Y3 here for health care workers

MILAN — Kim Ott-Chaban started her relatively new business, Y3 Studio, to help people relax and empower their minds, bodies and souls. But then the most stress-inducing event witnessed in modern history, the COVID-19 pandemic, rocked planet Earth. Ott-Chaban definitely felt the aftershocks at her business in Milan. She's located on Village Square above Milan Wine Post. "We had to completely shut down," said Ott-Chaban, noting her business only debuted less than a year prior to March 2020. "We closed before the governor said we had to. I didn't feel it was safe for the community. In yoga, you can't put money or business before community." By closing, Ott-Chaban realized she locked up an outlet people needed to cope with life-changing pressures. "The community is suffering from mental health issues because of COVID and the loss of connection, which is so important in wellness," said Ott-Chaban, pointing out some disturbing trends. "The numbers for suicides, relapses and addictions all went up." Upon partially reopening this past summer, albeit in a scaled-down fashion, Ott-Chaban and her leadership team doubled down on carrying out Y3's ultimate mission. "We reopened to provide the support for the community not just for physical health but for the mental well-being. That's our whole basis up here: We want the mind-body connection. We want to establish that mental, physical, emotional and spiritual connection." Through certified instructors and licensed therapists, Y3 can achieve this end through its many services. Professionals offer all levels of yoga and yoga therapy; meditation; physical therapy; therapeutic and reiki massages; dance fit classes; and qigong, the practice of calmness and balanced energy. While Ott-Chaban welcomes anyone, she's putting a special emphasis on assisting frontline health care workers. In fact, she's one herself, serving as a registered nurse for Fisher-Titus Medical Center. Previously, she also worked in Firelands Regional Health System's ICU and as a triage nurse for University Hospitals in Elyria. "Nursing burnout and physician burnout is a huge problem," Ott-Chaban said. "It was already a huge problem and a stressful job pre-COVID. Many people don't understand or even know how to deal with it. It's a constant flood of stress hormones." To spread her message, Ott-Chaban is undergoing a special certification process. She wants to enter area medical centers to provide in-person instruction, which would include yoga and breathing exercises. She strives to help frontline workers combat whatever anxieties and stressors they're experiencing in a healthy fashion. "I want to teach them how to regulate their autonomic nervous system so they can widen their window of tolerance and relieve their stress," Ott-Chaban said. "The last five years in my life, I have prepared myself to be able to do this. Self-care is important." People can search for "Y3 Studio Milan" for more information on class schedules, therapeutic appointments and other information.