How to Leave your Corporate Job: Strategies from my Lived Experience of Leaving Nursing to dive fully into sound baths as my livelihood

Probably one of my most asked questions is how did I muster up the courage to leave my day job.  Well, let’s just say it didn’t happen overnight.  As someone who is frugal, it took a huge amount of evaluation and careful preparation to make the leap.  It requires a total surrender to a completely new way of living that is based on trust, if you are looking to pave your own way.  I’m going to share with you the ways that you can check-in with yourself to discern if you are ready to make that huge decision for yourself!

Financial Logistics

1. Get real about what you already have.

What connections and resources do you have?  What do you have in your savings account?  Do you have a cushion for a few months?  What do your monthly expenses look like?  What do you need to make per month?  More later about how you can reduce your monthly costs.

Ask yourself the real questions: Are you willing to make big sacrifices like moving into a smaller place or shared living situation or away from where you are comfortable?   These are all just examples but it is true, the more open you are, the more likely you will succeed making your own way.

2. Re-evalute your relationship to money

This one is massive, at least it was for me.  As I mentioned, I have a frugal mindset, which is super helpful with being self-employed.  However, you need to understand where that energy is coming from: is it a scarcity mentality?  Are you afraid you won’t be able to make it?  Are you stressed about money?  Deeper still, do you question your worth in receiving money or having it flow effortlessly towards you?  I have found that spending money is like casting a vote.  You are signaling to yourself that one thing is worth investing in over the other.  Become clear about what that is.

I also personally love to invest in other small business services and sellers, because you are supporting real people and they are after the same thing you are!  It’s trusting that it will come back and someone else will choose to make the same decision on you, even if they too have a concern about money.  Money flows!  It comes and goes.  You don’t need to chase it.  Think about it: it’s numbers on a screen.  If they need more in circulation, they will just print it.  It’s really just a construct we all have agreed is real.  Keep focusing on the right thing which is your heart-centered work and you will be fully taken care of, trust me.  Abundance comes in many ways, more on that later!

3. Only invest in what you truly need to live and simplify what that is.

Frugality has helped me tremendously with keeping my bank account at the same level it was since I left nursing, which has now been 5 years.  Obviously, there are certain things you do not want to skimp out on for longevity of larger investments like regular, good quality oil changes to keep your car optimal.  Otherwise, there are many, many ways you can save money.  Become clear about what you truly need to spend money on.

There are many cost-effective alternatives to our modern day needs.  Visible is an awesome cell phone provider powered by Verizon that costs $250 for an entire year of service.  Call your Internet provider and see if they will price match with their competitor.  Cut down on streaming services, split accounts with loved ones.  Quit your gym membership and start doing bodyweight or yoga classes on YouTube for free.  There is a seemingly infinite selection!  Or if you need to stay at your yoga studio for community and sanity, see if they have an annual membership (if you can swing it) and maximize on classes, particularly if you can attend ultra regularly.

Reduce your monthly expenses as much as possible.  I learned that there are many services that give you a discount with a full year (such as Visible) vs. month-to-month.  If you can swing it, pay it upfront!  Every little bit helps on this journey.

There are free resources for entrepreneurs available in some towns.  I’ve heard Pottstown has a program.  Attend free networking events to get the word out.  We are in a time of boundless information, for better or worse.  Seize it!  If you have a question, google it, someone’s likely written a thorough blog about it.

3. Part II Only invest in what will help you get further in your career

Only invest in what is right by your work with one thing at a time.  Use your discernment about what investment would most help you: is there an essential piece of equipment that would drastically help you expand your productivity and therefore have more product in less time?  Or would it be helpful to invest in a business coach because you feel completely lost and need help with direction?

Check-in about what is necessary and what is not.  Would I love to have a commercial property for my work?  Absolutely!  However, what I do is successful nomadically and it is fun to enter into different environments and connect with a variety of communities so it is not necessary.  Make it work for you!  Be real!  Simplify and enjoy that simplicity.

Developing a Small Business

1. Become clear about what your passion is, what you are curious about, what you would enjoy exploring

If you already have a side skill that you want to make the main event, that’s awesome and great!  If you have a side skill and it can help you make ends meet while building your other business idea or finding your dream work, also awesome! I have been a yoga instructor for over 10 years so I initially supplemented my income with teaching, even though it was no longer my passion.  Since it only took up a few hours at a time, I could then use the time in-between to reach out and coordinate sound events.  It was more a mental assurance that I had consistent income to rely upon.  Sometimes that helps until you are fully ready to launch into your new business or after you find your dream job!

Most people want to leave their day job because it is soul-sucking, demanding and stressful.  Finding what is fundamentally meaningful to you is a helpful compass in the direction of how you may enjoy your next livelihood.

2. Be willing to pivot

Sometimes an event, product or work relationship is excellent!  Things feel super supportive for everyone and it is going great.  Overtime, this can shift, because it is a true living thing!  This is life!  Things are meant to have their moment, ebb and flow, possibly fully die or at least become dormant for a while.  Trust that it has nothing to do with your service or what you are offering.  Make the confident decision to move on from it or consciously put it on hold to revisit at a later time.  It takes up energy to try make something work that just isn’t, kind of like a dead leaf on a living plant.  You have not failed.  You are growing!   

Secondarily, you may find on this path that you end up shedding some misaligned, unhealthy relationships that were a vibrational match when you were depleted, stressed and drained of your energy.  It happens to us all!  It may be unexpected for some and long overdue for others, but when it ultimately transpires, the relief will be great and the load will feel so much lighter.

3. Be Open to true Abundance

Resources & Abundance come in many forms, the least magical of which is money.  Keep yourself open to what that looks like for you.  Maybe you need a new couch and find one on the side of the road or free on Facebook marketplace.  There are opportunities to volunteer at incredible regenerative farms in exchange for a share of fresh, local, organic produce.  Attend clothing swaps for the double whammy of fresh finds and friendship.  Find people to trade your services for products or whatever combination!  I have found that many people in the holistic industry are willing to trade services.  I have even traded for excellent local made products like Seven Winds soaps & candles, special handmade ceramics, Made by Fairy Fingers jewelry, delicious homemade meals and freshly baked sourdough bread from Fuel your Balance!  Your options are limitless depending on what you do.

Another example of Abundance: I have been fixated on going to Cape Cod for a couple of years, but it has been more on the back burner of my consciousness.  I recently was hired to provide my services at a retreat in Cape Cod, where I will be able to stay for free.  Opportunities like this come up all the time if you become clear about your direction or rather follow the guidance of where you are meant to be.

As a pleasant piggyback to the previous statement about releasing misaligned relationships, you will attract and draw in incredibly supportive ones.  I have a sparkly unicorn of a dear friend whom met me through my work and reached out offering her graphic design services for free which has come in clutch so many times with making retreat flyers and social media posts.  She has come out to so many different events and has become a very close friend.  As fellow entrepreneurs, we bounce ideas off each other all the time.  The relationship has become invaluable to me.

There are a plethora of ways that Abundance sneaks beautifully into our lives.  Keep a grateful, open heart for what is meant to come for you and release the narrative of how it does or what that looks like.

4. If you are developing your own small business, Give away your product or services for free in the beginning

Build credit for what you are putting into the world.  It will make you feel good to share with people for feedback and testimonials.  It also takes the stress and pressure off of providing a super stellar experience if you are just new at something.  It helps you to grow, it helps them to save some money while receiving a service.  Overtime, you will develop some wonderfully connected and loyal relationships with your guests, clients, customers, whatever you would like to call them.  It’s a win-win!

5. Lean fully into your trust and faith and make the leap!!

In my opinion, the #1 piece to this decision is your relationship to faith in a higher power, whatever you perceive it to be, and to the resiliency and capability of your own humanity.  The human spirit is an absolutely incredible and adaptable gift.  A beautiful close friend recently shared with me, “We get so hung up on the zoomed-in, day-to-day details and catastrophize them in our mind when what we need to do is step back, find quiet and listen for divine guidance”.  A super powerful and true message!  Enjoy every moment and take a deep breath when things feel askew, because they are not.  We are just small and cannot see the wonderful mysterious weaving that takes place beyond and outside of us.  Hold a heart-centered way and witness the magical unfolding happen in front of you, one step at a time.

The biggest thing to realize is that you are surrendering yourself to a new path and way of life that is not based around earning top dollar, but rather prioritizing your quality of life and happiness.  The further you go along on this journey, your relationship to a sense of security from an outside employer totally changes and vanishes.  Also, this blog is highlighting the beginning of this journey.  There is expanse!  This year I have 4 trainings scheduled to support my recipients.  It has taken me 5 years to feel comfortable making these large investments that will require great travel but we are there!  Trust that things will open up for you.  Lead with a good, gracious, adaptable heart and resilient spirit and you will be there too!

Guidance to those on the Path towards Sound Immersion: World class trainings, instruments and beyond!

Over the last 6 years of walking this path, I have been asked numerous, numerous times for referrals on trainings, where to get instruments, what kind of instruments to get, etc.  Finally I am writing a blog about it because there is no room for gatekeeping and those that are walking this path with genuine connection and love deserve to have access to these resources!!

Beginning with local trainings:

There are 5 stand-out training providers I have consistently and routinely come across over the last few years.

The top of the top is 9ways Academia headed by Mitch Nur.  He is currently based out of Lewes, Delaware but comes to Lancaster and Bucks county for various trainings including Gong Camp, North America’s oldest Gong camp.  Mitch is a devoted, leading expert in the field, having 5+ decades of immersive experience (well before this was widely known), a PhD in ethnomusicology, associating with only the top researchers and educators in the field, such as Mike Tamburo and Thomas Orr Anderson.

