9 minute read
WAITING ROOM Tierra Denae
THE ALLOSTATIC LOAD OF HEALING AS A BLACK WOMAN
Certified yoga instructor and bodywork specialist Tierra Denae offers insight on ways to heal the effects of the allostatic load.
BY TIERRA DENAE
Iremember the stress I felt in 2014 when I had to work a demanding job (that I hated) for the state of Texas, while also taking care of my grandfather in his final stages of life. The mounting load was something I never really could explain to anyone in detail or let myself fully care about. I just dealt with it. I mean, for me and from what others knew of me, I should have been strong enough to handle it all, get enough rest and take care of myself. What I didn’t know was this moment in time would be the biggest shift in my healing journey.
Shortly after my grandfather passed, I dove headfirst into becoming a yoga instructor, wanting to become the change I desperately sought. The first time I heard the term “allostatic load” was in the doula certification class I took in 2017. The term comes from Bruce McEwen and Eliot Stellar. Coined in 1993, this term refers to the “wear and tear on the body” from the “physiological consequences of chronic exposure to fluctuating or heightened neural or neuroendocrine response, which results from repeated or prolonged chronic stress.” I had no choice but to acknowledge that this was real, then sit deeply in this term and shift into compassion for all of the women who sat with me.
For a while this term seemed abysmal. I thought for a while that we (Black women) would never be able to escape the maze of societal pressures, familial obligations and responsibilities. It took a while for me to realize that there isn’t an escape from life. No matter how many vacations you take, days off, hikes alone on the trail or mani-pedis you get, the allostatic load always shows up in one way or the other.
What, then, can we do to find harmony?
CREATE SPACE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR LOAD.
It’s easy to say, “I’m stressed out.” But how often do we sit with the actual stresses in life to fully understand them? Deeper understanding always presents new ideas and perhaps ways of sifting through what can seem mucky, unstable or desolate. When you create a space to simply identify what and where the stress is, you can begin to plan harmony or outright stress elimination.
CREATE SOMETHING YOU CAN GO TO CONSISTENTLY AND RITUALIZE IT.
Be your own healer! Discover what moves you. Does anyone have hobbies anymore? In a hustler’s economy it can be difficult to do things that don’t bring financial rewards. Tap into something new, or maybe dive into what once was. Yoga, painting, dance and writing are wonderful ways to start on a healing path. When you find what clicks for you, set up time and space and stick to it. From this place you’re creating a ritual for yourself and your life. No one can take this away from you because your healing belongs to you.
GIVE MORE THAN YOU TAKE.
An abundant, healing life is one that allows you to receive from giving. This doesn’t mean give everything away, but rather find spaces to give more to yourself than you would normally take. For instance, if you tend to always be first to do something out of panic or feeling unsupported, give yourself more space than you would normally take. Be second or even third. Give yourself more time than you would normally take to do something. Urgency is never as urgent as we internally make it to be.
While these ideas may seem easier said than done, it’s best that we say them over and over again so that they stick. When we practice them over and over until it becomes a ritual in our lives, it feels like less of a routine. The healing and care that we look for as Black women are inside of us. Sometimes we need a nudge, or even a big push, to tap into them.
Texas Three Step
Whether you’re looking to book a last-minute Valentine’s getaway or plan for a Spring Break outing, here are three very different and very comfortable Texas tourist gems full of Texas charm!
By: Marika Flatt
Miraval Austin
In the hill country west of Austin, Miraval Austin, now owned by Hyatt, is all about intentional health for mind, body and spirit. They are hosting the Miraval Austin Bluebonnet Festival Feb. 15 – March 31, where they celebrate the iconic Texas flower and offer wildflower-themed programming. Exclusive offerings include Wildflower Meditation, Be Like the Bluebonnet: Fostering Resilience and Renewal in the New Year, Beauty in the Garden: Finding Beauty in Imperfections and more.
You’re encouraged to really slow down and notice the beauty around you, such as the birds singing in the trees and the rosemary growing along the path.
Design your personalized itinerary upon arrival with the concierge (Experience Planner). Keep in mind that it’s great to try classes that you’ve never experienced, but don’t fill up your schedule so that you can’t enjoy the property and downtime at the pools. You’ll also sign up for dining reservations.
We all know how important sleep is to our overall health. The beds at Miraval are like soft clouds, allowing guests to sink into their marshmallow abandon. The slumbering perfection makes it hard to roll out when your alarm goes off for your first class. (The cutest aspect is the cell phone sleeping bag, which tucks snugly in the wooden cell phone bed on the chest of drawers in your room.)
