WILSON'S FITNESS CENTERS |

2026 Sprint Festival—Four Weeks of Powerful Swimming

admin — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 19:08:19 +0000

“I’ve never done a swim meet!” exclaimed Toni Cusack as she jumped in for the 50 backstroke event.

Kathryn Fishman-Weaver “Coach Kat” assured her that she was ready as several swimmers on deck cheered in agreement. A few moments later, Toni and five swimmers from our USMS practice group exploded from the wall, each demonstrating the skills they honed through our June Sprint Festival.

While the sprint series included intentional speed work, it also challenged swimmers to think broadly about what creates great sprinting. Together, we discovered that great swims are powered not only by strength and speed, but also by courage, grace, resilience, and heart.

Celebrating Personal Growth

Coach Kat says she first got the idea for the series from the June USMS Virtual Fitness 50 free challenge. “Plus,” she adds, “it is a great opportunity to celebrate the return of the 50-meter events to the upcoming 2028 Olympics.” As always, her practices were about more than intervals and technique. Social kick discussions invited swimmers to share stories of resilience, mentors, and personal growth. Underwater games sparked laughter and confidence. Sprint drills became opportunities to celebrate progress at every level, from new swimmers learning skills for the first time to experienced swimmers refining their race technique.

Each week focused on a different aspect of sprint performance. In Week 1, we began by finding power, exploring explosive push-offs, confident breakouts, and the joy of acceleration. In Week 2, we worked on grace under pressure, where freestyle and backstroke sprint work reminded us that composure at the wall and trust in our preparation are as important as raw speed.

During Week 3, we focused on power underwater, as we turned our attention beneath the surface and the often-unseen work that creates successful races. This week included some specialized breaststroke and butterfly work. This was also one of Lauren Ries’s favorite practices.”I enjoyed working on streamlines,” she said, “We do it every day, but when I get lazy, that is the first place I start to slack off,” She laughs, “well, and kick…” In this practice, Lauren says she “remembered just how powerful a good underwater can be.”

Learning from Role Models

Throughout the series, Coach Kat encouraged the team to find inspiration in athletes whose stories embody the values of our sport. From Cullen Jones and Simone Manuel, we learned about courage, authenticity, and grace under pressure. We were inspired by Gabriel Araújo, affectionately known as Gabrielzinho, whose extraordinary performances remind us that great athletes use their strengths to make this sport their own. Finally, we honored Anthony Nesty, whose historic Olympic victory and enduring coaching legacy demonstrate how courage can change not only a race, but an entire generation of swimmers.

Racing with Courage

We concluded the series by bringing together all four strokes in a festival-style celebration and fun meet. Our guiding principles that We are for strength, challenge, and each other were important reminders for the team in how to approach each practice. Strength, challenge, and teamwork were all on display in the final meet. Jenny Burleson, who serves as a stroke judge for the Wilson’s Beach Club youth team, helped run the fun meet. At the conclusion, Coach Kat presented each swimmer with a 3D-printed trophy commemorating their participation in the 2026 Sprint Festival. Chris Hasset, who recently joined the team for additional swim practice for his triathlon training, laughed, and said, “Well, that is cool. This is my first swim trophy.”

The greatest success of the Sprint Festival wasn’t only measured by times on the clock. It was measured by swimmers trying butterfly for the first time, discovering confidence beneath the surface, encouraging teammates through their events, and celebrating personal victories both large and small. “I felt so encouraged the whole time to try new things,” said Toni as she reflected on the Sprint Festival. “It was completely safe to fail and try again. I definitely felt stronger and faster than ever!”

As we look ahead to the rest of the summer season, the lessons of the Sprint Festival will continue to shape our practices. “Strength, grace, and heart are not simply qualities of great sprinters,” says Coach Kat, “they are qualities that can help us become better teammates, stronger leaders, and lifelong swimmers.”

Join in the fun! USMS Practices are Mondays @ 5:30PM and Wednesdays @ 7AM.

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The First Meet of Many Lessons

admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:59:00 +0000

Snapper Week 2: The First Meet of Many Lessons

The Wilson’s Beach Club Snappers completed an exciting second week of the season, highlighted by the team’s first swim meet on June 10 against Country Club of Missouri.

For many swimmers, the meet was an opportunity to put into practice everything they worked on during the first week of practice. From remembering meet procedures to cheering on teammates, swimmers demonstrated the effort and growth that coaches have been emphasizing since day one.

