About

Patrick Harestad is dedicated to the wellbeing of his clients. He brings a wide variety of experience to his bodywork practice. He discovered yoga at 16, studying with Sri Swami Satchidananda, which began a lifelong love of movement, breath-work and meditation. At 19 Patrick took refuge as a Buddhist practitioner in the Zen tradition. In his twenties Patrick’s interests in spirituality included the practice of Christian Mysticism. As a householder, Patrick was married and raised two amazing daughters while running a very successful Masonry Contracting company.

While a householder, Patrick studied Aikido, receiving a black belt in 1983. After spending nine years training in Aikido, Patrick spent the next six years studying many other Martial Arts including Escrima, Jeet Kun Do, Muytai, Western Style Boxing, White Crane Kung Fu and Gracie Jui Jiutsu.

Patrick’s love for Yoga was rekindled by his Martial Arts teacher Hal Faulkner, who encouraged his students to explore the benefits Yoga afforded Martial Artists. Thus began a new seven year chapter of exploring human biomechanics and physiology as a dedicated Ashtanga yogi. Within that seven year period, in 1996 Patrick met His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche, a highly revered spiritual teacher in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition of Tibet.

Patrick knew he had met his primary spiritual teacher and in 1999 Patrick moved to Brazil to live at Khandro Ling, Chagdud Gonpa (place of meditation) with H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. Patrick lived at Khandro Ling with H.E. Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche for two years, serving him in the capacity of foreman for construction projects in the building of many different sacred structures including the construction of eight Stupas.

While living with H.E.Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche Patrick received pointing out instructions, the traditional introduction to one’s true nature. While living at Khandro Ling Patrick had the immense blessing of sitting at the feet of some of the greatest meditation masters of our time, including His Holiness Dzongdzar Khyentse Rinpoche.

While at Khandro Ling Patrick engaged in the study of Ati Yoga and the highly vaulted meditation practices of Dzogchen, completing two four week long Dzogchen retreats with H.E.Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche within those two years, daily puja, as well as many “Drubchens” (meaning great endeavor) and many other spiritual practices in the Vajrayana tradition.

Upon return to Humboldt County, California in 2001 Patrick began eleven years of deep study with John Friend as well as many of the best yoga teachers in the world, gaining a broad spectrum understanding of human physiology and biomechanics. In 2006 Patrick gained certification as a massage therapist from Heartwood Institute, beginning his career as a bodyworker. In 2009 Patrick began a 520 hour training with Thomas Myers’ school of Structural Integration gaining certification as an Anatomy Trains Structural Integrator in January 2010. He took and passed his board examination for Structural Integration in January of 2010. Also in 2010 Patrick received certification as an Instructor of Anusara Yoga.

In 2014 Patrick gained an Advanced Certificate in Structural Integration from Thomas Myers’s school of Structural Integration.

Patrick is constantly studying many fields related to his work as a Structural Integrator. Currently he is studying Jean Pierre Baral’s (D.O.) work related to the organs of the body in their relationship to structural issues in the human body. A field of work known as visceral work.

Patrick maintains a daily practice of yoga and meditation and takes time annually, generally 30 to 60 days, of solitary retreat to dive deeply into the mind-body continuum. You can read more about that at this blog post.

Patrick teaches hatha yoga weekly and is also a teacher of anatomy and bodywork.

He has taught Yoga and Aikido in the U.S. and abroad and offers Yoga retreats with his wife Robyn Smith.