You can find his trainings at the 9ways Academia website listed here.

Mike Tamburo is your guy for all things gong.  Mike has devoted his entire life to the Gong.  If you have an opportunity to experience one of his concerts, do!  If you have an opportunity to immerse in his gong technique trainings, doubly do!  I am looking forward to attending one of his immersive trainings out of his home in Pittsburgh this weekend.  Mike travels the world offering his education and beautiful, raw music.

Click here for all things Mike Tamburo

Kirk Jones is deeply connected to healing the planet with angel frequencies and light through the form of sound.  He hosts incredible journeys with gong and singing bowls.  He also facilitates trainings of crystal singing bowls, tuning forks and gong in Pennsylvania, Vermont (where he is based), and New Jersey as well as others I’m sure!

Here is a link to connect with Kirk

Soundwise Health in Lancaster is led by Lana Ryder, who’s also devoted herself to sound and therapeutic arts for over 5 decades.  With Monica Mullen and Ken Ebert, she routinely runs sound trainings.  Soundwise also hosts world-class education from sound trainers such as Michael Bettine and Mitch Nur.

For more information on Soundwise health, click here.

YogaBro in Bucks county.  Corey has also devoted himself to various sound trainings and has an incredible connection with the gong!  He also provides master reiki level trainings, fascial work and sound trainings around the Bucks County area, particularly at Shanteel Yoga Sanctuary.

For more info on Corey of YogaBro, click here

Incredible online resource and in-person in the Midwest and around the world is Michael Bettine of Gongtopia! Check out his richly-resourced YouTube channel and guide here.

Instrument Providers

There is one sound tool company I have routinely supported time and time again for my flow and Koshi chimes, free notes wave, tuning forks and more.  Reliably excellent service, quality, communication and delivery.  That is Brooklyn Healing Arts.  Check out Jarrod’s recently opened store in central Vermont (I eagerly await going there!) or view it from your device!  His website is top notch.

Check out Brooklyn Healing Arts here

If you are in the market for a Gong, look no further than Steve Weiss Music, second to none.  They have the first pick of gongs being shipped to our country and are based out of none-other-than Willow Grove, PA!

Check out their incredible selection here.

Instruments

I have accrued a whole slew of delightfully resonant friends over the years.  It is hard to list all of them, so if you have a specific question, please list in your comments!

Some of my favorite go-tos are (besides the gong, because that deserves its own blog, and singing bowls, for similar reasons):

Meinl Ocean Drum with incredible sound that is a powerful space-filler.  Every soundbath someone asks what the ocean, vacuum, storm sound was.  It also tends to evoke the most amount of emotion

Shruti box very much connects with people, I have often wondered if it’s due to the similarity to our lungs and vocal system.  Shruti means “what they heard” in Sanskrit.  A powerful, droning instrument

Freenotes Wave this magical, musical-fifth instrument is wonderful for big spaces and large groups.  You can still provide that close vibrational experience by holding close to the individual

Rainstick dreams a set it and forget it, wonderful layering instrument that can go for 10 minutes (in my case) but I believe they have some that go longer.  Amaranth seeds fall over a helix, it’s the definition of whimsy and it’s such a settling sound

Medicine drum the drum journey is real, even if you are not intending it as a practitioner.  I have had the honor of sitting in ceremony with Mia Luz of Drum Doula twice now.  Once for an elk medicine drum, another time for a horse crystal medicine rattle and recently I invested in a buffalo drum that she imbued with my intention for reminding that there is always plenty.  All of Mia’s creations, whether through you or directly her, are pure, real and true to the highest.  I highly recommend checking out her medicine drum ceremonies

Tuning forks whether for grounding on the person after a particularly deep session or dispersing through the air to clear and connect, tuning forks make for a special vibrational addition to your service.  It is incredible how some can just keep going and going.  It’s no wonder they use them to diagnose neurological conditions.

But the most important thing to remember is your personal relationship with each of these instruments.  Every instrument I have ever received or invested in, I have had a deep personal relationship and connection with them.  I either love the sound aesthetic, how it feels to play, how diverse the sound is, how people seem to connect with it, how moving it is, the particular tone or special quality of it… It really all depends on your ear and your feeling in relation to the instrument.  You can buy every instrument in the world, but until you personally feel a close relationship with it, like you could play it for hours and continually get lost in the deep listening process, it won’t impact nearly as much as it does when you do.

Wishing you the best on your journey!  Please comment if you have any specific questions you want answered.

Wellness Retreat benefits & Affiliate Partnership with Himalayan Institute

Himalayan Institute, home to upcoming Sacred Sound, Silence & Stillness Spring Equinox retreat, is a place of pure, blissful magic. Every layer of what this land and culture has to offer is nourishing and beyond!

Arrive and be held by the tranquil grounds. There are plenty of hiking trails to enjoy meditation and the powerful landscape.

Enjoy coffee and chocolate either on-site or by short walk to the coffeeshop and factory Moka Origins.

Sri Vidya Shrine offers a peaceful space for quiet yet transformative meditation.

Pure Rejuv Wellness center offers a wide variety of spa services, including specialized Ayurvedic treatments, massage & manual therapies and more! It is recommended to book as soon as possible!

Daily yoga, which is so deeply conscientious of the season, by HI expert staff are available to all attendees.

Meals are beyond delicious and inspiring. So simple, accessible and nutritious, it provides some ideas to take home!! One of my favorite parts of an experience at HI is that lunch is included on day of check-out, so you leave with a full belly and heart.

The enveloping hospitality is #1, which is a main reason I repeatedly choose to host my retreats here. It is a real, genuine environment that is safe and supportive. For this, I am highly honored and grateful to be an affiliate partner of Himalayan Institute

Specialty in stress relief: my personal history with receiving sound baths and other restorative service

I have inadvertently developed a specialty in holding space for restorative modalities.  I attribute this to my feverish search of receiving them since my early twenties plus providing safe space for direct care as a registered nurse.

My personal history and connection with restorative modalities:

Yin yoga was my first exposure to feeling restful while awake, a sense of spaciousness and peace; a palpable reset in the day.  At that time, it was a potent antidote to how I was living with a compressed schedule of long work hours and even longer running miles.  This experience of wakeful relaxation completely revolutionized my awareness.  I didn’t know that life could be lived with ease.  Particularly the principle of Wei wu Wei, non-doing, or effortless action, stuck out to me.  This is the notion that everything is happening for us and all we have to do is rest, be and receive it.  We do not need to frantically search or worry.  All we need to do is tend within and trust.  This way of being has greatly and gratefully influenced & impacted my path now and for the rest of my days.  Needless to say, I committed routinely to this practice to access the deep restorative benefit found in the stillness and silence.

Next would come the introduction to soundbaths.  In Autumn of 2013, I was invited to a 2-hour blindfolded gong bath led by Mitch Nur of 9ways Academia.  It was an earth shattering and transformational to the depths of my consciousness.  From then on, I sought those mind-altering sound experiences from Tibetan chanting to, what supported my nursing journey the most, private sound sessions from a dear friend, Jennifer of now Shanteel Yoga Sanctuary in Sellersville.  I became ravenous for these pauses, resets, mini breaks from the day-to-day; to dip out and into my subconsciousness, the land of spaciousness and peace.

In this mass exploration, I discovered rather quickly how valuable it is to be selective about from whom to receive and what to attend.  Not all soundbaths, yin yoga classes or restorative modality of any kind private or ground, are created equally.  It does not matter how much someone has spent on their instruments.  If their intention is not pure; if the connection isn’t there; if the quality of technique and relationship to what sound truly is, is missing: you, as the receiver, will feel it.  And if you are hypersensitive like I am, you will feel it deeply and painfully and not initially understand that it is not yours.  The boundaries when receiving become very blurred and that can feel, and is under these circumstances, dangerous.  With that awareness (even if it is only subconscious), sensation of pain and ultimately lack of a sense of security, you will not be able to reach any depth of relaxation.

Obviously, no one is perfect, every one is on their journey and has to start somewhere.  There is no shame here.  We are all doing our best.  In my personal experience, I seriously desired (and continue to desire) to understand what made a safe, restful space for deep relaxation.  The experience of receiving and also providing safe space for direct care as a nurse helped me to see and understand the role of space-holder with clarity.  Look out for blog Foundations for Sensitive Facilitation highlighting what I have discovered to be fundamental attributes of exceptional space holding.

Stress relief through true, consistent rest is whole Health. How sound baths & craniosacral therapy change lives

Stress is the #1 root cause of dis-ease within our culture. The blessing is that this is preventable AND reversible. 

This is why heart disease is so rampant. Medical diagnoses, such as hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes leading to very severe health events such as stroke and heart attack, are all connected to mismanaged stress and unsupportive lifestyles. Every single one of these conditions is connected with a disruption in or lack of flow presenting as desiccation or dryness and eventual hardness in areas that are meant to be fluid and open.  Inflammation is another significant marker for chronic stress.  There is a requirement for true S P A C E within the being, especially around vital organs.  This is where craniosacral therapy comes in to reverse those conditions and return the body's rhythms back to homeostasis and inherent balance. It goes deeper. 

What if I told you that you can reclaim the power of your innate health, wholeness and the energetic dynamics of your life and world around you simply by prioritizing space for subconscious nervous system restoration? The kicker is that you need to fully believe it is possible and inherently understand your worth to receive it.

Emotional stress, such as grief, can be effortlessly transmuted with sound immersion over time. Subconscious patterning and neural circuitry is rewired and rerouted with this service. Vibration also works at the subtlest level, that of the spirit or essence, and therefore opens its way down from soul to physical body. 

