ABOUT US
OmBalance List of Services
OmBalance is a collection of wellness services for those who seek to live a more mindful life.
We offer a variety group of yoga classes meeting all generational needs, specializing in classes for fertility, prenatal, partner, postpartum and seniors.
OmBalance also offers HypnoBirthing and Prepared Childbirth classes, Ayurvedic Doula service, nutrition and meditation. We envision an empowered client living a more conscious life.
Owner and operator, Cheryl Johnson has cultivated 2 decades of holistic expertise working with her clients as a certified yoga instructor, certified HypnoBirthing educator and Ayurvedic Doula.
YOGA ~ ABOUT CLASSES ETC
( 2 LOCATIONS: OAK CLIFF HOME STUDIO, THE YOGA MART)
BIRTH ~ ABOUT PREPARATION
(DOULA, CONSCIOUS BEGINNINGS CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION, PARTNERS IN PREGNANCY, HYPNOBIRTHING EDUCATION)
For more information about Holistic birth services click here.
AYURVEDA ~ ABOUT SELF-CARE
(PRENATAL & POSTPARTUM TREATMENTS, TEAS, POWDERS, OILS)
For more information about ayurvedic treaments click here.
DOULA(S)
Cheryl Johnson started her yoga practice in 1996 and holds certifications in Prenatal and Restorative Flow, is an ERYT, RPYT with Yoga Alliance. She has much respect for Iyengar yoga and the focus and detail it brings to alignment and form. She studies with Peggy Kelley at the Austin Yoga Institute.
Aside from teaching group and private sessions, Cheryl is an Ayurvedic Doula, certified Ayurvedic Doula through Rasa Ayurveda, and a certified HypnoBirthing Practioner through the HypnoBirthing Institute. As a birth doula and childbirth educator, she offers tools of guidance learned from years of yoga practice by means of mediation, breath awareness and visualization for her prenatal students. Cheryl teaches from the heart.
Cheryl’s personal practice is thoughtful and honest, and her intention is to create the same environment for her students during each class. She has been blessed to take from many great teachers; taking with her tools and words of wisdom from each experience. She is grateful to all her teachers and offers them her humble gratitude.
TESTIMONIALS
Never in a million years… I’m not the type of person that had much of a birth plan for either of my deliveries. My first was born at 41 weeks after 12 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing with the aid of an epidural. The recovery was horrific and I was terrified what the second birth would be like. I decided to change a few things about my labor and birth plan. First, I hired a doula. And not just any doula. I wanted Cheryl to be there. I was late in the game when making this decision. I confronted all of my doctors in the practice and asked their advice. I debated with my husband. I debated with myself. Is this something I really needed? The answer was yes. At 37 weeks we met with Cheryl and confirmed our choice. I was comfortable with her and from my experience in taking prenatal yoga class, I loved how soothing her voice was and how comforting she was when she repositioned me during class. Also, something that I never realized would be so important is that Cheryl is STRONG. I mean really, really strong.
