Catherine Jeans is a nutritional therapist who has used 200 hours of her lockdown time this year to add another tool to her toolbox. Here she talks of how just five minutes of yoga a day can make a huge difference
After putting in a solid 200 hours, nutritional therapist Catherine Jeans has managed to learn a whole new skill this year. The newly qualified yoga teacher feels like she and her family lived in ‘a bit of a bubble’ for the first few months of lockdown. Apart from her daughter going back to Year Six for six weeks before the summer holidays, the family hunkered down in their home near Norwich and Catherine was able to continue offering her services as a nutritional therapist online.
‘I’ve been very lucky,’ says Catherine, known as The Family Nutrition Expert. Although she adds: ‘I was really feeling in lockdown that I needed something to give me a purpose – everyday life was starting to get me down.
‘I’ve got more and more into yoga because I feel I need something in my toolbox that empowers me to be mindful. It’s been something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.
‘I saw a post about two women offering yoga teacher training in Bali.’ Travelling all the way to Bali was somewhat out of the question for the mother of two who is married to a teacher, but Catherine spoke to one of the women on the phone and between them they worked out that the training course could be achieved via video. And rather than doing a 30-day, intensive course, Catherine decided it would fit better into her hectic lifestyle to spread her 200 hours out, over the course of the year.
The course has turned out to be something of a revelation. ‘They are such lovely women. I think people have this mistaken view of yoga as twisting your body into contortions. One of the teachers is an osteopath as well and very much into functional alignment.’
As Catherine points out: ‘What is the point of doing the downward dog if your back or knees are not aligned?’ Yes, the downward dog can be achieved with your heels off the floor and your knees bent!
And you don’t have to devote an hour of your day to yoga to reap the benefits, as Catherine says: ‘Five minutes of yoga daily can make a huge difference, and if you’ve got time for 20 minutes? Even better.’
Catherine continues: ‘Yoga is so much more than the poses. Yoga is a philosophy – it’s about meditation and breathing. Most of us are probably aware that yoga can help improve with our flexibility and movement, but it can also help us to manage stress hormones.
‘Stress has such a massive impact on our health,’ says Catherine. ‘People think they just need to move more and eat less. I see a lot of 40-plus women are who are pushing their stress limits so hard they are just pushing their stress hormones. I want to be able to give people I work with these tools as well. I talk more and more to people about stress relief.’
Learning to breath properly is key, as Catherine explains: ‘so we drop our stress hormones and really tap into our exhalation as a way to get rid of toxins from our bodies.’
Catherine suggests: ‘Breathe in through your nose for a count of four, hold for five and breath out through your mouth for a count of six. It’s about just slowing down.’ On your phone 24/7? Catherine suggests helping to anchor things by adding in three deep breaths to your daily schedule. And one of her favourite yoga practises is Alternate Nostril Breathing – or Nadi Shodhana.
The 43-year-old has her own story to tell, which explains why she got into nutritional therapy in the first place. ‘I used to work in TV and journalism in my 20s. It’s a stressful background.’
Burning the candle at both ends, Catherine’s health spiralled, and she developed a debilitating inflammatory bowel condition, suffering with bad skin, constipation, gradual weight gain and constant low energy, in the process. And then she broke her back. Spending three months in hospital, followed by many more months of recovery, gave Catherine time to reflect and she started working with a nutritional therapist to help her heal.
Fifteen years on, she feels healthier, fitter, slimmer and without any bowel issues. Not only does she eat well, she does strategic exercises to balance her underlying physiology which helps her to deal with any stress.
Although she acknowledges that a lot of people use yoga for fitness, she adds: ‘It’s all about balancing the body so we can calm our busy minds.’
Just 20 minutes of meditation every morning or half an hour of breathing exercises has been a game changer for Catherine. ‘Just tapping into my breathing has really revolutionised my core,’ she says.
And she adds: ‘If you breathe properly you can digest your food better.’ As a nutritional therapist she knows all about ‘using the power of the right foods to support optimal health and give our bodies the tools it needs to be able to bio-transform and detoxify waste, toxins and unwanted compounds in our bodies.’
Catherine believes we should be ‘focusing on the foods we can add, rather than restriction. And using the right eating strategies to reduce the burden of a busy modern life and help to prevent burn out.’
Having qualified as a Yoga Teacher earlier this month, certified by the Yoga Alliance, Catherine is looking forward to bringing her new skills to her clinic. It makes perfect sense to integrate yoga with nutritional therapy.
So, 200 hours and 30 modules later, Catherine, says: ‘I’ve got a really nice eight-week online programme which I’m planning for the New Year.
‘It’s going to include yoga, breathing techniques, food, nutrition, lifestyle tips on leading a healthier life – my most comprehensive online programme yet.
‘I really want to show people how the little things add up – simple tweaks to everyday life that can really help their bodies and minds to function better.’
Catherine will be offering a six-week yoga discovery course starting in early February, every Friday morning for six weeks. Visit The Family Nutrition Expert
Leave a Reply