Anima Soma Wellness

Another day, another

I had a good day full of hard work with some pretty neat people. Today was a good day.

I don’t have any super wise things to say so here’s some random thoughts

✔️don’t forget you’re allowed to change your mind on something, even if you hated it. Proof in picture above, I used to 💩 all over bucket hats and now I own one and enjoy how practical it is. I changed my mind 🤷🏻‍♀️

✔️having a structured day is an incredibly grounding thing. After months of change it’s so wonderful to have set work hours and a solid morning routine

✔️ let all your weird and obscure passions out with new people, might turn out they love it and you make new awesome friends

Here, I’ll go first: I get giddy in a stationery store, organizing things into containers brings me more joy than it should, talking in song lyrics and having someone hop on the joy ride with me is the best!

Now, your turn! Share your special brand of weird in comments, let’s be weird together!

Ok, so I’ve gotten to a point, somewhere between the exhaustion of the move/renos/new jobs, where I’m holed up and scared to post anything on IG. I almost feel like I have a blank page, discovering myself anew. Or just scared of being truly seen. But this is what I wanted, what I hoped for, to use this change as an opportunity to fully embrace myself and let my witch flag fly. Yet I find myself frozen and unsure as how to even start.

So, I’m going to go against my ways of perfectly curated or thought out, and do a version of by just posting whatever every day for 2 weeks. Let’s see how it goes!

This is me making a crocus and moonstone essence, because I saw some crocuses randomly growing in my yard. I looked their energetic meaning and wouldn’t you know it, they’re the perfect remedy for this time in my life 🤷🏻‍♀️

Things have been quiet in this corner of the Instagram.

We’re in the thick of it, officially moving on Saturday (Summer Solstice AND full moon, not sure why we’re doing this to ourselves 🤣)

I was hoping to write a long appreciation post, but things are just too wild. One day I will have the space to reflect more, for now this is all I have capacity for 🙃

I’m just so grateful to everyone who took the time to hang with me before the move. And to the people I couldn’t squeeze in, I deeply apologize.
The past six years spent here have been a WILD ride, full of twists and turns, but I honestly couldn’t be happier with where I am right now.

I feel so lucky to have met all the people I did along the way. All the clients that entrusted me with their bodies, and their stories. Thanks to you I keep becoming a better practitioner every day.
Huge thank you to , .m.t_ and for providing me the space to work and grow.
Thank you to the countless women I met that I can now call my friends. Thank you to all the times my plans didn’t work out and forced me to pivot - these lessons got me where I am now.

I’m not going to lie, I’m deeply burnt out by this moving process, but oh so excited for the next chapter. I know which direction I want to move in and leave the rest in the hands of the universe.

Vancouver Island content coming soon, in the meantime I’m going back to packing boxes!
See you on the flipside!
😘

I honestly can’t believe that I’m sharing this, but….

I AM MOVING!

And no, I’m not moving to yet another work space (those who have been with me since the beginning know that I’ve been a bit of nomad therapist, not necessarily by choice lol).

I am moving to VANCOUVER ISLAND!

This has been a long time dream that began just as Covid hit. I didn’t quite think that it would come to fruition this year, or even the next, but here we are.

I am so grateful to my Edmonton chapter. I have gotten to know myself pretty f*cking well and can honestly say I know exactly who I am and what I want.
I have gotten to know so many amazing people and feel lucky to call them my friends.

This is bitter sweet, as I will miss my peeps and amazing clients so much, but this is the right call for me. I have longed to live closer to nature and a big body of water for so long, and I can’t believe that I get to so soon!

This means that my books are open till end of May, possibly till mid-June, but we shall see how things go. I’m used to plans changing, and the logistics of this move are massive, so I will keep you posted.

I’m forever grateful to Heather at for letting me truly spread my wings in her clinic, and being so understanding about this kind of sudden change of plans. I couldn’t have dreamt of a better place to work at, honestly.

I’m so grateful to all the clients and friends that I have gotten to treat in the last 2+ years of owning my business. You are all part of my growth and I can’t thank you enough.

(Cont in comments)

Hear ye, hear ye!

I’m happy to announce my first group event!

I’ve been working on meditations that combine self-hypnosis, visualization and affirmation work (and a smidgen of sound bath healing too!).

All of that to help you along the path of re-connecting to the body and using the power of your mind to help you feel better.

I’m so excited! I love getting people together and creating a safe space to just be. Also, it might be a great way to connect with other like-minded people.

So grab your mat, pillow, blanket or whatever else you might need to feel comfy.

