Why a daily breathing practice?

We know that stress is the biggest culprit for disease. High demanding lives and a multitude of responsibilities, it’s no surprise that our cortisol and norepinephrine levels are through the roof. Our lives can feel uncertain and we may experience overwhelming worrying and anxiety. This of course, causes us to be in a constant state of fight-flight-freeze arousal. This action of the sympathetic nervous system is a superb survival mechanism when we are in a life or death situation, but when it is continually activated, it takes a toll on our nervous system, on our overall health, our body and mind/emotions.

A daily breath awareness practice can support activation of parasympathetic nervous system arousal, which activates our body’s relaxation system, activating immune system function and helps release good feeling neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and/or oxytocin.

Let’s do our part to activate the happy hormones in our body by practicing daily breath awareness practice like the one I show you on this video linked below. Practice this for 7 days, 14 days, 21 days and let me know the changes you notice with this simple yet profound daily practice. If you want to join me for daily practice at 7am, visit here for membership options through the nonprofit or email me to find out when our next practice begins.

Click here to find my Breathe with Me video recording, using the 3 part breathing exercise.

Winter 2024 reflections

Happy New Year! May 2025 bring many blessings and opportunities to expand your horizons!

In just a few days, we say farewell to year 2024 and we ring in 2025. The Year 8 was filled with opportunities for growth, transformation and change—it just flew by—as I rooted into a life of travel moving between Northern and Southern California—the year showed me how to be adaptable, flexible, and flow with the tidal waves of change. If you had a year of change, how did it flow? Were you able to adapt or did you resist to the changes? How did it feel? When we come to transitions, it’s always a good time to reflect and consider what was most impactful, how did we learn to expand our way of being or what were the challenges that helped us grow out of our comfort zone? Perhaps the opposite, what moved us to shrink into ourselves and go within for inner observation and quiet time alone? How did the number 8 resonate with the year that you experienced? 8 = infinite change, transformation, opportunity for growth and transmutation.

What are your inspirational goals for this upcoming year? How do you envision fulfilling dreams and aspirations? Take some time to write out goals for the next year, next 3 years, next 5 years and next 10 years. How do you envision your life? How would you like things to flow? When it comes to health, relationships, career/work? Create a vision board using old magazines, pictures, photos or whatever fills your heart to dream your visions into being (draw, write, cut and paste). What does the number 9 bring up for you? The number 9 is a powerful number leading toward completion and fulfillment; love and compassion toward humanity and fulfilling your service to the world. May this end of the year bring ease, space for allowing & acceptance of what was, and new opportunities for what the future brings is infinite possibilities.

medicine ways.

Medicine Ways

are on my heart.

I returned from my Shamanic Training Retreat this week with a wide open heart. Taking space to hold space for myself and share my vulnerabilities is allowing me to step into my path fearlessly with the energy of hummingbird pulling me forward. Going through extreme losses over the last several years had torn me apart more than I had fully realized. Digging into this pain revealed to me deeper pain laying dormant in my psyche taking up significant mental space in my day to day life. These are occurrences that happen below the surface and when stacked on top of each other it’s easy to hide our pain from ourselves—but it lingers. It was clear when pain that I had been experiencing daily suddenly disappeared with somatic release experiences during my retreat. Being a psychologist can be an easy intellectual process when it comes to compartmentalizing pain and moving forward with taking care of others. It is not from a wounded healer that I choose to be in service of others, but from a place of knowing my limits, knowing when and how to push my limits of comfort and discomfort and navigating my own field with knowing, wisdom, action, and love from a centered heart.

Cacao as the medicine of the heart.

Making medicine inspires joy in my heart and sharing it expands my capacity to love. When years ago I received the message that gifts are meant to be shared, I didn’t fully believe that I had any gifts to share. I knew intellectually, that I had gifts to share, but at the same time, my mind was weaving patterns of negative self-worth and critical voices that would drown my deepest desires and new dreams to manifest. I slowly started chipping away at the ego creations that limited my capacities. Many of my shamanic training experiences, plant medicines, Reiki offerings and trainings, Ayurveda and many more natural and holistic Indigenous practices like walking on the land, have continued to expand my heart and clear space for me to heal pain in my being. Over the last several years, my love for plant medicines has grown as well as my deep desires to serve; as so, my love for ceremonial grade cacao has cracked me open.

During a time of my life that was filled with darkness, cacao lit the way and kept my heart open to possibilities. That’s the magic of cacao and the power of the ancestral wisdom ways to enrich all that we do.  

In 3 short weeks I get on a plane to Guatemala to continue learning about cacao directly from Mayan Spiritual leaders, visiting the cacao farms and putting my hands to work on making my own cacao medicine. I plan to share as much as I can from this journey and I invite you to support my cause so I can continue sharing about Indigenous medicine and about ceremonial grade cacao from Guatemala.

To support my fundraiser, consider joining my new membership plan and join me to devote to a 14-day breathwork challenge.

