Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Arnold.
Hi Danielle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! My name is Danielle Arnold and I’m the owner of notice wellness in Nisswa, MN, a wellness space that focuses on WHOLE body healing. My pursuit is unique in that it prioritizes mental health and physical health equally under one roof; understanding the vital importance of caring for the mind, body and spirit. notice wellness includes a yoga studio, as well as an office for my private practice where I meet with individual youth and adults.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and I specialize in embodied counseling, which uses body practices intertwined with traditional talk therapy, weaving in research-backed therapeutic yoga techniques such as breathwork, movement, and mindfulness. This approach works to regulate and balance the nervous system, process emotions while moving energy in the body, and address symptoms from the inside out; using embodiment to bring awareness to the various levels of the self. Our organization is offering a different approach to healing and wellbeing; using strategies that East Asian cultures have known for 1000s of years, which is that living a life of purpose is both a physical and mental process.
I am also a Certified Yoga Teacher with a niche in guiding therapeutic and trauma-informed yoga. At notice wellness we have exceptionally trained teachers that lead Spring Forest QiGong guided meditation, heated vinyasa and bikyasa classes, and various other specialty offerings. I also teach weekly at my daughter’s preschool, Ashdown Forest School. There I get the amazing opportunity to guide roughly 14 preschoolers in yoga in the outdoors, rain or shine, or snow! It is pure joy and an adventure that I love! In addition, I teach trauma informed yoga at camp Ripley, a military and civilian training facility operated by the Minnesota National Guard.
Furthermore, for the past year I’ve been partnering with my friend, a holistic health coach and local entrepreneur with her own juicing company, Just Juice, to form ELEVATE yoga + Juicing. Together we’ve brought people together to enjoy yoga all around the Brainerd Lakes Area. Through this adventure I’ve taught 34+ people yoga at 5:45 am on the top of Mount Ski Gull as the sun was rising, guided numerous individuals lakeside as the waves were rhythmic and the sun warmed us all, and we’ve even gone to people’s family reunions, wedding events and special gatherings to provide a personalized yoga class and freshly made organic juice. We also host kids’ yoga and juicing events that help to introduce all ages of kids to the benefits of yoga and fruits and vegetables.
About 12 years ago, I was working in a day treatment center in Colorado with kids with severe emotional and behavioral challenges. The work was challenging and my nervous system was in constant flight or fright. In looking for a way to help manage my stress I tried yoga, and in yoga I found a place to build and foster internal calm, increase physical and mental strength, and I was intrigued by this beautiful, ancient philosophy of living life. Most importantly, I found it helped me regulate my emotions, feel steady, and expel anxious energy that I was harboring from my day.
I dove head first into practicing and learning as much as I could about yoga, diving into yoga philosophy, taking multiple styles of yoga classes, and seeking to practice under numerous yoga teachers. I’m so grateful that I found yoga, or more so, that it found me. After moving to San Francisco, I was attending graduate school for counseling psychology, working in both public and private schools, and interning. I was met with uncertainty and financial struggle, and that’s when I’d turn to yoga the most. I worked in inner-city schools where I started leading mindfulness interventions for at-risk youth and teaching yoga clubs at lunchtime. I continuously witnessed the connection between mental health and yoga, utilizing breathwork (pranayama) for emotional regulation, yoga poses (asanas) for assisting with anxiety and trauma responses, and the benefits of integrating yoga philosophy while counseling individuals. I furthered my understanding of what it is to live yoga, gaining profoundly more admiration for the ancient practice. Later on while living in Boise, ID, yoga helped me through my postpartum journey. The connections I made with others at the yoga studio and the way yoga supported my overall well-being encouraged me to want to get certified so that I could give the gift of yoga to others. And that’s just what I did! In addition, my vision for connecting my therapeutic background with yoga to support others in healing continued to sharpen. Next I found a training program specific for mental health clinicians to integrate therapeutic yoga with clients and teach trauma-informed yoga. This training on using yoga for emotional health and healing provided confirmation that I wanted to do things differently than just traditional talk therapy. During this course I was learning about the practice of embodiment; “an embodiment practice is a method of using the unique sensations of our body as a tool to develop awareness, stay present, self-regulate, feel whole, find balance, feel connected, know yourself, love yourself, and feel empowered.”