Swim Meet Tip: Focus on Your Race

One of the biggest lessons young swimmers can learn is that they cannot control who is swimming in the lane next to them. They can only control their own effort, attitude, and race strategy. It is easy to look around and compare yourself to others, but growth happens when swimmers focus on improving their own performance.

This was something that stood out clearly at the first meet, as Head Coach Mary Bean observed: “At our first meet, I noticed several swimmers looking around during their races. It’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing, but success in swimming isn’t about comparing yourself to the swimmer next to you. It’s about being a little better than you were yesterday and trusting the work you’ve put in.”

While ribbons and race results are often the most visible part of a swim meet, coaches know that some of the biggest wins happen beneath the surface. A swimmer who dives off the block for the first time, remembers a legal breaststroke kick, swims a new event, or simply finds the courage to race despite being nervous is experiencing success.

More than Laps and Ribbons

Despite a week that included weather challenges and schedule adjustments, the team continued to make the most of every opportunity to be together. Some practices featured favorite traditions like Donut Thursday and Fun Friday, which also coincided with ribbon distribution from the team’s first meet. Some swimmers were thrilled with their collections, proudly comparing ribbons with friends, while others were disappointed not to receive one. Moments like these naturally open the door for learning and reflection. While ribbons are meaningful recognition for a strong swim, they do not tell the full story of a swimmer’s success. Personal bests, trying a new event, overcoming nerves, cheering on a teammate, or simply finishing a race all represent victories that cannot always be measured by a ribbon alone.

That perspective was reflected by one of our younger swimmers following the meet. Oliver, age 7, shared: “Even though I didn’t get a ribbon, I still was thankful for my friends and happy for them.” This is exactly the kind of perspective we aim to help swimmers develop.

This mindset reflects what summer swimming is all about. These traditions and experiences may seem simple, but they help build something bigger than swimming: team culture. Summer swim is about more than laps, race times, and ribbons—it is about creating friendships, building confidence, learning resilience, and making memories that last long after the season ends.

As the season continues, swimmers will carry these early lessons forward. Improvement rarely happens all at once; instead, progress is built one practice, one race, and one small adjustment at a time. Every meet offers another opportunity to learn something new, celebrate small wins, and identify areas for growth.

The Snappers will host their first home meet of the season on June 17 at 5:00 p.m. against Old Hawthorne. Only the zero entry pool will be open after 3:30 p.m. The rest of the pool will be closed for the Snapper Swim Meet.

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The Power of Breath: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science

admin — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 14:06:05 +0000

Breathwork is everywhere right now — and for good reason. While it may feel like a new wellness trend, the truth is that cultures around the world have understood the power of the breath for thousands of years. Yoga, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Thai energy practices, and many other healing systems have long taught that breathing shapes how we feel, think, and heal.

Breathwork in Yogic Tradition

In the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Yogi Swatmarama writes, “The mind is the Lord of the senses, but the breath is the Lord of the mind.” This idea sits at the heart of yogic philosophy: prana, the breath, is the life force that sustains both body and mind.

Through pranayama, the practice of consciously regulating the breath, practitioners learn to:

Calm the mind
Stabilize focus
Prepare for deeper states of awareness
Quiet mental chatter
Align the mind with the subtle energy channels (nadis)

Breath becomes the bridge between the physical body and the inner world.

Breathwork in Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Lung is known as the “Master of Qi” and the “delicate organ.” Because it is easily influenced by external factors like wind, cold, heat, dryness, and dampness, breath is treated as a sacred practice.

Deep, rhythmic breathing in TCM is believed to:

Calm the mind
Nourish the body
Strengthen the lungs
Support the flow of Qi
Enhance immunity by supporting Wei Qi (defensive Qi)

Breath is not just a biological function — it is a vital energetic process.

What Western Medicine Says About Breathwork

Modern research now confirms what ancient traditions have taught all along. Breathing patterns directly influence the autonomic nervous system, heart rate, oxygenation, and stress hormones.

Studies show that controlled breathwork can:

Lower blood pressure and cardiovascular strain
Improve sleep and reduce insomnia
Enhance immune function
Reduce anxiety, depression, and pain perception
Support trauma recovery
Improve focus, clarity, and emotional regulation

A surprising number of people are chest breathers, which limits oxygen intake and keeps the body in a subtle state of stress. Diaphragmatic (belly) breathing reverses this pattern by engaging the diaphragm — the dome-shaped muscle beneath the lungs — to support deeper, more efficient breathing.

