QC, THAT'S WHERE!
QC, THAT'S WHERE!
Building a Supportive Community: A yoga therapist's mission to care for the caretakers
Have you ever felt the urge to escape the unrelenting pace of life and simply breathe? If so, this episode with Rebecca Sebastian, the owner of Sunlight Yoga + Apothecary in Davenport, is just the respite you need. We delve into her journey from struggling with chronic hip pain, to discovering the healing power of yoga, and eventually becoming a yoga therapist. Rebecca's story is a testament to the transformative power of yoga and the nourishing sanctuary she has created at Sunlight Yoga.
In our candid chat, we also shed light on the often overlooked challenges faced by yoga professionals. Whether it's her podcast 'Working in Yoga' that supports yoga professionals worldwide, or her belief in collaboration with other Quad Cities yoga studios, Rebecca's dedication to building a supportive community is truly inspiring. As she shares a touching story of an anonymous card that uplifted her spirit at a difficult time, her vision for creating an inclusive space for wellness at Sunlight Yoga becomes evident. So, get ready to be inspired by Rebecca's passion for rest, nourishment, and yoga that promises to leave a lasting impact on you.
Find her on social media -
Instagram
Facebook
Listen to her podcast "Working In Yoga"
Check out the latest at Sunlight Yoga + Apothecary's website
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There was this point during COVID where I really just like it was a week where I'm like I'm quitting, I can't do this anymore and there was this card and it's not even signed. I'm telling you, katrina, I still have this card. Whoever left it for me did not sign the card and it just said dear Rebecca, thank goodness you're here, I'm so grateful that I found you. Sunlights made such an impact on my life. Didn't sign the card. Oh my God.
Speaker 2:So, to this day, you don't know who left that for? You.
Speaker 1:I have no idea.
Speaker 3:Where do you find a family of communities connected by the storied Mississippi River, where young explorers and dreamers, investors and entrepreneurs thrive? Where can you connect with real people living and creating in a place that's as genuine as it is quirky QC? That's when.
Speaker 2:Welcome to QC. That's when I'm Katrina, your host, and today I've got Rebecca Sebastian, owner of Sunlight Yoga and Apothecary in Davenport, with me and I'm so excited. We're going to chat about her years in yoga. We're going to talk about podcasting. So, rebecca, hello, how are you?
Speaker 1:Hi, thank you for having me, katrina. I'm so excited to be here and like chat, all things, wellness and yoga and quantities.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love it, so I'm going to have you start us off. I want to hear about your background in yoga and why you do what you do.
Speaker 1:I am the most accidental yoga person that ever happened. Like many people feel like they're very called to, like a particular profession, and I fought this the whole way. I actually started yoga when I was 19 because I had chronic hip pain, because I was born with a birth defect hip dysplasia and a doctor said before I was 40, I would likely have my hip replaced. And so a friend of mine and this is in the 90s, right, I'm 45, I always own my age and somebody said to me you should try yoga, I bet that'll help. And so I went to my first yoga class when I was still in college, when I was 19. And I've been doing yoga pretty much ever since, and at 45, I don't have hip pain. I have two hips that are mine. I get the joy of supporting other people who have chronic pain and self care challenges, and so, yeah, I love my job.
Speaker 2:It's awesome. And you, like, you've branched out into so many facets, from the podcast to the studio, to being a yoga therapist and events that you have coming up, so like let's start with. Let's start with the studio sunlight, yoga and apothecary. What can people, when they come and start classes like, what can they expect and what is the apothecary aspect all about?
Speaker 1:So when you come into the studio for a yoga class like I would challenge you to find a more welcoming and friendly yoga space ever like. We want all humans to feel welcome at our space. We are focused definitely on like rest and nourishing movement. We're not a hot space, we're an average regular room temperature space and the apothecary is where we sell bulk herbs and custom blended teas. The whole business is designed to give people the opportunity to pause, whether it's pausing for a cup of tea or pausing for yoga or both, because we think both are really great together. It is just that moment where you can pause, remember who you are outside all the busyness and the work and the stuff, and really have a moment to yourself. So that's what everything we do there is based on.
