sharon smith-carter
CLINICAL SOMATIC EDUCATOR & YOGA INSTRUCTOR | RSME • RSMT | ERYT500 | AWA WRITING CIRCLES
Sharon has been teaching yoga and movement since 1999 in her community of Kawartha Lakes and beyond. Her first studio, Path to Stillness Yoga, focused on practices that support positive shifts in health, well-being, and awareness. As a result of COVID, she closed the studio and returned in 2020 to teaching independently in a smaller, more intimate space—coming full circle in her work. Her teaching has always been rooted in the therapeutic aspects of movement as a way to regulate the nervous system.
Her most influential teacher was her beloved mentor, Lila Ostermann, who encouraged Sharon to explore yoga beyond weekly classes—as a practical tool for life. Through simple practices of breath and movement, Sharon eased anxiety and agoraphobia. That lived experience continues to shape the heart of her teaching today.
Over the years, Sharon has studied with respected yoga educators including Donna Farhi, Judith Lasater, Paul Grilley, Biff Mithoefer, and Tracey Soghrati, whose work has informed her teaching approach over time.
In 2013, Sharon began studying the work of Thomas Hanna and clinical somatic education with Martha Peterson of Essential Somatics. She trained as a Hanna Somatic Exercise Coach (HSEC) and later completed a three-year Clinical Somatic Educator program. This gentle, brain-based work offers an accessible way to reduce habitual tension, retrain movement patterns, and move with greater ease. Sharon has also assisted with and hosted workshops and mentored new trainees in the Essential Somatics Movement Teacher Training.
In 2017, Sharon turned to writing as a way to process the emotional experience of caring for aging parents. This led her to Amherst Writers & Artists Method, where she completed AWA Group Facilitator training in 2019 under Sue Reynolds. She now offers weekly online writing circles as a supportive space for curious writers to explore voice and story.
With over 26 years of experience, Sharon brings knowledge, humour, and compassion to her teaching. She is especially passionate about supporting people in seasoned bodies to stay mobile and connected to what they love as they age. She now develops and offers mentorship programs, trainings, and professional development for somatic and yoga teachers—including Guide with Grace—supporting growth and sustainability within the movement teaching community. Her hope is simple: that we keep moving, deepen awareness, and continue doing what brings us joy—for as long as we’re here on planet earth.
When she’s not teaching, Sharon can usually be found walking with her pup Finn, knitting something cozy, building a family tree, or paddling on the water at the cottage with her husband.
Sharon Smith-Carter is a somatic movement educator and yoga teacher based in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. She has an ongoing commitment to professional development and practices that support conscious change and nervous-system-informed learning.
She is a Clinical Somatic Educator and Movement Teacher through International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA), an experienced yoga teacher (E-RYT 500), and a Group Facilitator in the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) Method. A lifelong learner, Sharon is drawn to practices that support people experiencing physical or emotional discomfort through movement, writing, and human connection.
About Me
Sharon Smith-Carter is a somatic movement educator and yoga teacher based in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario. She has an ongoing commitment to professional development and practices that support conscious change and nervous-system-informed learning.
She is a Clinical Somatic Educator and Movement Teacher through International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA), an experienced yoga teacher (E-RYT 500), and a Group Facilitator in the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method. A lifelong learner, Sharon is drawn to practices that support people experiencing physical or emotional discomfort through movement, writing, and human connection.