Meet the Facilitator

Julia

LERNER

Hello, I’m Julia, the founder of SIGH (Somatic Inspired Growth with Horses). I’ve been deeply connected to horses my entire life—riding since the age of five and eventually entering the competitive riding world. I began teaching horseback riding as a teenager and was drawn early on to the principles of Natural and Holistic Horsemanship, which continue to inform my approach today.

As I grew both personally and professionally, I became immersed in yoga and meditation. After completing my yoga teacher certification, I began integrating these practices with my riding students, noticing how naturally they supported presence, body awareness, and emotional regulation. This led me into deeper work in the healing arts. In the 1990s, I began formal training in Equine Assisted Therapy through the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA), where I initiated my practice of partnering horses with clients for emotional and psychological growth. I went on to earn my master’s degree in Somatic Psychology and worked extensively with families and children in therapeutic settings throughout the Bay Area.

Today, I hold space for individual clients in Woodacre and Boonville, where I collaborate with my horses to offer a deeply integrative and somatic-based approach to healing. My work weaves together years of equestrian experience, mindfulness, and body-based psychotherapy to support lasting transformation and embodied growth.