Jennifer Kai Lynne, Ph.D.
For over twenty years, Kai has worked as a practitioner, educator, and facilitator supporting people around the world in their journey with the human experience. Her education reaches across several disciplines including embodied cognition, peace and conflict, somatic practices, trauma, and identity.
Her passion for the human capacities of awareness and adaptability led to the creation of the Engaged Identity approach to enhance health, relationships, and performance, and guide her contributions to the exploration of being human.
KAI'S NOTE
I've spent the last twenty-five years exploring the human experience through the lens of embodied consciousness and enactive cognition in our physical, spiritual, and emotional worlds. What is and where does consciousness live? What capacities do we hold as human beings? To transform, to make meaning, and contribute to our own and the larger community's learning. We all comprise a unique, individual universe that is in constant relationship with a multitude of interdependent systems - the energetic, organic, and physical. This is the intersection of what it is to be human, and where my personal journey is rooted.
During the ten years I spent working on trauma and stress in the physical body as massage therapist, the interconnected aspects of the emotional/mental/spiritual experiences of my clients exceeded the protocols of my training. The work of Peter Levine, Bessel van der Kolk, M.D, and others brought me back to formal education to study the intersections of philosophy of mind, contemplative practices, and systems thinking. As I began to develop a new theory, and subsequent approach, I reached out to learn from wisdom traditions, neuroscientists, and philosophers.
Welcomed as a visiting scholar at the Mind & Life Institute, I began integrating research and practices to enhance the Engaged Identity approach as we tested its efficacy on a global scale. Turning to the work of Francisco Varela and Evan Thompson on embodied cognition to provide insight into how the body's structure and experiences shape cognitive processes. A beautiful dance began that included the theory of enactive cognition, which suggests that cognition fundamentally emerges from the dynamic interaction between an organism and its environment. Wisdom and healing traditions have more than 5000 years of insight into this delicate dance of awareness, meaning-making, and relationship. So the natural progression was to further my own integration of the cognitive knowledge with embodied, somatic practices. I turned to certifications and a personal practice of yoga, meditation, and medical QiGong.
Someone recently said to me, 'That's a lot of education and studying', to which I replied, "I have a relatively short time to learn about being human.' It's been an extraordinary combination lived experiences, certifications in somatic bodywork, yoga, and QiGong, a Masters degree in conflict transformation specializing in identity and trauma, and a PhD in peace & conflict specializing in human adaptive capacity, 1000's of hours of practice, and 1000's of people from over 80 countries I've had the pleasure to support. I believe our time here is meant to learn and experience as much as we can about being human. So let's all learn as much as we can, feel as deeply as possible, and take this time to connect to our own innate wisdom. I'd love you to join me and create space in your life to explore being human.
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A NEW WAY OF BEING
Recent reviews of Kai and the YOULAB
It's been incredible working with Kai.
She's supported me through difficult life events, but more than that she helped me to move through the world differently.
I can't recommend her enough.
JEAN CHRISTIAN
My five day Personal Immersion with Kai was incredible. 40+ hours of coaching and personal attention that would have taken 4-5 months with a traditional coaching program, and I had the space to test drive living the life I want to create.
ZAITOONA
She's the real deal. Her authenticity and deep love for humanity is a guide post in my life. What has working with her done for me? I'm navigating life's inevitable changes with more grace and understanding - and joy!
JEFFERY
More than self-care practices, Kai worked with me to expand my own sense of safety and security. It was in me and she guided my journey to grow stronger.
EMMANUELLE
I've been working with Kai for the last 5 months and my weekly time with her is part of my self-care foundation. It keeps me committed to myself and my personal development.
JOHN
My 3 day Personal Immersion with Kai helped me to ground myself and reconnect with my courage and sense of self when my life was rapidly changing. An experience of a lifetime!
EUN-SEONG
This woman's wisdom! Patience, humor, and deep compassion. Even in my most difficult moments of life, she guided me to connect with an appreciation of just being alive.
ANTHONY
I loved how Kai works, integrating nature, movement, and deep listening in her work.
She helped me trust my feelings, act with courage, learn new things, and have some fun.
HELEN
I wanted to take some time for a reset to focus on what comes next. My Personal Immersion was the best thing I did to give myself a chance to really listen to what life was trying to teach me.
ANDREW
She guided me to new paths, opened doors I didn't know existed, and, most of all, reminded me of the value of my own qualities. She stood by my side unwavering in her support, pushing me forward when I hesitated, believing in me when I doubted.