There’s not registration, no ticket price. You can pay what you can, bring a different energy exchange or just bring yourself and enjoy some nervous system regulation with us all :)

We’ll gather at The Garden Acupuncture and Holistic Centre on Friday April 12th at 7:00pm and Sunday April 14th at 4:30pm

Address is 10977 127th street NW, Edmonton
There is lots of street parking right in front of the clinic and you can use the community center parking lot too.

Share this with whoever you think might need some relaxing and self-loving :)

See you there!!

This one is inspired by some recent clients and a story that my bestie .m.t_ posted recently.

My goal is always to provide a safe space for my clients. Sade enough so they can put down some of the walls that help them face the outside world.
I may be a BODY worker, but we our bodies are never seperate from the state our mind and heart are in. I am not a therapist and nor do I aim at solving any problems for you.
Sometimes all we need is someone to listen to us without judgment to shift our state. And that’s what I’m happy to provide. That and some physical adjustments ;)

So please, never apologize for crying in my treatment room. I have lots of tissues!

As the year comes to a close, as well as Kaizen Holistic Wellness, I wanted to share some thoughts.

I have honestly learned and grown so much in the past just under two years of running Kaizen. I have learned a lot about staying true to what my intuition says, no matter what. I learned how to release expectations, how to pivot in the face of change, how to sit with the discomfort and still keep going. How to listen to that quiet voice that knows exactly what to do, when all I feel is doubt. I am a completely different practitioner now than I was in March 2022. I have a very clear vision of what my true calling is in the realm of bodywork, one without the inner judgment of being „too woo” or „too weird” or all the „toos”.

I am also looking back at what it all started with, the name - Kaizen. In Japanese, it means the act of implementing small changes to make a big impact. But even my view on this philosophy has changed. While I still agree with it to some extent, my persepctive changed.
The idea of small changes that create improvement stems from the idea that we need to be „better”. While I still believe in striving to become the best version of oneself, it doesn’t come from a place of not being enough, a lesser version of oneself.
I now see it as a homecoming of sorts, of you to you.
What I want to assist my clients with is coming back to themselves, to feeling safe in their bodies again. I think that’s where the „improvement” part comes from. When you get back in touch with, and remember who you are at your core; when you strip away expectations of the outside world, the responsibilities, the shoulds and have tos - that’s where you get to remember your true power. And sometimes between physical pain or discomfort, emotional turmoil and just plain ol’ burn out from all the stressful things happening out in the world, external and internal, that connection gets lost. Or feels unsafe in some way.

I don’t want to heal anything for you, that’s not my role. I want to help you be able to be with yourself, to hear what your body is saying to you, to feel your own energy, to come back home.

Contd in comments

Hear ye, hear ye!
Save the date for my little Christmas market 🎅🎄

Kaizen Holistic Wellness and Dragonfly Intuitive Massage are teaming up for a fun get together.

I will be selling the products I have lovingly formulated and made, Leihan will be offering mini Rapid NFR sessions and mini Reiki sessions.

Come join us for holiday cheer! I will provide some snacks and coffee while you browse. Mostly I think this will be a fun opportunity to gather, share some joy and purchase some handmade gifts for the ones you love (or at least tolerate 😉)

What to expect:
✨coffee/snacks/a solid Christmas music playlist
✨hand made soap, face masks, shower steamers, aura sprays, bath salts, aromatherapy rollers and more!
✨mini Reiki and/or Rapid NFR sessions
✨a chance to play with our crystal bowls and make your own sound bath
✨opportunity to meet some people from our community, support small local business

The days are 9th and 10th of December, between 10am and 2pm

Address: 15 Carleton Drive, St. Albert, suite 203. Follow signs for Aradia Fitness.

This is 37.

It’s been a year, that’s for sure! Lots of life lessons, pivots up the w***o, hard realizations and complete shifts.

Some of it was scary, some made zero sense to anyone around me (sometimes even me), but I wouldn’t change anything.

I feel way more in my body than ever. I trust my gut feelings and keep working towards the life that I really want. Even if it isn’t “successful” in the general sense.

My affirmation for many years has been “jestem tutaj”, which means “I am here” in Polish. I used it in order to come back into my body when I was disassociating. Especially when my driving anxiety was shutting my brain down in the middle of the road haha
Only in the last month have I truly felt this sentence *actually* hit in my body. I AM HERE. I am in my body and I am in charge of my life.

I feel oh so grateful for all the people in my life (and the pets!). I felt extra super special with all the birthday love. I’m grateful for everyone who believed in me, trusted me with their bodies, continued supporting me and letting me call them their friend.

I’m truly a lucky motherf*cker. And also I worked hard to be where I am. It’s oh so good to be here. And it wasn’t always something I could easily say.

