Dr. Arezou Babri is a board certified Naturopathic Physician whose philosophy is Lifestyle Medicine. She looks for patterns of disharmony in the body by weaving together a story told by the manifestation of physical symptoms.

She uses a Functional Medicine approach to determine the root cause of illness aiming to restore harmony among the various systems of the body. She recognizes the importance of lifestyle habits, life stressors, trauma, genetics, alongside mental-emotional imbalances.

Dr. Babri completed her Bachelor of Science, with a major in Biochemistry, at the University of Victoria. She went on to complete her Doctor of Naturopathy degree at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto. She has a deep appreciation for the complexity of the human body and recognizes the importance of the molecular building blocks that make us who we are. She approaches every case with a high degree of attention and believes every minor detail and symptom is relevant, and can be traced back to a root cause. Dr. Babri is thoroughly trained in both Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture & Mei Zen Facial Cosmetic Acupuncture. She is certified in both Prescriptive Authority and Nutrient Injections.

Functional Testing:

• GI-Map
• Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH)
• Organic Acids Testing (OATS)
• SIBO Breath Test
• Adrenal Panel
• Fertility Testing
• Food Sensitivity Testing
• Healthy Living Assessment
• Thyroid Panel
• Fatigue Panel
• MycoTox Profile

Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture - Cosmetic acupuncture is a branch of traditional acupuncture with a special focus on the health and appearance of skin. It involves a holistic approach by using clinical assessment to determine a constitutional acupuncture diagnosis to address the underlying factors in skin health. Very fine needles are inserted in the face along with synergistic points on the body corresponding with energy channels that help support the body’s life force, known as Qi. A cosmetic acupuncture session includes facial cupping and facial lymphatic drainage techniques followed by a Jade Roller massage. A customized intake will also provide recommended dietary and lifestyle changes, supplementation, customized skin care, and functional lab testing if indicated.

Dr. Arezou Babri is a board certified Naturopathic Physician whose philosophy is Lifestyle Medici... Read More

RAc, Shamanic Practitioner, Holistic Doula and Mama

Growing up in the wilds of Alberta near my grandparents and extended family from the earliest age I was exposed to the importance of being raised by a village of humans, animals, trees and plants. I remember being in awe and fascination of the magic of life and nature all around and always trying to see how it all fit together.

This lead me to explore the philosophies, sciences and arts of explaining life. From travelling the physical world to the spiritual, studying plant wisdom, to western pathophysiology, experiencing life being born and life leaving this world I have woven together a magical approach to supporting people in healing and remembering who they truly are and how connected they are to all that is.

For more info please visit her website www.marikareidhall.com

RAc, Shamanic Practitioner, Holistic Doula and Mama Growing up in the wilds of Alberta near my g... Read More

After many years of exploring other interests, Michelle discovered her love for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Her upbringing was built upon a strong foundation in natural healing modalities and she adores Acupuncture and TCM. She is interested in supporting individuals through various techniques including acupuncture, moxibustion, gua sha, cupping and bodywork.

Michelle completed her Diploma of Acupuncture Summa Cum Laude at Pacific Rim College in 2023, and is a Registered Acupuncturist with the College of Complementary Health Professionals of British Columbia (CCHPBC). She is certified in Acusculpting®, Prenatal Acupuncture, Facial Gua Sha, and Ontake Moxibustion which is a technique using bamboo and moxibustion to treat pain. Michelle also has a Business Diploma and a Baking and Pastry Arts Diploma, which she accomplished while playing five years of post-secondary volleyball. After college, she then moved to the Czech Republic to play a year of professional volleyball. Later on she received a Natural Chef Diploma from the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London, England which compliments TCM nutrition and diet therapy recommendations for her patients. Michelle is currently working on completing her studies to become a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine which will allow her to integrate the powerful benefits of Chinese Herbal Medicine into treatments.

Professionally, Michelle is interested in bridging bodywork and acupuncture to support in an integrative way. Treating pain by supporting the nervous system and offering a holistic approach to well-being.

She is determined to help patients through connection and listening; seeking to understand each person on an individual level and provide a safe environment for care and comfort. When she’s not in the clinic, Michelle enjoys baking and cooking, brewing kombucha, hiking, knitting, beach walks and playing volleyball.

