Eat Breathe Thrive Facilitator Spotlight: Lara Scriba
Our Facilitator Spotlight is an ongoing series, aimed at shining a light on our facilitators, their programs, and their experience of facilitation.
In this blog post, we speak with Lara Scriba, a Registered Nurse, yoga teacher, and reiki practitioner.
Stories are powerful! Give us your origin story with Eat Breathe Thrive. What made you want to become a facilitator?
Chelsea's rooftop campaign, #OccupyYouAreBeautiful, caught my attention. I remember watching her video requesting support, telling her story, and wanting to share a path to healing. It really hit home. I had been searching for years for a way to give back to the others who struggled with disordered eating, but from a holistic perspective. Once I took her training I couldn't believe how similar her program was to my own path towards healing from anorexia, anxiety, and depression. I was struck by how Eat Breathe Thrive integrates lessons that took me years to piece together, and packages them into a clearly defined seven-week program. After I spent the weekend at training in Davis,CA, I knew that teaching Eat Breathe Thrive's Community program was going to be a huge part of my life's work.
Eat Breathe Thrive integrates lessons that took me years to piece together in my own recovery.
What surprised you most about facilitation? What did you not expect?
I initially thought of teaching the program as a way of “giving back” but I was amazed at how each time I taught the program, I was nudged deeper and deeper into my own healing journey. Being a witness to others' struggles and journeys is such a powerful experience, you can't help but evaluate your own current situation. It makes you want to refine and deepen your own journey, allowing you to dive deeper and deeper into a life of integrity, curiosity, hope, and healing. Rather than simply "teaching" the course, it is a far more collaborative, co-creative, and rewarding experience than I ever imagined.
Facilitation is a far more collaborative, co-creative, and rewarding experience than I ever imagined.
What makes the community you serve unique?
I run both School Programs and Community Programs for Eat Breathe Thrive, which means that participants present with a diverse range of backgrounds, ages, and life experiences. I enjoy catering the program to each group's needs, and touch on different aspects of the program depending on who is present. Each program is unique and I love it!
If you had to summarise what you offer as a facilitator in a few words or one short phrase, what would it be?
I offer a deep sense of compassion, accountability, nurturance, along with practical tips and tools that can be integrated into everyday life.
What are you excited about with regards to leading research programs?
I am beyond excited to be able to contribute to science, the body of research on yoga-based interventions, and the first study on the Eat Breathe Thrive program! I'm hoping this research will enable us to secure funding from health insurers, so we can make programs more accessible to those who need them.
Eat Breathe Thrive provides participants with such powerful resources, and serves both as a preventative tool and as complementary treatmentt for those struggling with food and body image challenges. I am hopeful that holistic models of care soon become the norm in our society — empowering and educating people about body, mind, and emotions, and how to truly take care of themselves.
Eat Breathe Thrive serves both as a preventative tool and as complementary treatment for those struggling with food and body image challenges.
Is there anything else you want to share about the Eat Breathe Thrive program or your experience of facilitation?
Becoming part of Eat Breathe Thrive has been such an empowering experience, both personally and professionally. It has allowed me to connect to my community and provide a holistic solution to a widespread issue which mirrors my own pathway to healing. Eat Breathe Thrive has provided me the language and the format to help guide others through their own healing journeys, and I will forever be grateful for the impact it's had on my life and others'.
Eat Breathe Thrive has provided me the language and the format to help guide others through their own healing journeys.
About Lara Scriba
Lara Scriba is a Yoga Teacher, Registered Nurse, Reiki Practitioner, and a mother of two young boys. A strong advocate for holistic healthcare, Lara is an active member of the American Holistic Nurses Association. A survivor of anorexia, depression, and anxiety, Lara is passionate about sharing embodiment practices for unearthing the body’s innate wisdom.
