Molly Rae Benoit-Leach MSW RSW RYT
Molly Rae Benoit-Leach MSW RSW RYT is a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, writer, musician, lover, and fur-mama. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc.) degree in psychology and a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the University of Toronto in Canada. She is a Registered Social Worker in British Columbia, Canada and offers psychotherapy in her online private practice. She has 9+ years of experience working with individuals in crisis and experiencing mental health issues. After working in her social work and counselling career, she felt a gap in her abilities to support individuals through difficult times. Molly began to study other tools — such as yoga, meditation and mindfulness-based therapy — that could benefit and bring healing to the individuals she worked with. Her personal experiences and work relationships helped her understand the effects of increasingly common mental health struggles such as anxiety and depression. This led her to found MBL Therapy, a blend of psychotherapy and somatic therapies, and mindfulness-based ways of providing holistic care. Working with the whole person and their mind-body connection merges her experiences with psychology, social work and yoga education.
Molly has recently become very passionate about applying trauma informed yoga practices and principles as a tool for self-care, mental health and connecting with one's own spirituality. She uses her education and training to write about yoga and mental health, offer private and group yoga classes, and to continue her career in social work and counselling.
She is currently living on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada providing counselling and yoga services in person and online. Molly can be reached through mbltherapy.com and [email protected].
Articles by Molly Rae Benoit-Leach MSW RSW RYT
CBD for Your Muscles
The anti-inflammation qualities of CBD oil can help with muscle pain while promoting relaxation. Have you tried CBD oil yet?
Pieces of You: Internal Family Systems Therapy and Yoga
Internal Family Systems Therapy and yoga both enable getting in touch with your true Self by getting to know your parts.
Awakening Through the Teachings of the Buddha
We often hear stories of the Buddha or read inspirational quotes that he said, but many don't know what he actually aimed to teach. Here's...
The Evolution of Modern Yoga
Yoga and capitalism can contradict each other and still be worthwhile to blend together.
Mindfulness Tips to Help You Get Through Self-Isolation and Social Distancing
We're in an unprecedented time due to the global pandemic we are all facing. Here are some tips and advice on how to get through...
How Meditation Can Help Soothe Your Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety have a way of controlling your life. Meditation can change that. Learn how to calm your mind and find relief.
Yoga as Somatic Therapy for Healing Trauma and PTSD
Trauma can disrupt the mind-body connection. Yoga is an appropriate alternative to help release body-stored trauma and reestablish the...
Considering Yoga in the West: Is it Really Yoga?
Can we adapt teachings from yoga and choose to call it something different? What really is yoga?
3 Ways Meditation Can Improve Your Mental Health
Meditating helps us to come out of autopilot and see our inner workings for what they are. Here are three ways you may find a meditation...
4 Pranayama for Combatting Anxiety
Here are some pranayama that are recommendable for working with anxiety. Using them can be preventative measures to keep your anxiety in...
The Benefits of Yoga and The Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve is important to talk about when we are considering the benefits of yoga because it controls an important part of the...
3 Mindfulness Techniques to Help You Break the Strings of Negative Thoughts
Using mindfulness techniques can help you to break free of negative and unhelpful thought patterns that typically focus on the past or...
Trauma Informed Yoga: A Tool for Reconnection
Trauma informed yoga is a tool to help trauma survivors reclaim the body and it is evidence-based, with scientific research to support it.
How to Make a Habit of Being Thankful in Relationships
Here are three things to consider that can help you to learn how to be more thankful in your relationships on an ongoing basis.
The Gift of Giving & The Love Languages
Understanding the different love languages allows us to adjust how we express our love depending on the person we are expressing it towards.
4 Ways To Practice Gratitude
There is a part of the brain that is enhanced through gratitude practices. The act of practicing gratitude helps us to feel better and more...
Right Speech: Yoga and Nonviolent Communication
Nonviolent communication is the foundation of practicing ahimsa in the way we communicate. It certainly takes some practice, but here's why...
Expanding Who You Are by Making Healthy Boundaries
Establishing healthy boundaries is often a painful process of personal evolution, but a necessary one to help us discover our true selves.
9 Yoga Poses for Balancing the Vata
When vata dosha is out of balance, you’ll probably feel anxious or depressed. These 9 yoga poses and practices will help balance your vata...
World Mental Health Day: 5 Easy Things You Can Do to Better Your Mental Health
World Mental Health Day provides us with a day to reflect upon and honor mental health as a central component of our overall health and...
How Yoga Helps Us Deal With Emotional Swings
Yoga is one of the best tools to help us manage our emotions. Yoga helps us deal with emotional swings by creating self-awareness, using...
Why Yoga Strengthens the Mind According to Science
Yoga not only strengthens the body, but also the mind. Here's just some of the ways yoga helps build your mental strength.
Focus On What You Want Versus What You Don't Want
The law of attraction provides a great outlook on how to change your life for the positive. Focus on what you want and create more of it in...
Love Yourself Fully: 6 Hacks to Self-Care
Self-care comes from your higher self; only you know what you really need. Here are 6 hacks that can help you tune into your higher self...