After many years of exploring other interests, Michelle discovered her love for Traditional Chine... Read More

Julia Stolk is a Registered Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist (BCST), Registered Therapeutic Counsellor, Soul Guide and Energy Healer. She began her inquiry into health over 30 years ago through work, study, play, and travel while beginning her studies in meditation and alternative health practices. It was her own journey into motherhood where her exploration of health within living systems led her to study and become a Registered Midwife. After 10 years of a full practice, she was involved in a car accident in which she was told she would not recover. This was her invitation, her call, to come back to Self and the finding and discovery of her true heart and soul’s purpose. She committed herself to a full recovery and return to health and was guided by a whole hearted belief in the body and mind’s innate wisdom to heal. After years of trial and experimentation, Julia’s commitment and tenacity did in fact lead to a much fuller recovery and BCST played a crucial role in that experience. It had a powerful and profound effect on her healing and inspired her to further her understanding of this work and hence began her training to become a Craniosacral therapist.

Today, Julia continues to follow her heart and love and dedication to learning. She is a teacher at Body Intelligence’s Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy program. And has completed studies as a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, and studies in Relational Somatic Therapy. Julia continues to grow her roots in her practices of BCST, counseling, energy healing and ritual, Women’s Circles, and the dynamic space of pregnancy and birth, in the prenatal and postpartum period. She is resourced by connection with family and friends, nature and lots of laughter, and is a proud mother of two beautiful souls.

Julia Stolk is a Registered Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist (BCST), Registered Therapeutic Coun... Read More

Celina practices medicine with a joy that is grounded in great personal respect for Chinese and Integrative medicine and is informed by her over twenty years of study and practice in the world of holistic medicine. She trained in San Francisco at ACTCM, earning her Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine. She also completed Functional medicine training with the Kalish Institute. She has practiced in California and in Canada. She was fortunate to have a mother who was a midwife for 40 years, and in this way got to be a close observer of pregnancy, of childbirth and newborns. She feels blessed to have a primary teacher, Raven Lang, who was a foremother to the Home Birth movement in North America, before she became a much respected Doctor of Chinese Medicine. One of her greatest teachers has been the experience of becoming a mother. The journey through pregnancy, childbirth, and raising her daughter has changed her in many wonderful ways and led to her specializations in women’s health, obstetrics and pediatrics. FOCUS: She is a general practitioner focusing on all conditions from pain, to autoimmune conditions and cancer, with a special focus and training in women’s health and pediatrics, including the treatment of infertility for women and men, mental health and trauma healing, pregnancy, postpartum care and the wellness care and treatment of babies and children. Celina has always felt that health and healing were her work. Eventually, it became clear that Chinese Medicine encompassed the most of what she loved in one medicine: consideration for the whole person, working with needles, with touch, through patient counseling, teaching, listening and observing. She loves that body and mind and spirit are more than just equally valued in Traditional Chinese Medicine, they are seen as inseparable expressions of a whole human life. In her work she is a compassionate guide and companion along the path of healing. A central goal of her practice is always to inspire her patients to find their own power and possibility for health and healing and a life fully and authentically lived. She is continuously awed by the innate power to heal that we all walk with.

Celina practices medicine with a joy that is grounded in great personal respect for Chinese and I... Read More

Claire draws from her passionate studies and experience with herbalism, bodywork, and over a decade of professional experience treating the skin to provide services that heal and transform. At the heart of her practice is the belief that beauty is a reflection of our health and vitality, with each treatment created to nurture and soothe the body and spirit using the power of plants, presence, and intuitive touch. For more information, visit Claire’s website at www.floraandfauna.ca

Claire draws from her passionate studies and experience with herbalism, bodywork, and over a deca... Read More

I love the one on one connection with other people. To me, facials are like a dance. There is so much more to the treatment than tending to the immediate needs of the skin. The skin can be a mirror to what is going on internally, whether it be emotional, diet related, or hormonal. I approach the treatment in this way – holistically. Treat the person, as well as the skin. When we are relaxed and nourished, the results of the facial are increased.

Based on this philosophy, I started The Facial Circle to teach people how to engage & connect with their skin at home. This stemmed from my own experience with my skin as a teenager. I did not treat it well, there were times when I actually told it ‘I hate you’ and you know, it did not get better. So, I had an idea that if we approach our home care from a place of awareness, and we feed it with skin products that we love to use and are good for the skin, we will see positive results.

I discovered Eminence Organic Skincare in 2002 while at a trade show. A friend and I had been toying with the idea of making our own skincare out of herbs and had taken a herbal class to help get that started. When we saw & smelled & felt Eminence, we both knew that was the company to use. They had created a herbal skincare line! A few years ago, I discovered Laurel Skin. She takes the Herbal Skincare to a whole other level. Full of vitality, I can feel the life and the healing properties in the products with use. Both lines bring me joy in my personal home care, as well as treatments with clients.