During one of our yoga sessions at 39 weeks, I started having contractions. They were mild, but I was nervous and scared. I was also very nauseous. My husband and I prepared to have a baby that day. Well, the day came and went and no baby. We celebrated my due date a week later and anxiously awaited for things to progress. On Sunday night (40weeks, 1 day), I lost my mucus plug and knew that this was going to happen. That night we made sure everything was ready; bags were packed, nursery was done, and childcare was arranged for our little guy. We went to bed feeling excited! I woke up at 3 am with a pretty intense contraction and decided to let my husband sleep since I knew one of us needed to be rested. I wanted to labor at home for as long as I could before we had to leave for the hospital. I texted back and forth with Cheryl to let her know my progress. I ran a bath and turned on a movie as I breathed through two hours of contractions. It was great. At 5 am, I woke up my husband and asked him to help comfort me through the more intense contractions. It was working, but I was progressing pretty quickly. WE called Cheryl and first wanted her to come to the house, but then realized that we should probably head to the hospital. I dreaded that car ride more than anything, but we did it! At 7 am we arrived at the hospital and I checked in. They sent me to triage and checked how far I had dilated. I was absolutely shocked when the nurse announced I was 9 cm. At that point, the idea of having a natural delivery was realistic but I had not ruled out not having an epidural. They checked me into a room and with Cheryl and my husband’s support, I was able to breathe through the contractions while they comforted me with pressing on my hips and back. At one point, I didn’t want my husband to help. It wasn’t because I didn’t love him, but Cheryl was much stronger and knew exactly what to do. It made all the difference in the world. My husband continued to give me positive affirmations, while Cheryl supported me physically. My doctor (who happened to be on call that day! Yeah!) came down at 8:15 am to check my status and ended up breaking my water. At 8:45 am I was ready to push. No one ever told me that pushing was way easier than breathing through contractions. That was a pleasant surprise. There were also times when I wanted to give up and ask for an epidural. I ended up signing a consent for one, but luckily everyone in the room encouraged me to keep going. My doctor said she would give me one, but she didn’t want me to be mad at her at 5 pm. I was going to have this baby within the hour! At 9:35 am Amia was born a healthy 7 lbs 2 oz and 19 3/4 inches long. I had a few stitches, but nothing like my first. The recovery was amazing and we ended up staying in the hospital for only one night. There wasn’t much need for us to be there as everyone was doing great. Looking back on this experience, I can honestly say that it was one of the best moments of my life. Everything was absolutely perfect. And now we are a family of four. ~ Laura 2014
Cheryl was my prenatal yoga instructor during my first pregnancy. I never missed a single class – my time with Cheryl restored both my physical and emotional self each week. At some point, my wise husband pointed out how happy and relaxed I was after yoga and suggested that perhaps we look into hiring Cheryl as our doula. We knew we wanted an all-natural birth and also knew that we’d need all the help we could get. Cheryl just had a way about her that made everything seem easier and somehow made me both relax and find my inner strength all at the same time. I must say, it was the best decision we made for our family! She gave us confidence in ourselves, provided us with so many tips & tricks, supported us both through labor & delivery, and ultimately helped us have the birth story we always wanted!
However, I believe the best testimony to how much we valued Cheryl as a doula was when we learned we were pregnant with our second: when I told my husband, the very first thing out of his mouth was “We need to book Cheryl!”! It still makes me laugh to think that was his first response! But, of course, we did ask Cheryl to be our doula a second time and, once again, she helped us have yet another fantastic birth story. We truly couldn’t have done it without her support and love. She is such a fantastic doula and a wonderful person and we feel very lucky that she has come into our lives! ~ Colleen 2013
I met Cheryl through another friend who had gone to her for yoga and also hired her for her doula services. I did not hire a doula for my first pregnancy and after my delivery I felt that I had not had the experience i wanted. I discovered that nurses in the hospital are there to monitor the pregnancy but not to support me emotionally or physically throughout the entire process. My husband ia amazing, but isn’t comfortable and doesn’t know how to support a laboring woman. So I called cheryl the second time around.
When I met Cheryl I was thrilled. She is so positive and so excited about her babies! She did not have any agenda of her own, her main priority was supporting me and helping me have the birth experience that I wanted. She met with us a couple of times before the big day and she helped me make a birth plan and also showed us pain relieving techniques for early labor. On the big day Cheryl was there the whole day. Texting with me to begin with and then meeting us at the hospital. She was amazing in action! She had lots of ideas throughout labor for ways to make me more comfortable, also she was an invaluable asset when we had to make decisions and needed information. At the end of the day i truly felt that Cheryl was our super hero, she kept us going and brought my husband into the process by showing him ways he could help too. If you’re thinking about hiring a doula, DO! And I would highly recommend Cheryl, she is really blessed with a gift to help women on the hardest and best days of their lives. ~ Becky 2013
Our family was infinitely blessed to cross paths with Cheryl during our pregnancy. We wanted the birth of our daughter to be the most positive experience possible and also an expression of our family values. For us, that meant a desire to have a natural birth with as few medical interventions as possible, but still in a hospital environment. Cheryl ensured that we felt comfortable and confident in the months and weeks leading up to the arrival of our daughter, complete with the most amazing abhyanga massage at 38 weeks that left me so relaxed I almost forgot I was hugely pregnant.