- Somatic Movement Project. This perspective utilizes yoga sadhanas (practices) to improve mental health symptoms. I started to reflect on my personal yoga journey from living and practicing all around the country; remembering my experiences and the impact each teacher and environment had on my outlook. I applied all of these chapters of my yoga and therapist voyage and for about the next year or so I began looking for a space to create this forward-thinking idea of hosting mental health and yoga together. I love the quote from Rumi, “what you seek is seeking you,” because things started to come to me. I found a physical space for my business and got right to work painting the walls and ceilings and transforming the space. I put my whole heart into creating a space that promotes holistic well-being, one that is also aware of systemic barriers, that welcomes all and truly encourages everyone to be their true authentic self, that ignites a practice of self-love, and that assists others to pause and take a deep breath.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The pandemic was a challenge, as it was for the rest of the world. I had just started a new job as a therapist for adolescents and was excited to finally be teaching yoga at a studio that I greatly respected, and then everything changed. Similar to most people I know, my goals then were abruptly halted. Fast forward and I’m now a mom of two adventurous little children. Balancing parental duties with owning and building a business is often a challenge, as are the changes in our family system now that I am gone many evenings and weekends. Trying to build a business and be a superhero mom at the same time is a give and take that I will continue to work on, but I’m certain that I, we, can do hard things! (Thank you for this reminder Glennon Doyle.) I have many supportive, helpful, kind, inspiring, and encouraging people in my life and whenever things feel impossible, they are there to lift me up. Thank you to my husband, parents, friends, and siblings who have helped with childcare, been emotionally supportive, provided painting supplies, did drilling and labor projects for me, and everything else! Thank you. This is a heart-centric business so I know it will go far.
As you know, we’re big fans of notice wellness. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At notice we’ve created a community that brings to light the special capabilities that yoga and embodied counseling awaken. Our mission is to provide an inclusive environment that allows for healing to take place on a variety of levels. We stand for equity and allyship, and we acknowledge systemic barriers. We are changing the way we care for ourselves, and we want you to feel strongly rooted today and every day so that you feel balanced and empowered.
I’m most proud of my ability to be able to support others in the healing process by doing something that I believe in wholeheartedly and am extremely passionate about. Being able to offer a service to others that benefits them, while staying authentic to what it is that I care about and lean on is an exceptionally gratifying experience.
It’s essential that we work from a perspective of understanding and compassion here at notice wellness. We offer a sliding scale fee for counseling services, as well as donation-based yoga classes to ensure that finances are not a barrier to accessing wellness. Everyone deserves to be well and living the life that they envision. We understand that wellness looks different for everyone and we strive to embrace and offer a variety of ways to be well. From upcoming community cooking classes and shared meals, to yoga classes with an all Taylor Swift playlist singing our hearts out and dancing on yoga mats, to sound bath healing workshops, to hot tea and conversation, notice wellness is a place to feel well.
We welcome everyone into our space. We are LGBTQIA+ affirmative and believe BLM. This is a place of peace and we care for not only ourselves but for others. We encourage living yoga both on and off the mat.
Danielle Arnold, MA, LPC, RYT200
she/her
Licensed Professional Counselor
M.A. Counseling Psychology, University of San Francisco
B.A. Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara
RYT 200 Boise Om School/Sup Yoga Certified
Soulful Yoga Therapy Certification: Yoga for Emotional Health and Healing; using embodied work to address anxiety, depression, and trauma
YogaRenew Yin Yoga Certified
Yoga International Certification Kids Yoga
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Reach out to people who excite you and who you can be your authentic self around. A simple google search of your area can lead you to find people who inspire you, who bring you joy, and who challenge you in ways that will help you grow. Seek out people who motivate you and then be around them as much as possible!
Pricing:
- Drop in yoga class is $15
- 5 Yoga Class Pass is $70
- 10 Yoga Class Pass is $130
- Unlimited Monthly Yoga $99
- Embodied Counseling $80-$150/Session (sliding fee scale available)
Contact Info:
- Website: noticewellness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noticewellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noticewellness/
Image Credits
Savanna Smith
Wanderhaven Creative
