Gentle Movement Calm results
Constant battle with shyness, anxiety, overthinking, and that endless whirlwind of worry—yep, I knew it all too well. My emotions, my food choices, my moods—they all felt completely out of my control. Some days, just getting through felt exhausting.
I tried to manage it. I tried changing my diet (tried most, if not all, the diet fads, shakes, herbals... basically lived at Weight Watchers!). I tried exercising to exhaustion (aerobics, running, swimming, cycling, weight lifting, pole dancing, yoga, Pilates, Tae Kwon Do, Zumba... you name it). I tried to push through it like an exhausted pigeon.
I pretended I was fine. But inside, that restless inner voice never stopped.
Then I became pregnant with my daughter.
"For years, I lived as a bundle of frazzled nerves."
The Teacher & The Maker
The Shift
Something shifted. Deep down, I knew I had to change—not just for me, but for her. I wanted her to grow up with a mother who was present, not trapped in her own head, constantly critical, overthinking, and overwhelmed with anxiety. I desperately did not want her to go through what I was going through. I wanted to show her that calm was possible.
That realization sent me on a deep dive into understanding how the mind shapes our lives and finding real, practical ways to navigate the chaos. I trained as a health coach through PreKure and Well College Global, learning about the body, the mind, and how they work together. I gained tools to calm my inner 'monkey mind' and finally work with my emotions rather than against them.
It was a huge step, and life felt more manageable. But that "always on" mental exhaustion was still lurking in the shadows.
Finding Movement & Finding the Hook
Then I stumbled into Tai Chi and Qigong—quite by accident. I was looking for an easy movement class where I didn't have to break out in a sweat or punish my body. With some encouragement from my husband, I checked out a local class, assuming (like most people do) it was just for "the older generation."
From the very first class, I was captivated. My whole being was forced to slow down. The gentle fusion of movement and breath brought an instant sense of calm I'd never experienced before. I wasn't fighting my thoughts anymore—I was just moving, breathing, and being.
Around the same time, I leaned heavily into another quiet sanctuary: crochet and fibre arts.
I discovered that when my mind was racing, giving my hands a rhythmic, tactile job to do acted as its own form of active meditation. Between flowing through Qigong and crafting stitch by stitch, I finally had a complete toolkit for my nervous system.
The Science Behind the "Woo"
That transformation ignited a passion to understand why these practices worked so deeply—not just energetically, but physically, emotionally, and biologically.
Why does slow, rhythmic movement or repetitive hand stitching have such a profound effect on a frazzled mind?
That's when I discovered the fascia connection, the lymphatic system, and nervous system regulation. Suddenly, the mystical "woo" made total sense. It was just a different form of science I hadn't learned yet.
Why I Created Balance Brew & Anxiety Crafts
I created this space to share these tools with you—whether through gentle Qigong sessions for retirement communities and corporate workplaces, or through cozy, mindful fibre art.
Not as a guru, not as a sifu, not as some grand master, and definitely not as someone who has it all figured out (because trust me, I don't!). I'm just a normal, everyday human who found things that actually work for a busy mind.
Full disclosure: I'm not your typical fitness enthusiast. Traditional exercise? Pffft... Never really my thing. Yoga makes me too frustrated trying to get into pretzel-like poses, running is painful, swimming is too wet for me, and cycling? I have a bike somewhere in the garage...
Slow movement with no pain and all gain? Rhythmic crochet with soft yarn? That’s my jam.
I move slow, I drink coffee, I crochet, and I wear owl hats. I ask "why" and "how" about everything, and I believe in being a real person with real emotions—because I am one. Just like you.
You Are Welcome Here
If any of this resonates—if you've ever felt trapped by your own mind, if you're looking to bring accessible, gentle movement to your retirement community or workplace, or if you just need a quiet, cozy craft moment in your week—you are SO welcome here.
No experience needed. No flexible pretzel bodies required. Just a human being and a willingness to give something different a go.
