What if I had been a Kid who Camped?

i find myself 

surrounded by 

strong women

our original mother, 

Nature

the soft glow of fire 

the sweet sound of silence 

i inhale the smoky air

i root my feet in her earth 

i surrender to her gentle waves 

i lift my gaze to her heavens

i sense the slow shift -

my nervous system 

temporarily settling 

then returning to its 

normal state of tension

i move my incredible body 

in the way he asks me to

slow

steady 

honoring the playful 

bursts of energy 

when they come

my jaw unclenches 

my shoulders drop 

my hips finally let go 

this body holds 

so many memories

beautiful

painful

shocking 

hard truths 

laughter

pleasure

heartache 

sorrow 

regret

they can all feel as

engulfing as her waters

so i let her hold me 

in my joy and

in my pain

and everywhere in between 

especially the in between 

the unknowing 

the fearful reminders of

the lack of safety 

the doubtful next steps

but what if 

there are no next steps

36 years in this vessel

this sacred home, body  

and just now i am learning 

the art of slowing down

what if i had been a 

kid who camped 

would my body have 

felt like a safer place to exist

would i have learned sooner to

turn to this precious land for

guidance

relief 

acceptance 

would i be a 

different person

would i be more healed

more calm

more me

“what if i had been a kid who camped”

July 4, 2024

Evangola State Park

Let Your Pain Migrate

To listen to the guided version of this meditation, please click here.

Today, I want to guide you through a little meditation for pain.

A lot of times when we’re experiencing pain, the first thing we want to do is get rid of it. We resist + maybe even focus on it so much, that all of our attention can make the pain worse.

Today, I invite you to try something that’s been helpful for me lately.

Before we jump in, let’s settle in. You can be seated or lying down for this. You may be in a chair or on the floor - whatever will work best for you. Take a few moments to get comfy. Fidget, wiggle, roll the head side-to-side. Whatever you need.

Take a few deep breaths. Inhale through the nose - expand the belly.
Easy breath out - open mouth - sigh it out.
Take a few more like that.

I invite you to keep taking cleansing breaths (in through the nose, out of the mouth) or let your normal breath return. Breathe in + out. In + out.

Maybe right now you’re experiencing pain. Maybe you have chronic pain. Bring your attention to the area of the body in pain. Whether it’s your neck, jaw, hip, low back, knee, ankle, arm, doesn’t matter. Notice the sensations there. Is it tight? Tingling? A dull ache? A sharper pain?

If you’re like me, I experience most of my pain to one side - my left jaw/ neck, left hip, left knee, etc. It’s easy to keep all my attention on one side of my body. Maybe you experience that, maybe not.

Today, we’re going to play with allowing that pain dissipate into the rest of the body. So bring your attention to the pain.

Find some place in the body that’s opposite the pain - physically in the body + in sensation. If it’s your left hip that bothers you or is in pain, notice how the right hip feels. Find a place that feels good- where there is no pain, or less pain. Where you feel strong, relaxed.

Start to envision that good feeling traveling across your body to the other side. Whatever that good feeling is to you - maybe it’s relaxed sensation, strength, maybe it’s an absence of pain, something more neutral. Allow that to spread through your body - especially to the side where pain exists.

Take a deep breath.
Beautiful.

Now bring your attention back to the area of pain. Can you start to allow that pain to travel to the other side of your body? The side that feels good, relaxed, neutral. We aren’t trying to force the pain out or get rid of.

Can you start to let the pain + the sensation in that one area travel throughout the body?

If your first instinct is a little bit of pain or fear- because you don’t want more pain in the body of course - that’s ok. You can just sit with that today. Maybe you return to this meditation + allow that sensation to dissipate or envision it breaking down into pieces that float throughout the body. They are so small + the pain isn’t as noticeable.

You can spend as much time here as you need. Feel into the body’s sensation of moving pain around the body.

Can you start to integrate the body into one whole being? Allow the pain to mix with the relaxed sensation.

Maybe you still have attachments to pain being a “bad” thing. Allow “bad” side of the body to intermingle with the “good” side of your body. Something to play with as you sit to meditate or the next time you feel an increase in your pain + awareness. Allow those feel good parts of the body to meld into the other side. Allow the pain to melt into the opposite side as well.

Take another round of deep breaths.

Start to bring some awareness back to your body.
I hope you enjoyed this mediation.

Anxiety Reset 4-7-8 Breath

To listen to the guided version of this meditation, please click here.

Today I want to lead you through a pretty simple pranayama practice or breath work.

As the title of this suggests, this is a great tool for when you have anxiety.

