Health, Healing and Meaningful Living
Australian born Bettina (Tina) Freake, founder and CEO of Touched by Yoga, has been deeply involved in human health and wellbeing for almost two decades.
When a dear family friend journeyed through cancer and decided to explore alternative and natural therapies, Tina became fascinated with the human body’s ability to heal, the importance of a natural based diet, clean living and practices that encourage a healthy and balanced body, mind and soul.
It was at the Melbourne College of Natural Medicine where she studied ‘Remedial Therapy’ (a course based on healing-through-touch), that Bettina thrived in learning about the body, the power of touch and has continued to study it in depth. Her continued work over the last 14 years has seen her become a specialist in bodywork, massage, injury rehabilitation/ prevention and alignment; she is motivated by a core belief that holistic wellbeing is everybody’s human right.
Bettina accepted a position at the non-for-profit charitable organisation, Bluearth Foundation, in 2005. She was an integral part of the coaching team, sharing their mission to not only encourage people to unearth their passion for being physically active, but to also provide an environment to learn about ‘self’ through experience. Using physical activity and movement as the vehicle, she built and delivered educational programs, trained teachers and coaches nationwide.
‘’Bluearth has been one of the most influential forces in my own personal development! My overall curiosity on the many layers of the human condition and passion for life was fuelled by both the experience and the people I met here’’, Bettina Freake.
It was during this time that she also earned a ‘Bachelor of Exercise Science and Human Movement’ and a further ‘Bachelor of Psychology’, at Victoria University; cementing her passion for understanding of the body and mind.
Throughout her career, she was able to work directly with world leading human movement specialists, chiropractors, psychologists, philosophers, breath work specialists, martial arts specialists and meditation practitioners. Further, Bettina’s career has exposed her to many yoga gurus and for many years she has passionately practiced and taught yoga to thousands of students, trainers and individuals across Australia and the world.
Bettina has fostered a profound love and respect for yoga and has her own personal daily practice. The impact that yoga has had on her life is immeasurable and studying yoga has provided deeper insights into her happiness, sadness, pain, suffering, joy and love, insights that she had not been able to access thus far.
Yoga totally inspired her life-changing journey and she has never looked back.
Yoga + Bettina
Bettina completed her 200-hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training in Bali with Santosha, who’s method embraces a holistic approach, combining the wisdom of traditional yoga with contemporary understandings of the body. Hatha yoga teachings drawn from the healing traditions of the Sri T Krishnamacharya lineage.
She then went on to complete a further 100-hour Yoga Nidra Teacher Training with Barbara Kuendig, through Santosha. This course was designed to provide a comprehensive foundation for teaching Yoga Nidra skillfully, with compassion, awareness.
Shortly after, she founded ‘Touched by Yoga’, her way of bringing her experiences and specialties to others. ‘Touched by Yoga’ offers a plethora of wellness therapies; Yoga, Massage (touch), Meditation and breath-work-classes, multi-discipline workshops and wellbeing retreats.
Bettina went on to complete a 500-hour Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training in Costa Rica. This rigorous program, taught by Sharon Gannon, David Life and other senior Jivamukti Yoga teachers, is considered by many to be the most comprehensive yoga teacher training available. It centers around Incorporating the physical, psychological, spiritual and mystical aspects of yoga into modern life, without losing sight of the universal goal of the practice; liberation.
Shortly after, she then completed an 800hr Yoga Teacher Training under her mentor, advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, one of the most in-demand Yoga teachers in London, Durga Devi.
In 2015 Bettina took on the key role of Senior Teacher at Santosha Yoga Institute, running their YTT’s in Bali.
Bettina is currently teaching and practicing yoga all around the world (please check schedule). and is running bespoke retreats worldwide with her business, ‘Touched by Yoga’.
Bettina (Tina) Freake
- Founder, CEO of Touched by Yoga
- Human movement specialist; Bachelor of Exercise Science and Human Movement
- Counselling; Bachelor of Psychology
- 500-hour Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher
- 800-hour Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training Certified
- Qualified Coach
- Remedial Therapist
- Senior Teacher, Santosha Yoga Institute
- Yoga Nidra Facilitator
- Hobbies: walking barefoot, travel, getting lost in strange places, food, submerging in the ocean, surfing, good coffee, moving, playing, living and feeling well!
