Who am I?
I am Stefanie. I also am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, Yoga teacher and Ayurveda practitioner. I love to spend time with my husband, daughter and our dog, cook, travel, be in nature, read and write. I relish my time on my Yoga mat and love to move my body in a mindful way. I love the water and cherish the sunshine. On a deeper level, I am a spiritual person who loves to connect to my whole, unique being. I am always learning about myself, evolving, growing and striving to live more consciously. I continue to cultivate practices that allow me to align with my true self. Ultimately, I move towards being the best version of me! My hope for myself and others is that we live a balanced life that radiates happiness, joy, peace, and ease. Let's live our life to the fullest!
Life was not always joyful for me. I was out of balance, out of alignment with my Self, and had struggles.
As a child, I was anxious, depressed and worried about everything. I "lived in my head" and my mind was constantly scattered. I over-thought everything! I had lots of emotions and did not know how to cope or manage those feelings. I often felt out of control and I did not like myself, especially my body. I tried everything to change who I was. I wanted to be more like my sisters and my friends. I wanted to be "perfect". I wanted to be anyone who wasn't myself. I became very critical, judgmental, irritable, competitive and jealous. At a young age, I turned to bingeing on food and then restricting to cope with my emotions. As I got older, I became bulimic. Gradually, I started to over-exercise. I wanted to be "smaller". I thought that would solve everything and make me feel better. I was very hard on my body, spending countless hours exercising and I still couldn't manage my thoughts or emotions. The exercise and food numbed me. I said things to myself that I would never say to anyone. I never felt "good enough." I was very disconnected to my body and to my Self.
One day I decided that I wanted to stop the cycle I was living in.
I realized I needed help. I could no longer continue to hurt my body. On the outside, I appeared happy, but I really was not. I was like a hamster running on a wheel inside of a cage and I was going nowhere. I was mentally and physically exhausted. I remember telling my husband that I needed to get help. He was very supportive and encouraging. I began therapy at the Emily Program. ( I highly recommend the Emily program to anyone who is struggling with disordered eating and exercise). I instantly connected with my therapist and he taught me healthy skills to manage my emotions. I started to do a lot of self-reflection. Journaling helped me immensely and I still journal daily. I began to understand the root cause of my emotions and where they stemmed from. I learned that I was a perfectionist, a people pleaser and that I was letting my thoughts run my life. My work for my recovery was to learn to control and manage my distorted thinking. I also needed to learn to connect to my physical body in a healthy way. I then discovered Yoga and later on found Ayurveda. I learned that I am not my thoughts and I am not my body. I am a whole being; body, mind and spirit.
How did Yoga and Ayurveda help me?
Through my Yoga practice, I learned to connect with my body in a positive way; to appreciate all that it has done for me. I learned to breathe and to slow down. I learned to be in the discomfort and to feel things, rather than avoid emotions. I found a spiritual practice and began meditation which helps my mind slow down. I learned that with my breath, I can move emotional energy and prana through me. Thankfully, I had wonderful Yoga teachers and spiritual teachers who helped me grow and learn. After I found Yoga, I began to learn more about Ayurveda and felt a connection to this science of life. Ayurveda has taught me that we are all unique beings. We are perfectly imperfect. Through this practice of Ayurveda, I have learned ways to keep myself in balance. I have learned to nurture myself and to love myself for who I really am, even my flaws. (And yes, we are all flawed individuals). I embrace others more fully because I know we are each on our own path. We are all connected, yet have had different life experiences which makes us special. The most profound thing I have learned is how to connect more fully to my Self. This means to me that I am connected to my physical body, my mind body and my spiritual self. Through my Ayurveda practice, I continue to use tools to help me stay balanced such as nutrition, Yoga, meditation, herbs and specific daily routines. These tools and practices help me live more in alignment and live more consciously. I remember daily that I am my own unique self!
How can I help you?
Ayurveda has taught me that one of the root causes of dis-ease is the disconnection to your highest Self. I can help you re-establish this deeper connection to your own unique self. I can help you in training your mind. We are not our thoughts, but our thoughts do lead to actions and words that can cause us to move away from alignment and our balanced self. Ayurveda also teaches us that we are all unique. My approach with clients is not one size fits all. We all need different tools and practices to help bring us back into alignment. I use my uppermost learnings to help guide people to live their fullest life with ease. I work from where you are at and treat your physical body, as well as your mind. We will work together to find the root cause of your dis-ease. I have been through challenges and I know what it is like to feel un-healthy. I know the process of growing involves taking baby steps. Each step moves us more towards feeling better. I can help you with making better choices regarding nutrition and daily routines that are specific to your body type (constitution) and specific to your individual needs. I can offer guidance that is filled with empathy and compassion for what you are going through. I can listen to you and meet you where you are at.
One of my Ayurveda teacher's once said that we all take different paths up the mountain, but those different paths lead us to the same place. This place of "feeling well" in our bodies. Everyone deserves to live without pain, suffering and dis-ease. I will help you walk your path up the mountain. I honor and respect the light in each of you. Namaste,
Stefanie
Be You. Be Brilliant.
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