Before we get started, I want to take a moment to fully acknowledge any anxiety you’re feeling. Maybe even say out loud, “I am feeling anxious.” There’s a real sense of lessening the power that anxiety can have over us by simply acknowledging that “yea hey I am feeling anxious right now.” So maybe take a moment- write it down, say it out loud, or simply notice a thought to yourself.

So today we’re going to be doing the 4-7-8 breath. It’s pretty simple. I’ll count you through a few rounds. We’ll inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 7, and exhale for a count of 8. What this does - the longer exhale - allows the nervous system to receive the signal that it’s time to settle or calm.

If inhaling for 4 feels too long, or holding for 7 feels too long - shorten them as you need to. The idea is that your exhale is longer than the inhale.

If you need to re-settle in your physical space, you can be seated. My favorite way to practice this is lying down. Get comfy in bed or anywhere else that feels relaxing to you. Maybe keep the feet planted on the Earth, knees bent. Help support the physical body + notice the grounding beneath the feet.

We’ll start with a few rounds of cleansing breath - inhale through the nose, expand the belly.
Sigh it out, let it go. Repeat x2.

If you need a few more cleansing breaths, feel free to pause and take them.
Otherwise, we’ll start our 4-7-8 breath.

Take an inhale for a count of 4, 3, 2, 1… Pause at the top + hold the breath 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Gentle exhale out the nose or mouth… 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

We’ll repeat this a few more times. Inhale for 4. Pause for 7. Exhale for 8.

Keep breathing like this at your own pace. If you need to shorten the length of each breath in or out, please do. Spend a few moments in silence focusing on this breath pattern - in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8.

Notice what arises during the pause. That in-between moment.

I hope you enjoyed this simple practice. It’s another tool to keep in the back of your toolkit for when you’re feeling anxious. Come back to the breath + slow some of those anxious thoughts in the mind.

Allow tension in the shoulders + jaw or wherever you hold tension to simply melt away.

Give yourself so compassion - anxiety can take such a toll on us. Give yourself time to rest a little longer. Maybe ask yourself, “what is it I REALLY need to do today?”

Journaling Meditation

To listen to the guided version of this meditation, please click here.

Journaling is the way I often practice meditation. There’s a real magic in taking the thoughts in your mind and transforming them onto the page. 

Today, I’ll be offering you three journal prompts about self-care and self-trust. 

You’re welcome to listen and respond as you like. I would like to gently suggest that you simply listen to this recording first. Without the pressure to write down the questions or responses yet. Just allow yourself to experience each question unfold. Then you may choose to listen a second time,  writing down all three questions before stepping away from your phone to journal. 

Before we dive in, I’d like to lead you through a relaxing body scan. Whether you’re seated on the floor, lying down, or in a chair - take a few moments to get comfortable. Settle in. 

Start to bring awareness to your breath. Inhale through your nose. Exhale out your mouth. Inhale through your nose. Exhale out your mouth. Inhale, expanding your belly as if there was a balloon inside. Exhale, open mouth, easy long sigh out. 

A few more like this - inhale 3, 2, 1. Exhale 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Breathing into the nose - noticing the air at your nostrils. Breathing out of your mouth - observing the air flowing over the lips. 

Beautiful. Now, bring your focus to your belly. Can you soften here? Allowing each inhale and exhale to create a massaging wave from the inside out. 

Guide your focus to your heart space. Can you envision a bright, glowing green light here? Surround your heart with free flowing, loving energy. 

Next, take your awareness to your hips. Notice what they may be touching in space. The floor? A chair? Your bed? Allow the gentle pull of gravity to fully relax your hips into the earth beneath you. 

Legs soften. Feet relax. 

Travel up your spine to the shoulders and neck. Find some gentle rolls of the head side to side if you need. 

How’s your breath? Is it shallow and in the chest? Invite a few deeper breaths into your belly.     

Soften your face. Open and close the mouth. Squish the eyes closed and open. 

Take a deep breath. In. And out. Today, I’d like you to explore your relationship with self-care and self-trust. Do you know what things fill you back up? Do you listen to and honor your body’s needs?

I invite you now to stay curious about the following three questions. 

1 what is my body trying to communicate to me right now? 

2 how can I best support myself today? 

3 where can I grant myself a little more self-compassion? 

Allow the answers to flow freely. No one will read your responses. There’s no need to edit yourself. 

Take a deep breath. 

Be open. 

You can trust yourself. 

Remember, you can return to this recording at any time. Thank you for joining me today in this practice of journaling meditation. 

May you discover all the answers you’re searching for on the page.


