The Art of Holding Space with Heart
A Training and Book for Rest-Centered, Trauma-Informed Community Facilitators
Learn to create inclusive spaces where rest, healing, and community care take root.
Rooted in the C.A.R.E.S. framework, this book offers a powerful approach to spaceholding that is trauma-informed, accessible, restorative yoga based, and culturally aware. Whether you are a yoga teacher, healing practitioner, group facilitator, or community leader, this guide supports you in showing up with integrity and care.
You’ll learn not only the framework itself, but also from my years of experience teaching restorative yoga in community, clinical, and wellness spaces. This is more than a book, it is a supportive guide. Inside, you’ll find journal prompts, reflection questions, and a full toolkit to draw from as you grow your own unique facilitation practice.
❤️The Art of Holding Space with Heart is a must-have for anyone stepping into the sacred work of guiding others.
🌱Grounded in values. Built for facilitators. Rooted in rest.
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This in-person, immersive training is a companion to the book. You’ll explore the C.A.R.E.S. framework in real time, connect with other values-based spaceholders, and learn from my hands-on experience teaching restorative yoga in both community and clinical settings. Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be available for this training upon request.
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“A beautiful experience as always. Class format is structured for deep rest, which all of us need! I always feel like I just woke up from a power nap with Nirel. I enjoy how accommodating the classes are— from the various poses to the prop offerings, these classes are always built to set you up for success. I never thought to fold a blanket to place under my foot in a reclined figure 4, love that!!”
About the author:
Hello, I’m Nirel! I’m a restorative yoga teacher, community facilitator, and wellness entrepreneur deeply rooted in the practice of rest as resistance and healing. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of holding space in libraries, clinics, gardens, and community centers—creating soft landings where people can truly rest, reconnect, and heal.
As a second-generation Filipino American, I know firsthand the power of safe, culturally aware spaces, especially for those of us from historically marginalized communities. My lived experience, along with years of teaching restorative yoga in both community and clinical settings, has shown me that the way we prepare, arrive, and hold a space makes all the difference.
I wrote The Art of Holding Space with Heart because I believe facilitators deserve tools that honor their values, their lived realities, and the unique needs of their communities. This book is an offering and a guide for anyone called to guide with care, lead with integrity, and co-create healing spaces rooted in collective well-being.
Nirel on Pilipinx in Wellness Podcast:
In this conversation, I share how I hold space as a restorative yoga teacher who centers rest, radical care, and cultural rootedness. My philosophy of holding space is about creating rooms where people feel deeply seen and safe enough to soften, without pressure to perform or be “good” at wellness, using gentleness, clear communication, consent, and spacious pacing to support true rest. I talk about how my identity and lived experience shape the way I design classes and sessions that honor each person’s nervous system, story, and capacity on any given day. Alongside fellow restorative teacher Liza Gesuden, we reflect on what it means to co create spaces of community care for Pilipinx and BIPOC communities, and why holding space with heart can be a powerful practice of healing and collective resilience.
Stream on your favorite platform:
“Nirel cultivated a very spacious and welcoming practice centered on resting for resilience. Her language was invitational and left room for choices and exploration. She was exceptionally intentional and organized - from the invitation to introduce ourselves via chat, to the slides including journal prompts, and all the way to a follow-up email with tips from fellow resters and resources! I also really appreciated her muting herself during the restorative poses and recommending an ambient sound playlist.”