Meet Cat Lynch Capowski

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cat Lynch Capowski a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cat , so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
My relationship with self-care has evolved over the years and I have come to rename it as Self Devotion and loving kindness towards myself. Being devoted to my well-being allows me to be better resourced to show up for myself as well as other people in my life, including my family and my clients. In the past self care may have been a massage or a pedicure ( both are great options too!) . Today self devotion is a way of life and a mindset that allows me to show up for myself ,and my work and relationships with more energy and vitality and less burnout. Some examples of self-care or self devotion include setting boundaries around my time to prevent overcommitting myself. Time for rest and stillness with meditation and other contemplative practices allow my creativity to be more accessible as well.
Nourishing myself with food that helps to give me energy and supports me emotionally and physically. I make time and space for time in nature to feel more grounded and to release stress. I also practice Qi gong and yoga both indoors and in nature whenever possible .
The power of giving myself permission to rest when I need to has been the biggest gift to myself and to those around me. I used to think that pushing myself to be more productive or “successful “ by working long hours and working weekends was the ticket to “getting ahead”. I have learned that when I allow time for intentional rest I can actually be a more happy and connected human and my capacity to be creative and resourceful is amplified. What is also true is that my immunity increases and I’m a much healthier person emotionally and physically.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I have been integrating somatic body based movement and mindfulness techniques into my work as a licensed clinical social worker and life coach for over two decades. Offering Yoga and Qi Gong , meditation and a wide range of breathing practices to my clients has helped to support them with healing emotionally and physically. Partnering with nature for Nature Based therapy , as well as Equine Therapy with Horses has been particularly profound as I witness the people I work with being transformed by their interaction with the more than human world. One of my favorite aspects of my business is offering retreats and workshops. Working with veterans is an area of expertise and one of my favorite populations to work with offering Equine Therapy, yoga and other mindfulness practices for workshops and day long retreats. Some of the themes of these offerings have been learning tools to manage anger, setting healthy boundaries for healthy relationships, Post Traumatic Growth, prioritizing self-care for women as well as couples therapy workshops.
Over the past few years I’ve led retreats for women in recovery from addiction to the Azores as well as offering a women’s retreat to Guatemala with a theme of integrating Ayuerveda into daily life through rituals and healthy routines. These retreats combine yoga practices and Qi gong to foster community connections as well as self study and reflection. Participants share how helpful it is to leave these retreats with powerful tools and rituals and daily practices they can bring home to continue their self-care and healing.
Working with people on a path of recovery from addiction brings me great joy . I offer Yoga 12 step recovery Meetings several times a month and specialize as a Recovery coach in my practice. Being able to heal physically emotionally and spiritually through the practices of yoga, meditation and Recovery meetings is a real gift of these practices.

I’m offering a special of 20% off this January and February on Ayurveda Consultations to help people find daily practices and rituals to help bring balance into their bodies and
lives.
I’m also offering a three part series for individuals to meet with me related to breath work practices that will help to balance the nervous system to reduce stress and anxiety and increase immunity and a sense of grounding. This included learning a few evidence-based breathing practices as well as some meditation and gentle movements that are simple and powerful. H

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
A quality that has been most helpful to me on this journey is the ability to be flexible both emotionally and physically. The practices of yoga and mindfulness have helped me to learn ways to be more reflective and less reactive so I’m able to go with the flow a bit more readily! Another quality is that of staying in the moment with compassion towards myself and others. Self-care involves learning ways to be forgiving of myself and learn from my mistakes. That doesn’t mean that I stay stuck and don’t change or move toward growth, but rather I’m kind to myself when I make mistakes and allow myself the time and space I need to get back on track.
The quality of being resilient and trusting that I am able to adapt to challenging situations has really helped me on my journey as well.. The advice that I would give related to cultivating these qualities is to find a community that supports you in your dreams and goals and getting a mentor that can help you on a day-to-day basis. The practices of meditation and breath work cannot be underestimated as well. I feel they are the best way to provide a foundation of stability and mindful present moment awareness upon which all other skills and knowledge can grow.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I would be interested in partnering or collaborating with people working in the field of addiction recovery who would like to refer their clients for a more holistic approach to healing through body based somatic experiences of Yoga and Qi Gong as well as the more traditional 12 step recovery treatment programs. I’m also really excited to continue to build my work and offerings in Nature Based therapy and Equine Therapy as well. I am an Ayuervedic Yoga Specialist as well as an Ayurvedic Mental Health and Wellness Coach.
Coaches, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and other professionals or retreat leaders who would like to collaborate in these areas of healing, Please reach out !

Email: [email protected]
Website : https://www.catalystmindfulness.com/

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Catherine Capowski

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