Did you feel insane last month? My March had me holding on for dear life! In retrospect, the ups and downs in my life seemed to mirror the weather outside. Cold, hot, warm, cool, windy, foggy, rainy, snowy, sunny. One thing I was able to manifest after a stagnant winter was walking every day. When I move my body, my thoughts digest, and I’m able to get in a stable headspace so I can focus. This is a great habit before work for me. If I stay too stagnant, my thoughts get stagnant, my body gets stagnant, and I find myself in a self-made prison. Everything has to flow. That’s my rhythm.
Catch me outside. That’s where you’ll find me.
I insist you learn all about you. I found out I knew nothing about myself outside of my family and busy worklife. It’s like one day I woke up and decided to get to know me. I spent hours by myself. Reading, paddle boarding, yoga, meditation, cooking, Ayurveyda. I found hobbies and met so many people, now friends! These things opened my comfort zone to new abundance. I was learning so much, and my heart opened. My anger subsided. I found this new phenomenon called inner peace.
Mr. Baby loves to go outside daily😻
One amazing morning ritual I can not skip is hot lemon water. The hot water helps release gunk clogging up our organs. How? Well, when I clean my floors, I love to use my steam mop. To me, the hot water steam gets deeper into the floor and scours stains and sticky spills. So I want that for me too! It’s deeply hydrating, and the lemon makes it delicious and other great benefits. Just try it for a week and see how you feel. I tell ya, you won’t be the same.
Hot lemon water or herbal teas are my #1
Getting outside in nature is one of my therapies. I listen. It’s beautiful. I watch the sun make its way up. The frogs. The moon fades into the brighter, bluer sky. Spring’s cool breeze flutters its warmer promises over my body. The breeze carries off yesterday’s burden. I feel lighter and purposeful. I love to journal in nature. My mind thrives in nature. I can not explain it. It’s magic.
We enjoy our afternoons outside💖
I hope this plants a positive seed in your thinking. Manifest your flow. After all, you know you better than anyone else does. Make mistakes on your journey so you learn. If everything has to flow, what does it take to put you back on track after chaos?
There is lots of growth happening outside right now. I have Creeping Charlie on the side of my house blooming. My yarrow is waking up and showing her beautiful leaves. I love feeling the squishy, cool mud between my toes as I have been trying to feel grounded these past few weeks. I have busted out my arsenal of tools to help me cope while I get through this. Sometimes feeling all the feels is the best medicine. Sometimes not having all the answers and ability to immediately fix the situation is the solution. How can I sit in peace when there is a whirlwind manifesting craziness in my head? I have to be okay with not being okay and find my inner peace in the chaos. Hold onto your yoga mat as we explore finding inner peace.
Spring is here!
Movement
"I 1,000% know moving my body gets everything moving, thoughts, blood, energy, feelings, breakthroughs."
First things first, I enjoy a brisk walk whether it be on the sidewalk or in nature. Get me moving so these thoughts can get in order. I find myself able to feel clear-headed as my blood pumps. I love yoga and lately have been intuitively moving to music for 30 minutes. I feel organized and in control when I make the time for me. I am not the best at immediately getting up to go but this morning I worked out my back with my husband and earlier this week, I worked out with my daughter. I 1,000% know moving my body gets everything moving, thoughts, blood, energy, feelings, breakthroughs. When I feel out of control, I find something I can control.
Rain or shine, me and my doggos go for a walk🐶💝
Nature Bathing
Being out in nature is pure essence of all life force. I feel so safe and sound tucked away with the trees. I never bring headphones so I can intently listen to my surroundings. All the joy and love swirl within me. I can write for days about my experiences outside. First of all, it’s free! I will sit and listen. There are so many messages and soft whispers in these moments. I do not know how to express all of the gratitude I get from listening. It’s peaceful in my soul and fills me back up with Prana so I can enter my demanding world of giving.
Early morning walks in nature makes my soul soothed.
Meditation
Meditation is my time to quiet my active mind. A good 30-minute session gives me the impression my thoughts are just thoughts, and they cannot control me. I control me. I have been appreciating guided meditations. I use Hemi-Sync which is a paid app. It’s phenomenal! I do not use it daily, but I am highly intrigued to commit to doing 30 days and blogging about it. Let me know your thoughts if you’d like me to do this soon!
