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- Lizzy Zima
Sports & fitness have always been a big part of my life, I grew up playing softball and volleyball and working out at the gym with my Dad, who is a baseball coach. I loved the high I felt when listening to my music; I loved getting stronger, the sensation of feeling fully IN my body, being ‘in the zone’, I loved the connection and camaraderie that I had with the girls on my sports teams, and I loved how being the captain of my teams called me into my leadership, early on in life.
I grew up in a small town in Connecticut, in a mainstream family, where fitting in was strongly encouraged. I learned early on how to be popular, well liked, to mold myself to please others. Everyone around me was taking the predetermined path of high school, college, marriage, kids, and when I looked around at people I noticed that they didn’t seem authentic, or happy.
When I was in college, I was blessed with the opportunity to backpack Europe, which opened me in profound ways to what’s possible. I met people of all walks of life, choosing unique paths that felt authentic to them, and I was so inspired and excited to discover my own authentic path. I kept traveling because I loved the thrill of experiencing different cultures and ways of being, and I didn’t see myself getting a corporate job and following the predetermined route my peers were. By age 23 I had traveled, on a shoestring, to over 10 different countries including Paraguay, where I lived and volunteered.
It wasn’t until I moved to San Francisco when I was 25 and starting working for an organic restaurant and school for transformation called ‘Cafe Gratitude’, that I really learned what it meant to eat healthy. And how proper nutrition can prevent and even cure illnesses, and support the soul in it’s awakening process. I also learned that I could create connection without the use of drugs and alcohol, and how to forgive the people in my life that I was resentful with and take responsibility for creating my future. I was so thrilled to finally find myself surrounded by like minded people. I craved this sort of conscious community and real relationships to share deeply in the process of transformation with.
While living in San Francisco, I gave up the gym scene and started doing yoga regularly. I completed a yoga teacher training, I even lived at an ashram, studied sanskrit, and woke up early to meditate. I was exploring spirituality and engaging in my first deeply transformative conscious relationship… and during this time of trying new things on, I let some authentic pieces of myself fall away.. or rather, I suppressed them. Within this new ‘conscious’ culture, I knew what to wear, say, eat, and do.. and I did a great job of fitting in. Even though I was in this new ‘counter culture’, I was still playing out my old inherited pattern of people pleasing my way into popularity and ‘love’, but this just held me back from experiencing the deep intimacy and freedom that I truly craved.
I spent the rest of my twenties searching for the truth of who I am, through sweat lodges, solo vision quests, ayahuasca ceremonies, yoga, workshops, retreats, and travel… but nothing brought me closer to loving myself than living in a small hut/earthen hobbit house by myself and giving up all virtual as well as in-person flirtations with men. Gathering my fire wood and stoking my own internal fires, it became ever more clear who is the source of my supply, I AM! I no longer had to look outside of myself for the love I was seeking. It was after my time there, letting myself get rounder, digging my hands in the earth, re-wilding myself, and deepening in self love, that my husband, JahSun, literally showed up on my doorstep. We’ve been journeying through life together ever since.
Within the first week of our meeting, we had visions of birthing a child together and 1 1/2 years later, our daughter Sophia Maitreya Sol was born at home in Asheville, after 24 hours of labor, and 8 hours of pushing.. definitely the most athletic experience of my life. I ended up having to go in for an emergency hysterectomy immediately following the birth and had to heal from not only the pregnancy and birth but also the surgery, which required a 4 inch long vertical cut, just below the navel. This is how I came to really be invested in rebuilding the core from the inside out, which is the basis for the fitness work I know teach. It’s a great example of how our trials and wounds in life turn into our gifts and medicine that we share with the world, if we are willing to own them, and let go of victimization.
Relationship and parenting have been my most challenging, transformative, and fulfilling experiences yet. Becoming a mother has taught me to let go of perfectionism, as perfect parenting is literally impossible. The foundation of love and commitment that I feel in my family has healed my inner child, and allowed me to step more fully into my authentic, imperfect, uninhibited self. Every day I am met with opportunities to see myself more clearly, cultivate compassion and patience for myself and others, speak up for my needs, trust the unfolding of this journey, and awaken to love. It’s the transformative experience of a lifetime, and I’m so grateful for it, even though it challenges me.
The medicine that I bring to life, at it’s most fundamental frequency is to gather people in meaningful ways to create connection and transformation. I allow my human-ness and vulnerability to shine through and I invite others to meet me in this vulnerability, where we remember that we are all different aspects of the One, and that we are not alone in what we are experiencing. The form of the circle is sacred, and when we sit together in circle, as equals, and speak from the heart, we heal on a deep level. We are hard-wired for love and belonging and we thrive when love and belonging are present in our lives. This knowing and longing has birthed my big dream and goal, to create a conscious civilization, equipped with permaculture farms, holistic education and healthcare centers, renewable energy systems, conscious birthing and dying temples, and community gathering spaces. A village to raise the next generation of humans with love, belonging, and mindfulness, and to act as a blueprint model which inspires the world.
For me, fitness is about doing what’s most joyful to me, feeling great in my body, and quieting my mind, so that I can be present & enjoy life fully. I believe that thriving is our birth rite as humans, and it is my absolute joy to support others in cultivating a life of ease, grace, strength, flexibility, purpose, and JOY through their physical body, their mindset, their connection to their own soul, and to other human beings. Ultimately, I believe that we are here to learn our life lessons and to give and receive love, and when we are physically strong, flexible, and healthy in our bodies, we can live our purpose more fully!
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