My Story
Adelene Cheong
Somatic Educator / Yoga Teacher
(E-RYT / YACEP / BWY Teacher / Adv R&R® Trainer / Certified iRest® Teacher / IDME / SME)
From Pain to Presence
There was a time when I could not live with myself anymore. In my early adulthood, as I stepped into the material world of striving and consumerism — where success and identity seemed measured by achievement and belonging — I very quickly began to fall apart, and my relationships did too. Insomnia, panic attacks, emotional and mental stress, the loneliness of intimacy, and the daily pain of scoliosis left me torn and lost. In the midst of that despair, I turned to yoga — not for flexibility or achievement, but as a lifeline, a tender search for presence and healing.
What once felt like collapse gradually revealed itself as a doorway into practice. Those painful beginnings became a catalyst for contemplating life more deeply and opening to spiritual development at a young age.
Life has continued to bring seasons of intensity — broken trust, heartache, separation, and loss. At times it felt as if the world had fallen apart, my heart aching in ways I could never have imagined. Healing continues gently, as trauma is not erased but met with care. Through it all, yoga and meditation have been the constant ground — a refuge of renewal, resilience, and embodied wisdom, nurturing a more equanimous way of being. Through years of meditation, I have come to rest in the stillness of awareness itself, a presence that continues to deepen my path and teaching.
A Path of Healing and Awareness
I bring a rare combination of lived experience and professional authority to my work in Restorative Yoga and yoga for scoliosis. My path has been shaped not only by living with scoliosis since childhood, but also by the healing of profound life transitions. This integration of experience and expertise informs my teaching with authenticity, compassion, and embodied wisdom, bridging the therapeutic applications of yoga, meditation, and somatic inquiry.
For me, yoga is not separate from life. It is an intimate journey of realising the relationship within self and with the world. Through mindfulness, meditation, and self-inquiry, practice becomes a way of reconnecting to Being-ness — living with presence, maturity, intention, and equanimity. Silent Vipassana retreats continue to deepen this exploration, expanding the capacity to meet life’s changes with steadiness, compassion, and clarity.
This approach is grounded in inquiry-based learning, shaped by embodied wisdom rather than rigid doctrine. As a senior teacher trainer, my work cultivates curiosity, reflection, and self-agency in both students and teachers.
Teaching Aspiration
The teaching I share is inspired by the wisdom of mentors such as Judith H. Lasater and Donna Farhi, and continually refined through the lessons of my own lived journey. The profound teachings of Richard Miller (iRest®) and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen (Body-Mind Centering®) have significantly informed my approach to working with individuals on a holistic level, and have deepened my embodiment of Being-ness and awareness.
I have had the privilege of teaching and training internationally, guiding students and teachers to explore Restorative Yoga, meditation, and the therapeutic applications of yoga. At the heart of this work is the aspiration to call forth and facilitate growth through empowerment and self-inquiry — so that each person may realise their full potential, in their own time and at their own pace. When yoga is unveiled, it is no longer an idea but a lived truth — presence and freedom revealed through embodied wisdom.
Om Shanti 🙏🏼
Read interviews and publications on Adelene‘s journey and inspiration:
Teacher Trainer Interview with Yogacampus - May 2016
Living One's Yoga Beyond The Mat (by IpohEchc) - September 2017
Yoga Gave Me A Life Beyond My Diagnosis - October 2020 Podcast @Spotify and @ApplePodcast
My Journey with Scoliosis. My Journey to Yoga. My Journey Home. - June 2020
Two-part video where Adelene spoke about scoliosis as she was growing up, her experiences with pain, physical, emotional and mental challenges. How she came to yoga and her approach to practising and living with scoliosis, and since teach yoga as her passion and dharma.