James Nestor’s book Breath highlights how modern lifestyles and processed foods have shifted humans away from natural nasal breathing, contributing to rising rates of snoring, sleep apnea, asthma, allergies, and autoimmune issues.

10 Evidence‑Backed Benefits of Breathwork

Each of these benefits is supported by research and clinical observation:

Stress reduction — Breathwork dampens the acute stress response and helps prevent chronic stress-related illness (Balban et al., 2023).
Improved circulation — Deep abdominal breathing activates the relaxation response and lowers blood pressure (Ma et al., 2017).
Stronger immunity — Regular breathwork boosts energy and immune function (Hof & de Jong, 2016).
Pain management — Breathwork helps regulate acute and chronic pain (Kabat-Zinn, 2013).
Better sleep — Breathing exercises improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia (Ma et al., 2017).
Improved mood — Mindful breathing helps reduce depressive symptoms by grounding the mind (Burg & Michalak, 2011).
Enhanced athletic performance — Breathwork improves cardiovascular fitness, focus, and performance under pressure (Carter & Carter, 2016).
Better concentration — Breathwork lengthens attention span and improves cognitive control (Carter & Carter, 2016).
Support for trauma and addiction recovery — Methods like holotropic breathwork and the Wim Hof method support emotional release and healing (Grof, 2013; Hof, 2020).
Non‑ordinary states of consciousness — Advanced breathwork can evoke profound states of clarity, bliss, and insight (Grof, 2013).

Try These Simple Breathwork Practices at Home

3 Part Breath

Sit or lie down comfortably.
Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
Visualize the breath moving down toward the base of the spine.
Let the belly expand like a balloon on the inhale and soften on the exhale.
Visualize the ribcage expanding outward like an accordion.
Notice the gentle lift at the top of the chest.

This breath reconnects you to your diaphragm and calms the nervous system.

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Bring your right thumb to your right nostril and inhale through the left.
Close the left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through the right.
Inhale through the right.
Close the right nostril and exhale through the left.

This completes one cycle. It balances the nervous system and clears mental fog.

Ready to Go Deeper?

If you want personalized guidance, deeper practices, or support integrating breathwork into your wellness routine, you can schedule a session with a trained breath coach on our wellness page.

The post The Power of Breath: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science first appeared on WILSON'S FITNESS CENTERS |.

Snappers are READY

admin — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:32:22 +0000

Beach Club Snappers are READY

The first week of the 2026 summer swim season is officially complete for the Wilson’s Beach Club Snappers, and what an exciting start it has been!
This year brings a brand-new coaching staff to the pool deck, each bringing their own experience, enthusiasm, and passion for helping young swimmers learn, grow, and have fun.

Throughout the week the team practiced their team cheer, reviewed all four competitive strokes, dove off the starting block, and began building the positive team culture that will define their season. While there were lots of new skills introduced, the coaching staff was encouraged by how swimmers embraced the opportunity to learn and grow.

One of the highlights for Head Coach Mary Bean has been watching swimmers respond to new challenges with persistence and a willingness to learn. “Even when things feel hard or don’t click right away for swimmers, they reset, and give it another go, and that’s exactly the mindset we want this season. It’s okay to struggle with something new, as long as you keep showing up and keep trying. That’s how confidence is built.” What It Means to Win The first day of practice, swimmers were told the team expectations are to be READY. More than a list of rules, READY provides a framework for how the team hopes swimmers will treat
themselves, their teammates, and the sport throughout the season.

R – Respect Others and Yourself
E – Effort Every Day
A – Arrive Prepared
D – Demonstrate Sportsmanship
Y – You Are Responsible

These expectations go beyond what the team learns about swimming and helps them create a team where everyone feels welcome, supported, and challenged to be their best.

One of the most important conversations this week focused on what it means to win. Yes, winning can mean touching the wall first at a swim meet. But for the Snappers, winning also means having fun, trying something new, and challenging yourself. Each practice ends with swimmers shoutouting out their wins, giving swimmers an opportunity to recognize their own growth while celebrating the accomplishments of their teammates.

Kicking Off the Season

Snappers wrapped up the week with their Kickoff Party on June 7. With four different practice groups throughout the day, it is especially meaningful to bring the full team together to celebrate the start of the season.

