About Me
Jeffrey Shoaf
C-IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist (International Association of Yoga Therapists)
LMBT (Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist NC License # 14847 )
E-RYT-500 ( Educator Certified Through Yoga Alliance at the 500hr. level
NCBTMB (National Certification Board/Therapeutic Massage + Bodyworkers)
YACEP ( Yoga Alliance Certified Education Provider)
I grew up in North Carolina and moved away for 30 years and have traveled and lived all over the country,
(Massachusetts, California, and Illinois).
After much travel, I have returned to my roots and am now based out of Charlotte NC.
In my free time, I enjoy cycling, hiking, music, travel, being in nature... aka forest bathing....
I received my National Certification for Therapeutic Massage and BodyWork in 2004,
after completing a comprehensive 675 hour training at the North Carolina School of Natural Healing.
The primary areas of focus in my massage training and work are deep tissue massage, trigger point,
myofascial release, and ayurvedic therapies.
I am an avid student and certified teacher of hatha yoga. I became certified as a yoga instructor through YogaFit TM in 2006.
Additionally, I completed a 200-hour teacher certification through Pranakriya Yoga School of
Healing Arts in 2009.
In March of 2013, I completed my training with Pranakriya and received recognition at the
500 hour level through their school to apply for certification as a Yoga Therapist. ( see my video on the home page to learn more about what yoga therapy encompasses.
Pranakriya translates as movement born from the breath. I use breath awareness with clients, who often
realize that stress is self-induced; coming from and intensified by improper or insufficient breathing patterns.
The resultant release of soft tissue restrictions via full diaphragmatic breathing is essential to effective bodywork. As an avid lifelong student I continue to keep current with the latest
discoveries in bodywork, massage therapy, and yoga therapy, frequently attending workshops
for advanced training to further enhance my skills as your therapist. Additionally, I am a member of
and registered yoga teacher with, Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level.
I offer CEs for Yoga teachers and massage therapists. My latest interest involves extensive research in the myofascial system and
spending time learning more about the body through human cadaver dissection at Experience Anatomy here in Charlotte.
I implement Yoga Therapy as it applies to Yoga postures, holistic fitness, and advanced breath techniques.
I received my Certification as an internationally recognized yoga therapist ,C- IAYT in December of 2016.
My latest passions are doing human cadaver dissection as a way to come to further understand the human form, our human condition, and help me see into the body of the person/persons I work with, whether on the massage table, in a yoga therapy session, or in group yoga classes. The skin that forms the framework, our outer appearance. is a cleaver disquise indeed, as it covers numerous complex interconnected systems that
communicate seamlessly in the miracle of life. I have learned more in the cadaver labs about bodies than any book, any class, any workshop could ever offer!