Set 3 - Rep 7 with Marcie Evans

Written By Metric Mate

Episode Summary

Marcie Evans is all things health and fitness!

She has been promoting a healthy lifestyle since 1998. She works with clients mostly in one-on-one sessions, creating a yoga therapy routine that fits their specific needs. This is a combined work in self-discovery and self-journey making it a holistic practice for clients.

She specializes as a yogi in autoimmune treatment through her practice. She also gives advice to people that want to start a yoga practice or already have one! 

Marcie truly knows how to transform a valley in life into a purpose. Listen to this episode and pick up all the gems she has dropped for us! 

The Metric Mate Podcast_Set 3 - Rep 7_Marcie Evans: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

The Metric Mate Podcast_Set 3 - Rep 7_Marcie Evans: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

M-T:
What's going on, everybody! This is your boy Brother M-T, and we're here with another Metric Mate Minute Podcast. On the Metric Mate Minute Podcast, we cover leaders from all over the world telling you about how they do what they do, why they do what they do and how staying fit keeps them in their best mindset. Let's go!

M-T:
What's going on, everybody? Man, this is your boy Brother M-T. And we're here with another Metric Mate Podcast. And every week we bring somebody new. Every week we bring somebody with an outstanding story. But, you know, as I always say, and this might be the only thing that I gloat on, I bring some of the best people on this podcast. They have some of the greatest energy. They have some of the greatest stories that definitely dropping jewels all over the place. They are the best people to tell you all about them because they know exactly what they're doing and they have the passion and the energy to be able to convey it to you the way that I want to convey. So, Marcie, thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for taking the time with be with us this week. It is absolutely amazing to have you here because you could literally be anywhere else. And as we just talked about, you have so many clients coming that you could be doing a lot of other things, but you're spending the time with us. So thank you from Metric Mate. Thank you from the community. Please tell the people a little bit more about yourself and what you're doing and what all you're involved in and why you're so amazing.

Marcie Evans:
Absolutely. I don't know if I can match that enthusiasm, though. Oh, my gosh. So I'm Marcie Evans and I actually work in the field of yoga therapy. So I work with clients. A lot of them are in a one-on-one kind of format. We work together to create a practice and empower them to heal themselves from certain conditions, certain special needs that they might have. And we work with all that stuff to get this wonderful practice for them that they can accomplish on their own. So that's my main thing that I do. I am also an exercise physiologist. I have a master's degree. I've worked in the field for twenty-five years. So I've been, you know, I've been around a while and I have a lot of great things to offer. So I love to do chats like this because I think that I can be able to drop those gems and give some interesting information about the field of yoga therapy and other things as well. I also do Pilates therapy. So, yeah, it's just it's been a long, wonderful road for me.

M-T:
I love it. I love it. You have done so much. Oh my God. It's like I do my reading, I do my research, we have talked about, OK, I kind of understand it, but it's like, oh wow, you're involved. You're in there. So yoga, a lot of people see yoga as a Zen space where you can kinda om and put it back together. But you're using yoga to help people remedy some of the ailments that they have in their lives. Talk a little bit more about that and how that might differ from what everybody sees yoga has on the TV sitting on mats with one leg up looking like a flamingo.

Marcie Evans:
It's a wonderful question and I get this question a lot. So you go into a yoga studio, right, or a gym and you have a group class with, I don't know, ten to twenty people in it usually. And it's going to be a very different situation, a very different setting than going to see a yoga therapist. So when you walk into a yoga class, a group setting, you have yoga teacher at the front of the room and they may be going around doing physical adjustments, that kind of thing, but they don't necessarily get a lot of experience talking to you about what kind of needs you might have, what kind of injuries you may have, what kind of diseases or issues you might have going on in your life that may need to be addressed. And when you see yoga therapists, we actually sit down and we talk one on one for, I don't know, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to get an idea of what the needs are of the individual that we're working with. And then from there, we take that intake form and we figure out what yoga techniques, what breath techniques, what meditation techniques can we use to help that individual through the things that they're dealing with. So it's a very different situation. And if you did a group class with a yoga therapist, typically all of the people in the class would have similar issues. They might not be exactly the same, but it might be, say, a yoga for breast cancer survivors or it might be a yoga class for people with heart disease. Or I mean, it would be a very, very specific group that you're working with as a yoga therapist. So that's a little bit more about kind of the difference between going into a yoga class versus going to a healing practitioner like myself. It's a very different.