Although the weather cut the evening short and team picture plans will need to be rescheduled, it was great to see swimmers of all ages connecting and laughing over a classic summer picnic of hot dogs, sides, and sweet treats. The friendships, memories, and sense of belonging built outside the water are just as important as the skills developed in the pool.

With the first meet of the season approaching on June 10 at Country Club of Missouri, swimmers will soon have an opportunity to put their hard work into action. More importantly, they will have a chance to demonstrate what it means to be READY—showing respect, effort, responsibility, and sportsmanship while supporting their teammates every step of the way.

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May Flowers 200 Free Swim Series

admin — Tue, 26 May 2026 15:47:56 +0000

Often called the “long sprint” or the “short distance race,” the 200 freestyle is an exciting event in competitive swimming. As part of the USMS virtual fitness series, swimmers across the country spent this past month strengthening their skills for this challenging event. At Wilson’s Fitness Center, Kathryn Fishman-Weaver “Coach Kat” brought a thematic approach to training with her inaugural May Flowers 200 Free Swim Series.

Each week, the team drew inspiration from flowers that bloom across Missouri in late spring. The flowers reflected different aspects of the event itself. In the Black-Eyed Susan practice, swimmers focused on consistency, rhythm, and repeatable effort. Peony week encouraged swimmers to build strength gradually and intentionally, reminding us that both flowers and the 200 free race open over time, not all at once. This practice ended with an on-deck yoga set. Finally, our Iris practice centered on precision, clarity, and finishing strong.

Triathlete Gretta Cohoon was inspired by the marked improvement she saw in her own swimming. “I really enjoyed seeing my endurance for the 200 increase every week!! It was exciting to shave time off my PR, second by second!!”

Lauren Ries agrees, adding that she especially appreciated the pacing work during our Peony practice, where swimmers completed 10 strong 100 repeats.

Challenge and Belonging

Our USMS practice group includes students who have just graduated from our Adult Learn to Swim program, fitness swimmers, competitive athletes, and former collegiate swimmers. Because of this, Coach Kat writes differentiated options for each practice. “Within these options,” she says, her goal is that “everyone can find challenge and belonging.”

One of Coach Kat’s celebrations from the series was seeing Ellie Trick leverage these choices to swim her first continuous 200 free. She completed her first 200 free in Week 1. “By Week 3,” Ellie says, “I felt so much better at swimming a 200. In the beginning, I was trying to prioritize speed, but I learned that was not the right way to go about a 200. Hurray for the 200 swim in Week 3, and not feeling like I was drowning or dying for breath.”

The series, much like the 200 free event itself, incentivized persistence. Coach Kat announced that swimmers who completed all three workouts would win a prize. As enthusiasm for the series grew, the team was excited to welcome new swimmers to the practice group. Mary Bean shared that she “loved seeing new faces join every week! The May series was a fun way to focus and build on distance free while still having time for fun.” Mary added that she “remembers laughing so hard at each practice!”

The Legendary Third 50

The team laughed hard, and they also worked hard. The 200 free can be divided into four 50s. In swimming culture, the third 50 of this event is legendary because it is often where races are won or lost. By this point, the adrenaline from the start has faded, lactate is beginning to build, and the finish still feels far away. Strong swimmers use this section of the race to make subtle but important adjustments: increasing tempo slightly, maintaining excellent turns, and keeping their stroke long and efficient. These are the skills and drills the team practiced week after week.

“There are also important connections between these skills and life,” says Coach Kat, “and our swimmers talked about that during social kicks and after practice.” Digging deep and setting up for success in the third 50 prepares swimmers for the final 50, which becomes a test of courage, control, and strong technique even when they are tired.

Strength and Community in Bloom

Alongside challenging training sets, the series also made space for reflection, community, laughter, and even some rare moments of stillness in the water. At the final practice, swimmers circled up in the pool to celebrate their progress and each received a custom-printed bouquet of flowers to commemorate the series.

“In addition to swim skills,” Coach Kat says, “you can also see hope, strength, and community in bloom this season.”

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From First Splash to Confident Swimming

admin — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:57:52 +0000

Congratulations are in order for Souyma Kattikat and Steve Ferndandez!

If you stopped by the Wilson’s pool on a Tuesday night these past few months, you may have seen them swimming side by side—laughter echoing through the glass atrium.

