternal Age, 2020
• Friedman’s Curve and Failure to Progress, 2020

With Lamaze International
• The Effect of COVID-19 on the Six Healthy Birth Practices, 2021