M-T:
Got it. Got it. So community, I hope you all learn something there. I definitely learned something there and I feel like I got a little bit of yogi in my blood, too. So I feel like I said no. But now I'm expanded into something else and I'm truly intrigued. So in yoga therapy, you're dialing into who that person is and then prescribing certain breathing techniques as you have, certain meditation, certain poses, and movements to help them grow and move forward and be better.

Marcie Evans:
Absolutely, yeah.

M-T:
You talked a little bit about heart disease and all this, but what all is there yoga therapy to remedy? To mitigate?

Marcie Evans:
Well, every pose, every posture, every breath technique in yoga has a specific purpose, right, some postures, some breath techniques up-regulate the central nervous system and some down-regulate the central nervous system. And certain issues that we have that we're dealing with might need up-regulation versus down-regulation. So that's just one little aspect. I mean, there's so much more.

M-T:
Right. right.

Marcie Evans:
But, you know, you could look at postures for low back pain, right? There are very specific postures we might give somebody if they had like a muscular lower back pain. Now, that might look very different from someone who say has a lower back disc injury, right, that they might be very different practices. And it would depend on too how the person moves. If it, if something hurts when they're practicing it, we would change it and alter it a little bit. So it is really kind of a, it's a cooperative situation. Right. Uou're working with the client. You're asking them how does this feel? And then they're coming back to you and they're giving you feedback and saying, well, this feels good or this doesn't feel good or this is uncomfortable. And then you tweak the practice depending on what kind of feedback they're giving to you. So it is, it is very therapy-oriented in that way. I mean, I love what I do, like I can't imagine doing anything else because I feel like this is where I'm needed, there aren't a lot of people who do what I do. And fortunately, I've been meeting a lot of people recently on clubhouse and we've been chatting a lot about what we do because we all have different areas where we focus our energy. So one yoga therapist might be very focused on, say, cardiac rehab, whereas another yoga therapist might be focused on autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is one of my specialties. So I really do a lot of work with people, with the autoimmune issues. That's one of my main things that I focus on.

M-T:
Wow. Wow, that is amazing. That is amazing. So bringing people Zen and relief at the same time.

Marcie Evans:
Absolutely.

M-T:
I'm all about it. I'm all about it. So what made you actually build this practice and in the realm that you're in and how has that been during the pandemic? I mean, there's been a lot of people shutting down and shuttering in general. How, what made you get into this line and what helped you navigate these waters and provide therapy to the world?