It didn’t start off like that, says Souyma: “I was quite anxious at the start, as I was uncomfortable in the water and couldn’t even put my head under. Kat’s calm, patient, and encouraging teaching style made a huge difference. Swimming with her felt relaxing, and she gradually helped me overcome my fears—to the point where I was confidently dolphin diving for pool toys! By the end of the program, I had learned three strokes.”

Coach Kat beams, saying that “the sense of ease, confidence, and play” she sees when Souyma and Steve swim together today is exactly what she hopes swimmers gain from the adult learn-to-swim (ALTS) program. This story comes at the perfect time, as April is Adult Learn-to-Swim Month.

According to United States Masters Swimming (USMS), approximately 37% of adults in the U.S. are not yet able to swim the length of a pool. Further, only about half of adults can perform all five basic lifesaving water skills: jumping in, treading water, turning, swimming 25 yards, and exiting. The ALTS program is working to expand access to lifesaving skills and a love of swimming nationwide.

Souyma started working with Coach Kat on her own, and, after several sessions, her husband, Steve joined for tag-team lessons. “My husband also made great progress,” Souyma says. “He finished with two strokes under his belt and felt great about his improved skills.”

Souyma and Steve looked forward to the weekly lessons. “What really stood out to both of us,” she says, “was how thoughtfully Kat tailored each session to our individual needs and goals. She balanced encouragement with skill-building in a way that kept us both motivated and comfortable.”

“Tag-team lessons are so much fun,” says Coach Kat. “Learning is great—and learning with a friend or spouse, well, that’s even better. I told Souyma and Steve that now they’re ready to race their kids all over the pool this summer.”

At their final lesson, Souyma and Steve showcased the many skills they had learned, and Coach Kat even introduced flip turns. After practice, she presented them with certificates of accomplishment, which the two accepted proudly, laughing at the “surprise graduation.”

“We highly recommend Kat to anyone—especially adults who may feel nervous about learning to swim,” says Souyma. “Her approach truly transforms the experience.”

How can you get started with Coach Kat at Wilson’s? Send her an e-mail and get your session scheduled! kathrynfweaver@gmail.com

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The Body Is Fascinating: Understanding Fascia and Why It Matters

admin — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:48:27 +0000

The Body Is Fascinating: Understanding Fascia and Why It Matters

Have you ever heard of fascia? For years, it was dismissed as “the fuzz” and often removed during cadaver dissection. Today, however, fascia is gaining recognition as one of the most important systems in the human body.

Fascia is a form of connective tissue that surrounds, supports, and integrates every part of us—muscles, bones, organs, nerves, and even individual cells. You can think of it like a three-dimensional web or a layer of saran wrap that holds the entire body together while still allowing it to move fluidly.

But fascia is more than just structure. It plays a key role in how our bodies move, feel, and adapt.

What Does Fascia Do?

Fascia helps maintain the body’s shape and distributes tension throughout the system. This concept is often described as tensegrity, or “floating compression,” where the body maintains integrity through balanced tension rather than rigid support.

In simple terms, when one part of your body moves or experiences stress, that force is distributed across the entire fascial network. This is why tightness or dysfunction in one area can show up as pain somewhere else.

Healthy movement helps organize fascia. Lack of movement—or repetitive, imbalanced movement—can lead to disorganization, stiffness, and discomfort.

Fascia and Sensation

Fascia is richly innervated, meaning it contains many sensory receptors. These receptors play a role in how we perceive movement, tension, and even body awareness (also known as proprioception).

Because of this, fascia is deeply connected to how we feel in our bodies—not just physically, but sometimes emotionally as well. While research is still evolving, many practitioners observe that chronic stress, traumas, and tension patterns can influence how the body holds and moves.

The Role of Hydration and Hyaluronic Acid

Fascia is made up largely of water—about 70–75%. This hydration allows tissues to glide smoothly against one another.

A key component within fascia is hyaluronic acid (hyaluronan), which helps lubricate tissues and supports elasticity. When fascia becomes dehydrated or restricted, this glide can be reduced, leading to stiffness or a “sticky” feeling in the body.

That’s why both hydration and movement are essential for maintaining healthy fascia.

What Affects Fascia?

Several factors can impact the health of your fascial system:

Sedentary lifestyle or lack of movement
Repetitive movement patterns
Injury or surgery
Aging
Chronic stress and tension
Emotional holding patterns

While we can’t control everything, we can influence many of these factors through daily habits and awareness.