Meditating by finding peace with stillness💜
Fasting
I have been feeling better feeling empty. I have been skipping breakfast and feeling all the tummy grumbling. I do keep up on my hydration and feeling like my hot lemon water ritual is keeping all my cells squishy! Nothing feels better than feeling. I know a huge part of my alcoholism was covering up the feels. So, feeling good is the ultimate goal but how can I know what feeling good is if I don’t feel bad. I don’t think that slight hunger is bad, more like uncomfortable. How can I feel bad in my life and add hunger on top of that? I have a relationship with my food and take the time to eat. When I do eat, whatever it is, I know it will nourish me.
My nourishing hot honey salmon sushi bowl😍
Seek Community for Your Journey
I have the best community of women in my life. We all have problems, and when I talk, I know someone will listen and identify. We are all strong in ourselves, and a strong community brings power back to ourselves. I am not crazy; I am on top of my game! Making friends can be outside of your comfort zone, but if you sign up for something you like, maybe you’ll find someone just like you! Someone who quickly gets out of stranger status and becomes bestie status! Never say never. Everyone has a story and most love to share if someone will listen. Find your community💞
I have been amongst many strangers in the last few days on vacation in Phoenix. I am so very humbled by my experience and found my peace in a bustling city full of unknowns. My intention was to experience all I can muster each day and make sure I am taking time to tend to my needs as well.
I’m just following the sun’s rhythms.
I have been experimenting with my self-care routine for over a year now. I know what works best for my morning and night routine to keep me going and going and going. I just have a few requirements (even while on vacation), they are 7 hours of sleep and meditation, Abhyanga (self-massage), movement, hydration, and eating with intention. I was on vacation and stayed up late on a few nights and had to get used to a different time zone. I still made sure I got in my 7 hours of rest. I had my maps on my phone and I walked everywhere! I even did 22,000 steps in one day which plows my 5,500 step average! I made sure I tended to my sore legs and the rest of my body with a self-massage every night after my shower. I enjoyed journaling by the pool every morning with my cup of hot herbal tea to help keep me hydrated amongst lots of water daily. I didn’t eat the healthiest foods at every meal, but I did take my time and enjoyed every bite.
Rest and relaxation💖
Sleep and Rest
I used to put my body through the wringer when I was on vacation. I would drink alcohol late into the night most nights and not have a great night’s sleep. I wouldn’t listen to my body for cues of dehydration and being overworked. Have you ever come back from vacation exhausted? I don’t like feeling drained if I can help it. I love to love me. I have the recipe to keep my body in check because I learned to listen to my body.
I found myself lounging by the pool after our morning hikes. It was a great place to journal and watch nature. I was able to meditate as well.
Self-Massage
I must tend to my sore body or my body won’t want to carry me around the next day. At least it won’t feel happy about it. I made sure to spend time massaging my sore legs and feet. I’m telling you that 5 minutes made a huge difference! I would pay attention to my toes and gently pull on each one front, back, left and right sides. I would knead my thumbs or knuckles into the bottom of my foot and up to my calves. I am someone who will pay for a good massage but knowing I can do the same for myself is priceless.
Watching the city life 💜
Movement
I experienced my first guided hike, and it was phenomenal! First, we met at the trailhead at 6 AM and we were led towards the peak. During our ascent I learned all about the flora and fauna of the land. I found myself challenged by the steep inclines and navigating in the early morning darkness. We finally got to our destination, and it was spectacular! I had a moment with the sunrise, and we began our descent. I loved moving my body in this way. I challenged my mind and body and didn’t get hurt.
I found multiple opportunities to walk in nature. I also walked downtown to most of my destinations. I would stay within a few miles our home rental. I really enjoyed walking and taking in the sights and smells. I loved walking by the orange trees and smelling the orange blossoms. I enjoyed some stretchy yoga poses by the pool as well to get me feeling juicy and restored.
Hydration
I used to not love water and it had to be seasoned to not taste like water for me to drink it. I am not her anymore. I love, love water! I know it is a necessity for my well-being. My body loves hydrating with warm lemon water. I didn’t think it would matter too much but I was drinking many bottles of water and my lips were dry requiring moisture. I was in the desert, but it didn’t feel 100% dry but I’m thinking next time I will carry hot water with me.