Marcie Evans:
Absolutely. I have this really long and somewhat interesting story. I don't want to bore you with all the details, but what brought me into practicing yoga was what I focus on now as the biggest part of my practice of my yoga therapy practice. So I was diagnosed with Graves Disease back in my twenties. And what brought me to yoga was this feeling of anxiety that I had. And a lot of it was due to the Graves disease. But I think I always had a propensity for anxiety anyway. So anxiety and then actually coming down with a disease that even caused more anxiety was what brought me to this place. So that I mean, that's what initially brought me into yoga and then the continuation of the practice and just learning from a practitioner's standpoint, practicing yoga helped me, it relieved a lot of my symptoms. I'm not going to say it's the only thing that put me into remission, but it actually did end up helping put me into remission for Graves Disease. So I had experience from that point of view and then getting trained and then and learning all about yoga over like a 15 year period, just learning to understand about all the aspects of yoga, all the different facets, because it is an ... practice. So there are multiple facets to the world of yoga. So that's what brought me into it. And the reason I keep doing it is because it keeps me healthy. It keeps me in this place where I can continue to give to other people, right. If I didn't have my yoga, that's what fills my cup back up. So if I don't have my yoga, then I can't give it to other people. So that's the best part of it is that that's why I keep doing it. That's why I keep coming back to yoga. That's why I want to share it with other people because it's so amazing and it does so much for me. And I see it work for them too. Now how things change during the pandemic. This is very interesting. So I was never a real fan of online practice. I just thought to myself, you know, I can do everything I need to do in my little realm here, right, I have this great practice. It's thriving, it's surviving, it's doing a wonderful job. And then, bam, covid hit and everything changed. Everything's different. And it probably will be different for quite some time. But what I learned from that experience is that I needed to do a couple of things. One, I needed to niche down because I live in the Midwest and yoga is not as popular in the Midwest as it is in other places. So on the coast, in big cities, it's a big deal. Right. People practice yoga as part of their daily life. It's part of their experience. They get it. Midwest, especially Iowa, not so much. People are kind of starting to get it. It's, it takes time, right. And people like me are out there, cheerleaders were yelling and screaming, hey, you got to do yoga, it's the best thing ever! And people will come toward us. They'll come our direction. But it does take them some time to really come around to it. So with me in that space and learning that, OK, now my clientele is essentially going to be cut in half, I need to learn more about how to expand my reach and learn how to bring more people into yoga, because now I'm not seeing that many people, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, we were on lockdown for like a couple of months here in Iowa. So, you know, things change. So then what I decided to do is niche down a little bit. You know, I started thinking, OK, what can my niche be? You know, my niche has always been Jack of all trades, like, you know, I do pilates, I do yoga, I am a personal trainer. I do it all, you know, just walking within the door I'll figure out how to help you, you know? And I'm like, OK, how do I niche down? Well, I started to think, you know what, I have more experience with healing autoimmune disease than probably most yogis out there, because I've been dealing with it for twenty-five years, over two decades of dealing with autoimmune disease. And I have four of them. So it's one of those things that I keep having to come back to my practice and tweak it and learn with each autoimmune issue how to address it. So that's what I picked. I picked that as my niche and I started to get online more and get on Facebook and start the Facebook groups and go to Instagram. And now I'm on clubhouse and I feel like I'm able to connect with so many more people this way. I mean, for me, this has been it's been an amazing transition and an amazing transformation. I think it's been wonderful. It's exactly the kick that I needed in my butt to get myself going.

M-T:
Wow, wow. That is one heck of a story. And amazing how you transformed what a lot of people would see as a valley in life into literally your purpose. Like is literally your purpose now. I tell you all every week, I tell you about a new community, we drop jewels, like jewels get dropped all over the place. And I picked up so many jewels in that story that you just gave. From you can't fill from an empty cup with my community's heard me say a thousand times as much as you want to put out there if your cup is empty, we turn it over to little drops will come out like that's all I have. So you have to make sure you refill your cup, to being resilient and keep your head on a pivot like a head on a swivel, like you literally saw what was coming, saw the decreases and was like, OK, I know what I need to do. I need to scale back to figure out exactly where I need to be and then I need to hit that hard. And that's exactly what you've done. And you have been going, growing gracefully, as I call it, since then. That is amazing.

Marcie Evans:
Yeah, it's like I said, it's been a transformation. Just as much of a transformation as when I started practicing yoga, because that was a transformation in and of itself. So, yeah, this transformation to doing the online work, which, you know, I didn't find was important before. Now I'm like, that's a huge part of my business. So it's giant and, you know, learning how to work with people when you're farther away from them, that's really valuable as well.

M-T:
One hundred percent. One hundred percent, especially now that it's happened. And now that we've been able to figure out how to move and motivate through these different mediums, it's not going anywhere indefinitely, is not, this is not going to disappear. This is a way of communicating and working and collaborating is not going to disappear ever now, as much as people might have wanted it to. They will finally give into that.

Marcie Evans:
I know.

