Have you ever reached for a candy bar when you’re having a bad day? Or chosen a coffee over a salad for an extra burst of energy? Or blown through an entire bag of Doritos when you were stressed or upset?
Me, too. This type of self-soothing through food is a particulary insidious -though quite common- form of disordered eating called ‘emotional eating.’ Emotional eating probably affects everyone at some point in their life, though some of us –including me– have taken it to extremes at times.
The good news is that connecting to your body’s inherent wisdom, tuning in to the subtle emotional undercurrents, and identifying the triggers for emotional eating is not as hard as you may think. I sought out some other mindful professionals who’ve struggled with emotional eating {or it’s nasty counterpart, compulsive restriction and overexercising} to share their hard-earned wisdom.
This week, it’s my pleasure to introduce the Yoga Nurse, Annette Tersigni, RN.
Annette is a former Hollywood actor and cover girl turned registered nurse, a healer who is expanding consciousness in health care + wealth care. An author and inspirational speaker, she is the founder of Yoga Nursing®, a new lifestyle brand and trend in nursing and yoga. Annette is a successful entrepreneur who saves and transforms lives physically, financially, and spiritually. For the past 17 years, she has motivated thousands of people to lead more healthful and spiritual lifestyles. Annette is author of the best seller, ‘The Richest Woman in Babylon and Manhattan’, a charming tale about a yoga teacher who meets the Goddess of Wealth & Wisdom.
Annette {aka, the Yoga Nurse} had some wonderful and insightful tips on living & eating healthfully.
Kellie Adkins: As a former model & fashion maven, I imagine your relationship to your body & to food has taken several turns over your lifetime. Have you always had a good relationship with food and with your body?
Annette Tersigni: Growing up & all through my early adulthood, I was the ‘too thin’ – way before too thin was in! – I ate to live, rather than live to eat. I wasn’t a foodie and I wasn’t much of a cook. And even though my body worked as a sought after model in my twenties, I agonized about being too thin! Let’s remember I am 60, and 40 years ago, voluptuous was in! I was always trying to gain weight to no avail.
When I became a mother in my thirties, stressed beyond measure, I turned (again) to yoga as my salvation and my destiny. Food is Brahmin according to yoga —God, the source and life force in the form of nutrition.
I joke now that I ‘eat to live’ because I delight and indulge in an endless variety of delicious food —within reason; however, I am committed to cleansing toxins from my body seasonally, fasting gently with live, rainbow foods, green smoothies and nourishing conscious lifestyle retreats for my own self-care.
KA: What was the turning point – for you – in cultivating a better relationship with food and with your body?
AT: After a devastating personal set back and birth of my autistic son, I was traumatized and sick for almost 10 prime years. Re-connecting with my yoga practice – breath awareness, meditation, and mindful movement – and with enlightened teachers, saved me from my self-pity and self-destruction. Relief and recovery also came in a renewed interest in the artistry of food, taste, variety, conscious eating & excitement with my studies in Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga.
KA: You are the founder of Yoga Nurse –an organization dedicated to providing the healing practices of yoga to healthcare professionals in dire need –what prompted you to do this work? Was there a rock-bottom moment, or simply a subtle inner whisper that nudged you in this direction?
AT: It was more of an ‘aha’ moment; after studying with Deepak Chopra & taking a hard look at our national healthcare crisis, I was inspired. It came to me, my mission + vision and my purpose in life — to combine ancient Eastern yoga with modern Western nursing. Voila! Yoga Nursing and the Yoga Nurse were born. Nurses –and healthcare in general—are at a crossroads; there is a self-care deficit for professional caregivers, many are burned out and bummed out. I saw an enormous opportunity to serve and uplift nurses. Yoga Nursing states, “Your self-care is the heart and soul of your selfless service to others.”
KA: What advice would you give someone who is struggling to connect with their body’s wisdom, maintain a natural weight, and trust their health & wellness choices?
AT: My favorite way & the best advice I could offer others is to practice what I call the Sacred Remedy: a simple, profound Rx of breath, movement, rest, & nourishment. The Sacred Remedy is the source of my own self-care practice as well as the linchpin of the Yoga Nurse curriculum. Everyone can practice at least one part of the Sacred Remedy. Begin with the breath, literally, our life force. The first thing we do when we come into this world is inhale, (inspire) and the last thing we’ll do before we die is exhale (expire).
Across time and wisdom traditions, the breath is seen as synonymous with spirit, life force, and source. Yet our modern culture undermines this vital practice of deep, diaphragmatic breathing. Awareness of the Sacred Breath transforms lives and is crucial to relieving stress, anxiety, pain & suffering. Breath is a symbol for the silent, invisible Beloved. It relieves many chronic diseases as a vehicle to to making yourself whole again. Conscious breathing is a subtle, interior, intimate dance that recharges the leaking life force.
In addition to the Sacred Breath, The Sacred Remedy includes Sacred Movement – gentle, therapeutic yoga-based movement, Sacred Rest – yoga nidra, relaxation pose, & meditation, & finally, Sacred Nourishment –a system of cleansing, detoxifying, & feeding oneself, all serving to make one feel well, simply divine darling. And Kellie, it’s been divine dancing with you in this interview.
KA: and many thanks to you, Annette {the Yoga Nurse} for the wisdom!
For more great advice from Annette, visit her site, or check out her ultimate money + soul chick lit book, click here.
Connect with Annette!
Be sure to join us next week for another wise woman in the Intuitive Eating Series. Sign up below:
…
Sign up now
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
what an inspiring interview! I loved it! :)
Hi Andie!
thanks for the feedback. Annette was so fun to talk to and she had some excellent advice. Glad you enjoyed!