Restorative Yoga is a fantastic tool to move you into the Parasympathetic Nervous System response. Above all, engaging this system is often considered the antidote to dealing with stress. And, by focusing on slow, gentle, and subtle practices, Restorative Yoga signals to the body-mind it is time for rest. Subsequently, it provides the opportunity for a complete reset.

More specifically, you will learn some relaxing breathing techniques and move through a series of fully supportive postures. Certainly, removing muscular tension within the body and peeling away any layers of stress and tension is the main goal!

Simple Restorative 6-week Series Details:

Start date: Monday, January 18th, 2021
End date: Monday, February 22nd, 2021

Time: 9:30-10:30am
Cost: $72 for the full 6 weeks

Hosted through Zoom, participants will have access to the recording for 48 hours after each class. 

In order to get the most out of your practice, we suggest that you have the following supportive props to help:

1. 1 -2 pillows or bolsters if you have them
2. 2 blocks or a few stacks of books
3. 1 strap or a belt
4. 2 blankets
5. 1 chair
6. Optional eye pillow

To register, email Tara at: [email protected]

The post Simply Restorative Series Returns January 2021 appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

After 9 months of being at school, I am ready for summer.  And I am also available to take on more private clients. I have four spots left for those looking to bring fun, strengthening, and restorative movement into their daily life. Notice I did not say “exercise”?

Exercise is so passe.

When you think of the word “exercise”, what comes to mind? Most people conjure up images of athletic apparel, sweat-inducing, heart-racing activities, possibly performed in a gym setting, for a set amount of time. For some that kind of activity is enjoyable; for others, it is demoralizing and defeating. As a culture, we have put exercise into a small box with prescriptive ideas of what constitutes good and appropriate physical activity. But, in my world, the #DefineMeWay…

Movement is where it is at!

When you sign up for the Define Me sessions, we do away with the exercise box, and open up a world of movement possibilities! Together we explore the types of movement where there is joyful potential, with an emphasis on function and self-care. I firmly believe you can have it all – movement that:

1. Supports your body
2. Brings you an overall feeling of empowerment and well-being
3. Uplifts you and puts a smile on your face

Joyful Movement Awaits You…

And the summer season provides the perfect backdrop for fun and play while moving your body. Therefore, I am offering an eight-week package at a reduced price of $399. Contact me today to find out more and reserve your spot.

The post *Limited Time Offer* 8-Week Personalized Training Package At A Reduced Summer Rate appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

I know what you’re thinking… OMG, we’ve barely gotten through Halloween yet! But every year, without fail, the hustle and bustle of December sneaks up on us. And what is the first thing to go as we get preppin’ for the festivities? Self-care! You know that it’s true. We’ve all experienced it.  So, now seems like a good time to get an action plan together to pre-empt overwhelm and self-neglect.

Give yourself the gift of SELF CARE

Be specific in the self-care plan you prescribe for yourself by determining what, how often and when you will do something that is entirely devoted to you.

• What things do you currently do to practice self care?
• What might you add, revise or eliminate to optimize your well-being?
• How frequently do you take time out for yourself? Is it enough? Do you need more “me time”?

Review and revise your schedule to find the time for you.  That might mean saying no, or not now, to other people’s requests and any self-assigned tasks that have been standing in the way.  If you are not doing anything (or not enough) for yourself,  you need to schedule it in like you would any other important appointment and stick with it – no matter what!

Try making this plan not just for the December rush. Self-care should be a daily ritual.  And it doesn’t have to be any longer than 2 – 3 minutes to make a difference. Sometimes, the simplest way to do this is to take time out to breathe.

Furthermore, reassess your self-care plan monthly (or at least quarterly) to be sure it’s working for you.  In that way, it will help keep it top of mind and move you to making it a regular habit.

Need Help?

On that note, if you need some guidance implementing self-care and/or movement into your lifestyle, I’m offering a 4-week wellness coaching package at a fraction of the usual cost. For $199, we’ll work together one-on-one where you will:

• Learn practical wellness tips that are easy to apply to your day-to-day life
• Develop new lifestyle practices that help you tune into your body’s natural needs for nourishment and movement
• Reshape your well-being in a way that works for you

Includes:

• Initial consult, complimentary
• 4 – weekly private PT or yoga sessions in the home
• 4 – weekly one-on-one coaching calls
• Program cards with detailed exercise instructions
• Unlimited email support
• And MORE
• Valued at over $500

This Holiday promo only comes around once a year and there are just a handful of spots available. Contact Michelle today to see if the Define Me Way is right for you.

