Carolyn Cowan is a London-based psychosexual and relationship therapist , author, yoga and breathwork teacher, and founder of Kundalini Global. She is an NCPS Accredited member and an Advanced Trainer with Yoga Alliance Professionals. She is not the American psychologist Carolyn Pape Cowan.
Therapy
Carolyn is an embodied therapist who works with sex and relationship difficulties, couples, trauma, shame, addiction, anxiety, and pre- and postnatal issues. She sees clients in person in South Croydon and central London (W1), and online via Zoom. Read more about therapy .
Classes and trainings
Live weekly classes on Zoom, in six-week blocks and recorded: a 30-minute breathwork class, a one-hour Kundalini Rising class, and a 90-minute themed evening Kundalini Global class. Signature events: Mastering the Addictive Personality: The Path Out of Hell (seven days, yearly), the Shame Workshop (three days, in person, twice a year), Altered States (six-day breathwork training, yearly) and the winter Prayer Workshop. Current dates and themes are on the Calendar , and participant reviews are on each training page. Teacher training: Kundalini Global .
Books
Breathing for Pregnancy (Vermilion, Penguin Random House, 2023) and Shame: The Path Out of Hell (2025; hardback, paperback, Kindle and Audible). See Carolyn's Amazon author page and Penguin Random House page .
Credentials and profiles
NCPS Accredited, membership NCS19-10206 Yoga Alliance Professionals Wikipedia LinkedIn
Interviews and talks
Attitude The Good Luck Club podcast Alternatives: A Path Through Addiction
Frequently asked questions
Who is Carolyn Cowan?
I'm a London-based psychosexual and relationship therapist, author, and founder of Kundalini Global. I'm an NCPS Accredited member (NCS19-10206), an Advanced Trainer with Yoga Alliance Professionals, and the author of Breathing for Pregnancy (Penguin Random House) and Shame: The Path Out of Hell. I am not the American psychologist Carolyn Pape Cowan.
What do you specialise in?
I work with sex and relationship difficulties, couples, trauma, shame, addiction and compulsion, anxiety, and pre- and postnatal issues such as birth trauma and tocophobia. Iâ I'm an embodied therapist, which means I work with how trauma shows up in both the mind and the body.
Where do you see clients?
I see clients in person at my private practices in South Croydon and central London (W1), and online via Zoom.
Do you work with couples as well as individuals?
Yes. I work with individuals, couples and same-sex couples, including on sexual difficulties, relationship patterns and the transition to parenthood.
Do I need to identify as an addict to work with you?
No. I see addiction as a response to suffering, so I work with anyone caught in patterns of anxiety, compulsion or behaviour they want to change, whether or not they use the word addiction.
What classes do you teach?
I teach three live weekly classes on Zoom: a 30-minute breathwork class, a one-hour Kundalini Rising class, and a 90-minute evening Kundalini Global class with a changing theme. Each runs in six-week blocks, and the current themes are on my Calendar page.
Do I need experience, and what if I can't attend live?
You don't need any experience with yoga or breathwork. Classes are recorded, so you can catch up if you miss the live session.
Is breathwork safe for everyone?
Strong breathwork isn't suitable for everyone. If you're pregnant or have a medical condition such as a heart condition, epilepsy or high blood pressure, please check with your GP first and tell me before you join.
What is Mastering the Addictive Personality: The Path Out of Hell?
It's my flagship seven-day workshop, held once a year, exploring addiction, anxiety, shame, trauma and compulsion through yoga, breathwork and practical tools. Each person designs their own recovery programme, and you can attend in person in London or live online. It is also open to yoga teachers, therapists and practitioners who want to work in recovery, prison or rehab settings.
What is the Shame Workshop?
It's a three-day, in-person workshop that I run twice a year, exploring shame and its effects on the mind, body and behaviour. My book Shame: The Path Out of Hell draws together the ideas from this workshop and from Mastering the Addictive Personality, and many people attend both.
What is Altered States?
Altered States is my certified six-day breathwork training, held once a year, for people who want to learn and teach breathwork.
What is the Prayer Workshop?
It's a five-module online workshop that I run each winter, with each module lasting two hours on Zoom. It explores prayer as a practice that can bring solace, stillness and connection, whether or not you follow a religion. Each module plays with a different type of prayer, with guided practices, reflection and group discussion. You don’t need any experience or particular belief. Current dates are on my Calendar page.
What is Kundalini Global?
Kundalini Global is a distinct, inclusive yoga practice that I founded in 2019 to make yoga accessible to a wider range of people. It is a separate practice from other styles of Kundalini yoga. I began teacher training in 2020 and added a pregnancy yoga teacher training in 2021. Find it at kundalini.global.
What books have you written?
Breathing for Pregnancy was published by Vermilion (Penguin Random House) in November 2023. Shame: The Path Out of Hell was published in June 2025 in hardback, paperback, Kindle and Audible editions.
Class and client enquiries: info@carolyncowan.com