Soulshine Medicine

Hunter Nicole

While most children grow up convinced that they’ll be a doctor or a lawyer, I knew I wanted to be a Mother. However, as I grew, it didn’t seem clear to me how I could be the mother I wanted to be and also support a family. I loved the traditional idea of being a stay at home mom, but what if my husband dies tragically and I’m left all alone with six children? This is how my brain works… So I decided that I needed to do two things. First, continue to work with children and gain knowledge that would help me to be the best mother I could be. Second, find a career that would bring me joy and allow for a flexible schedule so that I could raise my children while still earning an income. Sounds easy enough, right?? *sigh*

Let’s jump to when I first found Yoga: I was 14 and it was a beautiful distraction. I used challenging asana classes, for many years, to force my thoughts deep into the muscles of my body. I became fully aware of my body’s strengths, and weaknesses. I pushed hard and fast and lived life on the edge in many ways, as most youngins do. But for me, that didn’t last long. Shortly after my 22nd birthday, I was in a car wreck that left me wheelchair bound for multiple months. Having broken my sacrum in half and my pubic bone is two different places, I was forced to find stillness in order to heal. Little did I know, that stillness would heal more than just my body. It was the beginning of my mental healing journey. Two years after the wreck, I decided to go to India for a Yoga Teacher Training and I fell in love. With myself.

Falling in love with myself was the eye opener I needed. How can you love others without first loving yourself? How can you be a good mother, father, friend, partner, community member, without first being good to yourself? Yoga gave me the set of tools I needed to establish a healthy relationship with not only my body, but with my mind, soul, and community.

Through this deeper understanding of Yoga(as a philosophical system), I realized that Yoga is really just a set of tools for regulating the nervous system. It has grown my capacity to meet myself and other Beings exactly where they are at, more than I ever thought possible. This is what I share with everyone who comes to me, whether they are single, widowed, married, or pregnant. Because after all, you’re only as good as the tools in your toolbox.

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve earned my gratitude. My hope in sharing all of this with you is that you are able to make an informed decision about me. When finding a practitioner to work with, It is important to find someone who you feel good around. Someone who is living in accordance with what you envision for yourself. And I fully understand that I am not everyone’s cup of tea. I will be honest with you. I will hold you accountable. I will push you in ways that your mind will rebel against but your gut will be content because you are on the right path.

Happiest of Journeying, you Beautiful Beings.