Cheryl helped us navigate our options when faced with an induction and helped us be at peace with each decision by keeping us focused on our ultimate goal – the healthy arrival of our baby girl. We had a fantastic L&D nurse who was very supportive of natural birth but I still could not imagine our experience being as positive without Cheryl’s presence. Being our only birth experience, I have nothing to compare Pitocin contractions with, but I can only describe it as hitting a brick wall physically and mentally. I was overwhelmed until the moment Cheryl breezed into the L&D room and immediately changed the entire atmosphere. The noisy monitor beeping and graphs all disappeared from my consciousness as she helped me focus on breathing the baby down and really being aware and in tune with what exactly what my body was accomplishing. I had my eyes closed for so much of the hard labor so Cheryl’s voice and calming words are such an integral part of my memories.
At points during labor when either my husband or I lost focus or became overly emotional, she knew exactly what to say or do to keep us encouraged. That alone was invaluable and was the absolute key to our birth experience being the positive environment with which we wanted our daughter to arrive. ~ Laura 2010
My life long dream had always been to be a mother of five. As a child I did not have the support or parental figure of a woman and worried that when it was time for me to have children I would be alone. The feeling of not knowing what to do, how to feel, who to feel it with was always a worry of mine. I knew that I needed a Doula when I got pregnant, I needed someone to support me through the adventure, but I needed a very “special” kind of person. I not only needed a person that was willing to understand my feelings, thoughts, emotions, and anxieties, but one that would sooth genuinely and go out of the professional “contract” if needed to make it all better. Cheryl Johnson was not just a “doula”- even though our “contract” or terms were related to child birth, she made sure I felt her support with ANYTHING. I was terrified and anxious about being alone during pregnancy and delivery. Cheryl always made me feel that she was there and comforted me like someone I had known for years. Her soft, sweet, GENUINE nature always brought me to a safe place. I could of never delivered my sweet baby without her touch, voice, and positive energy. For that I am SOOOOOOO thankful and blessed. My wish is that all women could have a Cheryl Johnson in their birthing experience. ~ Nadiezhda 2010
I met Cheryl Pre-natal Yoga practice and she helped me modifying and empower me to continue my Yoga practice under her supervision as many Yoga teachers do not specialize on Pregnancy and prefer not to let you do certain poses. She can evaluate your level and would recommend accordingly.
Working with Cheryl as our Doula was the best decision we could’ve ever taken during our pregnancy. She is compassionate, friendly and truly cares about her mamas’. Always available to help with questions doubts , concerns. My ob&g commented on how well i was managing my “labor” using HypnoBirthing techniques with Cheryl’s assistance.
She has a true vocation and passion for her profession, for us she went above and beyond her doula duties, and we will be always thankful of that. ~ Karla 2010
Cheryl was just amazing! She fit our personalities perfectly and really helped make my birthing experience even better. I first met her when I was around 14 weeks pregnant. I began taking pre-natal yoga classes from her, which I continued throughout my pregnancy – up until 39 weeks. Since I already had a relationship with her through her wonderful yoga classes, I decided she was our match for being our doula. Her voice is so calming and soothing (and that’s exactly what I needed during the tough hours of labor). She was always there when I had questions or concerns, even a few weeks before I went into labor. The day I finally did go into labor, I had been very nausious and couldn’t eat, she went out of her way and brought me a smoothie and some snacks to my house. She and my husband made the perfect team for me and she really helped my husband feel more comfortable and confident before, during and after my labor. We both are so glad we hired Cheryl to be our doula and wouldn’t trade our birth experience for anything in the world. She will forever be in our lives. Thanks Cheryl!! ~ Jara 2009