The year 2020 has taken us on a journey, one that we could not have predicted. Can you believe we’re only about six months in? Whew! But, what if this is exactly what we needed to shift? The moment to simply flow with the changes, with the movement, with the energy of this here 2020! We entered this year with affirmations of “New Year, New Me!” or “Living My Best Life” and so many more that I saw circulating the cyber. We’re here now! We are in this new decade and it sure enough has had us flowing through many emotions. I know I have experienced some pulls on my heartstrings and have had my Chakras go awry. Friendships have ended, love has shifted, I’ve read stories of even marriages transitioning to divorce and most of all, many many loved one have been lost. Let’s not even talk about the stars and planets shifting in and out of retrogrades – the energies… so much. However, in it all, I have also developed deeper connections with friends that I’ve known for years and I’m sure some of you have too. There something about – we are all going through this, just not in the same way.
It’s a journey, an interesting flow. We’re living through a global pandemic of a novel strain of a virus that has kept us in our homes for months. A pandemic that has caused many to lose their lives, their breathe just taken away. There have been well over 100,000 deaths in the U.S. alone. This virus – still is no cure or vaccine. Then just as new cases began to slowly decrease, BOOM, a very old virus swept the globe! Presented itself with grandeur and said, “This is going to be addressed NOW.” Racism. The virus that has plagued society for hundreds of years. I am sure I can be safe to say since the beginning of time. People took to the streets risking their health to protest the virus that has been infecting the minds of humans globally. That has been the cause of so many lost lives in my community and others. That I have lived through and experienced my entire life…but this blog post is not meant to go into depths of what we already know. Racism in America. Racism on this Planet is not new. This is not a novel virus. This post is to focus on our wellness. How are we handling this new decade? This new decade that tore the band-aide off with no warning, ripped the stitches out with no anesthesia, and spread a new dis-ease that shed light on an old dis-ease. What has been your wellness journey? Your Self-Care!
Whenever I enter my feelings, I resort back to my yoga, both physically and spiritually. You’re probably wondering what I mean by spiritual yoga. I’ll go into depth in another post. Is it a religion? No. For me yoga is far beyond a religion. It’s a way…. It brings me to awareness. It allows me to become grounded in Self and the way in which I relate to my surroundings and others. It brings me Balance. It guides me in my meditation and allows me to flow through life. I also do shadow work…that is diving deep within mySelf through meditation. In addition, during this new decade, I’ve done some much needed shadow work… that began in December 2019 during the Winter Solstice in Egypt. I embarked on a journey to bring in the new decade, 2020 more conscious and vibrating higher while trusting the journey to unfold as it is supposed to.
My Wellness Journey…
My wellness journey is very important to me. I’m always striving to be a better me. I face challenges and sometimes get stuck, but I always get back on track. Yoga has always been part of my journey. I have practiced physical and spiritual yoga my entire life. My first yoga teacher was my mother. She used to be a dancer and model. We danced and stretched daily, plies, splits and lotus positions. I remember the lotus position because it just resonated with my spirit. Those are some of the fondest memories of my childhood; exercising with my parents and siblings. Exercising as a family. Mommy doing plies and Daddy doing handstands and music pumping all through the house. The funny thing about our quarantining during the pandemic, it brought us back to exercising together just as we did when we all lived in the same house. Oh technology, we watched Zumba on Instagram Live and joined each other via video chat, danced and chatted during an amazing Zumba class that was streaming live from Barcelona. This family exercise time brought us together from Europe to NYC to the DC area. We took the time to just release stress and work up a sweat!
So yes, my wellness routine/self-care journey has included various activities from being in nature, capturing the beauty of Earth through photographs, to spa days, traveling, and consuming some of the best food that Life has to offer. But, 2020 said NOPE, you shall remain still. No traveling, no hiking in nature, or riding your bicycle on trails and no days of pure indulgence in spas or restaurants. Did I mention no travel? Yup, I had to stay home. We all did. The entire World was at a standstill. [Well, not the essentials… thank goodness for the essential few who kept the world functioning during this time.] I was forced to focus solely on what used to be my ‘Night Time Routine”. My mediation and my yoga. I had to build upon the things that I didn’t think of as “wellness” or “self-care” such as cooking and watching the birds. I’ll get into that in another blog.