Most of my routine private recipients are managing symptoms of chronic conditions by consistently receiving these services. What I have noticed after years of working with the same people is that symptoms are reversing and even in remission to the point where medication doses are reduced or even eliminated altogether. Their baselines in life are much higher than when they first began receiving these treatments. Obviously life has its ups and downs and that comes through; however, their resiliency to stress has drastically improved given their routine commitment to prioritizing true rest. Therefore, their nervous systems are optimized and redefining what is actually stress and most importantly, how can I respond to it in a way that is respecting my capacity. 

We, as humans being, when we are truly open, learn that we can reorient our lives and rewrite our inner script. When we routinely treat our bodies well, our bodies remember how wonderfully safe & warm it is to be inhabited! How much we deserve to feel that goodness, warmth and LOVE. A trust develops in relationship to yourself; a total sense of embodiment happens. Our body is our mind and when in a healthy union, the mindset follows suit. 

 Nothing is permanent and everything, when truly living, is dynamic, fluid and pervious to shifting and transmuting. THAT is what allows for the pivot to happen towards optimal wellbeing. 

You are the master of your ship. May you find what supports your rest, stress relief and routinely implement into your life for the rest of your days. It will only continue to refine your systems & change everything for the highest forever in ways beyond imagination. What a gift. 

Call of the Buffalo

I recently found myself in a bit of inner turmoil.  The idea of entering into hospice nursing had presented itself through an aligned conduit: a dear friend made through years of bi-weekly receiving my private sound services, whom also works as an ICU nurse.  The thought of it flooded my heart.  I always loved working with people at end-of-life and supporting their families.  It only made sense to return to the nursing field and bring what I have gathered from my work as sound facilitator and space holder.  I called a woman named Mia, whom had supported me deeply with Akashic Record readings through the process of leaving nursing, to receive her blessing with returning.  She felt nothing but goodness from what I shared with her.  Mia is also known as the Drum Doula, I have had the privilege to sit in ceremony with her twice: once for an elk drum and secondly for a horse & crystal medicine rattle.  I told her that I wanted to have her birth an 18” horse medicine drum in celebration of this next chapter.  She waited to begin fabricating the drum after hearing the response on the interview.

After applying and going in for an interview for a super flexible as-needed position, I found myself grappling with my role in this world and potentially grieving the shifting of my life as fully in service on-demand to working some set hours, even if it was one 8-hour shift a week or less.  The interview left me feeling super drained; the processing afterwards as much so.  But the heart of supporting the dying remained true.

During this phase between applying and awaiting response, there was a personal dynamic struggle that manifested and brought about a lot of strong emotion (not unlikely connected with this adjacent unsteady situation).  I remember laying my head down on my pillow that night, closing my eyes in full wakefulness and that was when the first visitation happened: a herd of buffalo, not stampeding, but quickly moving towards me from the mountains, so I am feeling it was from the West.  It was very strange and seemingly out of nowhere. I let the vision play out then surrendered to rest.  About a day later, I had a similar experience but this time it was a close-up of one Buffalo, facing to the side so I could clearly view the side of the face to the top and middle of the back.  There was no other background or notable features within the vision.

The next day or so, I found myself with extra energy around awaiting the response for the interview and retreated to underneath the giant Magnolia tree on the property where I live. I was praying, singing and thanking the tree, Great Spirit and all present beings and asking for aligned opportunities to serve and support the local community.  The Buffalo spirit visited once again and this time I was sitting on the ground before them, their bellies and long legs exposed to me.  I could feel their warmth and smell their earthy fur and wild animalness.  This time they came bearing a message: There is plenty.  The whole experience of it was honestly quite emotional.  The gift of abundance and endless generosity towards humans that comes from Buffalo is truly worthy of reflection and honoring.

I came inside after a period of connection and reverence with nature and this moment.   It appeared that someone had contacted me whom I did not fully remember.  She asked me if I could provide a soundbath at a funeral for her friend’s mom.  Within a couple of hours, it was arranged.  Other opportunities to support people with dying loved ones also presented themselves.  Perhaps more eerily, I unexpectedly and unknowingly ended up within a couple of blocks of where a cousin had died, just 14 hours earlier, in a part of Philadelphia where I had not been in over 10 years.  Spirit was showing me repetitively and with stark examples that there were aligned, guided opportunities to support the dying and their loved ones outside of my role as a nurse and within the sphere of where I am currently operating.  Just a few days later, my application was declined.  It was clear to me, at that point, that it would be.  I want to say that I was relieved and sure about this direction, but initially I was confused about where I was supposed to go.  I had just given up teaching a weekly yoga class; a successful group offering was going to bed for the winter; and, not to mention, I abandoned the noisy action of “outward marketing” and committed to solely viewing my work as service that is found.  I didn’t know how it was all going to come through for me.  In spite of the uncertainty, I reached out to Mia about birthing me a drum.  It had already dawned on me that she had Buffalo hide and made the switch.  I invested in a Buffalo medicine drum with trust from their message: THERE IS PLENTY.  I was stepping into the role of whatever this next chapter held for me, fully releasing the idea of hospice nursing and yoga teaching as part of the journey.

Since that timeframe, my routine private service recipients have drastically expanded; the newly-developed group soundbath gatherings out of my home studio fill swiftly after announcing; aligned invitations are flowing in and clarity for when the answer is no is also widely available.  I also have begun working with the Akashic Records. I just received the Buffalo drum this week, the same day of receiving some huge and exciting news on where my work may end up.   I have not informed any of the recipients about it and yet, after each session, everyone is specifically commenting about “how playing the drum at their head was just excellent”; or “how did I know that playing the drum there was just right? “ Waiting for a service recipient to arrive the other day, I played my drum into near self-hypnosis without hearing anything outside of it.  Spontaneously, I set down the drum and opened the front door.  She had just arrived, opening her car door.  Surrendering to divine alignment can feel like you are stepping into a drought-filled desert without any awareness of rain on the horizon.  The Buffalo reminds us all “There is Plenty” or in other words, May AbunDANCE rain/reign upon all beings & be fully received with hearts centered in good.

Medicine Drum Making & Akashic Records ~ Drum Doula

Reflections about the Journey through & to Sound from nursing

About a decade ago I was introduced to the power of the gong and soundbaths. My first experience receiving a gongbath was during a blind-folded 2 hour session where I would eventually return a decade later full-circle for a 10-day world-renowned gong immersion training. While I was in the nursing field, I would monthly receive sound and vibrational attunements from a close friend for stress management and optimizing my wellness. I already knew and felt to my core the value of routinely receiving sound immersion. After working on the covid floor at the hospital as a bedside nurse for a year-and-a-half (3 years in acute care nursing total), I recognized that feeding a system that was falling apart wasn’t serving me anymore. None of my beliefs and values aligned with the protocols I was carrying out on the floor. It was a only matter of time that I would resign as I weaned hours, not knowing where I was going when said close friend gave me some clear guidance, stating I was free and fluid like a dolphin whenever she played the gong for me in sessions. This gave me the go-ahead to invest in my first gong. That night I went on Facebook Marketplace and found a listing with not only the gong, but a slew of other instruments including my ocean drum and singing bowls, for a fragment of the usual cost. I came to find that I had inherited a woman’s sound kit she had consciously curated for her sound meditation business that she was ready to give up. It was all destiny with spirited guidance and very little effort on my part. So begins Jen who plays the Gong. It was time that I began to administer the most potent, immediate, long-lasting and low-to-no side effect medicine I have ever personally experienced: sound and vibration.

Since resigning from nursing at the end of 2021, I have successfully launched private individualized sessions for wellness for many walks of life, but interestingly enough many nurses have gravitated to this modality. It has been an honor to offer sound immersion in a variety of locations including a local hospital, farms, schools, long term care facilities, yoga studios, art boutiques, an acupuncture clinic and more. It is something that I am truly passionate about offering as a form of routine holistic healthcare wellness. I also facilitate private soundbath parties for corporate wellness, family and friends. Since resigning about a year and a half ago to this point, I have also hosted or co-hosted 4 retreats with focus on non-doing for deep relaxation, including one in Costa Rica. There is not an end in sight to hosting these retreats that are special to my heart.

Sound and vibrational immersion with stillness is incredibly effective and imperative for incorporating into our busy lifestyles of Modern day. It affords us effortless deep peace, calm and relaxation when we are in the age of the monkey mind. Even just a moment can feel like an eternity when your mind is quiet without any agendas or narratives. Sound immersion facilitates effortless reframing of our nervous systems by easily activating the parasympathetic, or rest and digest mode, for substantial and deep repair. This is huge in an absurdly over-paced world of notifications. It is my mission to magnify this particular and immeasurable benefit of this under-looked modality for our stressed society.

My bedside nursing comes through by taking the time to attend to the needs of each recipient that arrives for group and especially individual sessions. Tending to humanity during this pivotal time of wakefulness being integrated post-pandemic is such an honor and gift for me.

Ultimately, facilitating sound immersion and stillness is my divinely-appointed role for sustainability for the souls of humanity (all beings) and the soil of the earth. The more consciously slow, still and receptive we become; the more fulfilled we are with less therefore reducing what we needlessly consume.

The spiritual ecology of a soundbath

There is a book called The Great Animal Orchestra by Bernie Krause, a pursuant of field recordings in natural soundscapes. He talks about how it has become increasingly difficult to nestle into old growth terrain and how androphony (human-made sound) is increasingly prevailing… and this book was published in 2012. There is the gentle suggestion within his writings of the importance of finding the coherent, constructive vibrations and rhythms within these environments (our true home). Krause alludes to the pronounced pure and spiritual quality of a sound, natural environment.

