Oh, coronavirus, you've taken too much from us this year, retreats included. However, I am so very excited to share with you each that online retreats are here.
YES! We're finally ready to begin our journey of online retreats at Exploring Peace Ministries. It's been a challenging season for all of us to find new ways to interact and connect in our businesses, churches, communities, and relationships. After pausing all in-person retreats for 2020 due to COVID-19, I wasn't sure what was next. Yet after much discernment and lots of prayer and help, I've discovered and created a safe online space that I think you're going to love. Yes, it's possible to connect in safe space amidst a pandemic and I can't wait for us to begin. I'm more than thrilled to be hosting my online retreat book experience for you in a new space, our Peace Seekers Community. You'll find me there now along with our community moderator, Lauren, and a handful of Beta Testers. If you register for the Holy Listening with Breath, Body, and the Spirit book retreat, you'll gain access to our community and see exactly what's in it for you (encouragement, connection, community with other Peace Seekers just to name a few)! The retreat and our new community is open as of TODAY! Retreat materials will be available for pre-work beginning August 17th. Our 40 Days together and live teachings begin September 1st! Don't miss out on this chance to offer your body and spirit a reboot in community. I am so excited to journey through the book with you! If you've followed my journey at all you may know these things to be true: I am passionate about healing and wholeness. I believe in safe space for all. I have immense compassion for human trafficking victims. I understand we each hold trauma in our bodies. I am certain the gift of the breath grounds us amidst crisis. With those things in mind, I invite you to join me in gifting the survivors I work with a tool that (I believe) will truly enhance their healing journey. The two organizations I currently partner with to offer trauma-sensitive yoga in this season are Rest Stop Ministries and End Slavery Tennessee. Graciously, yoga mats and blocks are in abundance for these survivors to use on site when we practice together. Some locations offer blankets to be shared. However, one of my favorite props/tools is largely missing. The yoga blanket. Why are yoga blankets important and how do they help with a yoga & meditation practice? I am so glad you asked! Yoga blankets are the most versatile of props! A yoga blanket offers alignment to the pelvis and spine when in seated postures. It can be folded into a meditation cushion. It can serve as a pillow for stiff necks. It can be used to cover the body when cool. It can be folded into a bolster offering support in certain restorative postures. Heavy duty yoga blankets are not flimsy blankets, they offer firm support for the body. From a safe space perspective, practicing yoga & meditation with an item that is "yours" is something which offers familiarity and comfort. Sharing yoga blankets that are stored and reused by others feels less personal. Yet gifting a survivor with a blanket of her own to be used beyond that weekly hour of practice is transformative! These women often have little of their own and this blanket may be the start of a new season of healing. With your help, I would love to offer blankets for each survivor I connect with on this journey. Who knows...with your help...maybe even more survivors than these will receive this gift. Will you journey with me? There are two ways to help support this project right away: 1. Donate a gently used or brand new (heavy duty) yoga blanket to me in person or drop off at Bloom Yoga Studio (I will deliver on your behalf). 2. Purchase a new yoga blanket from my online shop (I will place a bulk order and deliver on your behalf). Click below to support these women on their journeys by gifting a blanket. My yoga mat goes with me everywhere! And that means...it gets dirty. Sweat and grime tend to multiply in the summer. I'm expecting to encounter my fair share of each in these hot summer months (especially at The Wild Goose Festival this July)! I have been asked a lot recently about my favorite yoga mat spray. So, thought I would share an easy DIY (do-it-yourself) recipe for cleaning your yoga mat. A quick search of the internet pulls up many options for making your own cleaner. My favorite recipe is below and shares not only why this recipe is good for your body (germs on your mat, means germs on your body) but also good for your spirit! Yoga Mat Cleaner (for Body and Spirit)
Combine your ingredients in your glass bottle (the glass is important for storage of the essential oils), shake, spray your mat, wipe down or air dry, and enjoy! Benefits of Lavender: antiseptic, analgesic, restorative, calmative, sedative, anti-infectious Benefits of Tea Tree (also known as Melaleuca): anti-microbial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, disinfectant Beyond cleaning your mat, these oils encourage* security, gentleness, compassion, vitality, clarity, comfort, and emotional balance for your body and your spirit. *Aromatherapy for the Soul, Valerie Ann Worwood |
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