Health & Wellness
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Okra Staff Members Point to Mismanagement in Abrupt Closure
Yoga instructor Claire Santos arrived early to Okra yoga studio in Plaza Midwood on Tuesday, July 22, for the first morning class of the day. She wanted to turn the heaters on for the hot yoga class and make sure everything was set for her students. Instead, she found an…
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Sex Trafficking Survivor Opens Free Yoga Sanctuary for Trauma Recovery
At 13 years old, Desiree Eatmon dressed up in her nicest outfit for a night out with the couple she met at the hotel where she had been living with her mother. Looking back now, she recognizes it was an “ugly-ass outfit with some ugly, Payless high heels.” The wig…
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Grab Life by the Goals and Other Manifestations Amidst Grief
I’ve been keeping my head above water lately, coasting the crests and troughs of grief after my mother’s death this spring. The grieving process is just that: a process. It is a range of emotions we experience after a loss, whether of a loved one, a breakup, or even a…
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Trying Lip Tattooing and Yoga To Help Navigate the Sea of Grief
I held my mother’s hand as she took her last few breaths. She was heavily sedated in the emergency room as pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis pulled her away. It was a beautiful spring day, which only added to the feeling of shock and confusion. My pink cotton sundress was inconsistent…
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The Seeker: The Beauty of a Blank Slate Caused by Canceled Plans
What’s better than a weekend work event being postponed at the last minute? Thank you spring showers! Not one to waste an opportunity, this news freed up my agenda on the last weekend of April for some unstructured free time without any expectation of a result — aka fun! To…
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The Seeker: Brewing up Plans for Spring at Birdsong and Beyond
Between warmer weather and March Madness, the Queen City has been pulsing with the urge to play outside. Travel sites state this is one of the best times to visit our fair city before the humidity settles in. The question is, where should we venture once the weekend arrives but…
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The Seeker: Springing From Bar à Vins to Crowder’s Mountain
The winter days are waning, and the prospect of spring is becoming ever present. As I write this, I’m thankful for the flexibility to have worked from home during the last few days of wishy-washy weather — a few warm rain showers providing a restful nap soundscape followed by a…
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The Seeker: The Downward Facing Dog Days of Winter at Arrichion
Was your dry January a success? I fell off the wagon during the first week, so I took a comedic stance and committed to drinking dry wine only for an entire month. So now here we sit, straddling two seasons resignedly. If I were to describe the month of February…
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The Seeker: Stretching and Healing at Khali Yoga, Sanctuary Imports
Another calendar page has turned, closing out what has been a most entropic year. To start, the master’s program I recently graduated from, combined with working full-time, catapulted me into a downward mental-health spiral. The academic stress filched my workout routine, leaving me bereft and fatigued. Walking across the stage…
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The Seeker: Double Dipping at Studio Fire and Mood House
My most recent broke-bitch wellness adventures trailed an afternoon of heavy drinking at the Carolina Renaissance Festival, an annual guilty pleasure my husband and I endeavor with another couple. I desperately needed a self-care Sunday after our afternoon of beer-festing and people-watching. While perusing Eventbrite (my current go-to source for…
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The Seeker: Lizzo, Camping and My Path to Emberglow
Short on gas money but still need a getaway? Luckily, in the great state of North Carolina you needn’t look too far to find an affordable adventure. Based on recent experience, I recommend exploring your camping options at Emberglow Outdoor Resort. Emberglow is conveniently located near Lake Lure, less than…
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The Seeker: A Visit to Mecklenburg’s First Tachyon Chamber
I discovered the practice of meditating in my late twenties, around the same time frame that I learned yoga. A centuries-old technique, meditation is now primarily used for stress reduction, which is why it appeals to me. Life is a lot, y’all! Since I’ve been trudging my way through a…
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The Seeker: The Best Workouts Are Free Workouts
Fun fact: Research shows that you push yourself harder when working out in a group setting. I’m not surprised by this finding at all, are you? I know firsthand that when I’m working out at home (usually half-dressed, hoping no one creeps past my window), I push myself to a…
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The Seeker: Ups and Downs of a Well-Meaning Hike to Daffodil Flats
During quarantine, I became borderline obsessed with physical activity and “getting my steps in” (who can relate?). I found myself checking my steps counter regularly, using exercise as a tool to keep my anxiety in check. In turn, hiking became part and parcel of my newfound outdoor workout enthusiasm. The…
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The Seeker: My First Experience With Microneedling
I’m a winner, baby. And I’m not being facetious when I say so; I actually won! This year, I’ve been focusing on my positive mental attitude (PMA), and it’s beginning to pay off. If you’ve been following along, you might remember I attended Beauty Boost’s “fitness sampler” in April, where…
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The Seeker: ‘Fitness Sampler’ Event Offers Back-to-Back Workouts
Alas, spring is here…sort of. April, a month that is traditionally revered as the bridge between seasons, is undoubtedly taking its sweet time to warm up. As I write this on April 10, we are coming out of a weekend in which the average was on the cooler side of…
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