Meet the Practitioner

I’m Kate Hartman; artist, musician, neuro-atypical person, and imperfect human: the practitioner behind Rooted Bliss. Welcome, I’m glad you’re here! This page describes a little about me, my history, and my background.
I love helping others get well; I think of it as paying forward the compassionate healing I have received. I also know that vitality exists on the other side of struggle and pain, because I’ve been there!
I first discovered yoga in 2013. I started with a dvd on my laptop; I didn’t even have a mat. I soon found – and fell in love with – live classes with a local teacher. Before long I was enrolled in a 200-hour teacher training so I could pass on the benefits I was feeling to other people. My yoga journey continues to this day, as the tradition is deep, rich and broad; it truly cannot be learned in just one training or even in one lifetime.
My journey to becoming a practitioner started later in 2014 when unexpected trauma entered my life. I was violently attacked by a stranger on my way home. I feared for my life in those moments, and although the bruises and broken bones healed within weeks, for months afterward I was unable to leave the house or go about my normal daily activities.
I had all the symptoms of PTSD: feeling helpless and disconnected, frozen and distracted, with bursts of intense flashbacks and waves of uncontrollable emotion. I tried trauma-oriented talk therapy, and although I liked my therapist, the process of trying to talk about what happened actually made my symptoms worse. I began searching for alternative healing, and that’s when I discovered somatic work.
My first somatic session as a client was a revelation to me. I didn’t have to talk about the story of what happened. Instead, we focused on body sensations arising in the moment. The practitioner offered gentle touch to help my body feel safe again. After my first session, I actually felt like a Human Being for the first time in months! Eventually, I even felt better than I had before the attack happened. Some changes happened immediately and others were slow and gradual. Somatic healing gave me my life back, and completely resolved all my PTSD symptoms as well as other symptoms such as anxiety and depression that had plagued me on and off for years.
I knew I had to share this work with the world. I soon began training to become a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). With the boundless wisdom of the yoga tradition and the modern gifts of body-oriented, trauma-healing modalities, I believe I offer a well-rounded approach that holds possibilities for deep transformation.
In 2019, my husband and I moved from Colorado to Evansville, Indiana, and I opened my office here. I have continued to add to my training and to deepen in yoga; read about my qualifications below. Click here to see more about each modality I practice.
Interested in working together? Contact me with questions, or schedule an appointment.
My Training
- C-IAYT Yoga Therapist; Completed certification 2019, in private practice since 2016. Member, International Association of Yoga Therapists
- 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training through Holistic Yoga School
- 300-hr Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training through Phoenix Rising
- 600-hr Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist certification
- Levels I, II and III, 20 days
- Supervised Practicum for 1-on-1 therapeutic sessions, 9mos
- Yoga Philosophy, 5 days
- Anatomy and Physiology for Yoga Therapists, 6 days
- Additional IAYT courses through Phoenix Rising:
- Group Facilitator Training, 8wks
- Chakras and the Subtle Body, 9wks
- Introduction to Ayurveda, 13wks
- Additional Mentoring for Yoga Teachers, 3mo. supervised practicum
- Yoga for Arthritis with Steffany Moonaz PhD, 5 days
- Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, completed certificate 2019
- 250+ hours including 12+ personal sessions and 18+ consultations
- Faculty: Linda Stelte, Joshua Sylvae PhD, Raja Selvam PhD, Dave Berger and Lael Keen
- Additional consultations with Peter Levine PhD, Twig Wheeler, Ana Do Valle
- Touch & Bodywork trainings:
- Reiki Level I and II, 2 days, 2014
- Seido Bio-Energy Therapeutics Level I, 5 days, 2013
- Introduction to SourcePoint workshop, 2hrs, 2016
- Roll Model Practitioner (RMP) Certification, 5 days, 2021
- Reflex Integration for Trauma Recovery: MNRI Stress Resilience Introductory Program, 4 days, 2022
.Further Education
- Additional Yoga studies:
- Ongoing, lineage-based Yoga Tradition studies with Kaya Mindlin C-IAYT, (2021-)
- Nectar of the Gita
- Nectar of Nidra
- Sanskrit pronunciation & Mantra sadhana studies
- Nectar of Patanjali
- Supreme Release Yoga training and practice
- Ongoing weekly Jyotisha study with Penny Farrow (2022-)
- Chakras Illuminated: The Original Function of the Chakra Systems of Tantrik Yoga, 4 weeks, 2021
- Practicing In the Curve: Community Conversations with Molly Lannon Kenny (weekly) 2020-2021
- Ongoing, lineage-based Yoga Tradition studies with Kaya Mindlin C-IAYT, (2021-)
- Advanced Somatic Experiencing courses:
- Yoga and Psyche with Marianna Caplan PhD, 3 days 2017
- Advanced practitioner Integration with Kathy Kain PhD, Maggie Phillips PhD and Caryn Scotto D’Luzia, 2 days, 2016
- The Neurophysiology of Early Trauma
- Repairing Early Trauma by Working with Fragmentation
- Neurobiology of Shame and Somatic Shame Resolution
- Compassionate Inquiry with Gabor Mate PhD and Sat Dharam Kaur, 1 year, 2019-2020
- Other courses:
- Healing Cycles of Harm with Rosa Cabrera, Tony Olivier and Sage Hayes, 8 weeks, 2020
- Animist Psychology with Daniel Foor (Ancestral Medicine), 8 weeks, 2020
- Before we were white: Ancestral recovery for collective liberation (White Awake), 6 weeks, 2020
- Certified Graphoanalyst through IGAS, 1 year, 2009
- Safe and Sound Provider Certificate through Integrated Listening Systems, 3 hours, 2021
- SEGAN The Sensory Mosaic of Healing: A Portal Into Transformation with Ana do Valle, 5 days, 2021