Speaker 2:You guys are on Jersey Ridge in Denver. Yeah, we're in the village.
Speaker 1:How long have you been there? Since 2019. So we just had four year, our four year anniversary.
Speaker 2:So, like I know and we'll get into this a little bit like you have done training kind of in other state, colorado, you have association with. So, like from your perspective, how is the Quad Cities fit with the yoga vibe? Like, is this a good place to do? You know yoga is a good place to have that kind of business.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a great place to have that kind of business. We have a lot of fitness oriented yoga spaces here, which is great. We're definitely more of a wellness oriented space, so we're here to remind people to rest and nourish and care for themselves, which, honestly, I feel like we all need that reminder sometimes, like we all need that reminder that, hey, you're doing great, no matter how you feel, you're doing great. If you need somebody to remind, you come see us.
Speaker 2:I love it. I will be there later. Yes, I couldn't do it. Perfect, yeah, so okay. So you're training to become a therapist? Yep, where did you do that? And kind of what did that journey take you on?
Speaker 1:So originally, when I started being training to be a yoga therapist, I started seeing more people who were trying to do private yoga classes, like one-on-one yoga classes, and they were asking me more complicated questions, like questions about how yoga can fit into lifestyle and how yoga can fit Like what can I do if I have low back pain, those sorts of things. So I went, okay, I need more training and yoga therapy is now a credentialed profession and I went away for many, many thousand hours of training so that I could take the full scope of yoga, which is movement, breathwork, meditation and lifestyle, and apply that to individuals who want to use yoga to help change their lives.
Speaker 2:Is that where your association with Colorado comes from?
Speaker 1:Yep, so I trained at a school called Interpeace Yoga Therapy and they're based in Durango, colorado, and I actually work for them as a mentor sometimes still for up and coming yoga professionals. Like, the profession of yoga is a real passion of mine and the industry is a passion of mine, so that's one of the ways I can help support the industry and that's what your podcast is all about. Yes, my podcast is called Working in Yoga. It's for yoga professionals far and wide where we can talk about our experiences. I think a lot of like the general public has no idea what to expect from a yoga professional, like who we are, how we train. I think they all expect us to be, you know, very young and very tiny and always trying to show off how flexible we are. And we're just average people and we're trying to, like, work our way through a world and help support people's wellness with yoga.
Speaker 2:I listened to some of your podcast episodes and I just I was kind of enlightened in the way that, like, yoga professionals need support too. Yes, because I think, like the general public, and granted, I've taken one yoga class in my life and I loved it, I would love to do more. Very cool, and I just I went to it and the like vibe I got from the instructor was like very zen, very together, here to instruct you, here to help you, but then you know who's there to who's there to take care of the yoga instructor. So I kind of liked that and there was like there was some funny mixed in with some serious in the podcast and I listened to one that was are we dateable? That shared like the red flag that you guys filled with. And then, yeah, and it was just, it was just fun and it was real, and then you've got some guests on. So talk to us a little bit about the podcast and kind of the trajectory it's on to help people in your industry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, part of it is that it's varied. We have only one professional trade organization and they kind of work off on their own and the professionals themselves don't interact with them a lot, so we get lonely. Honestly, yoga professionals are a pretty lonely crew. If you go to a yoga class, your yoga teachers in the front of the room. Very likely they're the only one in the studio. They've maybe texted their boss or one of their coworkers, but we work solo oftentimes and so, like that baseline of support is not often there, and then it ends up being well, who, if we're wellness professionals, who helps us with our wellness? You know, we just feel like we have to be that perfect person with all the answers in the front of the room who's always healthy, never gets sick, our skin is always glowing, like we have the right answer for everything, and the truth is we're just real people who are on the path, just like you. And so, yeah, like it's a way for us to talk to each other, and how do you link up with people on the podcast?
Speaker 1:So I'm pretty active within the industry. I do a lot of speaking, actually nationally at conferences and things like that and honestly, I just decided as an adult I was going to be really good at making friends and I've been really lucky to meet amazing human beings who are funny and interesting and I just invite people who I really like on my podcast and we talk about things that need talking about.
