I help people realize true belonging.
Hello. My name is Thomas Lai, and I am the founder of Lifted Being. I live in Toronto/Tkaronto, which is a Mohawk word meaning “the place in the water where the trees are standing.”
I am a fully certified teacher of the Realization Process®, an innovative method for embodied personal and relational healing and nondual spiritual awakening.
My longing for truth began at a young age. Hearing the first notes of Bach's Mass in B-Minor at twenty-one opened me to my first, albeit brief, experience of a transcendent dimension of bliss, leaving me mystified. For a time, art became my entranceway to the numinous. Later, I discovered a more direct path to the ground of being through meditation. Studying Eastern wisdom teachings not only deepened my understanding but also helped me reconnect with my ancestry as part of the diaspora.
In my journey, I discovered how early childhood experiences, trauma, and cultural influences had conditioned me to disconnect from my body, wholeness, and the natural world. Living in a society where left-brain thinking dominates, I found it challenging to approach issues holistically within a fragmented system. Led by intuition, I continue to explore approaches that integrate the insights of Western science and psychology, Eastern contemplative traditions, and Indigenous wisdom.
The practices I share have guided me in reclaiming the interior of my body, reconnecting with sensation and emotion, and discovering a sense of wholeness. They've empowered me to express my authenticity and access a fundamental well-being that supports my healing and helps me navigate life. Even in the most challenging times, these practices have provided balance and steadiness. Most importantly, they've enabled me to embrace the totality of my being—my humanity—expanding my capacity to love others and be with their suffering as a helping professional.
I invite you to discover the transformative power of these embodiment practices.
Qualifications
Education
Expressive Arts Therapy Diploma (Candidate)
The CREATE Institute
Brief Coaching Certificate
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
University of Toronto
Masters Certificate in Adult Training and Development
Schulich School of Business
Bachelor of Design with Honours
York University & Sheridan College
Professional affiliation
Student Member
Ontario Expressive Arts Therapy Association (OEATA)
Teacher certifications
Certified Realization Process Meditation Teacher
Realization Process
Certified Realization Process Embodiment Teacher
Realization Process
Certified Realization Process Healing Ground Teacher
Realization Process
Unified Mindfulness Foundations Teacher
Unified Mindfulness
Other trainings
PV“TEA”: A Polyvagal Informed Approach for Communities of Colour
Rhythm of Regulation
Presence, Play & Possibility
Hakomi Education Network
Certified Guided Drawing Practitioner
Institute for Sensorimotor Art Therapy
2SLGBTQ Foundations
Rainbow Health Ontario
I am grateful to be operating on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee (ho-den-oh-sho-nee) Confederacy (aka. the Six Nations Confederacy), the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. I also acknowledge that this land is part of the Dish with One Spoon territory.
