We had the good fortune of connecting with Living Lela – Wendy Obstler, C-IAYT/RYT500 & Deborah Anderson, PHD, RYT500, TCTSY-500 and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Living Lela – Wendy Obstler, C-IAYT/RYT500 & Deborah Anderson, PHD, RYT500, TCTSY-500, how does your business help the community?
As we like to say, we are in the business of mama-making, not just baby-making! While we LOVE to empower our clients with a mind-body toolkit for their pregnancy journeys, we remind them that it is a toolkit for navigating all of life’s ups and downs, including being a parent.

Modern-day life is often filled with lots of “doing” – getting good grades, finding a job/career path, buying a home, etc. When it comes time to build a family, our clients then go about the business of “doing” what they need to do to make that happen. However, when it’s not happening, there is a massive sense of frustration at being unable to control the process. That’s why we created the Be More Do Less™ 12-Week Fertility Coaching program to help shift the focus from “doing” to “being.”

In Eastern philosophy, “being” is the feminine or yin energy (“doing” is the masculine or yang energy). We teach our clients how to focus on what they can control (and to let go of things they cannot control), shift into present-moment awareness, sit in the space of uncertainty and discomfort (in order to move through it), and find the lessons being presented. We have watched incredible transformations happen over these many years!!

Giving clients a supportive space and community to be seen, heard, and understood is another critical piece of this work. Those with fertility challenges often feel incredible shame and isolation. In these groups, you will find laughter, tears, and frustration. You will find members cheering on those making healthy changes to their diets and lifestyles. You will find heartfelt congratulations for those who find themselves pregnant even though you yourself may not be there yet. It is our great privilege to bear witness to all that transpires and helps to inspire us to continue on our mission.

What should our readers know about your business?
When we created our company, Living Lēla, and the Soulful Conceptions™ program, it was initially focused on helping women (and their partners) through the ups and downs of fertility challenges. Our work has subsequently expanded to include pregnancy and post-partum support as well, as we find that our clients, once pregnant, often want ongoing support for the next stages of their journey.

The comprehensive methodology of mind-body tools we teach are drawn from Eastern medicine practices of yoga & Ayurveda (e.g., yoga movement practices, breathwork, meditations, etc.), Western psychology (emotional intelligence, neuroscience), lifestyle guidelines (e.g., diet/nutrition for fertility, education on environmental toxins) and proprietary acupressure work (the Fertility Ball Method®) created by our mentor, Brenda Strong (actor and fertility yoga pioneer).

The yoga practices we teach relax both mind and body and bring awareness and increased circulation to the reproductive organs. They are safe for those trying to get pregnant with or without doing ART (fertility treatments).

We offer virtual drop-in group support, movement classes, The Be More, Do Less™ 12-Week Fertility Coaching program, one-on-one coaching, and self-study options.

While we cannot guarantee how each client’s story will end, we can promise you that they will be transformed in some positive way after going through this program. And the beauty of the practice is it is specific and accessible to all levels, even those who have never practiced yoga before.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Hugo’s Restaurant (for anyone who has food intolerances and wants to know all of the ingredients)
HOPE Vegan Thai restaurant – the favorite dish is the Pumpkin curry
Century City Mall
El Matador Beach (past Zuma on the coastline 101) – A collection of 3 small cliff-foot beaches with blufftop parking, a bit ‘remote’ with caves and beauty around
Hiking in Griffith Park and Runyon Canyon
Magic Castle
Hollywood Bowl
Greek Theatre
Sugarfish Sushi
Peace Awareness Labyrinth & Gardens (https://www.peacelabyrinth.org/)
Hotel Figueroa (One of the longest-standing hotels in Downtown Los Angeles with many options for food, as well as local art)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We are giving a loving and well-deserved Shoutout to Sally Hayes, owner of Women in Self Healing (WISH). While Sally herself is a gifted massage therapist and loves to work with women through their entire perinatal journey, her other special gift is bringing together a team of WISH practitioners and creating a network of those who have a passion for working with women.

We met Sally in 2019 when she reached out via an IG direct message expressing that she felt our services aligned and wanted to connect. Shortly after that, we met at a cafe in Larchmont Village and sat there chatting like old friends who hadn’t seen each other in ages. It was an effortless, authentic, and valuable string of conversations that day. And it’s been that way ever since.

What Sally offers the community is not only in alignment with what we do and believe in, but it is invaluable to anyone traversing the journey of Motherhood. She is multi-talented on many levels and truly believes in (and practices) collaboration over competition. She continues to organically grow an incredible network of maternal health practitioners through the Making Mothers Collective from all over the Los Angeles area. We are so grateful to know her (and all of the other exceptional practitioners we have met through her).

Website: www.soulfulconceptions.com

Instagram: @living_lela

Facebook: @livinglela

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/living-l%C4%93la-los-angeles?osq=living+lela

Youtube: @livinglela

Image Credits
Jen Castle Photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.