When I read this book over two years ago, I took to heart that creating a safe, cohesive, quiet soundscape is a crucial aspect of holding space for remembering inner peace in a noisy world. In a time where land development, construction and traffic is expanding evermore, I find it fascinating that the amount of people gravitating toward playing gongs or receiving their frequencies seems to be growing at a similar rate. It is very exciting and also very encouraging. Playing with the intention of supporting the highest good will reach beyond us human folk to the earth as a whole.

May we relish in the sanctity of the sound immersion field. May our intention to give and receive goodness reach far beyond our eyes and hands can reach, into the ether and beyond.

Finding Triskele in the wild

A mystical global scavenger hunt

My visit to Crete, Greece was guided by a dream.  In the dream, I was standing on the coast and looking out at sea.  Not far in front of me was a deserted island.  When I awoke from the dream, I connected with the idea of this being a spirited travel.  All signs pointed to yes and within 48 hours, I spent $350 for roundtrip, direct airfare 3 weeks later.  When determining where to stay, I looked at the map for a quiet, off-the-beaten path destination by the sea.  My lodging requirements were a seaview and a terrace.  When looking at the east coast of Crete, the village of Mochlos kept calling to me.  It was a full body yes.  When looking at airbnb reviews, “peaceful”, “remote” and “relaxing” were the affirmations I needed to book my seaview room.

What I did not realize was that there was an uninhabited island covered in ruins very close to the shore, just like in the dream.  I would later learn it was an Ancient Minoan port that became detached from the land with the expansion of sea overtime.  Apparently there was an escavation on this island which surfaced some incredible artifacts from ruling elite families.  Of course, learning this, I was bound and determined to get to this island.  There were one of two ways: swimming or the luck of a fishing boat being available that day.  The swim was only 100 meters, but I dare not test the waters.  Fortunately, the weather was mild and temperate which permitted a fishing boat to take individuals and small groups out at a time.

When I was out to breakfast one morning, I overheard the owner of the cafe speaking with a tourist asking whether or not the man with the boat was a fisherman.  When he explained he ferried people out to the island, I paid my check and immediately departed.  It was docked at the restaurant where I had eaten the night prior and the waiter I had had was there.  I spoke with him, telling him I was interested in going to the island.  He talked in Greek with the boat owner and told me to come back at 1pm.  I was out standing on my terrace at 12:48pm (yes I remember) and the man was boarding the watercraft.  I bolted down, the waiter called to the man for me and I was on it.  Alone.  I had a whole hour on this incredible, chilling, silent, mysterious land heaped with ruins, stones and endless curiosities.  All to myself.  

I somehow learned that the artifacts withdrawn from these ruins were located in the Heraklion Archaeological museum.  I decided to stop on my way back from Crete to Athens.  Heraklion is the airport where I would fly out of that night.  It was noon when I dropped off my rental car.  I had plenty of time to explore.  The museum itself is a wonder.  I walked through room after room of indescribable treasure until finally I arrived in the wings where the items escavated in Mochlos were located.  They were interspersed among objects found other places, so you had to look at each plaquard to see from where it was found.  My eyes rested on a black urn with a satisfyingly rustic variation of the triskele, unbeknownst to me a symbol from Greece as well.  It was from the excavation on the island of Mochlos.  

After finishing at the museum, I decided to sit in the courtyard to collect myself.  It dawned on me to have this tattooed.  I had always wanted a spiral tattoo of some sort that did not feel cliche or obvious.  This one was of a spiral within a spiral.  It was mysterious magic.  It was this trip personified.  When landing upon a tattoo shop, I dropped in.  The woman who ran it was about to leave but very kindly stayed and drew up the spiral for me.  It is totally perfect.  It even has the feeling of the pisces fish flowing within it.

Fast forward to a friend reaching out to me about selling a gong… with the spiral within a spiral as the heart of it, just like in my tattoo, and rainbows just like in each of my solo travels to Ireland and Greece with naturally stumblings-upon of triskelions.

There are elements of our journeys that feel connected with our soul or like a meaningful return to somewhere very familiar yet deeply forgotten.  I am learning more and more as I flow through this existence that the Triskelion is an Ancient Human symbol for connecting with the cycles of birth, life, death and rebirth; mind, body and soul; land, sky and sea; and so many intrinsic parts to the human experience.  May we remember how it is to simply be in that understanding.

What is Sacred Sound, Silence and Stillness?

Sacred Sound, Silence and Stillness is a retreat format that has gradually developed over the last 4 years and 10+ retreats of experimenting and honing in on curation and hosting.  There are two upcoming Sacred Sound, Silence and Stillness retreats at Menla Retreat Center and Himalayan Institute. The differences of each will be highlighted within.

There are a few key components that make this retreat so deeply restorative and nourishing to the individual and connective for the group.

1. Each modality enhances an effortless unfurling of stress and tension within the system.

Soundbaths, yoga nidra and silent meditation are a few examples of the programming.  My intention is to provide a macro dose of safe, healthy space and stillness.  Soundbaths of some variety are given daily or more due to their relaxing nature.  This is where the nervous system rebalancing can take place. 

2. Safe, tranquil atmosphere

It is of utmost importance to me that the retreat attendees feel like they are able to truly and fully let go to receive optimal benefits of these relaxation services.  In order for this to happen, as the host and facilitator I need to be a safe conduit and the retreat setting also must feel comfortable and easeful.  The Himalayan Institute has an incredibly supportive staff and peaceful grounds.  Menla retreat center is magically situated in the forest with intentional buildings and kind staff.  Plus time away from our usual environments and unplugging affords space from unnecessary demands, external pressures and noise.

3. Intimate, low key, like-minded attendance

Keeping the attendance more intimate optimizes the benefits of those attending.  Menla retreat hosts a maximum of 15 people while the next Himalayan Institute retreat hosts a max of 23.  Not to mention, it takes a certain type of person to choose to venture out of their comfort zone, do nothing and relax.  Undoubtedly, whoever attends this type of a retreat is likely to meet kindred souls seeking similar spaces for quiet reflection.  If one chooses, Sacred Sound, Silence and Stillness is optionally silent for attendees.

4. Nourishing, healthy meals

The Himalayan Institute focuses on vegetarian meals based on whole foods.  Gluten-free, vegan options are available at every meal.  The meals are inspiringly simple yet so deeply nourishing for restoring your body from the subtle yet profound work that is involved within the retreat.  It is is also replenishing for mineral and nutritious .

5. Celestial and Earthly Rhythmic timing

If you are keen to it, you may notice that the retreats I offer are during a significant pivot between seasons or a meaningful time in the skies.  For “Resting within the Liminal” at Menla, we are meeting during Samhain or the midpoint between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice.  Second Annual Spring Sacred Sound, Silence and Stillness at Himalayan Institute is, you guessed it, during the Spring Equinox.  I have hosted some potent retreats around the new or full moon as well.  Interconnecting our time together with the earth’s rhythm is integral for meaningful impact.

Sacred Sound, Silence and Stillness is designed as a space for reprieve from the stresses of our modern world.  Providing safe space for the recipient to relax, release and restore deeply within them.

Join us:

Sacred Sound, Silence and Stillness: Resting in the Liminal at Menla in the Catskills Thursday October 30-November 2

More details and reservation here

Second Annual Springtime Sacred Sound, Silence and Stillness at the Himalayan Institute in the Poconos Friday March 20-22

More details and reservation here

Building Bravery Within: Navigating Life Shifts and opening to Solo Travel. Reflections of my Personal Journey Overcoming Fear

If you are looking to overcome a fear,  you absolutely can and are meant to.  My intention is to share how I have worked to overcome significant fears in my life to be where I am today to show it is possible with a little faith, courage and commitment.  The resiliency of the human heart and spirit is abounding.  There is a specific section here about how I eventually made the leap to solo international traveling!  My services and retreats intend to elucidate your highest alignment, release stress patterns getting in the way and illuminate where leaps of faith are possible.

Fear around special needs A distant cousin would throw me around as a kid, unknowing her strength.  In my late teens and early twenties, I became an ABA therapist for children with autism.  One of my regular and longest “kids” had severe needs and combative behaviors.  It became wrote to remain balanced and calm in the face of his adversity.

Old people.  I remember my mom taking us to visit elders within the community at long-term care facilities.  It was unsettling the unpredictable, atypical behaviors of people requiring memory support or extreme physical needs.  The largest stent of work I have done at an institution was at a local Mennonite home for 12 years ascending from ascending from dietary server to nursing assistant to med tech to nurse.  My specialty was memory support, the thing I feared most and now have come to hold deep compassion.

Heights. I began rock climbing, beginning by sitting and watching people boulder for an hour without even getting up to make a move to sending a lead (you are attached from below, if you do not clip, you fall to the ground or wherever you last clipped.  Scary business!) climb outdoors at a local quarry.  Reaching new heights in the literal sense!

Applying for nursing school. I thought I didn’t have what it took to go through nursing school so I resisted applying.  An unexpected byproduct of going through my yoga teacher training was gaining self confidence and worth so I then applied for nursing school.  I was accepted for the next semester when they only accepted a limited amount of applicants.  This year marks 10 years since graduation!

Public speaking/facilitation/teaching yoga in front of a group. I went through my yoga teacher training to deepen my connection with the practice; the idea of sharing in front of anyone was terrifying.  What tipped me into finally going for it was an invitation to share with a group of people in remission with cancer.  Then the memory support residents at the Mennonite home.  The experience continued to accrue and became more and more second nature.  Now I have taught close to if not over a thousand classes in a multitude of settings.  Facilitating mind/body connection from within.

