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Collaborative Healing
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2017/07 - July
Ashby Underwood and Lindsey Mann share a passion for earth-based healing. Ashby owns Yoga Highlands, a therapeutic yoga studio, and Lindsey Mann owns Sustainable Design, an ecological design firm. These two were inspired by the work of FAITH (Fight Abuse in the Home), a non-profit in nearby Clayton, Georgia, to begin local service work at this safe-house for women and children. Combining the power of holistic approaches, they recently presented their first in a series of yoga and nutritional lecture-demos and group dinners at the shelter.
If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you know that while the practice appears to be a physical pursuit, the body, mind, and spirit are equally involved. At yoga’s heart is a compassionate message: If we are what we eat, think, say, and do, it’s part of our process to strive for our best choices. And that’s not always easy. If a woman is in an abusive situation, she often falls back on comforting foods that are not necessarily healthy. Poor food choice results in poor health. Poor physical health invites poor mental health. Education and awareness are key to prevent this snowball effect.
To interrupt this pattern Ashby offers alternatives. “We want to uplift people in a life transition, empowering them to make the best possible change that yoga and good food can provide.”
Ashby and Lindsey are providing insights by educating participants in the value of nutrition, stretching, and introspection. For their recent dinner, they served grass-fed beef from Brasstown and locally-grown organic vegetables.
Women in this shelter have taken the first step in actualizing their dream of a healthy, trauma-free life. As they move ahead, others take their places. The goal is to train future instructors to integrate this program into the shelter’s routine, making it a viable offering.
Take this opportunity to support someone who needs a lift, a new lease, and a healthy outlook as they transition back into jobs, relationships, and habits that sustain their whole health. Donate to faith-inc.org.
