Balanced Yoga & Wellness

Balanced Yoga & Wellness BYW is a referral-based private practice in Berlin, MD that offers evidence-informed Yoga Therapy Why not strive to become as fully integrated as possible?

BY&W employs an inter-disciplinary approach to the art and science of yoga: from mindful movement and breath-centered practices, to positive psychology and the latest in anatomy, neuroscience and pain research, our aim is to bring the nervous and musculoskeletal systems back into functional balance, to increase stress resilience (our ability to 'cope'), and from that space, encourage integration of the body-mind-spirit complex. The goal is a sense of self-empowerment through connectedness - whether it's the lumbo-sacral rhythm, the head-to-heart (thoughts-to-emotions), the gut-to-brain (the enteric nervous system), or the Self-to-the-Whole...what we create on the microcosm of our sticky mat, we bring to the macrocosm of our world.

What if it all works out?Not as a bypass. Not as blind optimism.As a shift in how you relate to what is happening inside...
02/20/2026

What if it all works out?

Not as a bypass. Not as blind optimism.
As a shift in how you relate to what is happening inside you. A softening of reactivity. A greater capacity to stay present with sensation, emotion, and truth without immediately needing to fix or defend.

When the body moves from protection toward presence, perception changes. Possibility becomes easier to see. Choice becomes clearer. Truth becomes easier to trust.

This is the direction we explore in the upcoming emBODYing Truth experience. From contradiction to coherence. From adaptive patterns into embodied presence. From accomodation to reconciliation.

If you feel called to explore this in a guided, embodied space, you’re warmly invited to join us.

Sunday, March 8
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Abbi Custis Art Studio
Salisbury, Maryland

Register here: https://www.balancedyogawellness.com/offerings/embodying-truth

02/17/2026

Coherence is a biological, structural imperative. If there is an aspect of you that is out of alignment with truth — if the deepest part of you knows something, and your reality is not a living expression of that knowing — there’s a compensation required for stability, for nervous system regulation.

This contradiction between the essence of you and the expression of you is the root of suffering, fragmentation, anxiety, pain, fear, self-doubt. It is an intelligent, mechanical substitute for the fluid signal of clarity, ease, safety, and harmony inherent in each of us.

How do we bridge the gap? How do we create equilibrium between two opposites in active motion?

- We build capacity.
- We work directly with the Soma (the living body: nervous system, mind, Soul, values, beliefs, programs, perceptions, longings).
- We create a container of safety to explore, discover, question, experience, sense, understand.
- We clarify truth vs compensation.
- We recalibrate the nervous system to anchor safety in the midst of outdated strategies.
- We engage the wise Knower in you and crystallize next steps.

This is the crux of my work. It’s also the focus of my upcoming workshop, emBODYing Truth: from Contradiction to Coherence.

For more information, check out my website, or the Link in my Bio.

02/15/2026

Concepts like 'Forcing' and 'Allowing' are perceptions - meaning, they are an interpretation of sensory information, they are felt in the body before they are organized and identified by the mind. Subtle signals like tension, urgency, or ease offer information about how we are relating to what’s in front of us.

QOTW: Where am I forcing versus allowing?

Forcing shows up as tightening, over effort, or mental pressure. Allowing can feel more like noticing, surrendering, and giving space to what IS, and responding from the subtle knowing of your heart, resting in your inherent worthiness and safety.

I invite you to sit with this question without needing an answer, and notice what arises. Pay attention to sensation, breath, or subtle shifts that may be signaling what is already taking shape.

If you feel called, you’re welcome to share or send a DM.

Real love isn’t a highlight reel.It’s conversations that feel vulnerable.It’s learning how to stay.It’s doing your own w...
02/13/2026

Real love isn’t a highlight reel.

It’s conversations that feel vulnerable.
It’s learning how to stay.
It’s doing your own work so you can show up more fully for another.

Relationships stretch us. They mirror us. They grow us up.

And when both people are willing to keep choosing each other, it becomes one of life’s most powerful teachers.

I’m grateful for a relationship that continues to stretch, soften, and strengthen me - to remind me of the beauty and potency of unconditional love.

Happy Valentine’s Day. ❤️

02/11/2026

For wise, connective, or protective reasons, we create adaptive strategies to navigate the stresses of our life. Mostly unconsciously, we build a conceptual scaffolding within us to monitor our experiences and safeguard our systems. Over time, these strategies become maladaptive; they become our identity, and our capacity to be with any sensation that challenges that identity diminishes.

We distract ourselves, we avoid feeling what threatens to dysregulate our system, we play it ’safe’ (literally & figuratively), until the whispers of Truth get so loud we can’t ignore them... until the contradictions within us that feel like struggle, pain, reactivity, mental rehearsal, performance, and projection feel equally as perilous to maintain.

We’ve become so steeped in our identities and strategies, our programs and conditionings, that the thought of discovering and living from our deeper Truth can feel terrifying. It’s not a journey we’re meant to take alone!

In my new workshop, emBODYing Truth, we will:

+ Learn how to identify the contradictions running in the background
and the strategies adapted to maintain stability despite them;
+ Notice, through movement practice, how inner conflict manifests in the body;
+ Expand your vocabulary: (re)define coherence, distortion, field, lens, latency, collapse, etc.;
+ Understand the mechanics of expansion - why the body regulates consciousness the way it does, and why the system resists instability even when the mind is begging for change;
+ Experience what it feels like to move, breathe, align with your Truth in You.

Growth is inherently unstable. Our systems will always prioritize stability over change. As we slowly dismantle the perceptual limitations that obscure Truth, we build a foundation for expansion to become a subtle way of life, not a peak experience.

