Melinda, Back Surgery, True Calling, and Yoga & CBD
By: Alisha Evelegh
Melinda is a self-proclaimed late bloomer. The only thing she did young was get married and have children. However, talking to her, “late bloomer” is not the word we would use to describe her. Inspirational? Yes. Source of positivity? Yes. Determined? Heck yes!
Melinda comes from the medical community and believes in alternative therapy; she believes that there is more to just treating patients with pills and giving medications when nature, physical movement, and alternative therapies may be more healing.
Turn around point
A few years ago, at 49, she had her “awakening” where she realized she couldn’t continue the way she was. She was living, eating and being unhealthy. It had manifested in unhealthy habits and extra weight, all not beneficial to her health.
She was dealing with depression and many symptoms of fibromyalgia. However, this was before she was even diagnosed with fibromyalgia as at that point she was blaming all her aches on the extra weight.
“Then I just woke up — this is not who I want to be for the rest of my life and I just completely changed my mindset.”
She shares how after that realization, she never picked up another cigarette; she paid close attention to everything that she put in her body. For personal reasons she stopped using her antidepressant medication and adopted a more holistic approach to healing, such as the healthy diet she had incorporated.
This is where she discovered one of her biggest passions and callings in life.
Yoga.
Discovering her passion didn’t come easily to her. She had to lose her good health in order to realize what it is that she is really passionate about in this world and now, a few years down the line, she is in a physical and mental space where yoga has done so much for her, that she is ready to teach others about the wonderful benefits it holds.
The origins of chronic illness
Before we delve into her passions, we talk about mindfulness and how lifestyle, especially what we eat and put on our bodies, may have played a role in the “boom” of chronic and invisible illnesses.
She shares, “when I was that age — people didn’t have that chronic pain.”
It’s just a conversation between Melinda and Blue Ridge Hemp, but it’s also much more. She shares an insight many of the younger generation was succumbed to but may not understand why their parents or caretakers did it.
“You fed your kids fast food and stuff from boxes and people were on the go and technology was booming, and everyone was on the go all the time, and everyone was just focused on that, and you kind of got away from home cooked food.”
These days people are much more aware of buying ethically sourced food, environmentally friendly products and applying products to their skin that doesn’t come with added chemicals or toxins.
Western medicine versus Eastern medicine
Our conversation is almost like going into the ring with Western medicine and Eastern practices, only, it’s a ring of healing. Melinda sees and knows the benefits of Western medicine. Similar to us at Blue Ridge Hemp, where we share how our products are Inspired by Nature and Guided by Science, Melinda believes that science and Western medicine holds its place in society and is crucial for many reasons.
“Sometimes your body just has to heal itself.”
However, there are more natural practices, many stemming from Eastern medicine that can be incorporated into our daily lives to help heal our bodies.
“Let’s go back to some natural ways to deal with those kind of things.”
The Yoga Passion
Coming from a small town in Kansas where there were no yoga studios or yoga instructors, learning yoga, in the beginning, proved a bit of a challenge, but that didn’t stop Melinda from getting on her mat and doing what her body told her she was physically able to do.
She pushed through and got her Yoga Teacher Training, and today she practices yoga at her own pace.
“I took away my thoughts that I had to be doing a 30 minute or hour long yoga practice; I only did what my body needed.”
Some days she knows she has to move slower and take time to warm up and get into the flow. She also used yoga to regain her strength and shed the extra weight after her “awakening.” Melinda shares her love for yoga:
“because you can do it on the chair, on the mat, on the bed, wherever you are it adapts to you and your situation.”
Discovering her passion for yoga was something she needed in the later part of her life, as she shares:
“ I was determined; I was going to be this healthy person again.”
One step back
Before Melinda could fully step into both her passions and true calling, there was another health concern that needed to be addressed. During her “awakening,” she had also experienced extreme lower back pain, this due to spinal stenosis and a bulged L5 disc.
For many people the first line of treatment for a bulged disc and sciatic pain is chiropractic adjustment with limited exercise routines, stretches and rest as soon as the back pain increases to accompany recovery. However, Melinda has been a night shift worker in the medical community for more than 20 years. She is a Nurse and spends every night on her feet, taking care of others, so there was no time to rest her back.
Along with her lower back pain, Melinda was experiencing the symptoms of her fibromyalgia such as insomnia and headaches and made the difficult decision, after treating her back injury with non-invasive therapy, and the pain not subsiding but only worsening, to have back surgery done to correct her bulged L5 disc.
Moreover, she never gave up on her yoga practice during her recovery from surgery, her practice was just more limited and adapted to her back.
“I listen to my back; I have to move slow — I can’t do fast vinyasa’s.”
Discovering Blue Ridge Hemp and her other calling
“Then I came across Blue Ridge Hemp products, and I can’t tell you (as myself trying to be not medicated), this has helped so much. I haven’t even thought of relying on pain medications because I’ll just grab my roll-on or I’ll grab my Salve.”
Discovering Blue Ridge Hemp products has opened Melinda up to another world of healing and pain management possibilities and has helped her discover that second part of her calling, which is to raise awareness and advocate for the benefits of yoga and CBD.
Melinda’s goal is to spread the word about these two practices, because,
“people need to feel better.”
She further shares how using the Blue Ridge Hemp CBD Infused Products has enhanced her yoga practice and her manners of dealing with pain.
Melinda still has mild daily headaches and uses the CBD Infused Roll-On Oil Blend Headache & Stress to treat them. For a mild headache she applies the roll-on once, “and it’s gone,” “for a more severe headache, it may take a couple applications.”
She also uses the CBD Infused Roll-On Oil Blend Breathe Easy for her stuffiness and shares how that has helped a lot!
“It takes care of it; I’m just amazed. Totally amazed. I have no intention of ever being without these products.”
This is just the beginning
Speaking to Melinda, she overwhelms us with her great wave of positivity. She is caring, and her outlook on the world is beautiful. A vision full of gratitude, positivity and the passion for helping others, something we can relate to.
Melinda, the self-proclaimed “late bloomer” and Yoga Grandma (her Instagram handle even hints at it! @yogagrammy) has learned a lot from what she has been through and shares a few tips with us for good self-care.
Melinda’s toolbox for taking care of yourself:
- Get plenty of rest
- Practicing self-care
- Eat the correct food
- Get exercise in
- Step outside and get fresh air
- Interact with people
- Use essential oils such as the Blue Ridge Hemp CBD Infused Essential Oil Roll-Ons
“I am so thankful to have come across the products on Instagram.”