The post It’s That Time of Year Again! appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

A Full Day Dedicated to Women’s Health, Empowerment & Self-Care

Most of all, this is a day for connection and revitalizing your commitment to your well-being journey for 2017 and beyond.  It’s going to be refreshing and fun! And we hope you’ll join us.  As an extra incentive to get you registered….

It’s Contest Giveaway Time!

Part of our women’s health retreat involves a practice in self-massage.  And we’ll be using my go-to resources with the Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Balls.  Establishing a daily self-massage routine can help with:

• Relieving and eliminating pain
• Managing stress
• Enhancing the mind-body connection

Because I’m a big “ball-iever” in the power of self-care as health-care, I want you to be able to take what you learned home with you.  So, if you register by 11:59pm Monday, Jan 16th, your name will be entered into a draw to win a Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Balls kit.  Valued at almost $150, the winner will receive the following:

• Set of Originals, in netted tote
• 1 Alpha
• 1 Coregeous
• Plus, a private 1:1 customized “roll-it-out” session with me, Michelle

Another event (and giveaway) like this isn’t going to come along often! Sunday, January 22nd is going to be a fabulous day with a peaceful setting, delicious food and a room full of women celebrating and empowering one another.

To join us, simply follow this link for registration. This once a year event is only open to the first 20 registered.

The post Jan 22nd Retreat for Women’s Health, Empowerment & Self-Care! Agenda & Contest Giveaway!!! appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

Seems like the holidays are wrapping up and a new year is upon us.  It’s the best time to prioritize you and find simple ways to take good care of your whole self (read: mind, body, spirit).  That’s why I’m excited to be co-hosting this Nourished Body day-long retreat on January 22nd! Past participants say it’s introspective, inspiring, valuable and fun! And this year’s event promises to be all that and more.

Tucked away in a farm setting in Uxbridge, you’ll learn new and interesting practices around food, movement and health.  Here are just a few highlights…

Exploring an alternative to the diet and deprivation cycle

Our relationship with food can be complicated and frustrating.  But it shouldn’t be.  And it doesn’t have to be.  Kori Kostka, Registered Dietitian, will have you thinking differently about eating through:

1. Ditching the rules and restriction (or putting them aside, at least for one day)
2. Discovering ways to identify hunger and fullness cues
3. And putting theory into practice with a fully-catered mindful eating lunch

Restore your body and nervous systems through movement:

Since food and exercise go hand-in-hand when dieting, the usual approach to physical activity probably leaves us more disconnected from our bodies.  And just like with food, it doesn’t have to be this way.  Therefore, Michelle Pitman (that’s me!) will also have you thinking and relating to your body differently with:

1. Body sensing from a place of curiosity and no judgment
2. Self massage techniques for pain relief
3. Restorative yoga as a gentle and embodied experience

As a result of these movement practices, you will feel deep relaxation and a better understanding of your body’s needs.

Finally, discover how you can take charge of your health

It all comes together with a candid and kind conversation with Nurse Practitioner Claudia Mariano.  You will get the facts about the health concerns that matter most to you as a woman, from an expert.  And then learn what you can do to prevent, heal and thrive through:

1. Practicing mindfulness for women’s health, at various life stages
2. Discovering new tips for taking care of your skin
3. And, most importantly, determining how to get what you want out of life

Sunday, January 22nd is going to be a fabulous day with a peaceful setting, delicious food and a room full of women celebrating and empowering one another.  To join us, simply follow this link for registration.  And please sign up soon to avoid disappointment.  This once a year event is only open to the first 20 registered.

