Healthy Life Studio

In last month’s newsletter, we talked about our personal histories with chronic pain and weight gain.  We want you to know what we’ve been through, because then you’ll understand why we opened the Healthy Life Studio.  We want you to benefit from our experience!  This month, we take you a little deeper into our histories with a spotlight on me, Abigail.  (Jess is up next month!)

I first experienced a nagging health condition in college.  Though I didn’t know it at the time, I had what is called Interstitial Cystitis, a bladder condition.  After years of doctors visits, I finally learned this diagnosis – though it wasn’t really good news.  IC is considered chronic, and I’d already been dealing with it for five years.  I also had other pelvic pain that persisted until I decided enough was enough.  I went to a specialist in Washington D.C., desperate to solve the issue.  At that point, I was bedridden and in constant pain.  I had to stop working, as both sitting and walking were nearly unbearable. 

Though the specialist couldn’t really solve my pain issue, he did impart some important wisdom.  He explained that all of my pelvic floor muscles were full of tension, causing pain and loss of proper nerve function.  He estimated that the nerves in that region were only getting 50% of the normal blood supply necessary. 

Armed with this knowledge, I began to hunt outside of Western Medicine for a solution.  Since normal treatments were not helping, I was highly motivated.  It didn’t take long to stumble across the mind-body healing concept, and the more I read, the more excited I grew.  It all made perfect sense – I was holding stress and emotional tension in my body, keeping my body in the fight or flight response day in and day out.  I learned how to relax my muscles on purpose, how to recognize when I was in fight or flight and purposefully breathe my way into rest and digest.  I incorporated guided imagery, thought-work, diaphragmatic breathing, and gentle yoga. 

My body began to respond.  My pain reduced.  I lost weight.  I felt much less panicky.  I began to feel hope.  Before long, I could tell I was truly on the road to health, despite the chronic pain diagnoses.  Now, several years later, I am fantastically healthy.  I have taken my understanding of the mind-body connection to new levels in my life, leading to happiness and a sense of teamwork with my body.  It feels great!  Naturally, I want to share this with you.  Yoga and coaching both accelerate your process to stress relief, pain relief, and weight loss.  Put them together and you have the key to health and happiness.  

To look at us, you might think we have achieved health and happiness effortlessly.

Think again!

Behind every inspiration is a story of personal experience.  Interestingly, our stories have many parallels.  We both struggled with weight, depression, and chronic pain issues.  It was the elements of yoga and coaching we now share with others that brought us physical wellness, mental and emotional well-being, and the lives we have now.

We have a passion for physical, mental, and emotional health because we have been where you are, whether you’re overweight, dealing with pain, overworking yourself, or just plain stressed!  Though we look healthy and happy now, we both spent a great deal of time bedridden with severe chronic pain.  Jess struggled with severe low-back pain that kept her immobilized, and Abigail dealt with severe pelvic pain and low-back pain.  Flummoxed by this medically diagnosed incurable pain, we both sought new avenues to return to health.  We both found the same answer – a new understanding of the mind-body connection.  Surprisingly, this didn’t just bring health and weight loss – it brought a deep sense of well-being, a comfortable and loving relationship with our bodies and selves, and strong tools to deal with life’s ups and downs.

It’s no surprise that these discoveries led us down paths toward sharing with others.  It’s hard to contain passion, and we are thrilled to be able to share with you the amazing power of yoga and coaching – not just as specific practices, but as a potent blend you won’t want to miss.

Coming soon…more about our experiences.  We plan to offer short write-ups that will be available in our studio soon.  We want you to know why we are doing what we’re doing, and what our personal experiences were!

Check back often to read our blog posts!  We’ll be sharing information about mind-body tools, yoga, and anything we can think of to make your Healthy Life Studio experience as complete as possible.