Life is good!

I guess it was a timely card to pull yesterday.

I’ve been waiting to share this news for about a week, but it’s time.

Kaizen Holistic Wellness will be closing its doors on December 31.

Small business ownership has been an interesting ride. I gave it my all and then some. It’s been incredible, empowering, revelatory and at times agonizing, anxiety inducing and confidence-killing.

I’ve been in a phase of simplification, in many areas of my life. The professional one included. So I decided to close my business and become a member of a clinic/healing space.
I feel like I really want to direct my energy solely towards treating clients and expanding my tool box, learning more. Rather than being a marketing director, accountant, PR maven and all the other positions one takes on when owning their own business. This is not the end of my road of being my wonderful boss forever, but it definitely is for now.

I’m so grateful for every client I have gotten the chance to work with. Everyone who followed me through my various spaces, liked and of my IG content, reviewed of referred my business. I loved being able to provide a safe healing space for folks, and I appreciate the trust you put in me.
Every single one of you has made an impact on my life. Thank you!

I will keep you posted on where I land when I know.

Until then you can still see me in my St. Albert and Edmonton locations, booking link is in bio.

Wow, did I need this…

So here’s where I’ve been the last week, and I’m grateful to have a few more days of nature to go.

It was incredible to notice the instant change in how my body felt between the day of arriva and a day later. My whole body released tension, softened and let go. I felt incredibly tired for two days since my body could finally stop trying to power through. I didn’t even realize how I have been bracing the past few months.

I feel incredibly grateful to be able to spend time in quiet and nature like this. All the health and wellness hacks/supplements are great, but honestly just spending time looking at/smelling/experiencing nature is such wonderful medicine.

Now, can someone please remind me to do this more often than once a year?!

I recently received a card with this prayer on it with my purchase of crystals from during the

As I was unpacking my things back home, I actually read it and it really stuck with me.

In the beginning of my budding business I used to tell people I could fix them. Especially with Rapid, because it gives such tremendous results.
But that’s not the case. I’m not doing any of the fixing!
Wether it’s a relaxation massage or a Rapid session, I’m merely assisting your body. I’m nudging it to do what it inherently knows how to do. We are incredible feats of engineering! We have processes in place designed to mend ourselves.

Sometimes those processes end up being stuck in a loop or stop receiving signals, but all they need is that little nudge.

Either it’s decreasing the sympathetic activity (relaxation) or a neuro-reset (Rapid) or just the fact that when you’re in my office we focus completely on you. Your body and what it’s trying to tell you. We create the space that’s needed for you to listen to what your body is saying.

Every ache and pain is a message. We just have to listen. The pain is not the enemy. We’re just disconnected and stopped hearing, that’s why our body is sending messages, louder and louder, until there’s nowhere to run from them.

I don’t fix you, you’re not broken.

You have everything you need for your healing.

All you need is stillness and to listen to the wisdom within you.

Making the story into a post to keep it on the profile.

So yes, I’m staying in St. Albert!

If you too got whiplash from my recent updates, you’re not alone. I have been looking forward to that move for a while, told everyone about it and plastered it on social media.
So this is a lesson for me, too. I was mortified when I realized I had to update you on the situation. “What will people think?! I already told everyone I’m moving!”. The fear of disappointing people was gut wrenching.

But, this is life. Sometimes things like this happen and it’s ok. I’m sure some people will be disappointed, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
In the end, this will give me the room I wanted to do more retreats/events and continue on journey of learning energy work.

That being said, I’m working on finding a space I can rent 1x/week (to start with) in Edmonton to be more accessible to folks in the city. That will likely happen in September, as I’ll be leaving for a 2 week vacation mid-August.

Thank you all for bearing with me and riding these waves with me.

If you have any questions, please reach out via DMs.

The TL;DR version of my story update.

I’ve been in a bit of a limbo state lately as I was working from a temporary office. It gave me space to have a closer look at what is and isn’t working ,what feel the most aligned and what needs to change.

So here we are! Some changes in the offerings, lots of growth and learning in the background. And there’s more to come!

This is me at a time in my life that’s great and hard and exciting and I want to run away from it.

Let’s just say that June is a lot and I have promised myself to make nervous system hygiene a top priority.

My tendency when overwhelmed is going into a procastination freeze reaction. I scroll, I binge watch shows. And sometimes that’s ok, I’m human. But sometimes what I actually need is more nature time, exercise, proper rest or maybe for someone else to take care of me with a massage.

