Welcome to an insightful conversation with Reshmi Chetram, the founder of Reysh Rituals Inc., a holistic wellness center specializing in reflexology, dance therapy, and cultural healing practices. Reshmi’s journey from a seasoned dance educator to a passionate advocate for holistic well-being is both inspiring and transformative. In this interview, Reshmi shares her personal experiences with chronic pain, postpartum depression, anxiety, and grief, revealing how these challenges shaped her approach to wellness and led to the creation of Reysh Rituals Inc. Join us as we delve into Reshmi’s insights on the importance of cultural practices in healing, her rewarding moments in practice, tips for maintaining work-life balance, and her vision for the future of holistic wellness and self-care.
Can you share with us a bit more about your personal journey and how it led you to create Reysh Rituals Inc.?
My name is Reshmi Chetram, founder of Reysh Rituals Inc, I am a Reflexology practitioner, licensed with the Reflexology Association of Canada, Indian classical dance educator, Reiki Therapist And mother of two. With 18+ years of experience teaching dance and performing professionally, I have witnessed the positive impact movement has had on the lives of my students and clients. In my personal life, from my late twenties – early 30’s whilst touring, coaching and building my dance companies, I suffered from undiagnosed chronic pain, two seasons of postpartum depression and anxiety and grief after being one of the primary caregivers for my mother who lived with Alzheimer’s for 7 years until her passing. It was as if everything I knew, was crumbling. This period served as a turning point in my life and work.
My research into my own health led me to a deeper connection to my body, cultural practices and the importance of maintaining a state of well-being and balance through restorative practices and natural health treatments.
After sharing my story and journey, I experienced a level connection with my community that I had not yet felt -they felt seen and understood and many of them sharing similar experiences that usually go under the radar because we are always so focused on sharing our success stories, our new jobs and wins.
It was in these heart-led, candid conversations and connections that I realized that the same space I was looking for while I healed, took solitude & educated myself to restore my mind, body and spirit – others in my community crave and needed it as well, more than they needed a dance class.
It was a very clear call to me and a natural transition to the next stage of my career. Reysh Rituals Inc. was born to hold personal space for the community to restore their mind, body and spirit, release emotions and energy and connect to themselves deeply through movement, complementary health therapies and solitude.
My passion and research is deeply rooted in human emotion, the nervous system and our body’s ability to restore itself. Looking forward, I am dedicated to creating space for others to come home to themselves through the work I do at Reysh Rituals Inc.
You mentioned experiencing chronic pain, postpartum depression, anxiety, and grief during a crucial period in your life. How did these experiences shape your approach to holistic healing and wellness?
This period in my life was the groundwork for a shift that would completely change who I was, how I functioned and how I existed in this world. It cracked me open and left me bare. I quickly understood that this is a human experience we all face at one point in our life whether it is loss, heartbreak, revelations and/or another avenue. However, growing up we are only taught to strive for the sunshine, to strive for the highest peak and whether said or not said, what that meant was anything else was, not that important. However, what I learned was, it’s all important, every part of us, our emotions, our psyche, our physicality, our energy, our thoughts, our words, our love languages, every crevice of our existence -matters. When we face the sunshine and experience those wins, we clap, when we are experiencing the darkness, the shadows, instead of shunning it, we learn to lean in, learn what is coming up for us, understanding that this is a time to shed, release, understand and evolve. Just like the caterpillar goes into the darkness of the cocoon to rise the beautiful butterfly – so do we. It was this time in my life, that solidified my desire to hold space for my community, during their cocoon, their darkness, the space between who they are and who they are becoming, because as human beings; human connection is necessary and when we are unsure of who we are, having a place that can provide care for all versions of who we are became deeply important to me.
What inspired you to incorporate cultural practices into your therapies, and how do you believe they contribute to overall well-being?
My cultural practices are woven into the work that I do because of the journey that I took. I remember during the early days of my healing journey, lighting agarbati ( incense) reminded me of being home, living with my parents and brother, while my mother did her morning prayers in the hallway reciting her mantra’s. Frontal temporal primary progressive aphasia was her diagnosis at 56 years old, she lost her speech soon after, and we lost her voice in our ears. To me lighting incense clears the energy and the space, and for me as a practitioner, connects me deeply to my roots, my womb, my mother, my great great great grandmothers, as I do this sacred work.
As a founder and practitioner, what have been some of the most rewarding moments for you in your work with Reysh Rituals Inc.?
The best feeling is when my clients tell me that they feel the shift, they feel safe, they feel held and understood. I get to witness, the moment they realise all they need is within, they just needed the space and time to let it come to the surface. It’s a beautiful and deeply rewarding experience to watch clients come in one version of themselves and leave a different one.
How do you balance your roles as a reflexology practitioner, dance educator, cultural philanthropist, and mother? Do you have any tips for maintaining work-life balance?
I don’t try to do it all anymore. I have felt so incredibly liberated not trying to be all versions of myself at once. I think about where I am in my life now, what feels good and I work hard to bring that into reality. Time is fluid, who I was 5 years ago and what I was focused on is different then who I am today and what I am rooted in & I love that. These days some days I am more mom, some I’m more business owner, some days I’m rooted in seva (selfless service). I focus on the feeling I want to have in life and build from there. I also learned that I need everyday to be different, I thrive in change. Love is the root of everything for me, to be honest to get to that place – requires organization & logistics, a lot of it. Sometimes the mental lists are overwhelming but I remind myself that this task affords me a daily lifestyle that I can have. Gratitude is key, it helps to ground me on the days that are overwhelming, because they do happen. Gratitude helps me take a birds eye view at my life at any given moment, and when I step back, amongst the chaos I see that I am living that life I journalled and prayed about in the pit of my dark days. Life is chaos, life is beautiful, life is moving parts this time will go, I want to be present for this version of it & the next.
What role do you see Reysh Rituals Inc. playing in the future of holistic wellness, particularly in relation to mental health and self-care?
The work at Reysh Rituals is integrative, our pillars are rooted in providing care for your physical, mental, spiritual & energetic bodies; in the future the community will know that if they are unsure of what their next step is that they can come to RR to receive care that is all encompassing and nourishes their mind, their body & their spirit because wellness & health are not just limited to the care provided to the physical body and internal systems, but a blend of care that tends to our emotions, releasing experiences, clearing our energy and connecting deeply to our subconscious.
Finally, what message or words of encouragement would you like to share with our audience, especially those who may be struggling with their own well-being journeys?
This version of you is needed, is loved and has a purpose – give your mind, body & spirit grace as you navigate to the next version of yourself, because from darkness comes light and after the sun sets, it must rise again and you will too.
