More About Lauri McKean
Founder of Aligning to Love
In addition to my personal journey with dating and relationships (detailed on the homepage), elements of my eclectic life experience form the foundation of how and why I do this work. As I mentor women, I weave together my backgrounds in energetic practices, women’s empowerment, personal & spiritual growth, and natural systems. Allow me to explain…
Energetic Practices: I grew up in a family that was firmly entrenched in the Western viewpoint of our bodies. (My father was a veterinarian, and my mother was a clinical microbiologist.) My first exposure to anything having to do with energetic practices was when I was twenty-one. My boyfriend talked me into doing a Tai Chi class with him and I reluctantly attended – but nonetheless, became immediately fascinated by how it made me feel. This and another Chinese energetic practice known as Qigong soon became my passion and daily practice. After years of integrating them into my early adulthood, I began teaching them in 1997.
My love of these arts and desire to know more about the energetic system of our beings led me to study acupuncture and Chinese Medicine – and to practice them clinically for over 15 years. This gave me valuable experience working very intimately with clients – helping them achieve their health and wellness goals – holistically.
Instead of putting band-aids on problems, I helped my patients and students go into core patterns that were causing dysfunction and dis-ease. Instead of isolating a problem and working with an isolated system of the body, I worked with the person as a whole – mind, body, emotions, spirit – all by accessing their underlying energy. This is the same approach I use with my clients whom I mentor in the realm of love, dating, and relationships. My approach is holistic and goes deep to the core.
Women’s Empowerment: An even earlier influence and focus of my life were women’s issues and empowerment. In college, I chose to major in Women’s Studies as I was fascinated by a variety of subjects (psychology, sociology, philosophy, anthropology, history, and religion) and I especially loved studying them through the direct experiences of women and various ethnic and racial groups.
During my sophomore year, I was part of a group of students who founded the first sexual assault advocacy group on our campus. This was not only the beginning of sexual assault education and victim services for our small college, but it also ignited my future years of work in the anti-sexual assault movement – from the local to the state to the national level.
Since that time, my relationship with feminism and strategies of empowerment has changed. Eventually, I learned that pushing against big systems (especially while in the energy of hate, desperation, resentment, and/or victimization) wasn’t the way I wanted to create change – or live my life.
This core belief is reflected in all facets of Aligning to Love. Through this program, I empower women to create deep, inner changes that will create a positive ripple in their outer circumstances – including relationships.
Personal and Spiritual Growth: By the time I was in my mid-forties, personal and spiritual growth became my primary focus – almost an obsession. I was spending much of my spare time and income on the pursuit of evolving my consciousness and fully aligning my energy, physical body, heart, and mental realm with new ways of being.
Tai Chi Master, Sana Shanti, was my primary mentor as she had an uncanny ability to understand how my energetic default patterns manifested out into the physical and mental realms (and vice versa). I’m honored to bring some of her wisdom to my own students and clients. It was also through her that I began to truly understand how to apply the deep wisdom of the yin and yang polarities.
I’ve also had the privilege of studying intensely with Rachael Jayne Groover from the Awakened School. She is the creator of the Art of Feminine Presence program which is a powerful system that teaches women to be energetically present and “at home” in their bodies. It further encourages women to understand and fully own the power inherent in their feminine essence.
The outcome of her approach is that women end up developing a core sense of safety and security that allows them to be more magnetic and have a greater impact in the world – all with more authenticity, happiness, and ease. I am a certified teacher of the Art of Feminine Presence and am also certified as a Transformational Coach through the Awakened School.
Because I have integrated and embodied my own personal transformation work, I am able to hold that space for my clients. I don’t “mentor” with the energy of abstract ideas. I lead from a deep space of wisdom.
Nature and Ecological Systems: In addition to some wonderful mentors in human form, I consider nature to be one of my greatest teachers. I had the fortune of growing up in a rural area of southwest Colorado and spent lots of time in the mountains and high deserts with my family. This instilled in me a great appreciation for natural systems and a deep level of comfort and serenity within them.
Some of my happiest moments are when I am hiking, camping, backpacking, kayaking, and foraging for edible plants and mushrooms. (When I was in the dating process, this was one of my main criteria in finding a partner. I feel so fortunate that these are activities that my beLoved and I now love to do together!)
Both nature and the practice of Chinese Medicine have taught me to see the world in terms of interconnected systems – not separate parts. I furthered this understanding with my study of permaculture which is a practice that creates agricultural systems that are based on the interrelated principles of natural ecosystems. (In short, I can’t even garden without striving to create a holistic system in the process!)
I designed the components of Aligning to Love as a holistic system as well. All the different classes and offerings are interconnected to and support the others. Additionally, the frameworks I use within the programs make sure to integrate my clients’ minds, bodies, hearts, spirits, and energy in order to achieve maximum transformation and results.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey!
Curious about how my training, life experience, and perspective might benefit you? Let’s talk!
Schedule a free, 30-minute Clarity Session with me.