conscious yoga + wellness newsletter: february 2019
current thoughts:
Hi. So glad you are here again, sharing virtual space with me. Welcome fully into 2019, another year where we can continue to explore ourselves, our passions and our breath. The first of the year can sometimes feel like a bit of added pressure so I always enjoy when the hype has worn off a bit and I can start to fully settle in. This month I wanted to share a little bit more about my journey.
When I was younger, I didn’t really have a firm idea of what I wanted to do when I “grew up”. I went to college with the idea of working in some sort of business role after taking a career quiz with my high school guidance counselor. At the time I wasn’t even sure if college was the right place for me but I decided to go for it anyways. Once there, I learned very quickly this was not the right program and started searching for something I found more interesting. I eventually fell into the exercise physiology program as I was very much into health, fitness and sports. During this program we focused on how the human body operates from an anatomical and physiological standpoint as well as how the body functions under tension, stress and physical exertion. Unfortunately the opportunities for Exercise Physiologists at that time were less than fruitful and upon preparing for graduation I needed to figure out my next step. I knew I had a passion for helping others and wanted to share the importance of health and wellness with others.
The Masters of Occupational Therapy program at The Ohio State University was just the program I needed. An Occupational Therapist helps individuals return to their occupations after an injury, illness or life change. In this program I learned that “occupation” signifies the routines we develop in our lives, the roles we play and the habits we start to form. Roles in our daily life may include mother/father, daughter/son, wife/husband, career responsibilities, woman/man, athlete etc. Learning about how we identify, the roles we identify with and the habits we form from these roles was, and still is, a very interesting topic to me. At this time, in 2010, I started my yoga journey and although it started out as another form of exercise, over time I started connecting more deeply to my own roles and habits as a person.
Luckily the field of Occupational Therapy is wide and I decided to combine my passion for anatomy and physiology with the idea of assisting individuals return to their desired level of function by specializing in upper extremity rehabilitation. From 2011 to 2016, I honed in on my skills for rehabilitation of the upper body while working in outpatient therapy and in 2016 I passed a certification examination to become a Certified Hand Therapist. During this time I continued my studies of yoga, became a yoga teacher and started to see a true connection between yoga and occupational therapy. Both yoga and OT allow a person to work towards connecting back to meaningful activities and, more importantly, finding a true connection back to our wholeness.
All of this led to the creation of Conscious Yoga + Wellness. Although I continue to work full time as an outpatient hand therapist, I wanted to create a place where I could utilize a holistic approach to assist individuals in returning to their remembered wellness. A place where I could combine my knowledge of yoga, mobility, strengthening, restorative therapeutic yoga, meditation and breath awareness to fully meet individuals where they are at this very moment. My hope is to create a welcoming space to improve your ability to return to and participate in activities that bring you joy.
monthly restorative practice:
This month I invite you to practice the idea of positive self talk. Even though many of us experience periods of stress, frustrations, pain or physical challenges, using the practice of positive self talk can provide us with a safe space to return to our remember wholeness. The following will be a progressive relaxation exercise where we focus on identifying with the positive aspects of our current life. Try to find a quiet space where you feel you can start to fully relax and follow the steps listed below:
Choose a word or phrase that describes something you value about yourself. For example: I am kind, I am beautiful, I am compassionate.
Find a comfortable seated position, maybe leaning against a wall or in a comfortable chair.
Close your eyes and find a connection to your breath, inhale through your nose and exhale out the nose or mouth.
As you inhale, start to breathe into the space around your head, as you exhale repeat your positive word or phrase.
Continue to progressively breathe into and relax the muscles from the top of the head to the base of your feet; with each exhale repeat your positive word or phrase.
If other thoughts or words begin to come up, acknowledge their presence and bring your attention back to your positive statement.
As you make your way down the body, continue to allow yourself to relax into the space below you.
When you reach the bottom of your feet, take a moment here to fully be present and repeat your positive word or phrase 5 more times.
Slowly begin to bring movement back into your body and gradually bring yourself back into the environment around you.
Notice any changes or sensations throughout your body. Notice the thoughts you have after this exercise. Return to your day with a new sense of positivity towards yourself and your thoughts.
xoxo,
Jesse