Working at a hospital. Same old story, I thought I didn’t have what it took to work in an acute care setting.  A plethora of clinical skills and high risk patients felt very daunting and rightfully so.  I applied at Grand View Health, the hospital where I was born, and was accepted for a part-time position and thus the journey continued for three years until I recognized and acknowledged the misalignment with my path.

Leaving nursing.

I knew that nursing was no longer in alignment for me for many reasons.  Incrementally, I was receiving signs on which direction to go from faithful source.  I was weaning my hours at the bedside and adding holistic events and private services to my calendar to build momentum.  I took the month of September away from nursing.  At the end of 2021, and probably still, there were unbelievable bonuses for picking up shifts to the point where I would walk home with $500 (after taxes) from an 8-hour day.  All while implementing policies and procedures that did not feel supportive to the healing process AND under unsafe circumstances.  It simply was no longer possible to sustain for my heart and code of ethics.  The (unknowingly) last 4-hour shift I remember feeling like a detached dream.  I ended up giving my final report to the nurse whom precepted me, my work mom, whom started working there the year I was born in 1989.

In the iconic words of Rocky Horror Pictureshow: Don’t dream it; be it!!!

Travel

I became a nurse in part of the flexibility for travel.   I have now been to over 20 countries, many of which solo.  It began, however, very simply as I was terrified of connecting out in the world.

I started by going out for a meal by myself.  Nothing is more socially uncomfortable for me than going out for a meal by yourself.

Then going to the movies.

Then going to the beach for the day.

Then going to Yogaville, (as you may guess) a yoga retreat center (I stayed one night; the energy was so uneasy)

Then going on a weekend R+R at Kripalu, another yoga retreat center

Then going to Cape Cod solo for 3 nights

Then to Costa Rica to accompany a friend at the time

Then to India, after officially becoming a registered nurse, with a tour group from the yoga studio where I taught at the time

Then I had my first unexpected death at my long-term care job.  It was the biggest blessing, I was able to ask the man whom was a DNR (do not resuscitate) if he wanted to go to the hospital.  He said no and passed away within the hour.  I had been wanting to go to Peru and was waiting for a partner.  The witnessing of this made me realize life is NOW and it is finite in this form.  So I booked my flights when I got home and left 3 weeks later.

Then I had another death which was devastating, a 66-year old pilot whom had just retired and disintegrated from cancer.  I booked my flight to Iceland in his honor.  He said his favorite place in the world was Budapest, which was also my uncle’s, where I would visit later on in his honor when he passed.

Booking international solo trips has become natural and then, of course, visiting national and local areas is without thought.  We widen our stretch with how far we reach and trust in ourselves and the Divine within and beyond us.

My intention with sharing this is to inspire you to live with abandon and follow your heart.  That is why we are here on this Earth.  We are meant to explore, experience, embrace and enjoy every moment to the fullest of our ability.

The services I provide are intended to expand that capacity and facilitate remembering and restoring connection with your highest alignment when things feel fuzzy or confused within.  It is possible to clear the cob webs, clean house and find your way out of an unhealthy pattern limiting your growth and depth of feeling.  The session I recommend most for this is Craniosacral and Sound Medicine service, opening and unwinding the stress and kinks within the fluid systems of the body then receiving sound and vibrational transmission to recalibrate

The retreats, and even events, I host are equally intended to pull people out of their comfort zones, entering into a safe, supportive space.  In this place receiving macro-dosed levels of relaxation and restoration so that the resiliency of human heart and spirit is remembered and elasticized.  The format of Sacred Sound, Silence and Stillness retreats is most setup for this.  There is one in the Catskills at tranquil and immaculate Menla coming up at the end of October and a second annual Spring wellness weekend at Himalayan Institute.  Hope to see you there!

Integration Part 1: Group Sound Immersive Experiences

The key integration of my 3 signature services:

group sound immersion experience, private session, retreat

The three signature services I provide are different levels of commitment of the same integral experience.  The keystone interconnecting all of them is the safe space to release into deep restoration, stress relief and inner rebalancing.  Each service has its own value and it is your decision which is most aptly suited to your situation and lifestyle!

Regardless, it is highly recommended to routinely incorporate a modality that supports your stress relief such as walking in nature, soundbaths, stargazing, bird watching… Virtually anything that slows you down to a natural rhythm of calming stillness and receptivity.  Stress is the #1 cause of disease.  Lifestyle is the #1 prevention.  Choose to embrace a slow pace of enjoyment through your life.

This blog will focus on the group sound immersion experience:

Group sound immersion experience

There are many benefits to receiving within a public gathering.  Group dynamics can be powerful.  When someone goes deep, it allows for the possibility of someone that may not otherwise to sync up or entrain with that frequency and follow them into the depths of relaxation.  The community component is also intended to foster in-person, organic connection.  It is my intention to selectively partner only with exceptionally hospitable establishments because it is imperative to feel supported to be able to fully let go.  (As you can read about in my blog about phylloxenia ~ friend to the unknown)

These immersion experiences are variable in what they may include.

You may soak in the vibrations while laying on a paddle board on a still lake with Aqua Om Paddle (Sat 6/7, Fri 8/8)

Just after an ecstatic dance. (Solstice Soundflow Sat 6.21)

You may savor a glass of wine at Evansburg Vineyards. (Last Saturdays of the month Sat June 28)

A pint of beer at Twelve78 Brewing in Phoenixville. (Sun June 8th and subsequent first Saturdays)

Open your heart with cacao ceremony (Sun June 29th)

Indulge in an art gallery (Fri July 25th)

Savor a delicious brunch (Sun August 10th)

The intention is unified for each activity chosen: to experience enjoyment through the senses and come back to being relaxed and free in your body, away from the chatter of the monkey mind.  Life is meant to be enjoyed.  We remember and return to this human resiliency of the heart when we enter restorative states of being.

Phylloxenia:The Guide to Exceptional Facilitating, Hosting, Holding Space

True friendship can happen in a moment.

I had a dream that I was in Crete, Greece.  Two days later, I had my flights for about a month out.  Deeply I knew the reason behind this visit was because of the exceptional hospitality for which the island is known.  That, and a place for restoration and rejuvenation with a seaview and access to fresh delicious fish dishes (a mouth full in every sense)!

By and large, the encounters I experienced were of deep holding.  When I was on my way out of Heraklion, flying from Crete to Athens, I stopped at a bakery in town and bought a pistachio pastry.  The friendly man behind the counter gifted me focaccia bread, saying “here, give this a try!”  It saved me through the delayed flight and long journey into Athens after a full day’s transition from seaview to hostel.

When I returned home, one of my Greek connections asked about my experience.  When I told her how supportive the locals were, she told me Cretans are widely known for phylloxenia, or being a friend to the unknown.  Funnily enough, one of my 3 main email addresses I have had my entire life was “not_xenophobic”, meaning no fear of strangers.  This term, phylloxenia, matched my graduated understanding of how to meet people in life: through trusting friendship.

There was one experience there that was the complete opposite of phylloxenia and, ironically (probably not), also related to my service.  I had scheduled a private soundbath session with a woman in a village nearby.  She sent me the coordinates to put in my Google Maps.  I told her that my arrival was around 4:30 and that my phone did not have an international plan so I would not be able to contact her when I arrived.  Lo and behold, the village was built into one of the iconic and wild mountainsides of Crete.  After attempting to navigate to the address, it stopped me at this rocky road that was clearly not leading to a home.  Fearing for my car rental, I parked down at the flat part of the village and walked up, trying to find this location.  I saw a couple of locals whom knew as many words English as I knew Greek.  They did their best to help me, particularly the woman, whom exemplified phylloxenia, asked different neighbors for the person’s name, etc.  Eventually she stopped a man in a car and it turned out he was her neighbor.  The time I had arrived was 5:10.  She never went outside to see if I was there.  When I told her about the GPS, she said “oh I don’t know why it does that.  It is only two roads to get here.”  She openly admitted to knowing about it and neglected to inform me leading up to the time.  Not only this, she shortened the session by 15 minutes, which would have been fine if she had communicated to me directly that she had to.

It was clear to me from the start I would be incapable of winding down and feeling less stressed because the person I was with did not feel like a person around whom I could safely surrender.  This is simply because she lacked any sort of concern for my general wellbeing as a fellow human.

It takes so little to genuinely make someone feel safe, cared for and attended to.  It is absolutely necessary to build this foundation or hold an innate connection with your facilitator in order to feel comfortable enough to fully let go and relax to deep states “under their care”.  This is the base of all facilitative interactions.

Both the friendly young man at the coffeeshop (among the many, many other very hospitable people of Crete) and the negligent “sound massage” practitioner left a deep impact on me.  It shows how meaningful and impacting our interactions are and how they can effect us beyond the immediate moment.  It also shows that we are continually hosting or holding space whenever we encounter or invite someone into our presence.  How we show up matters.

Being a friend to the unknown is a constant commitment to having trust and faith in man and Spirit, God, Creator, Higher Power, Universe, however you conceive the beyond.  It is a choice to routinely be of service for the greater good of your fellow man.  It is true medicine to give and receive in what can be a very disconnected modern world.

What is Constructive Rest?

After 15 years of supporting thousands of people with nursing, yoga, sound and now craniosacral therapy, I have routinely witnessed that the #1 way to reconnect, remember wholeness and find ease in being is constructive rest.

Constructive rest is a state of being residing at deep levels of consciousness, generally hovering in between wakefulness and sleep. In scientific terms, Theta brain waves and parasympathetic restoration and repair mode.

How does one achieve constructive rest within a private session intended for relaxation?

1. Receiving from a trusted provider

   Rapport with your provider is KEY in being guided to this state if you are choosing to receive this support from another. Make sure you trust and feel safe in their care. Go with your gut if something feels even slightly off, especially if it is without logical reason. And keep going, keep developing this relationship with your practitioner, if it feels 1000% on. The further you go, the deeper it gets. You reach states and places unimaginable!

