Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Cabral.
Hi Jonathan, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Jonathan Cabral and I am a Southern California native who was born in the city of Orange and grew up here in north San Diego County, specifically Encinitas. I received my doctorate in physical therapy in Los Angeles where I spent 3.5 years pursuing my dream of being a physical therapist. I have always had a passion for helping others ever since I was a young child: making dinner for my family, walking on the beach passing out food to the homeless, and even taking my grandmother to the gym just to teach her how to exercise. Now I am able to not only be a healthcare provider working in orthopedics & sports helping my patients but also as a Pilates instructor being able to teach my students about the power of mindful movement and strengthening to improve their lives.
While finishing my doctorate degree I earned my national certification as a Pilates instructor from Balanced Body® in Reformer and mat. From this program, I learned the intricate method of Joseph Pilates tailoring the method for clinical rehabilitation and orthopedic injuries. I then taught group pilates reformer classes after I finished my licensure for physical therapy at a studio in San Diego. At this studio, I was a lead pilates instructor teaching 6 classes a day with 12 students per class allowing me to realize the power of teaching and being able to help others discover in their own bodies, the power of purposeful movement and strengthening.
My doctorate was just the start of my journey to where I am now but it was only a gateway; the beginning of a process where I would discover myself and experience the greatest loss of my life only to find gratitude for this thing called life.
During my final year of my doctorate program, my mother was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer and in her infinite, loving wisdom she hid it from me for 6 months in order to allow me to finish my degree without having the emotional turmoil that one would have knowing the person they love the most is battling cancer. Needless to say, the moment she shared this with me, I was destroyed internally. She shared with me about what she was going through the past 6 months with chemotherapy, why she made the choice she did, and that she had her total hysterectomy to remove the tumors in a week’s time. Speechless was an understatement for this moment of my life but more than any words that I could speak aloud, the emotional pain I was experiencing screamed out in the tears that I shed. After this moment I had to complete my final two clinical rotations which were 12 weeks each processing this emotional turmoil and distress, all the while treating patients and finishing the final requirements needed to achieve my goal of finishing my doctorate program.
This moment in time, as I reflect upon it, was so deeply heartbreaking but I have come to accept what it took for my mom to make the choices she did and the energy of love that she used to act from in making these choices. My mother died less than a year after her initial diagnosis. I was fortunate in that I was caregiving for her at the end of her life and that I could hold her close to me as she finished her work in this life and left to rest in eternity.
To this day that is the most powerful and raw experiences of my life. It is an experience that left me shattered in the past, but one that I now honor in reverence and gratitude. The death of my mother allowed me to witness the power of true healing within myself and to understand how pain can be transformed into grace, not only for myself but for any who come with an open heart willing to go through the process.
I will never forget her laugh, her strength, and her ability to do the hardest things and yet still always smile through them! I love you mom and thank you for choosing me to be your son.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
From this point in time now I can welcome the road I have travelled and find gratitude for the struggles I have overcome. The first and foremost struggle would be the loss of my mother which taught me some of the deepest lessons about perseverance, love, compassion, and patience. This loss resulted in the most disruptive transition of my life where everything that I had held so close to my heart had been stolen from me and I had to discover within myself the deepest form of strength in order to reform my life and continue onwards to honor the memory of my mom within my life.
After my mother died, I left San Diego and returned to Los Angeles to work in Santa Monica at a private orthopedics & sport practice working with professional athletes, patients with neurologic disorders, and everything in between. I worked at this practice for 3 years and it was one of the most rewarding & valuable professional experiences of my career. What made this very challenging was that I moved to Los Angeles and started this job 4 months after the loss of my mother to cancer. In hindsight, this decision may have not been the most wise, especially because in the grieving process it is not advised to uproot your life and make life-changing decisions, which I did not know at that time. This entire 3-year period working in Los Angeles allowed me many challenges in which to discover myself and discover this fortitude of heart that I have within. A discovery that I have the ability to take such a deeply painful experience such as grief and trauma and transmute them into lessons of growth and love to serve me and allow me a deeper connection to life and love. A lesson that has allowed me to become a more compassionate healthcare provider and a more empowering fitness instructor.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a physical therapist, I specialize in the rehabilitation of post-concussive syndrome, vertigo/vestibular disorders, or anything that makes you dizzy. I have had extensive clinical experience in treating all types of concussions arising from direct head trauma, sports-related injuries, and car accidents all of which require a tailored approach to the individual’s needs. What makes me unique as a physical therapist is that I use metaphors and jokes in the education about what is going on medically or orthopedically. I have found that when dealing with things in the body that may be foreign, unknown, and somewhat frightening due to the nature of injury, a dose of humor is better than any medication that MD can give you.
As a pilates instructor, I have found that taking a more holistic approach in bringing the Joseph Pilates method to students in terms of not being such a stuffy pilates snob. I have tattoos and a beard and am a real person that once upon a time never knew that Pilates was named after a guy who came up with a style of exercise and realize that others who don’t have a background in Pilates may come from the same background. However, I have found in my own body and in working with countless different people that Pilates has a way of intrinsically correcting all the orthopedic issues or injuries you may have naturally by the style of movement and how it interfaces with the human body. It is my belief that the true heart of Pilates is a style of moving that brings people together into their mind-body connection and harnesses that power to facilitate healing and strengthening. In my mind, this style is appropriate for everyone and can help anyone and not just ballerinas or gymnasts
What matters most to you?
Healthy striving and the pursuit of conscious evolution is something that has come to help me realize that I can aspire for more both in my personal and professional life. I can be more and have more, in order to give more back to all those around me so that we all prosper.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pilatesoceanside.com/ | risephysicaltherapy.com
- Other: https://odysseyperformancesports.com/
