learn more about our why

Christy Andres Tonel, MPH, RYT-200

Founder of Compassionate Connections

Christy Tonel, MPH, RYT-200, is the founder of Compassionate Connections, established in 2020 to provide trauma-sensitive, healing-centered, and accessible wellness practices to Queer & Trans (QT) and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities navigating trauma and systemic oppression. Through community-based yoga, trauma-sensitive bodywork (including Hilot and Ashiatsu), workshops, retreats, and events, Christy creates spaces for collective healing and empowerment.

In addition to her work in holistic wellness, Christy is a public health consultant and development educator dedicated to supporting QT/BIPOC small business owners, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits. With over a decade of experience in community development, she now focuses on integrating decolonization, holistic health, and healing justice into her teachings. Her latest initiative, Reimagining Resources: A Path to Abundance and Justice, launching Fall 2025, invites participants to explore alternative economies with justice-driven approaches to resource-sharing and wealth-building.

Values

Trauma-Sensitive: We honor the lived experiences of survivors by fostering spaces of safety, security, and compassion.

Healing-Centered: Our practices integrate mind, body, spirit, and emotions, recognizing healing as a collective and holistic journey.

Accessible: We welcome all bodies, identities, and backgrounds, ensuring that healing is a right, not a privilege.