02/06/2026

Savasana is more than rest. It’s the pause where the nervous system settles and the body and mind integrate all that has been awakened in practice. A gentle space to soften, receive, and carry the wisdom forward.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to partner once again with Wor-Wic Community College and offer a series of personal we...
02/03/2026

I’m grateful for the opportunity to partner once again with Wor-Wic Community College and offer a series of personal wellness sessions this semester.

This work weaves together somatics, functional movement, self-talk, self-resonance, and practices that support mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. It’s meaningful to bring embodied, whole-person wellness into an educational setting and support students in building awareness, resilience, and self-connection.

I’m so thankful for the opportunity to do this work in community!!

02/01/2026

The body registers truth before the mind forms an explanation. Sensation, breath, tightening, softening - these are meaningful signals from the nervous system. These signals are not instructions - they are data.

Noticing them first can gently shift how you respond and relate with what you’re experiencing.

QOTW: What happens when I listen to my body before my thoughts?

You’re invited to sit with this question and notice what arises.
There’s no right response — only what’s true for you.

If you feel called, you’re welcome to share or send a DM.

NEW WORKSHOP!! A gentle invitation into deeper coherence and embodied truth.emBODYing TRUTHfrom contradiction to coheren...
02/01/2026

NEW WORKSHOP!!
A gentle invitation into deeper coherence and embodied truth.

emBODYing TRUTH
from contradiction to coherence

We develop strategies to feel safe and stable, but over time they can limit how fully we live and express ourselves. When inner conflict grows, it shows up as tension, reactivity, or disconnection. emBODYing Truth invites you to meet these patterns gently, using the body as a path to clarity, coherence, and deeper presence. This is not about forcing change, but creating the conditions for your truth to emerge.

Together, we will:
• Identify inner contradictions & adaptive strategies
• Sense how conflict shows up in the body
• Learn the language of coherence and expansion
• Understand resistance to change
• Embody truth through movement & breath

SUNDAY, 03/08/26
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Abbi Custis Art Studio
1930 Northwood Dr Salisbury, MD 21801
$75

For information and registration, go to
https://www.balancedyogawellness.com/offerings/embodying-truth

Lately I’ve been prioritizing juicing as a way to nourish, hydrate and energize my body.I’m drawn to practices that supp...
01/30/2026

Lately I’ve been prioritizing juicing as a way to nourish, hydrate and energize my body.

I’m drawn to practices that support my body in simple, tangible ways. I've juiced for decades, but the growing research around how hydration and nutrient-dense plants support cellular repair and function and overall vitality has me re-committed to incorporating more (especially green- or veg-based) juices on the reg.

When I choose to nourish myself with intention, it supports my energy, focus, and clarity.

I keep it playful.
Colors, textures, whatever’s on hand.
It’s a way of caring for myself that feels supportive.

If you’re curious, DM me and I’m happy to share the ingredients from this nourishing juice. 🍎 🥒

What you’re looking foris already within reach.So often we look outward for clarity, permission, or reassurance. We stre...
01/27/2026

What you’re looking for
is already within reach.

So often we look outward for clarity, permission, or reassurance. We stretch, strive, and reach for something we believe is just beyond us.

This is a gentle reminder to pause and turn inward.

What you need isn’t something to chase. It’s something to notice. Something to be grateful for. Something that’s already present in your body, your breath, your wisdom, your life.

When we slow down enough to listen, the reach softens. The answer is quieter, steadier, and closer than we thought.

artist unknown - DM me for credit

01/26/2026

In planning my recent Reflect & Restore workshop last Friday, my heart was infused with an idea! I’m excited to share a new concept I’m bringing into this space: QUESTION OF THE WEEK.

Nothing has the power to alter our perspective, thoughts, actions and life like a question. Inquiry leads to in-sight; Often we learn far more from the process of answering a question than from the answer itself.

Each week, I’ll pose a simple question — something to sit with, to be in the energy of throughout your week — a simple pause to consider your own thoughts, feelings, programs, and biases.

It’s also a moment to check in beyond the intellect, and notice your somatic response - how does your body, your breath respond to the question, and how is your answer to the question reflected in your body’s shaping, posture, and movements?

Questions are a powerful tool for self-awareness and spiritual growth - they show us where we are living in alignment with our core values, and where contradiction gets in the way of this. This internal conflict is the root of our suffering.

Sometimes one question and honest self-reflection is enough to shift our perspective, open our hearts, interrupt a pattern, or commit (or re-commit!) to a transformational change rooted in your deepest truth in you.

I invite you to spend time with this question in whatever way feels meaningful to you. If you feel called, you’re welcome to share in the comments or send me a DM to reflect more privately.

Once a month, I will share my own personal response to a posted Question, and share it with my email subscribers, and post it on my website, including this first one!

[On Instagram, you can also access my most recent response in my Link in Bio]

question of the week:
Where are you currently choosing comfort over truth?

Address

10045 Old Ocean City Boulevard
Berlin, MD
21811

Telephone

+14108122119

Website

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BY&W employs an inter-disciplinary approach to the art and science of yoga: from mindful movement and breath-centered practices, to positive psychology and the latest in anatomy, neuroscience and pain research, my aim is to bring the nervous and musculoskeletal systems back into functional balance, to increase stress resilience (our ability to 'cope'), and from that space, encourage integration of the body-mind-spirit complex. The goal is a sense of self-empowerment through connectedness - whether it's the lumbo-sacral rhythm, the head-to-heart (thoughts-to-emotions), the gut-to-brain (the enteric nervous system), or the Self-to-the-Whole...what we create on the microcosm of our sticky mat, we bring to the macrocosm of our world. Why not strive to become as fully integrated as possible?