M-T:
No Zoom meetings, no remote work, it was like, well, you've been forced into it, you figured it out. Now you have a new skill set and it's going to be here. So, yeah, I'm super excited for everything that's coming for you in the future because that in and of itself shows a lot. And like I would say, a community. Jewels, jewels, jewels, rewind it. Relisten to that story, figure out how it applies to you, because that is the prototype. That is the epitome of being able to find the best out of every situation and making sure that you can see down the road and make adjustments to adapt and to be a part of it. So that's awesome. That's awesome.

M-T:
The Metric Mate team has been working tirelessly for years to be able to bring you a platform that allowed you to see your external training data in a whole new way. We're proud to say that we're finally at that place, the Metric Mate Smart being the first device in the Metric Mate line-up is available for pre-orders on our website at TheMetricMate.com. So take your time, go over there. Check out all of the information on our smart apparatus and get in line to be one of the first people in the world to have a Metric Mate Smart that can help them more efficiently and effectively achieve their fitness goal, their life goals. We achieving our goals. We might even may help you achieve professional goals. You could take us in to your boss and it'll be like, man, you must be very smart. We're going to give you a promotion because you use Metric Mate. So go ahead and check us out at TheMetricMate.com Again that's TheMetricMate.com to pre-order your smart app today. And today we also have amazing polo shirts, we got crewnecks, shirts for you to be able to work out in, got hoodies coming, we got face masks so if you just want to support the Metric Mate Movement, as we continue to work, grind to offer the community a beautiful platform that nobody else is able to touch nowadays. Check this out at TheMetricMate.com. Can't wait to see you there.

Marcie Evans:
And I think everybody has a story that they can follow. And if you have, if you figure out what that story is, people will, they will be like, oh, my gosh, I have a similar story as you. And all of a sudden you've made a friend and you've made a connection. And even if they don't jump on the bandwagon right away and give you money because of it, it doesn't matter. You know, you made that connection and that connection is worth a thousand or more dollars, it's worth a million dollars because that connection can turn into ten more. So keep that in mind, too. I think people get frustrated sometimes because they don't feel like Instagram is converting or they don't feel like Facebook groups or they're not getting any reach or whatever. People get frustrated because of that. But you know what? You're out there and you're making connections and those make a difference. They really, really do.

M-T:
A hundred and ten thousand percent. I couldn't have said it better myself. So getting into the yoga field, how do you get started? Did you just go up to a current yogi and say, teach me. Oh, wise master, how does that actually go?

Marcie Evans:
Well, not quite like that. There are certifying bodies, just as with personal training. So how personal training has NASM and ACSM and ACEA ... You know all these different organizations, yoga kind of has a similar process for certification. You don't necessarily have to go through a certification program to call yourself a yoga teacher. However, it is recommended it's easier to get insurance when you're certified, that kind of thing. So we definitely recommend that you get a certification of some kind. So the advice that I would give to someone if they want to become a yoga teacher, start with a two hundred-hour program of some kind. And usually, those begin with a Yoga Alliance. Or if you're more into yoga therapy, say you're a physical therapist or a personal trainer or you have a lot of background in yoga and you don't really want to go through a two hundred-hour program because you've already done it for a long time, then you may find that yoga therapy is a better fit for you. So there are actual yoga therapy programs as well, and those would be through IAYT, the International Association of Yoga Therapists, and that is actually a thousand-hour program. So it's way more extensive than what you get to become a yoga teacher, which is a two hundred-hour program. So it's like comparing apples to oranges. They're completely different and it's a different path. If you go to the yoga therapy route, you'll probably be doing a lot of more clinical-type settings. Right. And if you do the yoga teacher route, you'll probably be doing more gym work and studio, maybe yoga studio work. But sometimes yoga studios, you have to have a lot more experience to teach at a studio. So, yeah, I mean, that's a little bit about it. There's so much more about certification, but I think that's the basic starting place.

M-T:
Indeed, indeed. So. All right. So community, if you want to go and become a yoga therapist, don't ask me. Don't call me. I put it in here for you. I made sure Marci went over it. She's giving you all the goodness about it.

