Briar Jacques

With over two decades of experience as a yoga, meditation & somatic movement teacher combined with my qualifications in counselling psychology, I bring a deeply integrated somatic approach to mental and emotional wellbeing. My methodology weaves ancient wisdom traditions with contemporary psychological understanding, creating transformative experiences that honour both the body’s intelligence and the spirit’s capacity for healing.

During my 11 years in the UAE, I have specialized in healthy embodiment and conscious awareness, working extensively with individuals and groups to cultivate sustainable wellbeing. I believe that lasting creativity emerges from understanding how to work with—rather than against—our bodies, emotions, and nervous systems.

My journey began in Australia, where I successfully operated a full-time corporate mindfulness & yoga business and founded Brisbane’s first organic farmers market, a thriving community initiative that continues today. In 2008 I moved to Vietnam, where I gained invaluable experience in hospital settings alongside corporate and NGO environments, deepening my understanding of wellbeing across diverse contexts.

My dual expertise as both a yoga teacher and qualified therapist focuses me on the full spectrum of human experience—honouring the embodied wisdom of somatic practices while drawing on psychological frameworks for lasting transformation. This integrated approach forms the cornerstone of my work in supporting individuals and organizations toward sustainable wellbeing through embodied awareness.

In 2018, I founded the Free Spirit Project, which evolved into The Free Spirit Collective, now flourishing on Happiness Street in City Walk, Dubai. As part of the FSC team, I design and deliver programmes that foster healing, learning, and growth for the whole person. My work encompasses individual coaching in mindful embodiment, educational courses and workshops exploring embodiment and archetypal patterns, and comprehensive somatic and psychological programmes for corporate clients through our Wellbeing in the Workplace initiatives.

Through this multifaceted approach, I remain committed to creating spaces where people can reconnect with their authentic selves, regulate their nervous systems, and access their innate capacity for creativity, connection and resilience.