Amanda is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Hawai’i; she completed her masters in counseling psychology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and is currently enrolled in the doctorate of counseling psychology program through Alaska Pacific University. She has an immense amount of gratitude for the supervisors throughout her academic experiences, especially Dr. Stephanie Dodge, whom has been providing Amanda with supervision since 2019. Amanda enjoys providing counseling services in the local community, with an emphasis on preventative and integrative wellness, normalization of development across the lifespan, cognitive behavior therapy, relaxation training, parent-child interaction therapy, anxiety, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, family members of people with special needs, occupation counseling and solutions-focused interventions.
Amanda has diverse interests and experiences which are present in various endeavors, including counseling, teaching yoga and mindfulness, leading retreats in Hawai’i and Montana, cooking for groups at a local retreat center or by private arrangement, gardening and homeschooling her children. She is passionate about helping people discover (or reinforce) tools to improve or maintain their mental, physical and social well-being across the lifespan…and believes that these various interests have provided a foundation for integrative wellness that is present in both counseling and other types of wellness services.
When teaching yoga or hosting retreats, Amanda inspires connection, sustainability and self-inquiry. She believes that the practice of yoga facilitates mindfulness and intentionality in all aspects of life, that a regular practice provides an opportunity to check-in and put things back into perspective, and that this consistent habit of checking-in is essential component in preventing disease, dissonance and stress. Her mission as a teacher is to help others recognize that mindfulness can take many forms and can cultivate presence in a myriad of ways, through practices such as yoga, martial arts, meditation, self-care, therapy and other lifestyle routines. She offers heart-centered classes that range from upbeat to serious, humble to powerful, and everything in-between specializing in systematic sequences that encourage you to embrace your practice as it needs to exist in each breath without comparing yourself to the person next to you, trying to live up to your previous practice, or shutting down when something challenges you…valuable qualities for your life, too! Amanda’s specialty is breaking down asana and vinyasa into manageable steps to meet a variety of needs and interests. She has been a registered yoga teacher since 2011, and has an ERYT-500 certification. She is also a Certified Ayurveda Counselor, through the American Institute of Vedic Studies, and often incorporates the holistic practices of Ayurveda into her teaching. She believes that the genuine embodiment of mindfulness intensifies when you leave your mat, or other designated practice, and enjoys facilitating opportunities for people to figure out (or remember and appreciate) how their practices can positively impact their lives!
To address a question that I receive frequently, no, I do not have a strong virtual presence nor am I interested in developing one. One, I prefer to share information selectively and more securely; and two, being in front of a camera or delivering a monologue is my worst nightmare. I enjoy down-to-earth didactic situations and conversations, whether in a yoga studio, kitchen, or counseling situation. There is not a performative bone in my body! Ha. Additionally, we (mostly) happily live off-grid and just recently were able to get wifi services…I am online enough between telehealth counseling and school, that spending more time on the computer is not appealing. Although I’d rather connect face-to-face, after many years of requests, I am more actively entertaining the idea of recording some guided relaxation and staple movement sequences in the near future. Stay tuned, as all of this is a work in progress!
Personal Note: With mixed emotions, I am in the process of fully transitioning from Shivatree Yoga School to Amanda Webster Wellness, which is a broader framework for the various services that I offer. Originally the brainchild of Michael Graney and myself, Shivatree Yoga was formed in Kailua, on the island of Oahu, and has slowly expanded to events on the big island and the mainland over the past 13 years. I wholeheartedly LOVE the people that I have crossed paths with through yoga, and I am incredibly appreciative that you put up with my first classes as a shy, idealistic, terrified-to-speak-in-public mid-20s young mother…you have enriched my life beyond measure! Accordingly, the change of business name feels right, although Amanda Webster Wellness feels like a placeholder until I figure out a better name…I’m open to suggestions!
License Number: MHC-895-0