5 Top Tips for Wellness
Meet Cailyn O’Donnell, CARAVAN’s bubbly, energetic, and inspiring barre and fitness teacher.
Cailyn began her journey as a professional ballet dancer in Switzerland. Due to the stress and intensity of her ballet career Cailyn began to learn yoga. This practice transitioned Cailyn to a completely new lifestyle. Cailyn became certified in yoga and moved to New York where she began teaching. Cailyn found the practice of barre to be a great combination of both yoga and ballet. Cailyn has now lived in NYC for three years and teaches yoga, barre, and sculpt classes.
A day in the life of Cailyn consists of teaching about five or more classes a day. Usually beginning at 6:30 am Cailyn will teach a sculpt class, at around 9:30 am she will teach a fitness class, from 12 to 1 pm she will teach two shorter barre classes, and then end her day with a 4 pm yoga class. These classes are taught at studios all around NYC, making Cailyn’s daily commute very busy.
The Life Of Cailyn
What’s your morning routine?
Cailyn said she goes through phases with specific routines but always likes to be up when the sun rises. She makes sure to set aside an hour every morning for herself. This hour may include 30 minute meditations, quiet moments of relaxation, and a tall glass of water and coffee.
What are some ways you decompress at the end of the day?
With such a busy schedule Cailyn said the first thing she does when she gets home is showers. For most this is an obvious activity after a long day but Cailyn uses this as a way to relax and wash away the day. Like her mornings she goes through phases whether it is reading, watching Game of Thrones, or using her favorite food massager but she always lets her mind and body unwind.
How big of a role does nutrition play in your lifestyle?
Nutrition is something Cailyn finds very important due to the amount of hours she spends teaching. Cailyn is a huge fan of breakfast, one of her favorite meals is fruit and oats. Lunch is not as important to Cailyn because she finds it difficult to teach with a full stomach, therefore she sticks to something light. On her way home she usually picks up a big dinner from one of the vast food spots in NYC, but always keeps it healthy.
How has your wellness practices impacted your life/health?
Cailyn found yoga to be extremely beneficial to her mental health.
“Transitioning from a practice that is constantly filled with critiques and never being good enough (ballet) to a practice that is calm, relaxed, and all up to you (barre) is a game changer.”
Cailyn believes yoga has brought her out of her shell and loves the endorphins it gives her.
Who are you most inspired by?
Cailyn is most inspired by the people around her because she knows them on a personal level, rather than on social media. She believes that social media does not always portray the true version of a person’s life.
Tips From The Teacher
What are some wellness tips you would give to CARAVAN members?
Cailyn wants CARAVAN members to live their best lives. The five most important tips she gave to living a healthy life are…
- Don’t be too hard on yourself if you are just starting out.
- Have a schedule, such as “7 am I will wake up and drink water” as silly as that sounds it will help.
- Do things you enjoy and have fun with it.
- Figure out what works well with your body.
- Give yourself a break and take a day to yourself, or you’ll quickly run out of steam.
Cailyn’s work with CARAVAN has included multiple online practices such as beginner barre, intermediate barre, barre sculpt, lower back stretching, and full body stretching. These classes use your entire body and are a fun and easy way to get the body moving.
