Hana Clare Raftery
I help people find their spark again after years of being overworked, overwhelmed, and overstimulated.
Yoga, Ayurveda, and Somatic Life Coaching
Online & In-Person. Based in the California Bay Area.
Burnout SUCKS, I know. It feels robotic. Like a head attached to a numb body. Life feels grey and blah. Food tastes bland. Sex sounds unappealing (and definitely last on the loooooong list of things to do). Creativity is zapped. Work falls flat. Relationships feel dull. A wave of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual exhaustion takes over that no amount of sleep, meditation or vacation days will cure.
It's so frustrating that the remedy we are so often given to heal from burnout is some version of "work less" and "rest more."
What if you can't "work less"?
What if "resting" makes you restless?
As a highly sensitive toddler-mom and multi-passionate occupational therapist / yoga teacher / ayurvedic health counselor / solopreneur, I know overwhelm and overstimulation well.
This is my work because it is my story (read more about me HERE).
My clients are…
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Moms exhausted by the endless and invisible labor of motherhood, longing to find their way back to themselves
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Women who are the primary income earners in their household wondering if it will ever be their turn to rest and receive
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Self-employed yoga teachers, creatives, healers, and other solopreneurs trying to figure out how the heck to make a sustainable living doing what they love without working themselves to the bone
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Psychologists and therapists burned out from mental health work and traditional talk therapy looking for an alternative approach
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Neurodivergent and highly sensitive folks trying to find a way to exist in an overwhelming and overstimulating world
The intention I hold for my clients is that they find ways to rest differently (not necessarily "rest more") and work differently (not necessarily "work less") and are filled with more pleasure, ease, energy, inspiration, and creativity as a result.
The first law of thermodynamics: "Energy can not be created or destroyed. It can only be transferred"
When energy isn't flowing through your system, it SUCKS. The world is grey, numb, flat, bleh…
When energy IS flowing through your system the world is tingly, technicolor magic. Life is supposed to feel ALIVE.
In any functioning energy-transferring system, something comes in (INPUT), it gets processed (PROCESSING), and something else comes out (OUTPUT). Your body system exists and interacts within a certain environment (CONTEXT).
These are the 4 components I focus on in my work:
CONTEXT: Your environment matters. Generational patterns matter. The systems we exist within impact us.
Burnout is not your fault. We live inside exploitative external systems like capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy that make it nearly impossible to get what we need for body systems to thrive (especially for marginalized bodies). We are taking in 24 hour global news cycles, addictive social media feeds and fluorescent lights instead of morning sunlight, home cooked meals, and the nourishment of friendship. We live in isolated nuclear families and many of us don't have the support we need. We don't have time or space to process our emotions. In many cases, we are stuck working long hours in a role that doesn't allow us to express our creativity or offer our gifts to the world. Healing from burnout is not all about better self-care, its about better community care and system change.
INPUT: Your rest matters.
Do you rest? Do you chronically over-work, over-function, or over-give? Are you able to set boundaries around your time and energy? Do you have a support system? Are you able to ask for and receive support when it’s available (I know you can do it better and faster than they can, but if they offer…do you let them do it?) Are you actually able to receive rest when you are resting (can you lay on the couch without feeling antsy or guilty that you should be doing something more “productive”)?
PROCESSING: Your unique nervous system needs matter.
If you have experienced trauma, are neurodivergent, or have sensory processing sensitivities, your nervous system requires a different approach to rest and work. Traditional meditation practices will VERY LIKELY make you even more anxious and/or cause you to dissociate. Traditional ways of approaching work will VERY LIKELY be boring and/or overwhelming for you.
OUTPUT: Your authentic expression matters.
Do you have spaces in your life where you can share your gifts and strengths and be recognized for them? Do you have a creative outlet? Do you enjoy your work? Do you have words that haven't been said, tears that haven't been cried, screams that haven't been released, joy that hasn't been expressed? Have parts of your identity disappeared? Has your sexual expression gone dormant? Do you need to re-work your job description, re-design your business offerings, or change careers so your work feels more alive? Do you have a creative project or business idea brewing that needs to come out of them but keeps getting put on the back-burner and shoved back inside?
My work combines my lived experience of healing from burnout and navigating life with sensory sensitivites, plus my 15+ years of studying and practicing yoga, ayurveda, breathwork, reiki, meditation, life coaching, occupational therapy, somatics and sensory processing to support those of you who care so deeply and hold so much to heal from burnout, reclaim your SHAKTI (energetic power and feminine life force energy), and create a life and/or business create a life or business that feels ALIVE.
TESTIMONIALS
"Growing up my parents described me as an ‘old soul,’ and would tell me I had a level of sensitivity and wisdom that was unique for someone my age. I would always sit and chat with my friends’ parents when I went over to their houses for play dates, as interested in the things grown-ups talked about as playing make-believe games in the backyard. I was and still am enamored with just about any kind of music, often moved to tears and goosebumps when listening to a song I connect with on an emotional or spiritual level. I feel deeply in touch with the emotions and vibrations of the people around me, so much sometimes that it overwhelms me.
My yoga practice has taught me that my sensitivity and empathy have been superpowers in so many ways - they’ve led me towards deeply loving and intimate relationships, a commitment to service, and a deep connection to the world and people around me. They’ve also led me to overworking and burn out, struggles with perfectionism, being manipulated and taken advantage of, and in turn a difficult relationship with trust. As I started acknowledging and addressing these issues, I found it difficult to balance my desire to connect with others and a commitment to my own well-being. At times it felt like I had to choose between one or the other, or that the only solution was to switch back and forth between putting myself first and showing up for others.
I think the reason working with Hana was so impactful for me was that I learned to hold space for both at the same time. I felt seen and safe knowing Hana understood this paradox, and truly cared about guiding people towards their own solutions through reflection, connection, and community. I knew in an instant that I could trust Hana completely, even when trust felt like a risk I wasn’t ready to take."
Marissa H.
"Hana's work takes you into a spiritual realm. Her uniquely modern approach yet totally timeless energy has guided me through releasing ancestral trauma, and reclaiming my own authentic self. She's a true healer and anyone would be lucky to practice with her."
Bronwyn R.