5 Mudras To Support Your Mental Health
Mudras are a powerful tool to help get stagnant energy moving in your body. Here are 5 mudras to that help quell anxiety and support mental...
The Illusion of Perfection
Nobody is perfect. This old cliche holds more truth than you know. Here's why we need to let go of the illusion of perfection and love...
Expansion Through Appreciation
In celebration of International Friendship Day on July 30, here's a look at how appreciation is one of the best ways we can improve our...
You Are Not Your Thoughts
It can be hard to separate yourself from the running commentary of your mind, but it is important to remember that you do not have to...
Light and Dark: The Spectrum of Human Experience
Sometimes it can feel as though the world, and our lives, are in constant battle between good and bad and light and dark. But, in reality,...
Trauma Informed Mindfulness: Why Meditation May Not Be Helpful
For someone who has experienced trauma, being mindful could potentially bring observations of repetitive traumatic thoughts or memories....
Creating Freedom Through Playfulness and Creativity
In today's structured society, most of us often feel like we're lacking freedom. Here's how to create your own freedom through play and...
Feeling Empowered Through Practice
As you practice any behavior, your neural pathways become stronger and more easily accessible. Here's how practice can help your intentions...
The Ripple Effect of Presence: Why Mindfulness Matters
Mindfulness teaches you to stay aware of your present moment, but this practice effects more than just yourself. Here's how mindfulness...
Building the Foundation: Strengthening Your Yoga Practice Through Consistency
Sometimes the hardest thing is building a regular and foundational yoga practice. The yamas and niyamas can help us build up a consistent...
Grounding Through the Senses: Mindfulness Techniques to Help You get Grounded
Connecting with your senses can be one of the best ways to quiet your busy mind and to reconnect with your present state. Try these...
Detoxing From Stimulation: Learning Patience and Trust Through Vipassana Meditation
Vipassana meditation is considered to be one of India’s oldest techniques for meditation. Here's what you can expect from a Vipassana...
Decluttering: Calming the Outer Chaos to Create Inner Peace
Our outside environment mirrors our inside one. Taking the time and consideration to calm the outer chaos and clutter around you can help...
Cultivating Daily Practices to Strengthen Your Relationship to Yourself and Others
Routines set the tone for your day. Here's how creating daily practices can support a conscious and consistent relationship to yourself,...
Using the Yamas to Practice Self-Care
The Yamas are guidelines for moral and social conduct, but they can also be applied to self-care. Here's how to use the yamas to help you...
Soothing Anxiety With Restorative Yoga
Restorative yoga can help give your mind and body the relaxation it needs to relieve stress and ease anxious minds. Here's how this...
Escaping the Maya: 5 Tools to Reconnect With Your Inner Self
Maya reinforces the ego and separates ourselves from our higher and true selves, but how do we escape it? Try these 5 tools to reconnect...
Managing Your Emotions: The How and the Why
Emotions are meant to be felt. Blocked emotions can negatively effect you mentally and physically. These tools can help you to manage and...
The Body Remembers: How Your Body is Storing Past Trauma
Your body holds on to trauma differently than your mind, and thus needs to be released in different ways. Learn how to relieve stored...
Understanding the 7 Chakras
The seven major chakras are the energy centers of the body. When one of out of balance, your whole body can be affected. Here's a breakdown...
Add the Magic of Sunrise and Sunset to Your Sadhana for a More Radiant Yoga Practice
Dawn and dusk are distinctive times for transformation each and every day. Learn how to incorporate this magical energy into your yoga...
Why Desire Anything Other Than Peace?
Explore popular perspectives on how personal desires take us away from peace, and why peace is the only aspiration we should have in this...
Why Yoga Teacher Trainings Aren't Only for Teachers
Yoga teacher training can provide the space for you to develop your personal yoga practice, learn about your body and yogic philosophy, and...
How to Know Which Chakra Is Out of Balance
Explore how imbalance in each chakra can manifest in the physical and astral bodies so that you can begin healing.
Success in Yoga: The Combined Practice of Asana, Meditation and Detachment
How do you measure success in yoga? We offer three aspects of your practice to consider when trying to answer this question.
Sing to Your Guru With Beautiful Verses From the 'Guru Gita'
Learn the importance of studying and chanting the Guru Gita, as well as explore some favorite verses.
Sivananda Yoga: A Spiritually Expanding Practice of Set Asana, Pranayama and Mantra
If you're seeking a yoga style that's energetically, physically and emotionally balancing, while also spiritually expanding, you will find...
Beginner's Guide to Bikram Yoga: From Its Short History to Sequence of 26 Parching Postures
Whether you're interested in trying this style of hot yoga for the first time or on the fence about a second time, here is a short history...
Yoga and Mental Health: Pranayama, Asana and Mantra for Mood
Depression and anxiety are today’s two most commonly diagnosed mood disorders. Here are pranayama, asana and mantra practices to help...
Q&A by Molly Rae Benoit-Leach MSW RSW RYT
What are the mental benefits of meditation?
Meditation is a spontaneous state of being that allows us to see who we really are. We begin to witness our mind, observing the habits and...
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