Lisa Ponczek
"You have Cancer" are three words nobody ever wants to hear but those are the words that placed me on a new path and brought me to my love of yoga and wellness. That path led me here, sharing my passion with others as an E-RYT 500 yoga instructor, health coach and Beautycounter consultant.
After being diagnosed with leukemia in 2012, I felt as if things were out of my control and I was a victim of circumstances. CLL, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, decided to enter my life and take over my mind occupying every waking thought and some non waking ones too. I stayed in bed and cried for a month! My mind was spinning tales of gloom and doom and situations that might never even happen. The more attention I gave CLL with my thoughts, the more it was in control. I decided to take back control, be proactive and began researching anti-cancer lifestyles, nutrition and holistic/alternative medicine. I began meditating and practicing yoga consistently, mostly to help calm my mind and tame all those negative thoughts but chiseled arms, increased core strength and some freaky flexibility sure were nice side effects! By 2013 I was a 200 hour registered yoga teacher and am now and E-RYT 500 instructor with over 1000 hours of training in hatha, vinyasa, yin and restorative yoga as well as Yoga 4 Cancer(c).
Yoga and meditation helped me shift my mindset from the negative chatter to one of acceptance, faith, courage, optimism and the belief in the power of our thoughts and choices! As my mindset shifted I began to feel empowered. There were many things I could do to keep my body, mind and spirit strong as I went through testing, procedures and treatments. With no history of cancer anywhere in my family I started looking deeper into our food, skincare and cleaning products finding that so much of what we eat, put on our bodies and use in our environment can be toxic and carcinogenic. I don’t believe in living crazy but I do believe that knowledge is power and when we are informed we can make better choices.
I studied with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and graduated as a Health Coach in 2013. My year with IIN taught me so much about how to truly nourish ourselves from the inside and limit toxic pesticides and chemicals from our plates. A few years ago, on a quest for a safer sunscreen, I happened upon Beautycounter. I was tired of feeling like I was putting chemicals on my skin to protect myself from harmful UV rays. I was blown away by this amazing company! Beautycounter is on a mission to get safer products in the hands of consumers without sacrificing effectiveness. They have a list of 1800 ingredients you will NEVER find in their products. Only 38 are actually banned by the FDA. From the sunscreen, to the skincare and makeup I love the products as much as their mission. I now share my love of these amazing and safe products as a Beautycounter consultant.
I have seen first hand how much our thoughts can control our reality and how making even tiny changes in our mindset can create huge shifts in our lives. What do you need to shift in your mindset and how can I help you set your mind to BE… healthy, vibrant, strong, happy, balanced? Don’t wait for a health scare or traumatic life event to set you on a path to BE-coming your best YOU!