My routine became bathtub spa days or steaming hot showers (pretending to be in a sauna LOL) at home, yoga, meditation and Zumba in my living room, cooking while sipping wine and writing in my journal. And, watching the birds on my terrace. It actually was a positive shift for me. I had time to cook breakfast and eat at my table rather than at my desk at work. I now was able to Breathe. I could sit in mediation for as long as I wanted, day or night. I could light my incense each morning, or some sage right before I call into my morning meeting for work. It was exactly the shift that I needed. I must say, thank you to the Universe…. Teleworking and quarantining had an amazingly positive impact on my life. Ya’ll, I even lost weight with zero effort! It’s amazing what being able to eat home cooked meals daily can do. Simply stress-free. However, I did end up writing less in my journal as work activities became more demanding. Yes, work can be demanding even if you’re doing so from home. I had some truths revealed to me about a person I held close to my heart, who I cherished and hoped to know and remain connected with for – ever. I don’t know that I ever experienced this level of soul shift before in my life. When that Twin Flame soul tie breaks it can truly take you to a dark place, but my wellness routine allowed me to remain balanced, as did my work. Can’t go drifting into your mind when you have important work to do each day. You have to remain responsible and fully engaged. Be Grounded! I also entered a Yoga Goddess challenge that helped me to shift my Chakras back into alignment. My meditation became deeper and longer. This was true shadow work in complete alignment with the phases of the moon. I meditated on the phases of the moon and sat in silence each evening. In this time, I realized that my home didn’t have an altar. I’ve always had a space that housed my sacred and special items. Where I would burn my candles and lay my crystals. How could I have been living in this space for over three years without my designated sacred space? Well, I fixed that and now I have my meditation space aligned with the moon and my alter. I’m in flow.
Tree Roots in Hawaii 
Pacific Ocean 
Foodie 
Travel Travel Travel 
Mural in Brooklyn, NY 
Heading to the Oshun Festival
Another part of my wellness journey is writing in my journal. This is the most important part of my wellness routine. It allows me to put my many thoughts on paper. Now, this isn’t a themed journal, which has been the popular trend. Not a gratitude journal or one dedicated to manifestation. It is, what I call; an old fashion, jot anything down, diary/journal that you would think of as the norm among teenage girls. I’ve kept a journal since my early teens. It is where I capture the thoughts, which are eagerly trying to exit my mind, especially when I know no one cares to hear them. LOL My thoughts do go on overdrive during my overthinking times. And, like I said, during there are times I just skip my journal writing routine, especially when work is on overload and ridiculously demanding. With social media and this blogging life, I do share some of my captured thoughts. However, most of my thoughts are confined in a journal.
Do you keep a journal?
I believe keeping a journal is the most important part of a wellness routine. It allows the opportunity to release Similar to a detox of the mind, without judgement of the outside world. The only judgement is your own… and well, that’s an entirely different topic. During these six months of 2020, releasing into my journal became a good mental detox. I tried to cleanse my mind when I could. I especially wrote when my thoughts and feelings were on the verge of becoming clogged or cloudy. If you’ve ever experienced a brain fog, you’d understand why this is so important. So, a combination of my physical and spiritual yoga practice, my journal writing and meditation, I’ve been flowing through this here 2020.
If you haven’t started your wellness journey, I hope my short story here, helps you to begin. I also hope you will be moved to start journal writing if it is not a part of your journey. You can begin by following these few steps that have helped me.
- Start by finding a comfortable space in your home to Be.
- Sit in silence for a few minutes and just breathe. Listen to your breathe. Be aware of the silence. Be in the space.
- Then think of the day, week, month that has past and Reflect.
- If that does not resonate, you can also think of the present moment. What are you feeling in the present moment?
- Reflect.
- Sit in the moment, with your thoughts. Remain in this space, listening to silence for as long as you want. It is up to you. It can be 2 minutes or 20 minutes.
- Remember to breathe. Inhale and Exhale.
- Afterwards, write down your thoughts.
- End by sitting in silence again to close out your reflection.
You are the only one who can truly tell your story from your Being! Let me know about your experience embarking on your wellness journey.
When life becomes surreal, recognize the emotions, feel your feelings, write your thoughts, then have some ice cream!!! LOL I love ice cream! Actually, I like all frozen treats! Remember that Love is in each moment!
Peace. Love. Light.