hello!
I’m Melissa Hedstrom,
Certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Yoga Therapist.
I believe in lifestyle therapy. I advocate for the healing modalities of real food nutrition and mindful yoga. I support each person individually with the care and guidance they deserve to activate their mind and body’s innate capacity to heal. You have the power to change how you feel and change your life. My goal is to have you take an active role in your health and healing, with me acting as facilitator and guide on your journey to optimal living.
My Background
I am a nutritional therapist, yoga therapist and health educator.
As a health educator, I taught at Western Oregon University for 5 years. When I started my family, I shifted my focus to more individual work and spent 5 years in corporate health and fitness. During this time, my passion for health and fitness led me to become a yoga therapist and CrossFit certified.
Continuing on this path led me to the Nutritional Therapy Association where I earned my Nutritional Therapist Practitioner credential. Soon after, I began a private practice incorporating my skills and passions.
I currently do speaking engagements, see individual clients, teach classes, and contract with medical practices and organizations in Salem.
My Approach
Wellness is not the result of a life well lived, it is a process of adapting to the ebb and flow of daily stress.
Our biology and physiology were designed for a simpler time and have not yet evolved to accommodate the reality of our modern culture. We find ourselves in a rapid-paced complex world that is creating stress on many levels. Without the innate tools to cope, we struggle to get out of bed in the morning, power ourselves through the day, and fall asleep at night. The constant assault on our nervous systems create fatigue, brain fog, body aches, depression, and an overwhelming desire to run away, quit, retire, or just give up. Unfortunately, we cannot change our culture or reverse gears and go back to a simpler time.
Our survival and evolution are founded on the principal of adaptation. This does not mean looking to the past or to others who promise a quick fix or who offer a standardized formula for everyone. We don’t need someone to dictate the terms of our wellness journey, we need a mentor, a guide who will help us re-commit and re-discover the beautiful completeness of our own resources. Someone who will help us navigate the roadblocks to our most precious goal – a full and vibrant life.
The healing journey begins within each of us. Our bodies are an intricate and amazing array of systems, all of which are vital and interwoven. Poor nutrition and a stressed, over-active nervous system result in chronic inflammation, insomnia, bloating, poor digestion, food cravings, weight gain, insomnia, and chronic joint and muscle pain.
Reversing this requires attention to two key factors. First, we must provide our bodies with life-giving nourishment and ensure proper digestion and absorption of these nutrients. Second, we must incorporate the specific functional movements of various yoga techniques to re-balance and calm our nervous systems.
This powerful combination of nutrition and movement, when done with commitment and consistency, can result in profound changes in all body systems. A calm and nourished person is much better prepared to navigate the ongoing stress of modern life.
While I cannot take your journey with you (as we all have our own paths), I would be honored to walk with you and provide any wisdom, guidance, and encouragement you need to find fulfillment and joy.
When you are ready, I am here for you!