North Vancouver's Kara Schwandt took a leap of faith.
After a decade of working in the film industry she came to realize it wasn't her calling.
"There was something different I needed to be doing and so I started trying new things," the 38-year-old says, reflecting on her thencareer, mainly entailing office work and buying within a set decorating department.
This journey eventually landed Schwandt in a 10-day silent vipassana meditation retreat in Merritt.
"There's no eye contact, you don't read anything, you don't have a journal. It's just really about you going inside and understanding yourself. It was amazing. You run the gamut of emotions that's for sure, but you realize it's all within you. You do really create your own destiny. So all the chaos, I created, and also I could create all the peace. It was really informative," she says.
Over the course of each day Schwandt was tasked with sitting crosslegged for a total of 10 hours, broken into hour-long intervals.
"Obviously your mind attaches to your body and to pain. When you're trying to sit still for that long at a time, it gets very difficult," she says.
She chose to attend a second retreat of this nature and during that round came up with a life-changing idea. On day two, she made use of a piece of fabric that she happened to have with her, wrapping it snugly around her back and over her knees. The wrap provided instant relief and comfort, and her physical pain was gone.
After the retreat, Schwandt searched high and low for an official yoga and meditation prop of this kind but came up empty-handed. With that, her new career focus emerged and she started researching and working towards creating her own product and in November 2014, she launched the Lotus Wrap through her own company, Earth to Ethers. The kundalini and restorative yoga instructor is excited to be showcasing her products as one of 250 exhibitors at next weekend's The Wellness Show, being held Feb. 12-14 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Described as the West Coast's largest trade show devoted to helping community members live a more balanced, holistic and healthy life, the event has been produced by North Vancouver-based New Rave Productions for the last 24 years. This year's theme is Healthy Families and the show is featuring a number of related stage workshops and hands-on fun for family members of all ages.
This marks Schwandt's Wellness Show debut and she's looking forward to introducing those in attendance to the Lotus Wrap, a yoga and meditation support accessory, intended to help users, "surrender, and relax and go deeper."
"They cocoon the body, basically," she says.
Schwandt's favourite and most common reaction from first-time users is, "'I love, love, love it,'" she says.
Another typical reaction is more auditory in nature.
"When I put them on people, I wait for this 'ahh.' It's not really a statement that you get, it's a sound that comes out. They go, 'oh,' or 'ah.' You know you've hit the sweet spot. It's just comforting, it's caring and it's that support that we can offer ourselves," she says.
Individuals with injuries have also expressed having found using Lotus Wraps helpful in yoga therapy, aiding their body in gently regaining range of motion.
Lotus Wraps are manufactured in Vancouver from natural and organic fabrics, and their packaging is made from recycled and compostable materials. They're available via the Earth to Ethers website, as well as at Deep Cove's Maa Yoga.
At next weekend's The Wellness Show, Schwandt is set to take the Fitness Demo Stage at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13, and at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14. Both onstage and at her booth, Schwandt will be joined by fellow exhibitor Cheryl Uphill, a yoga therapist, teacher and owner of Uphill All the Way Yoga.
"She can speak on how it's working for the body, particularly with your anatomy. . . and what it's doing for you beneficially there, whereas I speak into how it feels," says Schwandt.
To further introduce community members to the Lotus Wrap, the duo is presenting two upcoming workshops, Begin Within: Yin and Restorative Workshop featuring the Lotus Wrap, Feb. 28 at North Vancouver's The Yoga Root, and March 13 at Burnaby's Art Space. Cost: $35, visit earthtoethers.com.
The 24th annual Wellness Show, Feb 12-14 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Tickets and info: thewellnessshow.com.