Speaker 2:Do you feel like, okay, so like having been in the village since 2019, like I know, the community over there as far as business owners is very tight and people get along and businesses in the Quad Cities in general help each other out a lot. And then you know, do you with other, like yoga studios and yoga professionals in the QC, do you guys find the time to get together or to you know, share and laugh and cry?
Speaker 1:Yeah, we do. I mean, it's been. It's kind of like a new thing. That sort of happened for me since COVID, because oftentimes it's very funny to talk to people who are considered your quote, unquote competition, but honestly, like there's. I'm thinking of two yoga studios in the Quad Cities. Both of them are hot. One is One Tree Hot Yoga, heather Larson, and the other is Jenny Kavanaugh who runs House of Ohm Hot Yoga in Rock Island, and I regularly have coffee with both of them and it's just so amazing to sit with somebody who has your job. Like you know, you don't often as business owners, really we don't often get to sit down with other people who have your job and be like gosh. It's really weird to have to manage, you know, 15 people who work for you one to two hours a week or like all these little things that are unique to us. It's just lovely to sit and chat with people and they're both so nice.
Speaker 1:If you want hot yoga, support them.
Speaker 2:And there's like room for everybody because you guys don't do exactly the same niche, nope, nope.
Speaker 1:There is room for everybody. The more wellness professionals that there are in the Quad Cities supporting each other, the better off we all are. There's space for everybody. You don't need to be I don't think you need to be hyper competitive or really territorial, and maybe some people would disagree with me, but I just like them so much. I want them to do well as much as I want myself to do well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I think that's kind of like, that's kind of a draw of this area, like speaking on a tourism front.
Speaker 2:There are multiple like. There are, you know, not duplicates, but there's multiple versions of kind of the you know the same business or like in the same industry, and so you know you can come here to do one thing and find X, y and Z other activities that like apply to you or you know, just kind of fit your lifestyle. You know like, for instance, this is kind of probably the most forward facing example I can think of, like we have three casinos that you know some communities might look at as major competition from one another, but internally what we see and what we're seeing in reality is that these three casinos can really work together to attract a whole fleet of people who have never been here. And then, hey, guess what? You've got three different types of experiences that you can have, you know, instead of like competing against each other. So I love that you guys kind of have found that in your industry as well, that you've found the camaraderie and you know found a way that just have outreach in your same field.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's honestly the best. It was really, like I said, for a long time, especially before I owned a yoga studio. It's a pretty lonely profession and like it just makes me so happy when we all get together and I can just chat with them and we can support each other and I can say, hey, have you tried this? Or they'll say, oh yeah, this is the kind of merch that's really selling and you know, it's just the best. I love it so much because there is room for all of us here and like 400,000 people in our general area.
Speaker 2:Like there's plenty of room for everybody to grow and thrive, yeah, and like linking back to your podcast, so that's kind of a way, you know, it's like digital boots on the ground, you know of reaching a computer screen that maybe has never heard of the Quad Cities or has not ever heard of your studio personally. Like, have you ever seen in action that you've connected with somebody or had a visit from somebody, just through the podcast or through some kind of like online marketing?
Speaker 1:Yeah, totally, that has absolutely happened to me. It terrified me the first time. It happened, if I'm being totally honest, because I like, especially in my podcast, I like to speak truth to our experiences as Yoko professionals and some of that truth is uncomfortable. And so this the scout emailed me from a metro area not far from here and they were like I just turned your podcast, I'm so excited to see you're in Iowa, and I was like that's terrifying, because they were like it's, I loved everything about it. I'm like, oh God, what did I say? Right, right, right. But it was actually like we've connected, we have a really nice connection and like she has a studio actually in it's in Decora, iowa, and so she runs like this amazing studio. She actually has a yoga festival every year, the Drithvist yoga festival. It's a socially justice forward yoga festival the middle of Iowa. And I just like we just connected on that level, like yeah, it's fun.
Speaker 2:Isn't the internet great for that? Yes, talk to me about your events coming up. What are you doing in your studio space? How can people get involved?