How to Support Your Fascia

Taking care of your fascia doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few simple, effective approaches:

1. Move Your Body Mindfully
Practices like yoga, tai chi, and somatic movement encourage full-body engagement and help maintain balance throughout the fascial network.

2. Breathe and Slow Down
Meditation and breathwork can help reduce chronic tension patterns. When the body relaxes, fascia can move more freely.

3. Use Self-Myofascial Release
Foam rolling and similar techniques apply gentle pressure to tissues, which may help reduce tightness and improve circulation.

4. Stay Hydrated and Nourished
Drink plenty of water and include nutrient-rich foods like leafy greens, healthy fats, and proteins to support tissue health.

5. Explore Vibration and Sound-Based Practices
Emerging approaches suggest that vibration may influence how fluids move within tissues. While research is still developing, many people find these methods relaxing and beneficial.

A Whole-Body Perspective

Fascia reminds us that the body is not a collection of separate parts—it’s an interconnected system. Changes in one area can influence the whole.

By becoming more aware of how we move, hold tension, and care for ourselves, we can begin to support not just our physical health, but our overall sense of well-being.

Ready to Learn More?

Curious how this applies to your own body?

Join me for Free Your Fascia (link?), a hands-on workshop where you’ll learn practical tools to release tension, improve mobility, and better understand how your body moves and feels in everyday life.

Your body is always communicating. Fascia may be one of the ways it speaks—are you ready to listen?

The post The Body Is Fascinating: Understanding Fascia and Why It Matters first appeared on WILSON'S FITNESS CENTERS |.

The Science of Sound Healing

admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:23:18 +0000

As we look back through time, we become more aware of the power held within the heart of all music and all sound. Sound healing is rooted in the understanding that we are energetic beings, each with both individual and composite frequencies. When these frequencies fall into dissonance, we drift out of coherence—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Through sound healing, we can guide the body back into harmony. Using instruments and the human voice, we introduce stable, pure vibrations that help restore coherence, bringing health, peace, and a sense of inner alignment.

David Gibson captures this beautifully: “We are on the threshold of a new world where the understanding of sound and vibration is about to transform our entire medical system, our educational system, and provide access to higher states of awareness for the masses.” All matter is composed of a single fundamental substance—energy—and all energy vibrates. Every form in the universe expresses a unique shape or structure based on its vibrational frequency. Even our DNA carries its own vibrational blueprint. When we recognize that everything—from trees to stones to human beings—has a distinct vibrational signature, it
becomes easier to understand how sound can influence us.

Sound healing uses instruments such as Tibetan bowls, drums, flutes, gongs, chimes, and the voice to create specific frequencies measured in hertz. These frequencies interact with an individual’s vibration through a process known as entrainment, gradually guiding dissonant
frequencies back into resonance. If someone is experiencing anxiety, depression, or other forms
of imbalance, their energetic field may be disrupted. Sound introduces a coherent vibration that helps restore harmony.

A classic example of entrainment is a room full of grandfather clocks. Even if they begin ticking at different rhythms, over time they naturally synchronize. The same principle applies to the human body. Here is a fun example of entrainment and resonance with metronomes:
metronome entrainment Resonance refers to the frequency at which an object most naturally vibrates—its inherent or free resonance. Humans are incredibly complex, with a composite frequency made up of
countless individual frequencies: organs, fascia, emotions, and more. These frequencies shift constantly in response to both internal and external influences—food, toxins, stress, thought patterns, and environmental factors. Sound healing offers a way to bring in harmonious vibration, helping the body return to its natural state of balance, healing, and energetic optimization.

Try these simple sound healing techniques:
1. Listen to any soothing nature sounds. Because nature vibrates and is the least affected by dissonance, it can help soothe the spirit and bring us back into the nature of ourselves.
2. Even better, Take your voice on a walk into nature, to let it flow freely in the open air. Feel the resonance of your song blending with the natural world, and feel a sense of liberation and connection. Find harmony with nature.
3. Practice Brahmari Pranayama (Bee’s breath): Inhaling through our nose with our hands in Shanmukhi mudra (thumb covering tragus, index under the eyebrow, middle to the divot in the nose, ring below the nose, and pinky below the lip), exhaling as we hum with the ears closed and the jaw open with the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. This practice calms the nervous system, relaxes the muscles of the voice, reduces external sensory activation, it slows and deepens the exhalation, and creates focus and creativity.
4. Attend a sound bath or schedule a private session with a trained Sound Healer.
5. Listen to a recording of a sound bath if there are no live opportunities near you.
6. Play an instrument with joy, releasing judgement.