Hilltop Crossings Kitchen, a throwback to the original property, which was a wellness retreat called The Crossings (later, Travaasa), is the onsite restaurant where the food is fresh, healthy, delicious and hearty.
Enjoy classes like Low Back Love, Yin Reiki, Digital Mindfulness workshop and Floating Meditation.
Take advantage of their spa, ideally booking your appointments toward the end of the day.
Treat yourself to a spiritual warrior facial or deep-tissue massage, both of which will be gifts to the body that you ask so much of on a daily basis. Outside the spa, there is a tranquil outdoor pool that looks over the hill country, with a hot tub nearby. The quiet setting adds to the relaxing ambience of the spa experience.
The Stanley in Austin
It’s sometimes hard to mix history and comfort when it comes to home rentals and travel destinations.
Taking up a large corner lot in the heart of Austin, Lodgewell’s The Stanley is a historic home between South Congress and South First Street. This uberinteresting home also features a one-room cottage in the backyard, a great courtyard for dining and chilling and an above-ground pool.
Take a trip back in time and get transported to Tuscany with this lavish 1894 home that sleeps 12. The original stone walls and beautiful woodwork throughout the 3600-square-foot property will make your stay one of unique charm and comfort.
The main bedroom has a French-inspired design, with a stately chandelier, bookshelves abounding and intricately designed doors. On the main floor, you’ll find a full kitchen and dining area. One floor below, guests will enjoy a cave-like room with a double bed, a full bath and a living area. Above the main floor is an open loft bunk room, offering four single beds and one king-size bed, also with a full bathroom.
If the design and style of this historic four bed, four bath home isn’t enough to entice you to book your stay, the house cocktail, The Texas Tea, is sure to bring you home. At The Stanley, you’ll feel like you’ve traveled all over the world (without leaving Austin) and still have that Texas charm.
Camp Comfort
Camp Comfort, named in the April 2021 issue of Southern Living Magazine as one of the South’s best places to visit, is one of only two listed from Texas. I was immediately impressed with this property, tucked into a beautiful spot along Cypress Creek in the quiet small town of Comfort, a place that just sounds like somewhere you’d like to cuddle up.
A stylish take on a camping experience, Camp Comfort has so many aspects of Texas coolness that other places and states would love to emulate. Originally an athletic camp, Camp Comfort pays homage to the heyday of camp sports. (You can view black-and white images of the good ’ol days in their Social Hall.) When you walk onto the property, you think “rustic,” seeing the vintage van mascot sitting in front. There are wooden structures throughout, from the aforementioned Social Hall, to the bandstand stage overlooking the
large courtyard and the refurbished two-lane bowling alley, dating to 1910, that’s been converted to four Alley Suites.
These lined-up Alley Suites boast a shabby-chic interior featuring chandeliers made from wire and glass bottles and other fun and funky furnishings, a large “motel type” room with sitting area and plenty of space for relaxing. They offer a super unique Texan aura with the old Texas ghost town exterior and rooms filled with colorful modern furniture and luxuries like air-jet tubs that put the “comfort” in Camp Comfort.
Nearby, you’ll find five cabins offering beds of all sizes. Cabin six has a loft with two twins, cabin five has two queens and there are three Bunkie cabins with a queen and two bunks. For an even more unique experience, there’s the Airstream Bambi with a full bed. Fire pits pepper the courtyard, giving Camp Comfort its namesake.
If you’ve got a group of 10, the three-structure compound on the backside of Camp Comfort is absolutely ideal, giving you some thrill with your chill. Surrounded by a fence, there’s a house (531 Water St.) with three bedrooms (a king and two queens), a full kitchen with living room and one bathroom. In the backyard, there is a small cabin with a set of bunk beds and one small bathroom. The third structure is the Gypsy Rose Airstream with two twins. All three are fantastically accommodated with comfortable bedding (high thread-count sheets) and surround a large fire pit and a small concrete below-ground pool (for the Texas summer months). This courtyard overlooks the beautiful banks of Cypress Creek.
Marika Flatt, named Outstanding Austin Communicator 2021, is the travel editor of Texas Lifestyle Magazine. She can be seen on TV shows across Texas offering travel tips, in addition to her long-running “Weekend Trip Tip” on NPR’s Texas Standard.