Speaker 1:So the apothecary sells actually one of my other passions. I really love tea and we had a couple businesses closed during the pandemic time that sold herbs and teas and I went where am I going to get all my tea from? And I decided that if it's important for me to shop local as opposed to going online, that it might be important for Quad citizens to shop local for their tea and herbs. So in my lobby I have a apothecary. It's about 300 square feet. It's tiny, but we have 32 teas that we blend. About 40% of them are my blends, so they're my recipes.
Speaker 1:And during the holidays, the apothecaries hosting a holiday bizarre every Saturday, from small business Saturday right after Thanksgiving till December 23rd, and I'm just opening my doors to vendors to come in and they can bend for free. You can sell your art and your crafts there. So I've got people signing up online to secure a spot and people can come and shop every Saturday during the holidays. The village is such a charming place to come and shop at anyway, so you can stop by my apothecary and get a cup of tea, shop at our vendors, wander around the village, get all of your Christmas presents sorted from local businesses, which is the best.
Speaker 2:So yeah, that's what we're doing. That's so exciting. Did you come up with this idea just out of like? What was your motivation? Was it like a way to engage people, or was it like a way to, kind of like, get people down to the village? What was the intent?
Speaker 1:Well, there, was a couple of different reasons. One is a way to engage people, because I know a lot of folks don't know, especially, that the apothecary exists yet, because the apothecary is fairly new. We just opened that at the end of 2021. So really, we're really only like in our second year of the apothecary and, of course, as you know, in 2021, people weren't out quite as much.
Speaker 1:And also I just we run a farmer's market stand at the freight house during the summertime and I realized how many of my farmer's market friends might not have a place to sell during the holiday season and I was like gosh, I'm lucky I have this Birkenmorder space and it's better for everybody, like the whole theme of this could be. It's better for everybody when we all work together. So I just thought I'm going to open up my space up. I have a giant wide, open space, because that's what a yoga studio is. It's a big empty room when nobody's doing yoga in it. So I'm opening it up and vendors can come and sell their art and crafts there and have a cup of tea. We'll serve you a cup of tea and, yeah, I'm excited to have people come down and check with us during the holidays.
Speaker 2:That'll be cool. That's one thing I love about the Quad Cities. I've been here for like 10 plus years. I originally was from Michigan and I just have seen it blossom over the last decade. As far as, like you know, new types of events and kind of the like combination of, you know, of industries getting together and people exploring new places. It just seems like every year that passes by there is something new to add to the tick list of like I have to go do this, I have to check this out. You know. I don't know if you've noticed that too, but it just really seems to grow year after year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're really lucky that we have lots of creative people in this area, like hosting lots of different sorts of events, and like you could find an event for whatever your thing is that you want from this area, which is super cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so true, so true, so okay. You have been in the yoga realm for like 20 plus years. Is that fair to say, yeah, way too long, way too long, and yet not long enough because there's so much work to be done. Yes, what would you say is like a standout moment from all those years of yoga training, interacting with people, developing products like your podcast, like what really stands out to you?
Speaker 1:Every time somebody comes and says to me you made my life a little bit better, you made me feel a little bit better like Business ownership and I think anybody is listening to this who's a small business owner will say like it's hard, it's not for the faint of heart. We work very hard, we lose sleep making sure that our staff members are taking care of, and it's so funny how every time like I get those we all get those moments where you're like, oh, this is too hard for me to do it, and somebody will like leave a card on my desk at the studio that says thank goodness you're here, I'm so grateful for the work you do, and like those tiny little moments add up to why I get up in the morning to like open my business and support folks. Feeling better, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks, I love it. I mean, do you, do you have a one in particular, that that you get a favorite memory?
Speaker 1:Honestly, I think my favorite one was during COVID and and, like I said, those of us who lasted through COVID there was this point during COVID where I really just like it was a week where I'm like I'm quitting, I can't do this anymore. And there was this card and it's not even signed. I'm telling you, katrina, I still have this card. Whoever left it for me did not sign the card and it just said dear Rebecca, thank goodness You're here, I'm so grateful that I found you. Sunlights made such an impact on my life. Didn't sign the card.
Speaker 2:To this day. You don't know who left that for you?