So next time you feel overwhelmed, ask yourself what your brain and body ACTUALLY need to feel better.
Friend time? Cuddles? Solo walk in nature? A nap? Or maybe a brain jump in a journal and a sweaty exercise session?
And if the answer is still a good binge session of the last season fo Ted Lasso, that’s fine. Enjoy, grab a good snack and then re-asses :)

Hear ye, hear ye, important reminder!

I have in important update for all my clients:

For the months of June and part of July I will be located in St. Albert at 15 Carlton Drive suite 203

After that I will be making a move to my (hopefully) final location in the 124 street area. While I wait for renos to complete, my lovely friend is letting me use her space. You’ll love it! Plus, if I hurt you with too much Rapid, Leihan will pick up the pieces with amazing relaxation and/or Reiki healing :)

I apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. Honestly, nothing is happening according to plan, but that’s just how life goes. I’m honestly used to pivoting and finding other ways to keep me grounded and not freaking out haha

Hope to see you soon!
If you have any questions, please send me a DM and I will happily answer.

I appreciate your ongoing support and understanding.

New is coming, so gird your loins folks, this is just the beginning!

Recently someone asked me-"do adhesions release?"

My answer...
Actually no they do not. “Adhesions”(hypersensitive nociceptive areas) are areas that are neurologically sensitized. Sensitized often from from the artifacts(aka-chronic inflammatory artifacts) of previous inflammatory processes.

If we stimulate the tissues in these areas very specifically we can get the ANS to increase vasodilation-which helps flush the area, the CNS to alter the tone in the tissue, and certain pain relieving neuropeptides to be released.

Proper stimulation also causes a release of susbstance-P efferently from the nociceptive fibers which destroy the rogue neutrophils and mast cells that sensitized the nociceptors and caused the hypersensitivity.

This cummulative function stops pain, calms down the sympathetic nervous system and reduces tone and the "adhesions" (hypersensitive nociceptive areas) appear to disappear.

Ok folks. This is what next week is supposed to be like. I STILL have no AC. While I purchased a cooling fan and currently have two fans going in my room, it’s still 29 degrees in my office, on a cool day :(

No updates from the building management, they’re ordering something that might take weeks to arrive.

I’m so sorry if I have to cancel our appointments in the near future. With the temperatures rising, it’s simply getting dangerous both for my clients and myself.

If this goes on for too long (and we’re facing a heatwave…) I will think of alternative spaces to work from. I will keep you updated.

In the meantime, I appreciate your patience and understanding.

Stay hydrated and cool!

Mother’s Day is this weekend.
I could do a giveaway or discount, but I’m choosing not to.

Instead, I will invite you to just think about the mothers or mother figures in your life. Or the ones you wish you had, but never had the chance to meet.
The mother figure you are to yourself, when you need support.

I’m not a mother to children myself, so I acknowledge that I will not truly understand what this role means in that regard. But I mothered myself through tough times, I mother my friends who I hold dear to my heart, I mother my clients. I certainly mothered my dog when he was around. Heck, my Eastern European genes make it impossible to leave my house hungry, ever lol
I do have a strong mother instinct. Maybe it’s because I have three mothers in my life. All of them taught me different things, and I’m very grateful for that.

Being a mother can mean something different to everyone and I find that awesome.

I also acknowledge this might not be a happy day for some people. And if what you need that day is staying away from the world that will be shoving Mother’s Day reminders at you, that’s alright.

And please remember, it’s not necessarily the gifts that will be remembered, but the time you’ve spent together that day. Or the time you let them have by themselves ;)

Alright, Mental Health Week might be over, but here I am, coming in hot with part two of my share.

I opened Kaizen Holistic Wellness right after graduating Massage school. I also have a Bachelor in Physio from Poland. I have never had a business before, but I trusted my gut that told me to go out on my own. I honestly had no idea how to setup a business and all the admin stuff related to it. If it hadn’t been for from I don’t think I would have been able to figure that stuff out. She was a true fountain of knowledge and so helpful

So it’s Mental Health Week and I will chime in.
This will be a two-part post, one from me and one from Kaizen.

I’ve grown up with a lot chaos around me, between two continents, between two cultures and between two vastly different parents.
I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety since I was a kid, but didn’t realize it until much later in life. In my 20s I really got hit hard and neglected very important life aspects, lived in a “depression home” (IFKYK) and honestly probably would have ended up in a terrible situation if my mom hadn’t accidentally found out. I was so lucky to have the means and family support to seek help and clean up my messes.
I relied on medication at first, eventually understanding that I need to start talk therapy to get anywhere in my progress. Meds gave me balance to manage life, but therapy helped to actually change my life.

