Community Highlights: Meet Terri Kaiser of Breathe AZ Yoga Nidra and Sound Healing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Terri Kaiser.

Hi Terri, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was a stay-at-home mom to 3 beautiful children, and my life revolved around carpools, meals, laundry, and volunteering at their respective schools. I was football mom, dance mom, volleyball mom, basketball mom, cheer mom, and then suddenly, although I was still technically “mom”, I had lost any semblance of who I was without my kids. They had their own lives, and before I knew it, they were all on their way out of the house. I felt overwhelmed with the sadness of time gone by, yet the only real record I had of these past 24 years were pictures and videos. My recollection of things were scattered and took on a dream-like quality. My world was whizzing past me at an incredible rate of speed, and I couldn’t stop it. The more I tried, the dizzier I became. The panic attacks I started having when I was a teen started getting worse, and I felt out of control, and very often, out of my body. Nothing seemed to stay still…and I was afraid to talk about it. It seemed like all the other moms had it together, and I was an outcast. I now realize how wrong I was. I wasn’t alone in my feelings at all, but I didn’t know that, until I started sharing with clients in my business. I wish I would have been able to share back then…I was just too much in my own head, literally drowning in my own thoughts.

Our minds play such an important role in our everyday lives, yet we don’t seem to notice what’s going on around us. Because such a huge portion of our lives is spent inside our heads, we don’t notice the time going by, or the thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes that create our realities. I found the meditations of Mindfulness, Yoga Nidra, and Sound Healing during a time in my life when I was struggling with all of the above, my identity as an empty nester, and increasingly severe panic attacks. Once I began to practice these meditations myself, I was able to take back control of both my mind and my body, reducing my panic attacks dramatically.

As bonuses, I was becoming more present in my life, more positive, patient, loving, and accepting of myself and others, and my sleep had improved. I knew I wanted to share what I had learned firsthand about these amazing benefits, so I began taking classes so I could teach. After receiving my certifications in Mindfulness, Yoga Nidra, and Sound Healing, I began guiding my classes. It felt so good to help others know they weren’t alone ~ to give them a place to go where they would feel loved, understood, and accepted. I love what I do because I get to share it with all of you!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think one of my biggest obstacles has been ME! I’m a late bloomer, not starting to teach until I was 54 years old, and not starting my own business until I was 56. There are so many amazing practitioners who have been building their careers for 20 or 30 years. I can get in my head about this…and that’s when Imposter Syndrome can creep in. That feeling that I’m not good enough and that I don’t know as much as everyone else does. Comparing myself to others in my field (not competing, just comparing) can leave me feeling lost, very often wanting to give up because I don’t think people would want to come to “me” when they could go to “them” and get “that”…does that make sense? I don’t see dead people, read minds or see the future. I’m not a big “moon”, astrology, or numerology person. I can’t read your toes or your palms or even coffee grounds. But I can read your face. Your eyes. Your smile. Your body language.

I can understand what’s in your heart and do my best to inspire, motivate and cheerlead. I hug…like a sincere, I’m so happy you’re here hug. I can offer you a judgment-free zone, where you can feel safe, accepted, and loved for who you are right now in this moment. I can offer you passion in my practice, and a promise that you’ll always feel welcome. Is that enough? I don’t know. Maybe not for some, and I’m learning that’s okay. We all have different gifts to offer. The gift I offer to all of you is my whole heart, and whatever comes from that. Every person is different. Every person’s needs are different. Every person’s perspective on how they would like help in healing is different. It’s taken me a while to accept that it’s okay to just be me. Because that allows you to just be you. And I love how that brings us together, creating the perfect team to heal and balance and move you down a more positive path in your life!

My next obstacle/challenge? Conquering my fear of promoting myself!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I have a heart-based business called Breathe AZ Yoga Nidra and Sound Healing. Every private session, and every class I guide whether in-studio or virtually, is all about filling you with love and acceptance from my heart to yours. And it’s also about helping you learn to love and accept yourself, just as you are, without judgment, baggage, and all. My desire and intention are to help you release stagnant energy blocks, limiting self-beliefs, negative thoughts, and destructive patterns and behaviors that are holding you back from being your most joyous, successful, and loving self-using the modalities of Yoga Nidra and Sound Immersion (very often called Sound Healing, Sound Bath, Sound Journey, etc.).

Yoga Nidra is both a state of mind as well as an effortless sleep-based meditation where you are gently guided through body awareness, breathing techniques, imagery, and positive, loving intentions to help re-direct and change patterns of negative thoughts, behaviors, and limiting self-beliefs. In addition to the above, Yoga Nidra can reduce stress, anxiety, and panic, releasing happy neurotransmitters called Serotonin, Dopamine & Oxytocin, as well as a calming mood stabilizer called GABA. Yoga Nidra can also reduce the production of the stress hormone called Cortisol which, when reduced, can lead to many health benefits in itself!

My Sound Immersion classes include an assortment of intuitively played Crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, chimes, gongs, and more for the ultimate experience in relaxation and restoration. This type of meditation also has incredible benefits! In Sound Immersion, you are being bathed in vibrational frequencies to assist in releasing energy blockages, reducing stress, anxiety, and panic, and detoxifying at a cellular level. It can also assist with sleep, lucid dreaming, and a better sense of connection with your higher self.

Once you begin to release the negative, focusing on gratitude and whatever amazingness you hold in YOUR heart, you’ll see and feel open and expand with beautiful, powerful, loving light energy that will help you to manifest all that your heart desires! I truly believe that we attract whatever we focus on and think about intensely, so I use the principles of the Law of Attraction to assist in guiding you down a more intentional, positive path in your life! I want you to know that YOU have the ultimate power to heal yourself, to slow your life down by taking a moment to breathe, to listen, to see, and to just ‘be’. It’s so important to me that you know how beautiful you are as an individual, and to know that I’ll always be here to remind you of that, even when we’re not in a session.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’m obsessed with Colleen Hoover’s books, and there are a ton of them! My favorite is “Verity”, but honestly, they’re all so good and hard to put down…I’ve lost a lot of sleep wanting to know what happens next!! I also love the co-authors Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks. My favorite book from this team is “The Golden Couple”. I can’t wait for more!

I love anything and everything that Jay Shetty offers. I enjoyed “Think Like a Monk”, and am looking forward to reading his new book “8 Rules of Love”.

I like listening to Andrew Huberman’s podcasts…he’s so smart! How does 1 person keep all that in their brain?

And when I’m in the mood for a light-hearted, no-brainer podcast, I enjoy Giggly Squad with Paige DeSorbo and Hannah Berner. If you’re into Bravo reality TV, you’ll enjoy them! They keep me laughing through any kind of traffic!

Pricing:

• Tuesday Night Yoga Nidra Sound Bath classes, $25
• Thursday Night Sacred Sound Immersion classes, $25
• Discounted class pricing for Seniors 65+ and students, $20
• Private Session pricing for 1:1, groups, corporate events and parties is available upon request.  Gift cards are available for classes and private sessions.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.breatheaz.com
• Instagram: @meditatewithbreatheaz
• Facebook: Breathe AZ
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnHWQ0oSg0E&t=943s

Image Credits
Mary Gardella, www.marygardella.com