2. Safe and warm environment
   The space intended to support this restful experience must feel safe and warm to the recipient. A sense of security is necessary to soften and find ease leading to rest.

3. Optimized physical comfort

   Your mind will continue to fuss unless your body is physically comfortable with bolstering and supports. Physical comfort allows for you to fully release, surrender and let go, potentially reaching deep levels of restoration.

It is my greatest honor to be received as a trustworthy facilitator. It is my soul mission to routinely provide space and support for this deep state of being in others, especially when it feels the furthest from sight. Even just a second can feel like an eternity and act as a factory reset for your entire web of being. As a modern culture of Western society, it is integral we remember that this is an inherent part of our being.

Constructive rest is essential.

Modalities where one may routinely reach this state include sound immersion, yoga nidra, yin or restorative yoga, craniosacral therapy, shirodhara and other energy and body work wherein you trust the provider.

Here is a link to my YouTube channel which contains monthly free yoga nidra videos you can enjoy in your own home!

Introducing White Wave Restorations

…Your Holistic Headquarters for Constructive Rest and Nervous System Rebalancing.

The exciting piece of this expansion is that it was virtually entirely planted by seeds from spirit and watered by waves of my subconscious.  Every bit of the name and shift is entirely meaningful and organic.

The following series of events occurred at seemingly random, spaced apart and distinctly separate moments:

It dawned on me one night how every modality I facilitate enhances and supports the free-flowing mobilization of fluid systems within the body.  Cymatics (whose prefix is connected with the Greek word “kŷma” meaning “wave”) with sound and vibrational attunements; release and replenishment of synovial fluids around the joints in yin yoga; the discovery of the craniosacral rhythmic wave or tide within craniosacral therapy… All connected with promoting an easeful flow.

Beginning with water, I am innately drawn to water.  It is an integral source of life and we each carry a unique relationship to the flow.  As being a 1st degree (meaning very) Pisces (zodiac water sign of the fish) sun, I so deeply connect with water submersion and immersion, all year through.

I received an insight during silent Quaker meeting for worship that with love, there is life.  Without love, there can be no life.  With water, there is life.  Without water, there is no life.  Love is water is spirit is life.  Spirit stems from Latin and means breathe.  Love is Spirit is Water is Life.

During a 4am fit of curiosity, I researched the definitions of each of my birth-given names and was met with the remembrance that the Old Irish (my heritage) definition for Jennifer is “White Wave”.

White holds significance in the immediate recognition of purity.  Pure intention, purification, pure connection.  It is essential and crucial for deeper levels of trust, transformation and release to occur within the individual receiving any treatment.

Wave symbolizes a multitude of facets within my services ranging from obvious to obscure.  Sound waves, vibration, waves of consciousness, the tide of the nervous system assessed in craniosacral therapy.  Plus connecting macrocosmically to the ocean, which further connects to lunar cycles and tides, the feminine, yin of the yin/yang symbol and rest/digest in the nervous system.

Restorations is simply a succinct and clear nod to the achievement and purpose of these modalities.

A nugget of conversation with a dear friend spurred a catalyst around marketing my services as a nervous system rebalancing kit, with that kit containing sound immersion, craniosacral therapy and stillness-oriented yoga practices through private sessions and restorative wellness retreats..  Those specific words didn’t fit and felt clunky and I promptly forgot this piece of our engaging conversation until the tagline naturally flowed into my awareness: “Your Holistic Headquarters for constructive rest and nervous system rebalancing”. Again, a lucid awareness of what is intended.

As for the logo, the triple spiral or triskelion, is connected, once again, through whimsical and mystical means.  When I went to Ireland at the end of 2023, one of the regular students (and one of my dear friends) at the yoga studio where I teach regularly told me about Newgrange.  She had a certain look in her eye that made it feel dreamily imperative that I visited there.  So I spent over $100 on a one-way Uber ride from Dublin because the public transportation was profoundly unclear (only to be met on the way home with a free bus ride because their ticketing system was magically down).  The visit was life-changing and, unknowingly, the beginning of this journey as White Wave Restorations.  I didn’t know up until recently why it was so important I visit but now it feels undeniably clear with the symbols edged out front of this pre-historic Neolithic tomb.  The logo contains evidence of the 3 main “limbs” of my services; spirals connecting with the shape of waves; the proto-Celtic connection of which I am a descendant, as is my name, Jennifer.; and, the spirit-led journey of a hopelessly faithful and trusting servant for the highest good.  The spirals in actuality symbolize sky, land and sea from within and without; life, death, rebirth; etc. etc. and are a nod to our elemental existence as well as our alchemical humanness; something of integral importance, without possibility of escaping.

And so this rebranding is brought to you by, as only could ever be: Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream.  Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

Tips to support your first or routine group soundbath experience

Here are some tips + awarenesses to make the most of your first journey in a public setting or refine your current routine.

I have been facilitating sound immersion/soundbaths for almost 4 years now.  I have cultivated this list based off of observations from and repeat inquiries following public, group sessions.  Please come-and-go with this blog.  It is not intended to overwhelm, but rather bolster and inform your first experience so you may achieve the highest outcome for your wellbeing.

Arrive early for space and time to settle in.

Especially if you are unfamiliar with the lay of the land.  Giving yourself the opportunity to settle-in beforehand deepens your restoration.  When someone arrives right when it starts or just a little after, generally they are arriving with a state of panic, stress, fight-or-flight.  It takes significantly longer to wind down from that place and thus prevents one from reaching the depths of rest and relaxation.  Not to mention, it is respectful to all others that have invested in their whole-being wellness.  Arrive early, settle-in deeper.

Err on the side of extra comfort.

Your physical support is vital for optimizing the benefits received from the sound immersion.  Bring extra blankets, pillows and bolstering.  Generally, these sessions are offered places with hard flooring.  It is amazing how uncomfortable it is on the body to lie on the hard floor even within 60-90 minutes.  I generally recommend to bring a yoga mat or portable mattress pad, 2 blankets (one for between you and the floor and one to cover), a pillow for under your head plus a bolster and an eye pillow (this is more for cancelling out the external so you can fall deeper into relaxation). Be cushy!!  Bring and do what you know will make you comfortable.  This will optimize your energetic receiving.  You will want to cushion yourself so that you are able to release deeper into rest and digest states.

Attend your first group soundbath solo.

This is an important one.  When we attend a soundbath with a loved one, especially when we have invited them because we are so excited and curious and want to share the experience or feel nervous attending alone, we show up in “host mode”.  You may begin to worry about their experience, especially if you sense they aren’t settling-in.  This pulls you out from being able to go within yourself and your own restoring journey.  You will not achieve your deepest potential with your first session.  If you are excited and strongly feeling called to sound as a holistic modality, you will very likely surrender to a high degree.  You deserve the initial powerful, transformational effect that your first soundbath can bring.  The journey within is innately a solo one.

Do not be hard on yourself if your mind is racing with thoughts for your first one.

If you are attending a soundbath for the benefit of relieving anxiety, do not be discouraged if your mind isn’t wiped clean the first one.  We are in a demanding society with an overwhelming amount of tasks requiring our attention here and there.  One soundbath is not going to instantaneously clear those thoughts.  It is possible in glimpses, but sometimes it takes more routine frequency (i.e. a weekly or bi-weekly regiment depending on level of anxiety).  Relaxation is a muscle.  The more frequently you receive sound and vibrational immersion, especially in a private session, the benefits will accumulate and you are effectively activating that muscle.  With each session, it becomes easier to settle down.  Each time, you will go deeper.

It is common to feel fleeting agitation and discomfort with certain sounds, but more likely than not you will not routinely experience this.

Emotional release is a normal way that the body’s intelligence processes out stagnancy in deeper layers of our subconscious.  If you have experienced this for your first session, that is excellent!  You are clearing out and making space for your highest potential.  Certain sounds may elicit certain responses within the body that may feel alarming or unwelcome.  Remember that sometimes sound immersion is also called a “sound journey”.  The way I personally facilitate is moving from sound-to-sound, each tone and instrument shifting the journey and adding a new layer of awareness.  The shifting of the sound releases the hold on that sensation.

You are likely not asleep even though you are breathing rhythmically in a way that resembles snoring.

If you have reached the space in-between wakefulness and sleep for your first session, congratulations!  You have achieved theta brainwave state, which is the brainwave frequency just above sleep (delta) where deep cellular repair and restoration may take place.  This causes rhythmic breathing and releases that you may hear but be so deeply “under” in a twilight place that you are unable to move.  I have observed when a recipient is peacefully in this place, it allows others to entrain or sync up to that frequency.  You are therefore a catalyst to helping the room along to the deeper space!  Unless, of course, you are loudly and disruptively snoring, which happens and must not be shamed either as it is involuntary and part of one’s journey.  If you know that about yourself (snore factor) a private session is appropriate and sensitive to the group dynamic.  Funky breathing patterns and sounds are signs for rejoice: you have reached the ultimate destination for nervous system rewiring!

Every soundbath will be different.

The first one can be life-changing, powerful and impacting.  A lot of times as adults, we do not remember not having a chattery mind and reaching such effortless states of inner peace and stress relief. The next session hones-in on what the first session starts and therefore may be more subtle in its impact.  Every moment our body has different needs.  When we receive sound and vibration, the intelligence of our being instinctively utilizes the frequencies to optimize and restore what needs it.  One session may be visceral and physically sensational; another visual and dreamy; another inwardly connected and processing.  Expect the unexpected each time.  Be open and surrender to the magical mystery of your world within!