Speaker 1:I have no idea, but it is tacked up like I have this giant corkboard at my office that's got all my plans. That looks like I'm like hunting a serial killer, right like all my plans on there and my car. That card is still on my corkboard. I have no idea if it was a staff member or a customer or whoever, but it was like that moment because it was Thanksgiving week and I just was like I can't, I'm so tired, I can't, and that card was there and I just like, oh, whoever left me this card, thank you.
Speaker 2:I Thank you. The littlest things that people can do make such an impact and I know people obviously feel that coming from you and it's so cool to hear the tables turn that people do that for you in that.
Speaker 1:It was amazing, like one of those moments where just the timing was so perfect, of a card Like go send people cards they love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was like divine intervention. So social media, do your thing. Who are you? Who left the card for Rebecca? I gotta know I want like a reunion, like a, like a card reunion for you guys, yeah, yeah oh my gosh, it's too cool. So In your perspective, five years, ten years down the road, what is? What is sunlight yoga going to be and what is your Roll going to be in the yoga industry?
Speaker 1:Oh, that's a great question. Thank you. I have so many answers. Okay. So I have two main things that I want Sunlight to be the yoga portion.
Speaker 1:I would love to find a way to be it as wildly Inclusive and accepting as possible. So someday to me that means being in a space where there are doors that can open wide enough that I could have, I could support folks with disabilities, like wheelchairs, like they could roll right in the studio. We could have a wheelchair accessible yoga class, like as wildly accessible and welcoming as To as many people as I possibly can make it, because yoga and wellness oftentimes doesn't feel accessible or Welcoming to a lot of different folks. And if I can change that here in the Quad Cities, I'm gonna For the apothecary.
Speaker 1:I would love to like expand to have a space where I could make you those tea lattes that I'm making at home for Myself and my kids in the summertime, like. Like I want a place where you can come and drink like delicious tea and Pause and rest and bring your book or connect with your favorite somebody Like. I would love for that to happen and I would love to talk to more people on a national and international level about how important it is for us to care for Ourselves the way we care for other people. That's in my yoga therapy practice. That's what I'm telling people all the time is that it's like scales the degree to which you care for other people in your life Is the degree to which you are required to care for yourself so that you can show up as your whole self for all of the amazing people in your life.
Speaker 2:That is like words of wisdom. Thank you, I love that. And and what are your? What are your parting words for your fellow yoga instructors? To just keep going, keep, keep, keep chugging along.
Speaker 1:Yes, Well, I mean Connect with your students. I think that's really what keeps us going is when you find these amazing humans who come to see you for yoga, and it's a really nourishing profession. Connect with your students, connect with your fellow co-workers, give them a hug, talk to them about your challenges. If you're in yoga, in this area, come talk to me about your challenges. I could talk about it all day, like like you're not alone. While on this professionals, like I said, we're just on the same journey that everybody else is on and I think supporting each other Is so important. On that note, rebecca.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna have you fill in the blank QC that's where.
Speaker 1:Qc that's where people come together to support each other. I love it. I love it, so where?
Speaker 2:can people find you on social, how can people Make sure they get to the holiday bazaar and all the wonderful things that you offer? So if you follow me on, social.
Speaker 1:You can follow me on Facebook or Instagram at Sunlight Yoga Apothecary. There's underscores between sunlight and yoga and yoga and apothecary, and that's the best way to connect with me and find out all the stuff that my business is doing. We do fun events too. We just finished a forest bathing event with tea last weekend which was incredible, where we got lost in the woods, and you can come see our awesome crafters and artists at our holiday bazaar in December. I'm excited for that. So, yeah, that's a great place to connect with me Instagram or Facebook. Well, we're so excited for you. I'll make sure that if you're listening to this podcast.
Speaker 2:You can find all those links and social handles in the description Of whatever platform you're on. Take a look and you can find Sunlight Yoga's events on our events calendar. Go to the Quad Cities. Comm slash events will make sure that those all get there, and I really appreciate your time, rebecca. I really hope that we can foster some more connections in the Quad Cities. Yay, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:This is awesome. Thanks for listening to QC. That's where a podcast powered by Visit Quad Cities.
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