Certificates and Trainings: Esthetician Program; Aveda Institute in 2001. Herbal Apprentice Program; Carol McGrath 2002 and Betty Norton 2014. Dr. Vodder Manual Lymphatic Drainage; Basic Body & Advanced Face and Neck, 2016 & 2018. Dien Chan Multi-Reflexology training, 2018. Created and taught the Facial program at West Coast College of Massage Therapy, 2009-2010. Currently teaching the Skin & Facial portion in the Facial Reflexology program with West Coast Reflexology.

I love the one on one connection with other people. To me, facials are like a dance. There is s... Read More

Dr. Jeannie has been with the U-Retreat crew for over seven delightful years. She hails from Baltimore, MD, graduated with her BA from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA and then in 2008 from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR. Her Naturopathic practice focuses on women’s pelvic and reproductive health. She has practiced Biotherapeutic Drainage using Unda numbers for close to 20 years to effect deep change in people’s bodies, & minds, as well as their emotional and spiritual landscapes. Dr. Jeannie is also trained in Holistic Pelvic Care™ and the The Arvigo Techniques of Mayan Abdominal Therapies™ (a rare combination in Canada), along with Medical Qi Gong.

Dr. Jeannie is also a writer, teacher, coach, and mentor. Her courses include Energy Hygiene (for healthcare practitioners) and Energy Tracking for non-clinicians. Her coaching practice is through the lens of ontological coaching, which dovetails beautifully with naturopathic philosophy. While her medical services are only available to patients in British Columbia and California, her classes and coaching are available to people around the world.

Her work with patients is guided by the wisdom that the body-mind-spirit all communicate what we need to hear, if we just take the time and attention to listen. She tailors treatment plans to meet every individual’s needs, and believes that no two people share the same journey into disease, nor the same journey back to balance and wellness, which makes the relationship she has with each patient a unique one.

Lastly, but not at all least, Dr. Jeannie finds herself living the life of ‘soccer mom’, so if you can’t find her at the office, she’s freezing on some soccer sidelines somewhere on the south island!

For more information, please read her website at: http://www.originsofhealthnaturalmedicine.com/

Dr. Jeannie has been with the U-Retreat crew for over seven delightful years. She hails from Balt... Read More

Katherine’s acupuncture practice focuses on unwinding life experiences that are stored in, and remembered by, the tissues of the body. It is informed through channel based acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and on-going study in Neijing Nature Based Medicine through the Apricot Grove. Treatments include acupuncture, moxa, gua sha, tui na, and bodywork as is indicated and needed.

Katherine’s acupuncture practice focuses on unwinding life experiences that are stored in, and re... Read More

Katherine Pearce, Certified Advanced Hellerwork Structural Integration Practitioner, trained in Australia, has been practicing Hellerwork for over 20 years in Victoria, B.C. . With a background in Modern Dance performance and kinetic movement studies, from a young age, Katherine has held a life-long interest in the human form and it’s many ways of expression. Well into her former career as a Sign Language Interpreter for the Deaf, Katherine developed Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a debilitating repetitive strain injury and was facing major surgery. Through her search to alleviate the severe pain, she discovered Hellerwork, which not only restored the health and use of her right arm, negating the need for surgery, but changed her life significantly, propelling her into a new career she loves immensely!

Katherine brings to her sessions, a deep curiosity in her clients’ individual and unique physical and emotional landscape, while offering space and support for what needs to shift. Using acquired knowledge of the human structure, combined with finely tuned intuition, she tailors each session to address her clients’ various challenges. Her work continues to be influenced by past trainings/current studies such as The Rosen Method, Aston Kinetics, Hannah Somatics, Visceral Manipulation, Hakomi Method, Tom Myers Anatomy Trains, and the trauma work of Peter Levine, Gabor Mate, and Pat Ogden.

Katherine Pearce, Certified Advanced Hellerwork Structural Integration Practitioner, trained in A... Read More

Heather has practiced acupuncture for over 10 years and focuses on integrating mental-emotional and physical injury recovery. She has a gentle needling approach while still relieving muscle tension and restoring a regulated nervous system within her treatments.

Heather has practiced acupuncture for over 10 years and focuses on integrating mental-emotional a... Read More

Malcolm’s unique outlook allows him to meet clients and students in their individual needs. He turns old art forms into very practical life skills and has built techniques to relieve physical, environmental and emotional stresses. Client involvement is an important part in healing, he does this through hands on bodywork communication and home exercises. He has been inspired by, but not limited to: Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Feldenkrais and Zero Balancing. As well as practicing out of U Retreat he currently teaches at Pacific Rim College, in the Acupuncture and Doula program.

Malcolm’s unique outlook allows him to meet clients and students in their individual needs. He tu... Read More