Marcie Evans:
Absolutely.

M-T:
Yes, yes. Yes. So being into yoga therapy, being a yoga therapist, bringing yoga therapy to those that need it, you have to keep and maintain the healthy mind, body and spirit yourself. How has that helped you not only overcome the challenges in your own life but overcome any challenges that might have come building this business, building this franchise, building your, your community of yoga therapy students out there? How has that helped?

Marcie Evans:
Yeah, I think having a regular practice is the most important part of yoga. And if you don't have that consistency, then things will start to fall apart. At least they do for me. I can't speak for everyone else, but it'd be like people who are really into running or people who have to go to the gym every day. You know, it's that same kind of feeling like that is the way you continue to give energy to other people is by refilling your own. And for me, yoga, the breath techniques, the meditation, the everything I've learned, all the tools I've learned I use on a certain day, depending on what I need that day and how I feel. And so it's really, I mean, I get to prescribe my own practices, you know, that's, that's really fun. I not only have to work with other people and prescribe them practices, I get to do my own. So it's basically that I mean, that's how I continue to give people what they need is by continuing to do my own practice. And I think by practicing yourself, you end up learning a lot more and then you can give more to those people as well because you feel it in your own body, you feel the changes that are being made, and then you can let them know, hey, here's what I feel when I do this. How about you? What do you feel? And then you learn from them. And it's, again, it's this feedback that, that you get from the client and how that helps them and how you can change what they're doing according to how they feel. So it's, I mean, yoga has been amazing for me in my life. Every time I feel like, you know, the anxiety comes and I want to curl up in a little ball or say, I want to cry. I have postures, I have breath techniques, I have techniques I know that I can do to help myself with those times when I feel anxiety or feel depression or feel anything basically, I can work through that. And I have the tools. It's like you give people the toolbox, it's up to them to use it. And that's the hardest part about yoga therapy, is that I have the toolbox, right, I'm going to give you my tools. I'm going to give them to you. But it's up to you to use them on a regular basis. And if you don't use them, I'm sorry, I can't guarantee anything.

M-T:
Not much more else I can do. Put it in your hand. No, right.

Marcie Evans:
That's right. You've got to give those tools out and it's up to them to use them.

M-T:
Love it. I couldn't put it any better than that is that is real. So I asked all of my guests this. You had a lot of experience. You've seen a lot of things. You've been through so much. And sure that there are things that have helped you carry on and continue to progress and be amazing. So if you had to pow and bring together your, your knowledge or jewels, your information into one big Buddha belly size diamond that you could drop on the community, something to help them continue to manifest, continue to be amazing, continue to grow. What is that one piece of information you would drop on them?

Marcie Evans:
Absolutely. I am going to speak to people who aren't currently practicing yoga, first. If you are not currently practicing yoga, what I would like you to do is start each day, either start each day or end each day with a five to 15-minute breath practice. And if you start with five minutes and that feels hard, keep doing five minutes, right, if you can get up to 15, 15 is ideal. Fifteen minutes of breathwork per day, especially if you do it in the evening at night, is going to help you sleep through the night so your body can heal itself and it's going to give you more energy. So that's the first thing. So if you aren't currently practicing any form of yoga, start with the breath technique, because the connection to the breath is your connection to the parasympathetic nervous system. And that direct connection to the parasympathetic nervous system controls all of your organ systems in your body. And if that parasympathetic nervous system is not working right, if it's dysfunctional, then your systems, your body's systems aren't going to work. So that's the first piece of advice I have. If you're already a yogi and you're already practicing yoga, just check in and make sure that you're doing the right thing at the right time. So if you're having a really anxious day, hot, sweaty power, yoga is not going to be the best form of yoga for you if you're having a high anxiety day, right? If you're having a depressive day, that gentle, slow, relaxing practice, probably not the best one because you need a little bit more energy, right? So that's how a yoga therapist will look at some of these issues that have them come in and they'll say, how are you feeling today? What's going on in your life? And then we go from there. Right. And then I either give them a practice that's going to lift them up or it's going to calm them down. It depends, right. It depends on what they need. So if you're already practicing yoga, ask yourself, is the practice you're currently doing serving your needs?