Eating with Intention
I love vacationing because I let myself splurge on either lunch or dinner. My husband loves to eat at places that don’t have a lot of veggie options, so this is my compromise. I can keep a healthy relationship with eating even if it’s not the best for my body. We ate burgers every day. I took my time to enjoy my experience enjoying my food. I had the best company, and it really satisfied my soul. I never had room for dessert, but I did my best to balance my choices.
The best sweet, salty, bitter, sour, pungent non-alcoholic drink!
I am currently writing and listening to the birds enjoy the spring morning. It’s beautiful being in my natural inner peace right in the heart of downtown Phoenix. I am in love with this place, and I witnessed a bird’s mating dance right above my head! I felt like “National Geographic” happening right before my eyes! My soul is overflowing with contentment, and I don’t want to leave it, but I must. I will just make sure I visit my favorite places that manifest heart searching soul work often!
I will put the AirBNB we stayed at and to meet Paul, our hiking guide, in the comments!
I am enjoying the new year on vacation! I’m enjoying myself and finding a lot of peace. I am so full of love, I could burst! For the first time in my life, I feel safe and impervious to defeat. I read my letter to myself from last New Year and after I cried tears of joy for being the strong woman my past self hoped for, I found that I can manifest my life. I achieved my dreams for 2022. What the hell?? I discovered I can be in control and I can drive my life where I want to go. I’m on my mat with every cell in my body screaming, “New year, new pose!”
Me a year ago, I was growing without boundaries, rules, or expectations. I quickly found that doesn’t work.
Spiritual Growth Needs Rules and Boundaries
My spiritual growth is exponential. I found the recipe to get my butt in gear and ran! I had a hard life growing up and found myself stuck in a circle of cleaning up after myself a lot. I feel like I didn’t know how to think or advocate for myself. I acknowledged other people’s rules and boundaries but never loaded myself up with any. I should have. I learned that boundaries are healthy and not rude. I require space and time to reflect on my day now. I was always going, going, going and my path lead me to drink profusely, rarely follow through on my thoughts of self-improvement, and never set any goals. I was doing what I could to get through the day. I was surviving and not thriving! So exhausted all the time.
It gets better. As sure as the sun rises a new day begins. I found a way to get unstuck from my old way of thinking. It didn’t serve me, it was only meant for my survival. I got away from the things trying to kill me and began living again🥰
My Awakening
I slept hard for 40 years and all of a sudden, I awoke. My senses judged my surroundings. I became aware of my decisions and I wanted to clean up my life. I focused so much on my yoga and meditation. I found board yoga and made a new friend with the owner. Actually, I found myself with a bunch of new friends, enjoying new things and not just enjoying them but loving them. It changed me. I became new and vibrant. My thoughts were loving and fresh. I had so much freedom but it was all still new. I, again, overbooked my calender cause I had to try all the new yoga classes, sound baths, paddleboarding, and retreats. I was so inquisitive about living that I found myself longing for rest.
I made my 1st sourdough to round out 2022💝
My Restful Rest
I seriously love a great meditation that recharges my energies and resets my mind. Ahhhhh… so rested and loved. All of this is intentional love back to myself. In the beginning, I meditated less than one minute and definitely not every day. In fact, it took me a solid season to feel any benefit so don’t expect a field of roses after planting the 1st seed. This is a practice. My mind is wired to always think and create. Sitting in silence was way left field! I stayed with guided meditations. I found my silence was indeed waking up the beast. My mind was getting organized and I found myself craving my meditations. By late spring I was meditating daily and to add a cherry on top, I would take my meditations outside😍
My beginning of prana meditations. Prana is the life force. I love to gather my energies by the water. I’m such a water lover! Mni Wiconi! (Water is Life ~ Lakota)
My New Beginnings
So, how will I get into my new pose for 2023? I have a lot of ideas and I’m ready for it!! I spent 2022 getting stronger and wiser. I stopped chasing the mundane. I only want me. I get to experience the highest highs all because I want to be my best self. There isn’t anything in this world worth chasing than my freedom. I am FREE! There aren’t any chains on me anymore. I found my voice, it’s singing from the hills. Sing with me, friend! I just never felt this before and if I could encapsulate this feeling and share it, I would. I only have my stories and my blog is where I share them. I can’t wait to continue my journey onward! Happy New Year!