Welcome to Raw & Radiant, the podcast that ignites your spirit and empowers your soul. Are you ready to embark on a transformative journey?

Here, we give other women permission to embrace their truth, to find the courage to choose themselves first. Because guess what? You are not alone. Join us in this massive journey of empowerment and courage. Together we'll illuminate your inner spark, empowering you to embrace the radiant light within and show you how magical you are. It's time to unleash your potential and make a difference in this world. Are you ready to step into the raw and radiant version of you?

Welcome back to another episode of Raw & Radiant. I am so excited that you are here. Thank you so much for joining me. If you are listening to this episode anytime in the month of June 2024, I would love for you to share it on Instagram or Facebook. Tag me if you do. Your name will be entered into a drawing to win a free Breathwork virtual session with me.

I am on a mission to hold space for as many people as I possibly can in the powerful modality of Breathwork. It is my mission and passion to allow you to be seen, to recognize that you have so much beauty and wisdom within you. So if you share it on Instagram or Facebook, please tag me so I can enter your name into the drawing for a free virtual breathwork session with me.

Now, let's get on with the show. This episode is all about my first experience with breathwork. It was four years ago, pre-VID 19. I was living in San Diego County at the time, in Coronado. Being in Coronado, it's super easy to live on this beautiful and magical island. You can see the ocean and the bay on both sides. It's so beautiful, and you can walk anywhere with this deep sense of safety within you.

I realized I was spending too much time on the island and not getting out and adventuring, something I love to do. So I challenged myself to get off the island, to find a community, and explore new modalities. I love doing yoga, so I found a yoga studio on the other side of the bridge in downtown San Diego, next to Balboa Park. It's called Bankers Hill. The yoga studio was called Sojourn. If you're in the area of San Diego now, please find them. Whitney and her partner, Jeremy, have such a beautiful space. Their mission is to hold sacred ceremonies for people in their yoga studios.

I had been going to yoga at their studio when it was downtown. The space was so nurturing, with brick walls, a beautiful wooden floor, large windows, and green plants. It was warm, nurturing, and inviting. I fell in love with the yoga community there and met some beautiful friends. I saw on the schedule that they had a breathwork class on Sunday evenings. I didn't know what breathwork was, but I decided to try it. It was Sunday evening, around 7 p.m., and I drove over the bridge from Coronado to downtown San Diego.

I felt this resistance within my body. My ego mind didn't understand that this was something new and it was kind of fearful. There was tension, a resistance to the unknown. But I felt this pull of my inner knowing drawing me to the class, to the yoga studio. It drew me up the stairs. My ego mind was saying, "Don't go," but my body was saying, "Yes, go." So I leaned into the uncomfortable, signed myself in, and walked into the studio. There were at least 40 other people there in this beautiful space. I found a mat, sat down, and met a beautiful woman who made me feel that I was exactly where I was meant to be. She was nurturing, warm, and inviting. We talked about various healing modalities, yoga, and beautiful coffee shops in San Diego. I knew I was exactly where I was meant to be and felt calm and at peace.

The class began, led by The Healing Couple, Corey and Jess, who are now my Breathwork mentors. (TAP HERE to TUNE IN to their guest interview on Raw & Radiant) They held a beautiful, magical space for about 45 minutes of Breathwork. They led us through the breathwork practice, explaining the expectations and how to do it. For those who don't know, the type of breathwork I facilitate is a three-part conscious connected breathing pattern, all done in and out through the mouth. It helps to take us out of angst, overwhelm, and anxiety, bringing us into our parasympathetic nervous system—our rest and calm state. This breath pattern helps rewrite the neuropathways within the brain that have been formulated over our lifetime, releasing limiting fears, anxiety, and stress, and cultivating a sense of inner knowing and light within us.

During the 45-minute breathwork session, accompanied by a musical playlist, including Imagine Dragons, I felt as if my body was levitating off the ground. The affirmations resonated deeply, making me feel like I was in a safe, nurturing, and inviting space, allowing myself to surrender and release what no longer served me. It was a peak experience of euphoria.

After the session, we were invited to share our experiences and receive physical reassurance through hugs from Jess or Corey. I instantly wanted a hug, feeling the tactile affirmation and reassurance of the session's potency and power. As I walked out of the class, down to my car, it was evening, around 8:30 p.m. Driving back over the bridge from downtown San Diego to Coronado, I felt a vibration and frequency from the San Diego Bay into my car and body. Looking to the east, there was a massive October full moon, and I knew this was exactly where I was meant to be and what I was meant to be doing. I wanted more.

I continued to attend breathwork classes at Sojourn until the pandemic forced a shift to virtual sessions. Embracing the transition, I engaged in one-on-one sessions with Jess and Corey and eventually enrolled in their breathwork teacher training immersion. Reflecting on the transformative power of breathwork, I emphasized its ability to help individuals move through trauma, challenges, and emotional blockages.

Thank you for listening. I hope you have full-body goosebumps, as I do. This journey has been so profound for me, witnessing others move through PTSD, sexual trauma, narcissistic abuse, MS, and various life challenges. We can either sit in the challenges or shift into healing, processing, letting go, surrendering, and evolving on the other side. Breathwork has been the most potent and powerful tool in my daily practice.

If this resonates with you, reach out to me via DM on Instagram, social media, or email. Thank you for being in this energetic space. Please share this podcast, like, subscribe, review, and do all the things. I am eternally grateful to you. Until next time, thank you for being here. You are the heart and soul of Living Raw and Radiant. Take this energy and courage, and infuse it into every moment of your life. Remember, you have the permission to choose you. Stay connected, keep shining your light, and continue to embody the essence of living raw and radiant. Together, we are igniting a movement of empowerment, authenticity, and soulful living. Until next time, keep living your soul's desires.

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