Photo of Katie - a white woman with short brown hair, dark oversized glasses, a gold septum ring, and a black sleeveless turtleneck top.
 

she / her / hers

Grief, Loss, & Death Care Guide (doula) / Yoga Facilitator / Artist / Educator / Advocate

I’m a queer, disabled, and chronically ill multidisciplinary artist based in so-called Vancouver, Canada (unceded, traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations).

My body of work is rooted in the creative expression, community building, yoga and mindfulness, grief and loss support, and disability-informed care. I lead adaptive yoga classes (see Cosy Yoga Club!), train other yoga teachers in accessibility and anti-ableism, and offer grief support and death care as a certified End of Life Doula. The majority of my work now takes place online.

Having lived with complex chronic illness my entire adult life informs my point of view. Grief and loss are regular companions that I live alongside. I’m a firm believer that we can build a more caring, just, and equitable world through understanding, nurturing, and working with our personal and collective grief. My death and grief work is currently centred on 1:1  support through discussion, deep listening, ritual-building, legacy projects, education, and advocacy. I provide companionship for folks who are moving toward end of life, bereavement care, and support for those who are navigating the various “small” deaths one may experience (health changes, relationships, identity, etc).

As a long time yoga practitioner with fluctuating health, I’ve experienced firsthand how to adapt the practice to ever-changing abilities. As a facilitator since 2018, I’ve worked with a variety of different populations in different settings, including many years leading older adults in chair-based yoga, and teaching in healthcare settings, studios, workplaces, private homes,  and online. I’m a faculty member in the Yoga Teacher Training and Advanced Yoga Therapy programs at the Vancouver School of Healing Arts. 

In my studio arts practice I explore painting, illustration, oil pastel, sculpture, and fibre. You can see some of my work here: KatieBleckerStudio

Acknowledgements:

I give deep reverence and gratitude to my many teachers and the many teachers who have come before. In particular, I honour those of South Asian descent from whose cultural and ancestral knowledge & practices I benefit. Special thank you to my primary yoga teacher, Rebekka Walker.

I honour the Disability Justice movement and the disabled widsom-holders, activists, creatives, and caregivers of the past, present, and future. In particular, highlighting the people who carry this movement: Queer, Trans, and Nonbinary Black and Brown folks. 

Gratitude to all my teachers and guides, known and unknown, who continue to shape my life. 

TRAINING & EDUCATION

I’m a certified End of Life Doula through Rhodes Wellness College (2025)

  • Accessible Yoga Training Online with Jivana Heyman and the Accessible Yoga Association

  • Teaching Assistant in the 240 hour Yoga Teacher Training program at VSOHA

  • Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness (foundations course) with David Treleaven

  • Yoga Outreach Core Training (trauma-informed facilitation) with Nicole Marcia

  • 50 Hr Yin Yoga with Bernie Clark and Diana Batts

  • 30 Hr Yin Yoga (online) with Kassandra Reinhardt

  • 25 Hr Yoga Nidra with Steve Fazzari

  • 300 Hr Advanced Teacher Training with Rebekka Walker, Sjanie McInnis, Chantal Russell, Trisha Wilson, and more (2018)

  • 240 Hr Yoga Teacher Training with Rebekka Walker, Sjanie McInnis, Chantal Russell, Trisha Wilson, and more (2018)

  • +various workshops