
Hana Raftery, M.S.

My Story
As a highly sensitive toddler-mom and multi-passionate occupational therapist / yoga teacher / ayurvedic health counselor / solopreneur, I know burnout well.
I’ve burned out in all the ways you can imagine. I’ve burned out from pulling all-nighters studying for organic chemistry. From staying up too late too many nights in a row partying. I've burned out from perfecting my application essay for grad school. From over-giving emotional support to heartbroken friends. I've burned out from vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue in community mental health work. From working unpaid internships. I've burned out from my own unprocessed grief and trauma. I’ve burned out from people-pleasing. I’ve burned out from working multiple jobs to pay the bills while following my dream to start my own business. Then I burned out from starting my own business. I’ve burned out from sensory overwhelm. I’ve burned out from the sleepless nights of early motherhood and the endless hours of toddler tantrums.
By necessity, I have been on a life-long journey of deepening my understanding of the nervous system and setting up the structure of my life to honor my body's needs through the study and practice of yoga, ayurveda, breathwork, reiki, meditation, life coaching, occupational therapy, somatics and sensory processing science.
It is an honor and a privilege to bring my decades of study and lived experience to others as they navigate a pathway out of burnout.
Some fun facts about me:
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Birth Order: Eldest Daughter
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Astrological Birth Signs: Aries Sun, Libra Rising, Libra Moon
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Ayurvedic Dosha: Pitta - Vata Predominant
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Myers Briggs Personality Type: INFJ
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Enneagram: 2
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Human Design: Projector
My Point of View on Healing from Burnout
Burnout is not your fault. Healing from burnout is not as simple as "working less" and "resting more."
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 seasonal 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.
It is, however, incredibly important that you understand YOUR specific nervous system needs. For example, if you have experienced trauma, are neurodivergent, or have sensory processing sensitivities, your nervous system requires a different approach to rest and work. Traditional ways of approaching rest will likely make you even more anxious and/or cause you to dissociate. Traditional ways of approaching work will likely be boring and/or overwhelming for you.
I help my clients gain a deeper understanding of their unique nervous system needs and implement specific strategies to set up the structure of their life and/or business in a way that honors this one, precious body.
My Resume
Formal Education
B.S. in Exercise Biology, U.C. Davis, 2012
M.S. in Occupational Therapy, San Jose State University, 2015
Certificates & Training
200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training, Avalon Yoga Center, 2008
Massage Therapy Training, Massage Therapy Institute, 2009
Art of Yoga: Using Yoga and Art to Empower At-Risk and Exploited Teen Girls Teacher Training, Mary Lynn Fitton, 2013
Prison Yoga Project Teacher Training, James Fox, 2013
Advanced Yoga Teacher Training for Special Populations (Aging, Prenatal, Cancer, Youth, and Trauma-Informed Populations), Niroga Institute, 2014
MBSR: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training, Stanford University, 2014
Trauma, Memory, and the Restoration of Oneself, Bessel Van Der Kolk, 2016
Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Mentorship, Rolf Gates, 2016
Y12SR: Yoga for 12-Step Recovery Training, Kyczy Hawk, 2018
Reiki Level I/II Training, Arda Ozdemir, 2018
Mamayurveda: Ayurveda for Women's Health Training, Sunny Rose Healey, 2019
Breathwork Facilitator Training, Michael Brian Baker, 2019
Yoga Nidra Teacher Training, Scott Moore, 2019
800-Hour Certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Radiant Living School of Ayurveda, 2020
Ayruvedic Postpartum Doula Certificate Training Program, Sacred Window Studies, 2020
Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training, Bliss Baby Yoga School, 2020
500-Hour Yoga Teacher Training, Rolf Gates, 2020
Integrative Somatic Parts Work Certificate, The Embody Lab, 2022
Embodied Recovery for Eating Disorders, The Embodied Recovery Institute, 2022
Safe and Sound Practitioner Certificate, Unyte Integrated Listening Systems, 2023