Shanna Tabatcher

Denver, Colorado

shanna@apeacefulheartcoaching.com

http://www.shannatabatcher.com/qoya

Please check the website for the most up up to date Qoya offerings: https://www.shannatabatcher.com/qoya

Shanna spent her early childhood dancing and playing sports. She grew up in a spiritual household in Ohio and spent a lot of time writing and reading personal development books. In her late teens, she found yoga which was a perfect marriage of movement and spirituality. In 2009, she became a 200-hour Power Yoga Teacher and has continued to practice yoga for many years.

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In September 2016, Shanna was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma-breast cancer. This was a changing point in her life and a time of deep reflection and healing. She realized how disconnected she was from her body and how stressed out she had been living. She knew that she had to change ALL aspects of her life-body, mind, spirit and soul. In 2017, she was guided first to the Urban Priestess program to create a deeper connection to herself, mother nature and the Goddess. As she craved a new type of movement practice that matched her new understanding of embodiment and the Divine Feminine, she found herself guided to the feminine movement practice of Qoya. Qoya has helped Shanna transform her life and reconnect with her essence! She knew the moment she read about Qoya and took her first on-line class that she wanted to become a Qoya teacher. She wanted women to experience the same power and transformation that she had. The power of Qoya is indescribable and is something that must be felt and experienced. Qoya is movement as medicine and has the power to impact your body, mind, spirit and soul. Shanna became a Certified Qoya Teacher in 2018.

Shanna believes movement is a powerful way to help women move from their head to their heart, to cultivate a more empowered relationship with their bodies and life. Shanna thinks of herself as a sacred space holder-creating a sacred safe space for women to trust their own experience and use their body as a guide to embody their truest expression. Shanna's mission is to empower women through movement and inquiry to remember their essence, discover their truth and live life on their own terms.


When did you take your first Qoya class? I took my first on-line Qoya class in August 2017 and I was hooked. I took my first in-person class in NYC at the Qoya Initiation in March 2018, which is when I really got to experience the magic of Qoya. The best way to describe the experience was I felt more free and more connected to myself for the first time in a very long time.

What does it mean for you to teach Qoya? Qoya has truly changed my life in so many ways. After every Qoya class, I feel so filled with love that I know I can take on anything the universe throws my way. I feel unstoppable and empowered and one with myself and others. Teaching Qoya allows me the opportunity to hold the space for women to find their own relationship to themselves, to each other and to this practice. I feel so fortunate to witness the unfolding and understanding that many women gain through listening to their bodies and moving in whatever way feels good to them. There is no right or wrong in Qoya. When we drop in and listen, our wisdom will guide us!

What is your favorite song to dance to right now? “Open Up Your Heart” by Tubby Love; “This Wild Darkness” by Moby; “Until We Go Down” by Ruelle; “In My Heart” by Moby; “River” by Leon Bridges

What book has inspired you on the path to embodying the feminine? Wild & Wise: Sacred Feminine Meditations for Women's Circles & Personal Awakening by Amy Bammel Wilding; If Women Rose Rooted: A Journey to Authenticity and Belonging by Sharon Blackie; Vagina: A New Biography by Naomi Wolf; Women Who Run With Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés; Awakening Shakti: The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga by Sally Kempton.

What would you tell someone who is thinking of taking a Qoya class for the first time? Put your fears and hesitations aside and just do it. Qoya is an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and other women in a powerful way. Women who attend my class for the first time are usually nervous and unsure of what to expect, but it doesn't take long for them to feel comfortable in their body and allow their body to lead the way. At the end of class, they tell me they have never felt so empowered and free. Qoya holds the space for you to find your own way back to yourself.