08/10/2026
What I learned about how we care for ourselves.
This weekend, I volunteered at the National Hmong Nurses Association Conference, offering 10-minute Thai Yoga Bodywork sessions and asking a simple question:
➡️ Who cares for you?
I gave and collected 40 responses, and what I learned was both revealing and familiar.
When our nurses feel stressed, many said they push through it.
When it comes to caring for their bodies, they seek bodywork or massage only a few times a year, often when pain or physical tension has already arrived.
Most shared that they primarily care for themselves.
And when I asked what makes receiving care difficult, they said:
⏰ Time.
But underneath all of this, when I asked what they were really seeking from bodywork, the answer was simple:
Release.
Release the tension.
Release the stress.
Release what the body has been holding.
It made me think about how often we wait until our bodies are asking loudly before we give them permission to receive.
As caregivers we are so accustomed to giving care that receiving it can feel unfamiliar or even like a luxury.
But perhaps care doesn’t have to begin when we’re already in pain.
Maybe care can be preventative.
Maybe it can be 10 minutes.
Maybe receiving doesn’t have to mean we are failing to be strong.
Maybe receiving care is part of how we keep caring for others. 💞
This experience reminded me why I believe in creating culturally responsive spaces where our bodies can soften, breathe, and receive.
And why I’m continuing to ask:
➡️ Who cares for you? And what would it look like to let yourself receive? 💚
SoulYaYoga Bodywork CommunityCare