Courtesies for yourself and all attending:

• Silence your phone or better yet, leave in the car.

• Use the bathroom beforehand

• Reposition yourself mindfully and quietly, so as not to disrupt the experience for others

• Be open to your unique experience and ENJOY!!

Academia vs Apprenticeship How I have learned what I do

There is so much emphasis placed on trainings, certifications and the science within our culture.  I have gone through my fair share ~ becoming a nursing assistant, a med tech, a registered 200 hour yoga teacher, a 100 hour yin yoga teacher, an 85 hour prenatal yoga teacher, a registered nurse, a Reiki master… The knowledge is valuable, but the trainings generally leave me feeling depleted and poorer in a sense than when I began.   With esotericism and the abstraction of sound, stripping it of its magic to explain its “properties” feels wrongful in my heart.  Learning about the digested pulp of what sound is from the narrowed human lens is an injustice to the potency and power that sound affords.  For this reason, I have chosen to receive “training” through Spirit, word-of-mouth transmission + guidance from mentors and also experiential immersions.

A little background on myself: I do not own a TV.  I have not owned a television the entirety of living on my own (8 years) and even when I lived at my parents, I did not watch it.  When I say I do not own a TV, I also mean that I do not stream shows as well and am very discerning about what films to take in.  There has also always been a tendency to read a book if it fully engages and grabs me or I will not read at all.  I especially have chosen to only read a select few poets, due to the nature of being one myself.  My subconscious trajectory in all of this (there are many, but specifically relating to processing) is because I have always wanted my views, words and expressions to be purely reflective of my own journey.  I have largely abstained from mass media for the sake of my own clear perspective.  Obviously there is influence one way or the other, but overall it has afforded me so much time to be with what I am feeling and then put it into words or allow it to flow through me in the form of sound.

Our culture is very effective at stripping away mystery and dissecting the mystical to sterility.  I have always left Western medical and science-based trainings feeling like I know less than I began.  It is a very disorienting process for me, even though I became skilled at the game of tests and papers.  There is so much that we do not truly know compared with the anchoring inner knowing found through esoteric apprenticeship.  Hazrat Inayat Khan, mystic and author of “The Mysticism of Sound and Music” has a quote, “ Science reaches at the end what mysticism reaches at the beginning”.  It is true: science sets out to prove a proposed theory based on a phenomenon that has always and already existed.  The wisdom offered from the lips and felt from the sound and vibrational transmissions of my chosen mentors are embedded in my cells due to the inner knowing felt and comprehended when receiving from them.  This is also in part to the trust and respect I have in their intentions and refined journeys that have spanned decades.  I have always existed NEEDING to fully comprehend something on a sensory-feeling level for me to believe it and then it is always accessible to me in understanding.  I’m certain it is like this for everyone, really.  Spirit and source energy, which is the birthplace of Sound, is infinite and boundless.  Western science exists to strip down these magnificent forces, without regard to Spirit, and make what is boundless and infinite, strapped and condensed in order “to explain” it.  Without regard to Spirit, Science is an incomplete, demystified process of explanation.  I am not anti-science; I am pro-spirit and feel there is a way to integrate the two.  As the timeless Epigram of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis goes: “The mediator between head and hands must be the heart!”  There needs to be a bridge between the tangible and intangible in order for there to be true understanding.

The single greatest teacher I have had on this journey is deep listening.  I recently began attending Quaker meeting weekly to fine-tune this muscle and step into the silence.  It is incredible to witness the multitude of subtle layers found within silence when meeting for devotion of Spirit.  This is a skill that was deeply set-in after a 10-day gong immersion camp at the end of 2022 with this certain Mitch Nur I have previously mentioned in the room where I received my first gongbath 10 years prior.  This immersion had no tests.  All it required was your presence and passion, which clearly filled the room.  I will never forget coming home after being away for the 10 days and feeling my response time had slowed after being in a room filled with 20+ gongs, this incredible portal of an instrument influencing my bodily sense of time.  Learning techniques was certainly enriching to the depth and aesthetic of my playing, but overall being with the gong and listening deeply to how and where I play has really expanded the horizons of the soundscape I am able to curate in a sitting.  Some of my other greatest teachers are listening in nature and of course some of the many beautiful ambient musicians out there.  Otherwise, I am entirely self-taught with how I play my instruments.  Really, it is an ever-blooming relationship between myself, Spirit + the instrument in an interplay with the energies of the room or scenario for which I am playing.  It is without a doubt the highest frequency of “training” I have ever personally undergone.  That said, I am looking forward to the potentiality of receiving a wide range of esoteric teachings through reading, listening to lectures of the current sound masters and practicum through 9 Ways Academia led by Mitch Nur in the coming year.

Science is an incredible tool in modern times.  My heart simply cannot allow it to disembowel what is far beyond the explicable: vibration, energy and sound.  I cannot be more grateful to have had my previous trainings as reference to what is not aligned with my path.  Leaving academic settings has been the most empowering choice for me.  Now I listen deeply, feel and understand authentically without being told.  It is a deep inner knowing that we all have and that cannot be taken away.

How Bedside Nursing informs my Sound Immersion facilitation

Once a nurse, always a nurse.  When you are one, you hear this all the time and it really is true.  There are obviously reasons why I became a nurse, left nursing and then transitioned into my most authentic role of giving rest to the nervous system through sound immersion.  I’ve considered titling myself a “rest specialist” or “rest facilitator”; but, alas this is not fully comprehensive.  It is exciting and relieving to share in what ways bedside nursing translates into my current role offering sound.

Illness stems from Spirit and lands lastly in physical manifestation.  This is something I have witnessed and spoken to since I was a nurse aid over 10 years ago.  Whenever I would receive report as a registered nurse and look at all the numbers and data to the case of the individual, it never tied fully together until I walked into the room and felt the energy of the patient.  What is more-or-less exempt from nursing school is how often an effectual nurse needs to interpret the silent and subtle cues from his/her patient.  This is largely how I formulated my personal nursing care model with no help from any guide but Spirit.  It isn’t a surprise, as Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass indicates so eloquently and earth-shatteringly: Spirit is null and void to Western Science when it is the majority of what is.  It is so evident and palpable from where the direction the dis-ease landed, be it emotional, mental or spiritual, when you are in the presence of the patient.  In nursing, there are many regulations limiting what you are able to share beyond describing the pharmaceutical medications you are administering or post-op restrictions, which is very disempowering to so many that are attuned to the truth of the whole picture of the person and holistic lifestyle awareness shifting and (gasp!) eradicating illness.  This is probably why nurses everywhere in the Western medical model, at least in the states, are prohibited from speaking far beyond the immediate script we are enforced to follow.  That was a tangent and probably one of the many significant reasons I left nursing, but all to say sickness does not appear without first breaching the Spirit of a person.  Since speaking of this to so many after I could pinpoint and verbalize it, I learned that it is a major tenet to Traditional Chinese Medicine, an ancient intuitive medical model.  Imagine that!  What most intangibly influences and connects with ether and spirit?  That with which we are made:  Intentional Loving Energy and Vibration aka Sound Immersion!  I have repeatedly expressed how Intentional Sound is the most potent, immediate, effective and very low-to-no side effect “medicine” I have ever administered.  Routine soundbaths provide lasting, effortless change and accumulative, deepening benefits.  Think of it in terms of the two forms of frequencies: dissonant (chaotic and fracturing such as construction and traffic noise or, dare-I-say, beeping of IV pumps, call lights and rushed medical professional voices) and coherent (a flowing stream, chirping birds, the tonality of gong resonance).  Coherent frequencies build-up and allow for reconnection in the nervous system through being able to dive into a deep parasympathetic state.  In an over-burdened,taxing world, rebalancing the nervous system, which innervates every other bodily system, is POTENT.  We are meant to exist inherently in parasympathetic states and then respond in fight-or-flight.  Our society lives in the opposite.  Transitioning from nursing where I was essentially administering what I personally deem to be externalized, ineffective bandaids to people that are so deeply entrenched in the system that they believe they need pills and will not change any aspects of their lifestyles to orchestrating peaceful sound immersion to soothe the spirit of the conscious recipient looking to return to a natural, harmonious state and optimize their overall wellness is a huge sigh of relief to say the least.  The recipients that are open, receptive and in trust of my “care” are the ones that receive the deepest impact from the sound immersion which leads me to my next observation.

Rapport is another huge piece of bedside nursing that also exists immensely within sound facilitation.  You are only able to go so far with a patient, or living human, as much as they trust and respect your competence, insight and personal investment into their wellbeing.  This relationship deepens the more you show your patient that you have their back and best interests at heart through advocacy and consistency of word and action.  The same is true for a soundbath recipient, especially in a private setting.  It is so vulnerable to shut out the sense of sight by wearing an eye pillow or closing your eyes and to totally disengage on every level which happens almost effortlessly while receiving a private session ~ when you trust your practitioner.  The more I develop a trusting relationship with my routine private soundbath recipients, I notice the more refined the sessions become and the more the recipient effortlessly dips into that rest and digest state, reaping deeper and deeper subconscious repair and rewards.  Realistically, a person is unable to truly tune in, return to wellness and clear what is not serving without feeling safe and comfortable in one’s immediate surroundings and in trust of those under one’s care. It is a position I take with total seriousness and awareness. The deepening of the relationship with the recipient also stems from the gift/skill I have sharpened of being able to read the energy being presented that day, which enters into a whole other realm.