At the end of the 14 days, we will celebrate with drinking ceremonial grade cacao together online.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

NOVEMBER: 14-day Breath challenge & Cacao Gratitude Celebration

DECEMBER: 10-day Breath challenge & Cacao Solstice Celebration

January: New challenges & SACRED course offerings (SACRED Activation. Aligning with Soul Purpose, Conveying Inner Truth, Upshifting Body Function, Trusting your Intuition, Administering Self Healing, Living in Freedom)

devotion with reiki

Reiki has a special place in my heart and I am committed to continuing the path of sharing and teaching Reiki. Reiki has been one of my anchors both in times of goodness and in times of crisis and stress. Now, as I’ve spent weeks in the hospital, supporting the healing of my nephew, I am so grateful for all the tools I carry that bring forward healing. I come back to my Reiki practice again and again and I find that it has a way of opening my heart to deeper layers of compassion for myself and others, even in the most difficult times, I can sink into my practice and find space for compassion—in spite of feeling anger, frustration, worry and doubt. It brings a calm over me and any situation I face.

It’s not easy to explain what it is. It even feels strange to use it at times, in different settings where it’s clearly not acceptable, like in a hospital— or even perhaps scoffed at in a way as something insignificant and unscientific. I pay no mind to the non-believers as Reiki has the ability to transform situations, people, objects even… many things, beyond the limitations of our mind, magic happens. I have seen it time and time again!

Reiki is translated to mean ‘universal life force energy.’ Mrs. Takata, known as the person who brought Reiki to the West from Japan stated that it was “God light, cosmic force” likening it to a radio transmitter that when tuned to the proper frequency, anyone can tap into it and use it for benefits of healing—she said that it was not a technique or a tool, “Reiki just is.” It does require an open mind, an open heart and a willingness to lean into our imagination as the energy is subtle, so subtle that it is almost undetectable—until we begin to raise our awareness, use it, meditate with it, practice placing our hands on our body, inviting Reiki to begin guiding our lives, and we begin to transform ourselves, with the subtle energy that is Reiki.

As a part of my devotional practice, I am offering a 6 month course entitled Reiki Path to Mastery beginning on August 1st for a reduced cost. This course is offered through my nonprofit, Luna y Sol Sanctuary. Follow the link for the registration and more information on the course by visiting the Luna y Sol Sanctuary website. On July 15th at 3pm, I am hosting an informational session so you can learn more about the Reiki Path to Mastery course program. Email me for more information.

The gift of surrendering

Letting yourself surrender is a gift.

Give Gratitude. Allow and Release.

For over 10 years, I have been intentionally practicing gratitude. I’ve taught counseling clients in severe depression, to use this practice as a way to shift mood and vibration. I’ve used it myself when feeling down and unable to get myself out of negative thought patterns—gratitude.

Ask yourself, what am I grateful for? Make a list. Look around in nature. Observe the natural mechanisms the body is responsible for without us having to even think about it. Say it out loud.

I am grateful for ….

I feel gratitude for …..

I choose to be grateful for….I am living in deep gratitude for each opportunity I have to …

When we are at a place of rock bottom in our lives, in our emotions, our state of mind—spiritually, it’s hard to find gratitude, trust me, I know. With the simple practice of gratitude, we can shift our attitude and mood. If ever so subtle, the vibrational shift is there. With each gratitude, the vibrations increase.

Allowing ourselves to feel what we feel is just as important. Perseverating on specific thoughts can be a result of damage to the brain or trauma which gives us an extra challenge—shifting our thoughts can feel impossible. Remember that lesson in Buddhism teaching us that not nothing is permanent, everything is impermanent; meaning nothing lasts forever—therefore nothing can be held onto.

Allowing ourselves to be, to feel, to go with the flow of changes that is our lives—is a gift.

Surrendering is a relief, a letting go, releasing tension, allowing space for what is, to be what it is.

It’s not easy to surrender—it may be uncomfortable. Isn’t it more painful to push against something, clinging and holding onto something that we know is better left behind? How does it feel to go against the stream? Resistance? Going with the flow of nature is the path of least resistance.

When it’s time, we surrender and let go of the old ways of being, of things that don’t serve us, of things we attach to and cling to because we are used to it, or afraid to be without it—in all of it, surrendering is a deep gift we give ourselves.

In the flow of this New Moon energy, we set intentions for new motions, for new growth, for new perspectives, for new ways of being and relating. In making space for new growth, we clear the path of the old, clearing space for the new harvest to blossom.

Give yourself the gift of surrendering with grace and ease.

the medicine of hope

Steeped in the depths of Indigenous wisdom, I find brilliant gems that illuminate and guide my path. It’s no mistake that I found the best cacao in the world to brighten my life with hope. Plant medicines have been near and dear to my heart feeding my soul with wisdom, compassion and deeper understanding of myself which allows me to be in greater service to the world. With every cup of cacao I have the privilege of drinking, I taste the sacred reverence of the women who worked the metate to crush the roasted cacao beans into paste. The cacao itself takes me back to the times when my own ancestors grew their own corn, praying for rain to come to water their crops. The symbiotic and interdependent relationship we once had with the Earth lives in my bones—but for many of us are so far from the ancient medicine ways—the sacred seems to slip away—yet the Indigenous people carry their stories and share their seeds of wisdom with the world so we can understand and remember again how to live in harmony and balance with the Earth and all its inhabitants. We can remember the sacred in life, of life.

