Many clients are so exhausted, depressed, filled with physical pain and discouragement they feel that no one can help them. Here is a testimony from Ailan Sanchez, Total Fitness client and yoga student: “The dark night of the soul was a cliché that I thought only happened to mystics and white clad gurus on the high mountaintops. “When my life began to unravel in my professional, personal, married and family life, I thought there could be no possible way to get out of the downward spiral. My dark night arrived. “Working with Catherine, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally. Her methods addressed me as a whole complete person to regain perspective to help me help myself. I was in an abusive marriage after escaping an abusive childhood, very deeply depressed, exhausted from a stressful, demanding job and a myriad of health problems from eating disorders, self-mutilation, hypoglycemia, high blood pressure, and arthritis. “Today I’m totally conventional drug-free healthy and making positive changes in my life. My courage Catherine helped me find in myself. From the outside, I had a loving family, wonderful marriage, happily employed, and healthy. After 16 years I realized the outside illusion was what was slowly killing me. Thank you Catherine for believing in me when I was ready to stop believing in myself.”
Ailan learned about Total Fitness from her deacon and my client, Tom Shuler. She started coming to our regular yoga classes Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Holy Spirit Catholic Church and then worked with me one-on-one. Ailan’s program has included:
Regular yoga practice. Just learning proper yogic breathing can lift a person out of depression. The fitness expert Moshe Feldenkrais pointed out that for every mood, there is a corresponding body posture and breathing pattern. At Total Fitness, we teach our clients about the many benefits of proper breathing by using our HeartMath computer program. Deep yogic breathing helps the brain produce its own natural antidepressants and DHEA, the master hormone of the body, which shifts metabolism from a catabolic (breaking down) to an anabolic state. The companionship of other yoga students helped. Ailan made friends and joined them for walks outside of class.
Life coaching. Ailan learned about specialized kinesiology for the brain, and began life coaching with me. I learned specialized kinesiology from my mentor in Canada, Sue Maes (www.brainwhiz.com), and study healing for the brain about four weeks every year. The work I learned from Sue, in addition to teaching Brain Gym for years, has enabled me to put together a coaching program that brings profound results very quickly.
Nutrition. Ailan learned how to optimize her brain chemistry by the way she ate. Although medical professionals had recommended she turn to more drastic treatments, she was surprised how simple lifestyle changes made her feel happier and more energetic.
Rest. I taught Ailan that according to scientific research, the brain needs 10 hours of rest every day to restore its neurotransmitters. The physical body restores itself when you are sleeping between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Psychic regeneration occurs between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. If you don’t go to bed and turn your lights out by 10 p.m., you have trouble restoring your energy to enjoy the following day. Many clients who have arthritis and severe pain are amazed how they can regenerate by sleep.
Walking. I encouraged Ailan to replenish her Vitamin D levels and the brain chemical serotonin by walking daily in the sunlight.
Water with Bach flowers. All neurotransmitters work in water. I recommended a personalized Bach flower remedy to be added to her water to aid in emotional balancing.