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Payton Foeller
BSW (SIU Carbondale)
200YTT (Yoga Renew)
Trauma-Informed Cert. (Centre for Healing)
Somatics Cert. (My Vinyasa Practice)
Email:
Cedar Rapids, IA
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A Bit About Me
I’m Payton, and I created Mending with Mindfulness because I’m tired of watching Christian women stay sick, stuck, and stressed—afraid to feel their own bodies.
Afraid that embodiment is “too New Age.”
Afraid that yoga is evil.
Afraid that meditation is a gateway drug to heresy.
I get it. I was her.
I grew up thinking emotions were dangerous and turning inward was selfish. That dissociation was spiritual maturity. That if I felt too much, it was probably sin. So I became really good at ignoring my body—until it stopped letting me.
My real crash came in 2023 with a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). But the truth is, the roots were there long before: perfectionism, religious anxiety, childhood trauma, and a nervous system that never stopped bracing for the next blow.
I did everything right. Clean eating. Supplements. Blood tests. I even got steroid injections into my spine at 30 years old because the pain was that bad. And still—no peace.
Then I found TMS and Dr. John Sarno. And some things started to click.
It wasn’t just my body that was hurting. It was everything I’d been holding in—grief, fear, shame, pressure to be everything for everyone. And for the first time, I stopped trying to “fix” myself and started learning how to be with myself.
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Mindfulness, somatics, and nervous system work weren’t New Age nonsense. They were the very things God used to help me heal. They helped me feel safe being in my body again. They helped me get curious instead of terrified. And they helped me meet Christ not just in my head but in my chest, my breath, my aching back, and my everyday life where He had been all along.
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That’s why I created this space. Not because I have all the answers, but because I know what it’s like to feel broken by a faith that taught you to ignore your pain instead of listen to it (even though that was never the intention behind the teaching - It's easily absorbed this way, especially in a busy brain like mine).
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Mending with Mindfulness is for the Christian woman who’s tired of white-knuckling her way through life.
Who’s curious, maybe even desperate, for another way.
Who wants to feel safe in her own skin again, without compromising her faith.
If that’s you, you’re not crazy. You’re not alone. And you’re not too much.
I’m still healing too—but I’d love to walk this road with you.
Scroll down to find my socials and connect with me.
Work Experience
Early Years
Motherhood
A new adventure
I attended Southern Illinois University and earned a Bachelor’s in Social Work. I’ve always been fascinated by human behavior, but I had zero desire to learn a foreign language, so Social Work won out over Psychology (which, if we’re being honest, was my real passion at the time).
Motherhood is a job in and of itself, is it not? We had our first in 2015, our second in 2018, and our third in 2020. Three kids and almost a decade of parenting later, we’re still figuring it out. But it’s through motherhood that some of my deepest triggers and weakest spots were exposed; things that ultimately led me toward the healing work I’m doing now.
Mending with Mindfulness is my fourth baby. I’m holding it loosely, but I do have goals and dreams (and maybe even a five-year plan!) that I’m excited to share with you along the way.
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I’ve loved getting to teach somatic yoga locally, especially the Seasonal Somatic's series and Faith Flow classes. These classes have been such a joy! Connecting with other menders and healers here in the Cedar Rapids area has been one of the sweetest surprises of this season.
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I’m grateful for every opportunity to share Christ and the tools He’s given us, tools that help us walk out of chronic pain and back into our bodies with faith, gentleness, and curiosity.