“Reading the room” is akin to deep listening and recognizing what is beneficial and what is not to say or do for a patient, a private sound bath recipient or a public group sound session.  In a broader sense with group sound sessions, my ability to “read the room,” which I mentioned previously about first meeting a patient at the bedside, comes into play.  This is something that I enjoy immensely because it leans heavily into the mystical, making it very hard to put into words and verbal explanation.   This brings into Light how nuns and the religious devout were previously the majority if not only nurses of the world.  Once when I was the nurse for a former nun (whom left her convent due to abuse of the children at the school where she worked, very sadly, yet feels very directly akin to my situation), we discussed how nuns are meant to be pure conduits and beacons of God, wherein his, her, their Light may shine through the sister directly onto the patient in every facet and lens of their healing.  Nursing was always a form of spiritual practice to me, an opportunity to put into action the wise, age-old teachings through a pure-hearted channel.  Speaking to this fellow sister who has devoted her life to highest intention brought me into full awareness of how I viewed myself as a spirited nun of sorts, removed and detached from the person and outcome (as much as humanly possible, of course), yet optimizing my care for them, no matter their background and what would be my personal opinion of it.  This way of being in the light and eyes of providing goodness for all is a way in which one “reads the room” by stepping into source consciousness, higher power awareness, whatever you want to call it and allowing one’s actions to be informed from that lens.  This lens is one that makes your efforts and movements almost dreamily automatic without any analytical thought from one moment to the next.  All is happening at once in one fluid motion, just as in nature and just as in everything that is channeled through the stream.  This is also where the interpretation and response of silent, subtle cues arises.  From this place is where every soundbath I have ever given has originated.  Same goes for my patient care, albeit fragmented in this scenario from the botched current course of the healthcare system.  

In reality, nursing is meant to provide a comfortable, safe, warm bed for one who is weary to restore and remember their wholeness and with loving guidance, returning back to whole health.  The truth sadly is the role of the nurse has been devastatingly desecrated to satisfy the needs of insurance and pharmaceutical companies while working under duress of chronic understaffing and high demands.  Hospitals are businesses and no longer safe havens for those in dis-ease.  Being able to remember the ancient roots of nursing in the form of administering soothing sounds in an infinitely more conscious, preventative, calming and sustaining way has provided for my own deep nourishment.  It is my honor to be able to morph my gifts and skills that are innate and also learnt through nursing into a means of providing deep, genuine and supportive restoration during such a demanding phase in human history to so many beautiful souls, also remembering how life is meant to be: enjoyed in freedom of health and happiness. 

How did you get into this? A detailed answer of my personal synchronistic Journey with Sound

So often after someone’s first session, they ask what sounded like wind, rain or the ocean (sea drum from Meinl!) then they also often tend to ask, “How did you get into this?  How did you get started?”  It is a fairly lengthy, beautiful, mystical and (in my opinion) destined story that I will break into a series of writings.  Firstly, how I got into this and secondly how I got started and thirdly will be chosen by the wind!  Spirit deserves the justice of having it all spelled out as she has spelled it all out for me.

It all began a decade ago.  My dad’s co-worker, knowing my openness to spirituality, had invited me to a 2-hour blind-folded gong bath in a tight acoustical space filled with with these portals in all sizes.  A certain Mitch Nur ((Remember this name!)), world-renowned + (amazingly) local ethnomusicologist was leading this event.   I ecstatically accepted the invitation and so it all began.  That experience alone ripped my conceptual reality and consciousness to depths beyond measure and immediate understanding.  It had to unfold and so it did.

My next exposure to the potency of Sound was during a Tibetan Buddhist monk invocation chant for one of their sand mandala creations.  This troupe of monks came from His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV monastery outside Tibet known as Drepung Gomang Monastery in Northern India.  They would tour, sell their wares and primarily create before your eyes an intricate, elaborate and stunning mandala, or visual representation of a facet within a Tibetan universe, from memory.  Mind-blowing.  When they were finished, they would ceremoniously destroy the sand mandala, distribute the sand among the people and take the rest to a flowing stream with prayers of peace for all.  Such a powerful statement and prayer of impermanence.  The monks would chant before beginning or starting a new day with their creation.  I was following this certain troupe all over Pennsylvania for half of a year.  One night in Bucks County, I attended an event where they chanted for 45 minutes.  Giving you a snapshot of my life: I was in a sad-excuse-of-a-relationship, totally sifting between my fingers like sand itself and beginning my life as a new nurse, which is very much a floundering experience of toxic feelings of doubt and incompetence.  It was a rough patch!  I was hollowed out and open, ready for any sort of this spirit medicine and wisdom to absorb and penetrate my core.  After receiving this, relatively, brief interval of full-fledged guttural chanting and instrumentation, I remember driving to my parents house (I was on my own by then) and sobbing uncontrollably in their arms for at least that same amount of time.  Their prayers, medicine and magic in Tibetan tongue had seeped well into my marrow and re-circuited my energy, purging of the unnecessary, letting go of all of the grief, pain and suffering I was harboring within.  Needless to say, the relationship and (eventually) my nursing career both fell apart in exchange for living a much more meaningful, authentic life.  What a tremendous blessing it has been.  It is, obviously, unforgettable how cathartic this experience was for me on all levels and “only from” the collective human voice with divine intention.  I am FOREVER grateful to the Tibetan Buddhist monks for so many reasons, which would require another blog alone to give my due respects to their high offerings.

The last experience, which began in a similar timeframe, is ongoing to the present.  A dear friend of mine, whom I met through the yoga studio that first hosted and introduced me to these monks, was also trained by this Mitch Nur to facilitate sound therapy.  When I was in nursing, I began receiving monthly private soundbath sessions to deeply relieve stress, optimize my energy levels,  improve sleep and overall tend to my wellbeing.  Effortless peace, calm, diminished anxiety and more were mine for weeks after!  Truly the greatest gift and holistic healthcare modality as antidote for the absurd demands on modern nursing. By this point in my life (my early-to-mid-twenties) as a yearly committed camper of Philadelphia Folk Fest and general lover of music, I had been to so many enchanting, enlivening and invigorating shows and never put together why I felt so good the next day!  It never dawned on me how seriously potent and beneficial the INTENTIONAL vibrations of these shows (and my friend’s magical sessions) were to the spiritual, mental, emotional and even physical level.  There was something to this modality of sound therapy that really held me together in my monthly routines.  The unconditional love and spirited intention felt from my friend was an integral piece of this, which is why it is so important to discern with whom you open your energy and again, that is another blog altogether.

These moments, as humbly as I can verbally depict them as a Spirit-devoted human, are how I got into this.  How I got started is a whole other exquisite tapestry, evidenced and informed by the divine inspiration and love of Spirit.  That will be my actual next blog post.  Thank you for your interest and investing time into reading about what opened me to the power of Sound.

The Nourishing Layers of Yin Yoga: throwback blog from 7 years ago

Yin and nourishment are synonymous in a time of constant “productivity” and forward motion. Silence and stillness embody the mystical practice of yin and act as healers to the human layers of body, mind, and spirit. Ultimately, the nourishing factor interconnects simultaneously between these 3 levels:

Physical

The physical intention of yin is to hold a specific shape at your appropriate depth for an extended period of time, which is about 3-7 minutes. This gives the body opportunity to settle into itself, like the wood floors of a freshly-built home.

Connective tissue, a film that envelopes every fiber of your internal structural, reacts to the prolonged pose by tugging in various directions with the assistance of gravity. It is also the bones, cartilage and tendons that keep the body together. The elongated hold catalyzes a future enhancement of flexibility, mobility and elasticity around the joints when the practitioner returns to motion.

Most importantly, Yin touches viscerally. One of yin’s many components is depth. In this case, organ health is the emphasis of sequencing. Without getting too thorough in explanation, there are five major yin organs: the kidneys, liver, heart, lungs and spleen. In Chinese medicine, the concept of long holds is to open energy channels, allowing healthy and beneficial energetic flow to the various organ systems. Think of it as a river once obstructed by debris that has had recent rainfall, causing debris to collect at the side. This enables the water to flow even more effortlessly downstream. In the Western scientific model, it allows for increased perfusion, or oxygen/carbon dioxide, exchange, within the tissues.

Mental

The “yin” part of the nervous system is parasympathetic, or rest and digest mode. Have you ever been so relaxed in savasana or another pose that your belly starts to gurgle? Wonderful! You have elicited the complete OPPOSITE of fight or flight mode. This by nature allows the adrenals a break from releasing constant cortisol and all of those other lovely hormones that keep us pumping through our ever-rushing daily lives.

Silence and stillness allows for a void where there is ordinarily stimulation. Phones, computer screens, billboards and radio ads bombard our sensory receptors far too regularly. Having separation from this allows for a sense of peace and calm in the mind, or at least a quieting. It is not ordinary or typical that we bid our bodies and minds a vacation from all of this hubbub. In fact, the calm can go as deep as yoga nidra, or yogic sleep, which is a point between wakefulness and sleep.

Its meditative properties provide you an opportunity to learn acceptance of physical sensations, as opposed to aligning an emotion with that sensation. That is not to say that emotions will not come up. They do, and sometimes very explosively and even more so than in a yang class. The practitioner learns to manage his or her feelings, allowing them to come to the surface. This is the nourishment of the mind.

Spiritual

After participating in a yin class, one may find a clearing in their spirit. Sleep becomes sounder, a general calming affect may be exuded. It is the culmination of the physical and mental properties that resolve for a softer spirit. Intentions in yin are for passivity, tolerance, and embrace of one’s circumstance. The path one leads is a direct result of what is routinely consumed. It is easy to be led astray in productivity of our predominantly “yang” society. If one’s life contains a heaping portion of yin, in theory the reality manifested will be a nourishing one.

Yin and nourishment, to me, are synonymous. In our fast-paced lifestyle, stopping is imperative for balance in the body, mind, and spirit. Make it a priority to gift yourself much needed downtime.