M-T:
There you go. It's information for everybody. Every touches us all. So definitely I do my breathing techniques. I make sure I take time to meditate. I can attest to the benefits of just 15 minutes, ten minutes, five minutes of good breathing practices can do so. YouTube has a lot of good guidance. Take it as you can, leave what you can and give it a shot. There's no point in not trying because it's literally what you're doing any way you're breathing. So why don't you just give it some focus and give it some attention for once and see what happens. Marcie, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for bringing your energy, for bringing that positivity, for bringing knowledge to the group, because as yoga proliferates and starts to be seen for its benefits in a wider array because we talked about the Midwest, I definitely get my engineering degree in Missouri. And so I understand there wasn't a yoga mat in sight. But I'm pretty sure at this point and after this, this conversation and as we continue to get back into our normal and people start exploring outside again, yoga will take a foothold and never let it go again because it's a great practice. And I appreciate you coming on. I'm super excited about everything that is coming your way because you're just a good person and you're doing all the right things and spreading that positivity and that yoga therapy to everyone who needs it. So thank you so much.

Marcie Evans:
Thank you. Nice to see you.

M-T:
Without a doubt. And Metric Mate community, as always, you all know that I appreciate all the all could be anywhere else in the world right now doing a myriad of other things but the fact that you spent this time with us here at Metric Mate means so, so much so from the bottom of my heart, again, I make you hear it all the time but thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This has been another Metric Mate Podcast, Definitely check out Metric Mate at TheMetricMate.com. We've got pre-orders for the smart devices online. You want to get them at is pre-order price because they once they start hitting the shelves, you don't want to pay that much, but you would much rather get it for what we're doing, the pre-order price. So come check it out, put your priority in and be ready for the launch of Metric Mate later in 2021. Until next time. This has been your boy Brother M-T. This is another Metric Mate Podcast. Y'all be safe out there. Peace!

M-T:
Man, thanks everybody, for joining us for another Metric Mate Minute. We appreciate everybody that comes through and shows us love in the Metric Mate community. Make sure that you stop over at TheMetricMate.com to find out more information about the podcast, about what we're doing, any of our blog information, the transcript of the show and just to show us massive support. Also, remember to follow us on social media at Metric Mate. Check us out, y'all. Peace!

Sonix is the world’s most advanced automated transcription, translation, and subtitling platform. Fast, accurate, and affordable.

Automatically convert your mp3 files to text (txt file), Microsoft Word (docx file), and SubRip Subtitle (srt file) in minutes.

Sonix has many features that you'd love including advanced search, upload many different filetypes, automated translation, collaboration tools, and easily transcribe your Zoom meetings. Try Sonix for free today.

Get to know Marcie Evans

Marcie has had a lifetime love of fitness and health that has sent her across the United States presenting workshops and teacher training programs. During her experience, she has enjoyed helping students and instructors follow their own personal journeys to transform their bodies and minds.

Marcie has a Bachelor’s Degree specializing in Structure/Function Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Biology from Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, and a Master’s Degree in Health and Sport Studies from the University of Iowa. With 20 years of experience in health promotion and wellness, Marcie has obtained the most valuable certifying credentials in the industry. 

Source: https://www.serenityic.com/serenity-staff/ 

Key Take-aways: 

  • Depending on the breathing technique and posture you can up-regulate or downregulate your nervous system. 

  • Classes with a yoga therapist are very different from a regular gym yoga class. 

  • There are specific routines and postures for every ailment and need. 

  • Everybody is different, therefore they need their own routine.

  • Graves Disease is an immune system disorder in the thyroid.

Resources:

Metric Mate https://themetricmate.com
Previous

Set 3 - Rep 8 with Danita Moses
Next

Set 3 - Rep 6 with John William Conner