Healing Tools

I woke up this morning with joy and gratitude pulsating though me. I feel amazing in my body, and so thankful for the miracle it is to reside in it! My body is a gift! Experiencing life through this vessel is a gift!

I just got back from Portugal to late last night. It’s always so hard to leave, especially now that my grandfather is 82. But it was so amazing to finally see Will when he picked me up from the airport! He has a lot going on lately, between his normal work and preparing to take the Massachusetts bar exam next month, plus preparing for his move. I’m so happy for him, but very much NOT looking forward to no longer living in the same city.

Anyway, Portugal is always so good to me. My body feels extra good there for many reasons. For one thing, I eat nearly exclusively local, fresh foods. A typical day of food for me there is fresh fruit for breakfast (apricots are my favorite), simple salad of tomato, onion, and lettuce dressed with oregano and vinegar, plain boiled potatoes, and fresh grilled white fish for lunch, and simple roasted veggies or a salad for dinner. If I get hungry between meals, I snack on fruit, and if I want dark chocolate after dinner, I have a little. I don’t drive while I’m there and get to walk a lot every day. I also think that because that’s where I have ancestry, something within my DNA is activated when I’m under the Portuguese sun. Physically, I feel the best when I’m in Portugal.

Feeling physically excellent is such a big deal me because for a long time following trauma, I struggled to feel “right” in my body. I had more days of feeling off than of feeling well. Frustrated in my skin, it was like no matter how healthy my diet or how much I exercised, I felt inflamed more often than not.

I’ve poured hours and resources into studying the body’s response to trauma. For years now, I’ve been learning about how sometimes the body continues trying to fight against threats, even when they no longer exist. For some of us, the cycle is created of an over-production of cortisol and adrenaline. We are exhausted by daily tasks, and being around people takes something out of us that we don’t have to give. The whole organism becomes hyper-sensitive to the external world, while internally there is such little peace much of the time.
Unfortunately, disease is created in the body when trauma/stress is stored.

My quest for self-healing and helping others do the same was what led me to India last year. I desired understanding of yoga as therapy, and wanted to learn more about the ancient practices of Yoga and Ayurveda in their birthplace.

While I was there, doctors told me that I wasn’t getting nearly enough deep sleep (determined by simple tests of my pulse and looking at my tongue, eyes, and skin). My hormones were out of balance for a long time, and I experienced chronic pain in my neck and back. Some days, I nearly felt like giving up on my quest for my best health. I’ve had the healthiest diet of everyone I know for most of my life. I fast often, I practice hours of yoga daily. I meditate and I pray. I don’t have a lot of the stressors that many of my students and clients have, and I worried that my health would prevent me from having the life I dreamed of: being a good partner and eventually a parent. I thought if I were ever able to have children, I physically wouldn’t be able to handle the stress of raising them.

Yet as frustrated as I was, I knew deep down that I was on the right track, that slowly something was happening. After spending a few days following my retreat in Portugal allowing myself to rest, reset, release, and truly relax, I can say that...
Finally - FINALLY!!! - after years of knowing that my body wasn’t its healthiest or happiest, I have found true healing!

Consistently practicing healthy habits is crucial - it can take a while for the body to trust and adjust. The time it takes is so worth it. My stress hormones are normalized, and for what feels like the first time since I was a teenager, I feel like myself in my body again!
I have undergone Ayurvedic and Eastern medicinal treatments, and every ounce of help I’ve sought has made the world of difference.

The thing about going through a tremendous healing process is this:
My journey has taught me how to help others along the same path. My struggle has equipped me as a healer.

This whole process has not only granted me greater empathy and compassion for those who are seeking healing, but has ignited my own gifts in assisting along that process. I’ve picked up some pretty amazing tools along this healing path, and I’d love nothing more than to share with them. If any of this resonates with you, know that you are not alone and that there is hope. Many others have helped me, and I hope to help many others!

Yoga therapy as it was taught to me in India is comprised of the following:
1- Right diet
2- Right exercise
3- Right thoughts

Simple tools in willing hands.

If you feel dis-ease brewing in your body or mind, and need support along your healing journey, I am here for you. If you struggle with your weight and energy levels and know it’s not due to a lack of discipline or self-control, I can help you. Let’s bring you back to your best balance.

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