About me

Hi, my name is Cas. I created Softness Rising to share the tools that helped me completely transform my relationship to healthy habits, and allowed me to develop a lasting commitment to acting in ways that support how I want to feel, look and live.

10 years ago I was a heavy drinker and smoker. I had no regular movement practice to speak of and bragged about how I didn’t cook, instead relying on processed prepackaged meals or takeout. Being a “healthy person” seemed like it wasn’t an option for me, like it just wasn’t who I was. I found comfort in my habits, though they did not support the way I wanted to be. But the thing was, I really did want something different. I knew that if I didn’t start looking after this body I had been given, I was going to have consequences - from pain and discomfort to medical issues to no longer liking what I saw in the mirror. I was completely sure I wanted to change how I treated myself. I just couldn’t seem to actually bring myself to do it. And so I dwelled in that place, imagining from time to time what it might feel like to take better care of myself, while feeling completely incapable of actually doing so, at least for longer than a week or two. Whenever I mustered the discipline to “be good” for a while, I inevitably had a hard day at work and used it as an excuse to fall back on my old habits - because I had earned them.

And then, what I had been inviting into my life for years arrived. At my routine physical, I was not given a clean bill of health as I always had been, but instead a diagnosis that would require a medical treatment, at least according to my doctor. But it was in that moment that I finally saw everything clearly - my body was in a state of dis-ease, and it was no wonder considering how I had been treating it. I had recently entered my 30s, and this just seemed to be something those around me, including my doctor, accepted as fact - as we age we inevitably need to rely on medications or procedures to cure what ails us. It is expected that our bodies will break down, that we will gain weight, lose mobility and ease of movement, and experience more pain from day to day movements. I wasn’t willing to accept that idea so easily. If I had been doing my best to take care of myself and still needed extra help, I would be grateful for access to medical interventions that could support me. But knowing that wasn’t the case, I was determined to first take responsibility for myself, take my health into my own hands, and see where that got me. I refused to be part of this system I saw, where we harmed ourselves and then relied on a for-profit medical industry to repair the damage.

I had recently completed my first 200-hr yoga teacher training, and the concept of ahimsa, or non-harming, became the foundation of my practices. I started by simply looking honestly at my life and seeing all the things I did to hurt myself. There were cigarettes, alcohol and processed foods, but also negative thoughts, anxiety and stress. I knew they were all having a detrimental effect on my health, but I didn’t change it all overnight. It was a gentle unfolding, a cultivating of love for myself and for this one body I have been gifted in this life. Simple, but sustainable and powerful changes. Today I eat a whole foods plant-based diet, with 95% of my meals cooked from scratch at home. I look forward to my daily time on my mat, where I practice a balance of strengthening and nourishing movement that supports mind, body and soul. I go for long walks with my dogs as often as the Wisconsin weather permits it. I take dedicated time, every single day, to get quiet and observe where my thoughts are, and redirect them to where I want them to be if needed. And I have had a completely clean bill of health at subsequent doctors appointments without any medical intervention. Just the results of actually caring for my body, and allowing it to return to its natural state of harmony.

Ever since I decided to make changes in my habits because it was what I truly wanted for myself, I have never “fallen off track.” The moment my motivation for being healthier became one of empowerment instead of obligation, it became a permanent flame that has carried me through every challenge life has brought. I no longer use difficult days as reasons to indulge in the things that harm me. Those habits no longer appeal. Instead, the ways I have learned to nourish my body through food and movement are practices I lean into even more when I am feeling unsettled. These practices are my celebration when life is sailing along smoothly, and my life raft when waters are choppy.

Practicing ahimsa remains at the center of how I care for myself, and how I teach. After my first YTT, I attended a second 200-hr training to expand my knowledge and experience of the practice. I also became a certified mat Pilates instructor to better understand and teach this mindful form of building strength without strain. I am a plant-based foodie and love to share delicious meals that encourage others to eat more plants, whether they are vegan, vegetarian or omnivore. And I remain an ongoing student of all of these practices, continuously learning how I can better care for myself and help guide others to do the same.

I am so thankful for the ways I have learned to take care of myself, for the simple but profound choices that have transformed my life, and I hope to inspire you to learn to love caring for yourself as well. But don’t make healthy choices because I or anyone else tells you you should. Do it because you are ready to become the version of yourself you actually want to be. Do it because you are ready to overcome the ways you have kept yourself limited, labeled and contained. And do it because you are ready to become devoted to truly savoring this gift of a life you’ve been given.

Wholeness is our natural state, and when we remove the things that prevent us from experiencing it, we thrive. In our natural state, the body remembers health, the mind remembers peace, and the soul remembers joy.