We recently connected with Rita Abdallah and have shared our conversation below.
Rita, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Success takes desire, belonging and investment in wellness.
Passion
Awakening and increasing passion is a big part of what we do at Turning Point Yoga & Wellness because passion is critical to living a joyful and purposeful life. Passion is a burning channel through which we all can access our full potential in our work, play, and relationships and spiritual lives. Passion is not something that you either have or don’t have. It is in all of us. At Turning Point Yoga & Wellness, we deliver passion-awakening experiences to inspire Peace, Love and Joy. At our monthly meditation and sound bath, we engage in proven exercises to help you ignite your passion. Our community values experiences like this to light up the heart and open the mind to higher vibrations.
Community
In today’s world, real human contact and heartfelt exchanges seem rare, contrived and suspicious. And yet, we desire opportunities to engage with others beyond devices and jobs. How do we access such opportunities and exchanges in our struggle for meaningful connection? Our studio loves to create enriching moments of belonging. For the curious and those ready to make soulful contact with others, the studio provides a welcome, safe and comfortable space for collective awakening. Together, we explore themes such as gratitude, compassion and tenderness with openness.
Focus on the Individual
There are many choices when it comes to investing in wellness. Those investments include time, money and energy. We constantly seek ways to go above and beyond in every interaction. We love to empower individuals and groups with a sincere desire to support their growth and well-being.
An anecdote from one of our beloved community members captures our studio’s passion and commitment to our vibrant community and the precious individual. “A million thanks to Turning Point Yoga & Wellness and a million more for helping me physically, mentally and spiritually on my cancer journey . I look forward to every session even on my most fatigued days because I know afterwards I will feel all around better. From my initial visit I am so much stronger and flexible so I can enjoy my grandson and yes actually hike, which is something that seems far away after chemo and a fractured spine. Rita’s vitality is infectious and she does always make sure she is working all of you which includes mind, body and spirit. I am so truly appreciative and feel very blessed that I have this studio to practice Yoga.”
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In 2021, I received my yoga teacher training in the style of Baptiste Yoga at Cleveland Yoga with Tami Schneider and The Kaivalya Yoga Method with Alanna Kaivalya. What seemed like a lifetime ago, a friend introduced me to yoga and how it may address my low back pain. She suggested I start with chair yoga. My first studio wasn’t a traditional space pumping chant music and people dressed up in fancy tights and tops. It was a local senior center with students aged 40-90 wearing casual clothes. In class, the teacher skillfully set up poses for people in wheelchairs and on mats. I liked attending classes and soon was ready for a new challenge.
At some point, I mentioned my need to explore other forms of yoga with a friend from high school. She went on and on about a local studio and suggested we go to a beginner-level class. That’s when I drank my first real sip of the yoga Kool-Aid, and it was delicious! In the days and years afterward, I couldn’t stop talking about yoga and how good it made me feel. I was excited to explore how my body, mind and breath healed the back, relieved the stress and eased the runaway thoughts. In other words, yoga anchored all of me. Yoga asked me to show up in the world with a wide-open heart and a mind free to choose positive thoughts. In time, yoga significantly improved my flexibility and provided effective tools to recover from long-standing back pain and to manage everyday stress.
Ten years later, the magic of meeting myself on the mat did not waiver. Whenever I went out of town, I looked for a yoga class. I practiced yoga on beaches, in gyms and in studios. Some teachers had a lot to say while others let the presence of silence serve as the vehicle for growth.
Savanna, a powerful pose of asana practice in almost every yoga tradition, is typically cued at the end of a class to facilitate relaxation. With the eyes closed, the nervous system takes over and allows the student to return to a steady breath. It encourages the integration between body, imagination and heart. With years of savanna relaxing my mind, a pivotal experience changed my life. A voice within me said it’s time to become a yoga teacher. Immediately following this message, my rational mind dismissed the idea and said I should enjoy being a student. The mental rant went on and on, pushing the student agenda. That teacher calling persisted for several months until I asked my teachers and fellow students about a 200-hour teacher training. I spent hours scouring the internet for training in Cleveland and abroad.
Eventually, I attended yoga teacher training (YTT) at a local studio that kindly embraced me, a stranger, into their community. Unfortunately, the pandemic abruptly ended live gatherings with our close-knit YTT group. Luckily, we were on the heels of graduation and were able to pass our final test online.
Upon graduating, I started to teach a small group of friends in the backyard of the house and took online yoga classes to keep up with my practice. The inner voice spoke again and advised me to pursue the 300-hour certification. While the pandemic limited my options, I found a renowned online teacher who offered the training at my own pace and in my COVID-free home.
Fast forward to the end of 2020…the winter was fast approaching and it was time to consider the next steps for teaching, coaching and offering spiritual experiences. A space for rent became available to create the ideal setting for a new yoga and spiritual community centered on Peace, Love, and Joy. Turning Point Yoga & Wellness represents a sacred space dedicated to helping people find answers, recover from stress, and focus on what matters most. We offer high-level yoga and meditation classes, intuitive readings, and emotional and individual wellness coaching. It has been incredible to witness the ways that students and clients transform trauma, pain, and worn-out emotional stories into growth and new states of being.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When the yoga studio opened during the pandemic, my father was mobile, semi-coherent and talkative. Four years later, advanced dementia has robbed him of walking, logic and speech. During his dementia journey, he has been hospitalized for a serious fall, COVID-19 and a life-threatening bacterial infection.
Once a celebrated restaurateur, patriarch and pillar to many, this version of my father can be found in articles and pictures. And yet, he continues to teach us the power of resiliency. What appears as insurmountable hardships, Dad continues to inspire strength in the face of adversity. Each day, he manages to smile and find delight in the company of others. He has a relentless will to live and share his love somewhere in his strong heart.
Around the clock, my mom alongside hired caregivers, tend to Dad’s needs for food, rest and hygiene. Around the clock, the family witnesses the unpredictable nature of his ever-changing health and what his body and mind are trying to tell us. Around the clock, we face the pain of his decline, burnout and a sobering recognition of the fixed window of time between life and loss.
One thing that still excites my Dad is the experience of being an entrepreneur. Aside from owning a successful restaurant, he owned and operated several businesses in the Cleveland area. These days, Dad vaguely remembers that I run a yoga and wellness studio; and yet his eyes light up when I tell him I’m going to my job. Our shared passion for work and service has bonded us to this day.
Dad’s example illustrates that setbacks are stepping stones to growth and success. His unwavering resilience in adversity inspires me to keep moving forward with determination and a positive mindset. These insights on resilience easily translate to the teachings I share with students in yoga classes and workshops. We are here to remind each other of our heart power, smile and enjoy time with those we love.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tpyogawellness.com/yoga/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turningpointyogaandwellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TurningPointYogaWellness
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCey5OnZlqwLkZHlmKtJ7BGQ
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/turning-point-yoga-and-wellness-westlake
- Other: Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/ritaabdallah