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The Jingle Bell Swim Makes Spirits Bright

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 19:55:13 +0000

“You can’t swim a thousand fly every day, but I’m glad I could today,” said Mary Bean as she and Coach Kat walked out of Wilson’s Fitness Center together, their arms full of gifts for children in central Missouri.

Monday, December 22, 2025, marked the first annual Jingle Bell Swim at Wilson’s Forum. Led by Kathryn Fishman-Weaver (“Coach Kat”), the event embodied her USMS practice group rules: swimmers are for challenge, fun, and each other.

The event was organized around a focus swim, a focus non-profit, and extra holiday joy.

Participants each chose a primary event for the evening and then swam it 10 times. Mary chose the 100 butterfly; triathletes Paula Rawlings, Jenny Burleson, and Gretta Cohoon focused on freestyle (with options for 100- or 200-yard repeats); and Kelsey Fishman and Lilah Weaver focused on breaststroke.

Along the way, the USMS practice group laughed through swim challenges like a snowball relay, a jingle bell hop dolphin kick set, and an underwater treasure hunt. Each participant also completed two Individual Medley (IM) swims and a partner kick. Coach Kat says sets with stroke variety help improve agility and confidence.

The special winter event included a gift drive for Heart of Missouri CASA, a non-profit organization that supports children navigating foster care in Boone and Callaway counties. Swimmers brought board books, craft kits, tumblers, and more to make the holiday season—and home visits—a little brighter.

Each swimmer received a custom wave phone stand and bragging rights for completing an event that was good for the body, the mind, and our community.

Swim Training with Coach Kat

Swim Group Classes

The post The Jingle Bell Swim Makes Spirits Bright first appeared on WILSON'S FITNESS CENTERS |.

How To Create Holistic Healing

admin — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:28:46 +0000

We live in a world that often leaves us feeling chaotic and dissonant.

Anxiety and depression affect over 14% of the population.
Stress is reported in over 50% of the population.
75% of adults experience physical and emotional symptoms related to stress.
60% of adults live with at least one chronic disease.
Over 24% of adults live in chronic pain.

Most healing modalities focus on symptoms rather than root causes. Yoga and Sound Therapy, however, work with the whole person — mind, body, energy, and spirit — to uncover and resolve the source of dissonance that leads to disease.

The Power of Yoga

Yoga is an ancient science of healing that integrates:

Body → postures (asanas)
Energy → breath (pranayama)
Mind → emotions and thoughts (yamas/niyamas, pratyahara, dharana)
Spirit → meditation (dhyana & samadhi)

Each practice invites us to connect to ourselves at a higher level of awareness and understanding.

The Power of Sound

Sound healing, like yoga, is both ancient and modern wisdom. It recognizes that we are energetic beings with unique frequencies. When those frequencies become dissonant, we lose coherence.

Through sound healing instruments and the human voice, we can restore harmony at every level — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual — bringing health, peace, and joy.

Harmonious Union: Where Sound and Yoga Unite

Yoga and sound therapy together address both the physical and the energetic roots of imbalance.

Example: If you have knee pain, we explore:

Physical causes (movement patterns, tendons, ligaments, fascia)
Emotional connections (thoughts, feelings contributing to pain)
Energetic disharmony (patterns of pride, ego, or dissonance)

Healing then integrates:

Postures
Breathwork
Right thinking
Awareness of past conditioning
Harmonizing energy through instruments and voice

A Simple Practice: Brahmari (Bee's Breath)

When feeling anxious or disconnected:

Inhale deeply through the nose.
Soften or close your eyes.
Exhale with a gentle humming sound.

Benefits include:

Calms the nervous system
Focuses the mind on the present moment
Cools heated or angry energy
Relieves headaches
Lowers blood pressure
Stimulates the vagus nerve

Tuning In To Heal

Healing doesn’t always come from doing more — sometimes it comes from tuning in. By weaving together yoga and sound, we create space for stillness, clarity, renewal, and harmony.

Stay tuned for Catina’s upcoming posts on:

The science and research behind yoga and sound therapy
How these practices support specific health concerns
Different styles of yoga and their unique benefits

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