Today I write on behalf of myself, my family, my livelihood, my community, my industry of wellness & mental health.
As I write in my heart & mind, I think of any business offering Wellness and Movement Education in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.
Over the past 22 months, the health and wellness industry has been so unfairly targeted and labeled during the pandemic. So have other industries…but in this moment…I speak to our right to access physical, emotional, and mental wellness.
I have proudly and tirelessly owned & operated 3 studios. I currently very proudly own 1 remaining studio. All focused on this – Wellness Education.
My business has taken the utmost due diligence now and always. These past 22 months, I have obliged with everything that has been imposed on us. Every mandate, every little change upon change. I researched…I worked hard…I worked at it simply because I wanted to keep operating. You’ve imposed things on us businesses, and we’ve worked to try and do whatever to try and stop the spread.
I have not had a single case of contact or spread linked to my business. Often going way over what is asked of me to offer safety and health to my clients, patrons, guests and visitors.
If you have ever come to an offering of mine…no matter where or when it was, I believe you might have felt from me, that my intention is always to offer a safe space for wellness, growth and becoming better humans.
These past 2 years, I have worked outside, I have shut down, I have PIVOTED, I have reduced class sizes in a way that makes me want to vomit. I have performed contact tracing … I have imposed vaccine mandates, and have been criticized and ridiculed for it in a way that I have carried well… but FUCK; it has effected me so deeply.
I have taken precautions and acted with such due diligence to try and stop the spread.
Doing all of this yet we continue to be told to shut down. So many in the wellness industry, cannot ever reopen doors now. Now… at a time when the highest commodity is actually our mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Well played those of you calling the shots…well played. I refuse to stop working for wellness..even when I modify. But holy moly hell, you’re making this a nightmare-ish hellhole.
We are told over and over and over…. 2 meters apart… no now 3 meters apart… lockdown, close, open, lockdown again.
Do I have a financial stability from my work. Not one bit. No I do not. What about my mental, emotional, and physical well-being?! What about those I collaborate with, my amazing suppliers whom I choose to support. What about those I am honoured to serve everyday….their mental, emotional and physical health?
Our Government, our “guides”, our “leaders” … just keep showing us that there is no paramount importance on the mental, emotional, and physical health & wellness of our community members. I’m so sorry…if we don’t have that…what do we have exactly?
Yeah, I thought so…Nothing!
I am a woman, I am a mother who runs business in this industry, I am not even going to TRY and list the modifications I have made to even make an attempt at working in this industry while raising children. I feel like a failure every day to those around me and to those I serve in my work. Yet I opened another studio in the Fall of 2021, because I know how important Mental, Emotional, and Physical Wellness is. I won’t ever stop fighting.
I don’t want funding or some program of “relief”… I just want to be able to open and work in the way that wellness is needed so it can WORK for others. Enough is enough.
I want to support the community around me again…support the community in THE WAY IT DESERVES to BE supported in health and wellness.
We all have a highly unique, highly personal, and very individual prescription for wellness.
I dearly miss being able to be even a small…but albeit very potent ingredient in that prescription.
We NEED to be a healthier Canada….a Canada that puts Mental, Emotional and Physical health & wellness at the forefront of Healthcare!
Let’s re-open our doors, and keep them open for good.
Spiritual Alchemy County Fields and Forest
From my heart to yours,
in peace & wellness,
Lisa Marie Taylor