Women’s Wellness & Leadership Retreat
Eat, Play and Be Mindful

The post Women’s Wellness & Leadership 1 Day Retreat appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

Client Profile: 

York Support Services Network (YSSN), is a community services organization providing assessment and support services to individuals living with a developmental disability and/or mental illness.  Sue Van Elswyk, a YSSN Supervisor, reached out to me last winter.   Her team’s primary responsibility is in assessing individual cases; any further intervention and support is assigned elsewhere.  She was familiar with my overall approach to well-being and knew of my experience teaching restorative yoga.  Sue asked if I might be able to come to a series of team meetings to guide her and her staff through 1 hour sessions, with the key objectives of:

1. facilitating relaxation
2. restoring overall mind-body balance
3. offering simple and effective self-care strategies

Risks of Being in the Caring Profession:

There are lots of work demands that Sue and her team manage on a day-to-day basis and, as is typical in many a caring professional’s work ethic, lunches are often skipped and sick days are not taken when needed.  Along with keeping up with administrative tasks, there is high risk of experiencing Secondary Trauma, Compassion Fatigue and/or Burnout just from continually listening to heartbreaking stories and situations. It can leave one feeling powerless in their ability to enable positive change or make a difference in their client’s experience.

For this YSSN team, any compassion fatigue training they attended only made them feel worse.  While they were able to put a name to their predicament and had tools for self-assessment, concrete strategies for managing and recovering from the burnout were amiss.

Enter Workplace Restorative (Caring Professions Edition):

After introducing just a few sessions in YSSN’s staff meetings, the benefit these case workers experienced was clear in their feedback:

• “My staff all reported back that they really enjoyed the last session and are using some grounding strategies already.”
• “I love the sessions, I find it a positive and supportive (environment) and Michelle’s method of guiding instruction is relaxing and easy to follow.  She provides a variety of positions which seems there is something to benefit everyone.”
• “Please let Michelle know that I really enjoy her restorative yoga.  The sessions have helped me to reintroduce yoga and mindfulness into my daily life.  It is helping me on my continuing journey towards health and making my health a priority.”
• “The sessions have helped us to take time for ourselves and to help us become more aware of our breath, help us manage stress.  Her instructions are gentle and she always makes sure to give modifications to each student as needed.  Many staff have incorporated some of the poses into their daily lives to help manage stress.  It has been a wonderful opportunity for us!”

Overall, participants said the restorative practice felt healing, rather than labeling.  There was a sense of acceptance (a cornerstone in cultivating self-compassion), permission, and a reclaiming of the power to self-direct their own recovery and repair. As a result, there has been a shift happening at YSSN.  Staff are now taking lunches more often, finding opportunities to connect with one another, taking sick days when needed and exploring self-care in different ways that has translated into their work and home lives.

Effective stress-management and work-life balance can become a reality for your staff too! Contact Michelle to discuss design and implementation of a customized wellness program for your office.

The post A Case for Adding Restorative Yoga to Your Workplace Wellness Offerings appeared first on Define Me Wellness.

I really became aware of this issue last week when I finally went to refill my prescription for Eltroxin, medication that helps with my under active thyroid condition that I have had for almost 20 years.  I had let myself go without it from anywhere, I’m guessing, between 4 – 6 weeks.  The impact of my body missing those daily doses is now hitting me with noticeable moments of exhaustion, short-temperedness and just generally being in a fog.

Why tell you this? Well, because my perception is that those of us in the field of health and wellness don’t often talk about our own struggles of maintaining a self-care practice, which then appears like we have it all together and practice what we preach.  While I can’t speak for others, I can say for myself that simply isn’t true.  I, too, can get caught in the trap of feeling that I have to get all those to-do’s checked off first, take care of my family, my clients and my friends needs and also not wanting to miss out on all the summer fun in between.  But doing all of those things first comes at a cost, to the detriment of my own well-being.

So, no words of wisdom except to highlight that we are all susceptible to being too busy for self-care.  The notion of needing to be “good” at it can sometimes do us more harm.  Self-care need not be perfect.  This has been a lesson for me in the importance of awareness, being compassionate to one’s self and gently working towards changing the pattern.  Not engaging in behaviours to be a good role model but finding behaviours that serve YOU best.

And with that, I’m going to honour my body’s needs and take an unusual-for-me midday nap.  Everything else can wait.

The post Being Good at Self-Care appeared first on Define Me Wellness.