Conventional health advice is not for everyone. 
It’s been over 4 years since I’ve voluntarily elevated my heart rate over 130. When you read that, take a moment to track your own system. What do you notice? Do you find yourself asking questions, “Why would I track that?” “What does voluntarily mean?” “What is a normal heart rate?”
Any and all of those questions are perfectly fine to ask. And I’m curious if you start to compare your own life to that statement? “Maybe I should stop elevating my heart rate?” “Cardio makes me feel good.” Etc..
I love and miss my HIIT work outs.
The feeling of rush of energy and depletion right after. Laying on the floor, breathing hard and sweat dripping. I miss it. I dream about it. I’m desiring it right now as I type this. But the three days of DOWN in my bed unable to move is not worth all of the glorious HIIT workout. This experience is what moved me to figure out what was going on with me. Otherwise, I was fine. Right? I was incredulously tired most of the time. But I had babies to tend to, I was just sleep deprived, right? Eating anything and never figuring out why I would be doubled over in pain a few hours later.. that was normal too, right?
It’s only recently that I’ve discovered I can’t assume that I’m fine. I actually have to consider being not-okay. And, I’m feeling better today than I have in years. I really feel like I’m getting a hold on what works for me and what doesn’t. And-I still have to manage the *sensations* I have when I hear conventional health advice. (If you’ve been in any of my classes, you probably know that when I refer to sensations, I’m asking you to track your current physical sensations and to stay out of the story of why you may/may not feel that way). When I hear someone say, “to loose weight, eat more vegetables” I have a rush of momentum the front of my body that makes me think I should run out and eat all of the veggies. And while I love vegetables, I can track that sensation to remember that I can have certain veggies and some are not okay for me.
When we slow down and parse apart our drives and sensations and emotions, we can start to be guided by our bodies more than our thoughts.
Slowing down has allowed me to notice that drive then remember that I have a unique-to-me body and what I need may be different than what others need.
We know that overarching blanket statements about health doesn’t fit everyone but if you’re like me, it could feel like that at times. It takes time to make friends with your body to know how to hear what it needs. It’s also taken a team of health professionals interested in my unique-ness to support this chronic condition that makes me feel crummy at times.
And have no fear, I’m healthy and strong. And sometimes I need to rest. (Which is a whole other topic regarding our relationship to rest, am I right?)
Now, I focus on lifting weights to assist in the way my body organizes itself but only when it feels right. And I still get in cardio but it looks different than what you’d expect. And I’ve had to really take a look at my relationship to what my body looks like and what expectations I have of it. <still in progress>
Through my experience and years (since 2016?) I’ve learned to manage this auto-immune condition and still have a fulfilling life with an active career and robust relationships. The people close to me know how to support me when I ask. I’m still learning to know how to ask for what I need. And I feel so lucky that my professional life has also encouraged me to be active and curious about health and well-being.
Recently, I’ve been in a deep dive into themes that support my well-being but also in alignment with my massage practice. And therefore, I’ve created a new course that combines many of the practices I’ve used in my own life with the facilitation skills of my years of teaching adults how to connect and move their bodies. And you can be healthy and still gain great insights from this new offering. You may have a chronic illness and learn new ways to be with yourself. This offering is for those of you with a body. Maybe you want to connect with yourself more deeply. Maybe you want to just understand something with more intent. Maybe you want to have a deeper squat or a faster mile to run. Even the ones with great body mind awareness can benefit from this class as we hone and explore that connection to yourself. I work with many dancers and athletes that have a great body awareness– it’s part of our training. And yet, I believe this course will deepen that relationship with yourself and possibly incorporate a new relationship with care and nurture.
I’ve really found the most important thing I’ve learned is to track and notice my body and learn how to translate what it needs. This class is the start of translating body sensations in a safe and contained way. You can expect a moment to connect with yourself and then with the group through specific language. Based on the day and te arc of expression, we will create a somatic body practice that you have complete agency over. We will incorporate breath, self-massage, and sensory experiences to facilitate connection and awareness with your body.
Our bodies are our guides and we can listen and learn how to best support what they need. Everyone is on their own journey at their own pace. I can facilitate a place for you to explore without judgement.
Stay tuned as I start to share more information about this new class.