Photograph by Hannah Sharriee

Affirmation: Abundance + Confidence + Compassion

To listen to the guided version of this meditation, please click here.

I am enough.
I am abundant. 
I am confident. 
I love myself + I forgive myself. 
I am compassionate. 

I am enough. Exactly as I am.
Right here. Right now. 

I have enough. 
I produce enough. 
I am enough.

I am abundant in time, in money,
in energy, in connection, in love.
I allow abundance to flow to me + through me. 
The universe always has my back. 

I am confident. 
I stand tall. 
I trust my intuition. 
I know what my body needs. 
I listen to my heart + my soul. 

I love myself + I forgive myself. 
For past mistakes. 
For allowing anxiety to rob me of the present moment. 
I am doing a wonderful job.

I am compassionate toward myself + toward others. 
I forgive. 
I listen with an open heart. 
I choose kindness. 
I choose myself. 

I am enough. 
I am abundant. 
I am confident. 
I love + forgive  myself. 
I am compassionate.

Grounding Red Light [for Pain]

To listen to the guided version of this meditation, please click here.

Today, I want to lead you through a grounding meditation, specifically if you have any physical pain, aches, tension, or tightness in the body. We’ll bring a little awareness to that pain + see if we can soften it just a little.

Find a comfortable seat or lie down. You may choose to sit in a chair or on the floor, however you feel most comfortable. 

We’ll take a few cleansing breaths. Inhaling through the nose, breathing deep into the low belly. Exhaling, opening the mouth - release. Two more like that - breathing in through the nose, expanding the belly. Open the mouth, sigh it out, let it go. 

You can keep with these cleansing breaths if that feels good in the body, or just return to a normal breath pattern. 

Take just a few moments here to settle into the body. Scanning from head to toes, toes to head. Any sensations of pain, aching, tightness, tension? We won’t judge that pain. We won’t label it as bad or worrisome, just simply noticing + observing that yes, there is pain present. 

And once you’ve focused in on one area of pain, I want you to envision a bright, red light circling that area of pain. So you can envision a bright, red ball of energy. Maybe it has a little motion to it - circling or swirling around that pain point. 

As you breathe in, that red light glows brighter. And as you breathe out, letting that red light start to travel down the body … to the legs … + out of the feet into the Earth. 

Again, as you inhale, envisioning that bright, red light encompassing your pain area. Exhale - letting that red energy, red light travel down the body, through the legs, out the feet + into the Earth. 

Again, inhale… red light swirls a little more, maybe grows a little bigger around that pain point. Exhale - allow that red light + the pain to travel with it down the body, through the legs, out the feet, into the Earth. 

Each time you exhale + let that red light travel out the body… see if you can tap into that grounding sensation, so really feeling connected with the Earth. Even if the feet aren’t touching the Earth, can you imagine feet in the grass or dirt? Feeling the Earth support you. 

With each breath out, letting that pain travel beneath you, into the Earth. Letting just an ounce of pain leave the body.

Take a few more moments here - a few more rounds of breath - inhale, envision that bright, red light circling your point of pain, tightness, tension. Exhale - that red light + pain just wash through the body, out of the feet, into the Earth. 

You can return to this meditation any time you experience pain. Wherever you’re at, take a few moments to close the eyes. Visualize that red, glowing light grounding you back into the Earth - taking any pain with it. 

You may stay here for a few more moments - maybe repeating the cycle of inhaling + exhaling - letting that red light take a little pain away. 

If you’re ready to return to your day, invite a little breath back into the body. Deep inhale into the belly. Exhale, let it go. 

Thank you for joining me in this meditation. 

May you find a little relief from your pain.

There is Always Time

To listen to this guided meditation, please click here.

There is Always Time

There is always time for taking care of yourself.

There is always time for rest.

There is always time for connection.

There is always time to slow down, to settle into the present moment,
+ to simply enjoy what it is you’re doing, who you’re with, or where you’re at.

There is always time.



 There is always time for more work, later.

But can you check in with how you’re doing right now?

There is always time for worrying, later. 

But can you let go of some of that right now?

There is always time for anger, later.

But can you just soften a little right now?



There is always time.



What is one area of your life that you feel like you’re lacking in time?

That excuse you always have of, 

“Oh I don’t have time to learn anything new.”

“I don’t have time to exercise.”

“I don’t have time to cook.”

“I don’t have time to rest.”



 You don’t have time - to what?

What is that thing you’re always saying you don’t have time for?



There is always time.



You choose where you put your time, your energy, your efforts.
|
Make time for the things that matter most to you.



There is always time.