The cacao itself requires the ecosystem of the forest to thrive. It’s not grown in an agricultural plant with rows and lines of seeds planted evenly—it’s the wild jungle that feeds and sustains all of life, from the worms in the soil, to the birds, monkeys and to us, humans. Cacao is a way of sustaining and honoring life and the divine feminine in its raw natural form.

Unfortunately, what we see as cacao, or cocoa or chocolate in most stores in the United States, are not actually cared for as cacao is cared for by the Indigenous peoples who still hold their ancient ways. Instead, the cacao or cocoa we get, has been processed, exploited and enslaved. The chocolate industry has taken its role in the destruction and exploitation of Indigenous peoples. In spite of so much pain, I am continuously honored and grateful for the humility and gentleness I meet with when learning from Indigenous elders. Still living today through the impact of genocide, exploitation, colonization and destruction, they continue to courageously tell their story, share their wisdom, and bring us the medicine of hope.

At a time when we need it so badly. We have an opportunity to inspire ourselves and heal our physical bodies with the beautiful sacred ceremonial grade cacao that is offered from the Mayan Wisdom Project. Go to their website to support their work and learn more about Mayan Wisdom. If you want to support this work, you can also purchase cacao from Luna y Sol Sanctuary. If you want to share cacao with us, join us online at 11am on June 6th to share sister talk, drink cacao, and wake up hope in our hearts!

Tiahui

May Offerings

In honor of mothers who have struggled with their mental health and mothers who have grieved the loss of a child. Intuitive healing sessions can focus on ancestral healing, clearing karmic ties, anchoring to your soul mission, clearing your auric networks and more. Whether you need insight, inspiration or an upshift of your energetic blueprint, the one-on-one sessions can assist in making way for new perspectives. Two sessions for the cost of one.

*Restorative Calibration systems are sister to SACRED Intentional Healing systems and are designed to “help restore energetic balance and flow to your energy field, opening, clearing and adjusting magnetic frequencies within your energy field. These are unique and powerful subtle energy techniques that can shift your energy field to align you with your soul mission and purpose.

mental health awareness

We are generators of love.

When we get lost in our pain, we need a little extra help.

In communities of care, we can rest our hearts.

Tuning into the sacred elements of nature, we can recharge our heart to the frequency of love.

The suffering that humanity is currently experiencing is palpable. Every day the news and social media bombards us with terrible things that have happened this morning, last night, and plans for terrible unknown infinite possibilities into the future. It’s no wonder we have a mental health epidemic.

We don’t have to look too far to see the impact of suffering in our lives, in the lives of our loved ones, our youth, our elders and in our communities. It’s everywhere. Particularly for communities of color. The historical context is absolutely essential. The statistics keep feeding us the story of vulnerable populations that need help. Yet oppressive systems of destruction and forcing us to live a life of servitude is no doubt a downer and high stress situation that debilitates our overall functioning—mentally, physically and spiritually. No doubt that this can change our brain chemistry. Especially if we are eating toxic and genetically modified foods sprayed with pesticides, drinking contaminated water, and breathing polluted air. Especially if we are not living within a community of care.

I write and re-write this story, because I want to tell new stories. Stories of healing, of life, of resilience and power.

Yet the data is undeniably clear! Still I ask?

How is it that 970 million people worldwide are living with a mental health disorder? I ask how many were not captured in this whopping number? I wonder about all the people who are not receiving or won’t have access to any type of treatment. Do they even believe in the treatment available? Do they want it? Is it trustworthy? So many more questions than answers. Why do children experience depression and anxiety at such young ages?

Why is the 4th leading cause of death for youth 15-29 years old suicide? I ponder how my degrees and education could make a difference in all this?

What motivates us to stay alive and feel connected to life? Do we have the capacity to hold a safe space for others? For ourselves? can we admit when we are sad? Angry? Hopeless? What do we do? How do we inspire ourselves to keep moving forward in the midst of mental anguish and deep suffering? Can we find joy? Gratitude? Love? Forgiveness? A path to compassionate action? A sense of community, belonging and participating in loving exchange? Sharing our gifts and talents with the world and knowing we are valued for who we are.

I can hear the whispers of the elders speaking about the sacredness of the breath of life. But without this teaching and this knowing, how can we honor life? What does it even mean? and even so, anyone can get lost in the dark crevices of the mind.

The losses in the world are grand. The capacity we have to become and be generators of love is also grand.

We are generators of love. But when we get lost in our pain, we need a little extra help. In communities of care we can rest our hearts. In tuning into the sacred elements of nature, we can recharge our hearts to the frequency of love once again.