Patience Ulstad

About Patience Ulstad

At the heart of Underground Sanctuary is Breaking Cycles, Building Wisdom—the path home. This flagship program is for women ready to recover from burnout, toxic productivity, trauma, and the endless grind of over-giving. Rooted in Ayurvedic wisdom, behavioral science, nervous system repair, and trauma-informed practices, Breaking Cycles, Building Wisdom is a year-long journey that helps you rebuild resilience, restore vitality, and rise into a way of living that is rooted, resourced, and wholly your own. This is for women who know something has to shift—who are ready to stop surviving on empty and start living rooted, resourced, and rising. Underground Sanctuary is a trauma-informed, Ayurvedic-rooted wellness studio supporting women navigating burnout, chronic stress, trauma, and long-standing patterns of self-abandonment. The focus here is on helping each individual reconnect with the body, regulate the nervous system, and establish rituals that create lasting change. Founded by Patience Ulstad, the studio was born out of lived experience—through injury, illness, recovery, and the slow, ongoing process of healing outside traditional systems. Every offering is designed with that journey in mind. What makes Underground Sanctuary different is the approach. This is not about quick fixes or surface-level self-care. Every modality offered supports the deeper work of helping the body feel safe again—so healing becomes possible from the inside out. It's about creating space to slow down, listen inward, and begin again. No one needs to be in crisis to step into this work—just ready for something more sustainable, more honest, and more rooted in self-trust.

1:1AddictionAncestralAnxietyAyurvedaBrain HealthChronic PainCommunityDepressionEnergyEnglishFocusGroupGut HealthHormone BalanceLeadershipMassage TherapistNervous SystemOn-DemandParentingPediatricPerimenopausePTSDRecoveryRelationshipsStressSustainableTransformationVirtualWellnessYoga

My Story

I work at the intersection of healing and real life—where burnout, trauma, grief, and chronic stress show up in the body, and where ritual, rhythm, and deep care can actually begin to shift things. I came to this work the same way a lot of people do—because I needed it. After serving in the 82nd Airborne Division, I came home carrying injuries, both visible and invisible. The systems that were supposed to help me heal didn't have the tools I needed. So I started looking elsewhere—exploring massage therapy, Reiki, yoga, Ayurveda, and eventually, deeper trauma-informed practices. One training led to another, and what began as a way to feel whole again became my life's work. Today, I have over 25 years of experience in integrative health. I offer a mix of Ayurvedic therapies (like Abhyanga, Shirodhara, and Garshana), energy work (like Reiki and Chakra Balancing), and therapeutic bodywork rooted in nervous system repair. But more than anything, I offer sanctuary—a space to come back to yourself, to be witnessed, to soften, and to heal. My clients are often people who hold a lot. High achievers. Caregivers. People in recovery. Women navigating burnout, perimenopause, or past trauma who are ready to live differently. They come to me for pain or relaxation, and they learn to listen to their bodies again. Together, we work on building simple rituals that make healing sustainable. I'm also the creator of Breaking Cycles, Building Wisdom—a yearlong trauma-informed self-care journey for women who are ready to slow down, reclaim their rhythm and rewrite the patterns that are keeping them stuck. It's the kind of program I wish I had access to when I was trying to put myself back together. Outside of work, I'm a gardener, a traveler, a mother to adult children, and a proud dog mom. I live in Northern Virginia, with my partner and our three dogs. This work is sacred to me—not because it's perfect, but because it's real. If you're tired of pushing through, I'm here to remind you: there's another way.

Philosophy

Sacred Self-Care

Self-care as sacred devotion, not superficial indulgence. Guided by ancient wisdom and modern insight, using seasonal rhythms, daily rituals, and restorative therapies to return to balance and vitality.

Trauma-Informed Practices

Everything rooted in safety, compassion, and nervous system awareness. Honoring each person's story while guiding toward resilience and presence, where truth is welcomed and pace is respected.

Rhythm & Ritual

Wisdom lives in cycles. Attuning to nature's rhythm and reclaiming simple, sacred rituals that weave transformation into daily life, cultivating steadiness and belonging.

Offerings

program

Breaking Cycles, Building Wisdom

A yearlong trauma-informed journey for women ready to recover from burnout and reclaim their rhythm

$4995

Workshop

10-Day Fall Ayurvedic Detox

A guided 10-day, at-home, seasonal reset to release summer and root into autumn

Service

Threshold Session

Discovery session to explore if Breaking Cycles, Building Wisdom is right for you

Certifications & Training

300-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-300)

Integrative Health Coach

Ayurvedic Health Counselor

Founder & Program Creator of Underground Sanctuary and Breaking Cycles, Building Wisdom

Licensed Massage Therapist

Reiki Master/Teacher

Dr. Gabor Maté: Trauma-Informed Facilitator