We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Naya Calmels. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Naya below.
Naya, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I originally found Pilates through a debilitating back injury that upended my career and my personal life. I spent months trying to get appropriate care and medical advice, but was often made to feel dramatic and unreasonable. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who’s had an experience like this with our medical system. When I finally met a private practice neurosurgeon who recommended that I do Pilates, I was desperate and willing to try anything that made sense. Pilates empowered me to heal myself. It absolutely changed my life! Over the last twenty years, I’ve continued to learn about the human body and expand my mindful movement practice to live my best life. I find great purpose in helping others do the same.
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 truly believe that movement is medicine. When we move with mind-body connection as the foundation of that practice, we are empowered to improve our health and to achieve our greatest potential. I am dedicated to helping people improve the way they move because I believe that it leads to a happier and healthier life. Can you imagine what the world would be like if each of us practiced mindful movement?
Our online Mindful Movement membership and stand-alone courses provide people all over the world with resources to learn how to improve posture, reduce pain, develop healthier movement patterns, increase strength and flexibility and cultivate mind-body connection. We invested a lot of time and thought into developing our searchable online video library with more than 200 videos and our stand-alone courses, such as Pilates for Your Back. One of the advantages of being a small business is that I can directly interface with each of my members and clients, so each person gets guidance and content based on their unique needs. It makes my work dynamic and so rewarding!
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?
1) Be an active, life-long learner. Keep asking questions until the answers make sense. I never would have learned to heal my body if I had just done whatever I was told.
2) Trust your gut. The more you listen to that inner voice, the better you get at it.
3) Become a great listener. You’ll learn a ton and figure out what’s important and what’s not a lot more quickly.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I go for a trail run or a hike. Breathing fresh air, moving my body, calming my mind and being in nature makes everything better. By the time I return to work, anything seems manageable.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nayapilates.com
- Instagram: @4mindfulmovement
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mindfulmovement4u
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mindful-movement-with-naya-novato?uid=PpBHisoEPuYrzTJ3l-Lmgw&utm_source=ishare