Then I moved to Canada. Got off my meds. And immediately got smacked in the face with reality. My plans didn’t work out and without the meds, I was actually feeling feelings and OH BOY did I feel them. That was rough, but deep down I knew I needed to feel all of it.

Again, I was lucky that I had a supportive partner that provided me the safe space to unpack all my junk (with the help of my therapist, but this time sans meds). After I reached a certain point, body based therapies came into my life and truly created the shifts I needed.
I can honestly say I’m at a great point right now. I’m in tune with my body and mind, I have tools to help me regulate, but - most importantly - I have the ability to zoom out and gain persepctive when s**t hits the fan.

When I was at my darkest, no one really knew. I hid it well until it exploded in my face.

When you encounter someone, anyone, please remember you have no idea what their story is. You don’t know what they’re battling. We’re all human beings riding this scary (and honestly not mechanically sounds) rollecoaster called life.
Be kind. Be patient. Protect your boundaries, but have compassion. We’re seriously all trying our best. Sometimes our best is different than someone else’s, but it’s still all they’ve got.

Ok, so this post is purely for full transparency and to show you that we are all human beings.
This is not me complaining and hoping for pity. This is just me showing the realities of life and especially small business within body work. I never know what each month will bring and while I trust that universe will provide, sometimes it’s an uphill battle and I get frustrated.
At the same I’m so grateful for each person I get to work with and the joy this work brings me is immense.
Like my wise husband says (and I keep repeating) TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE.

Over the course of running my business I have ridden some intense waves of emotions, but I keep trying to push through and pivot when needed. Pivot is honestly my middle name at this point haha

So, fellow humans, it’s ok to sometimes feel like a loser or like you have no clue what the f*ck you’re doing. We all do at times. As long as you try to give yourself grace and keep pivoting baby 🙃

Just some stuff that’s been on my mind and a little preview of what’s to come at Kaizen Holistic Wellness.

I chose that name on purpose. Especially the holistic part. I started with massage therapy, but I knew I would be expanding my offerings in the future. I have the spidey sense to know what the future holds for me, I don’t always know exactly what it’ll be yet. But hey, I’m learning to embrace the unknown.

So yes, the nervous system is so interesting in how it shapes us (and we shape it). What you perceive as your personality is actually a series of NS responses and coping mechanisms that it’s developed since the day you were born. Once we start being aware of that, it’s much easier to start implementing any changes.

Your bodies speak to me when they’re on my table, whether you’re aware or not. And my job is to listen. And then help you listen and interpret the signals.

Like any other body worker, I’m constantly evolving. Learning more about myself helps me step into my full potential and purpose. So in short, expect to see some more spiritual content here and there, as I’m stepping into that part of me and seeing where it takes me.

Some more client love fresh off the press ;)

I’m honestly floored at what awesome human beings I get to work with sometimes. I am truly so grateful for every soul that comes through my door and trusts me with their body.
And sometimes it’s as much about the mind as it is the body. I’m always looking for ways to expand the lens I see my clients through. It’s not just the aches and tension you feel. That’s just a way of your body communicating with you in a language you can understand. The mind-body connection is so fascinating. As I keep deepening my knowledge of that relationship it helps me to understand my clients more and expands my sense of empathy. We’re all a work in progress and we are all trying our best.

Thank you thank you thank you to everyone I’ve worked with so far this year

March 15th was the one year anniversary of Kaizen Holistic Wellness.
I wanted to celebrate this milestone. I have a hard time really appreciating my successes, so I planned to really sit with this date and look back at all that I’ve done, focus on gratitude and reflect on what I want to take away from that first year.
But, I honestly feel like doing none of those things right now. My husband and I had to say goodbye to our dog on Monday, very unexpectedly. Hank has been our fur child for over four years and we loved him greatly. We were sure we had much more time left with him. This week has been extremely raw and sad, and it’s hard to see the bright or joyful side of anything right now.
Sometimes life is great and sometimes it’s extremely tough.
I’m trying to follow my own advice and let myself feel all the feels, clearing my work schedule when I feel I won’t be able to be present with my clients. I’m certainly not holding any tears back.

I know life will get easier and I will feel excited about it soon, it’s just not at this moment.

If you are also working through grief right now, just remember to be as gentle as possible with yourself. Give yourself as much space to process the feelings as your circumstances allow. Breathe deeply into the spaces that hurt the most and take it day by day.

I don’t want to skip over my first anniversary of being a business owner altogether, so I will just post-pone celebrations for now. When I get the capacity back, I will do all the things I promised myself I would do. And keep your eyes peeled, maybe I will be sharing some of my gratitude with you.