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Personalized Meditation, On Demand Yoga And Sunset Sound Baths For The Wellness Enthusiast

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In a year like 2020, the one gift that holds most value without the guilt is wellbeing. It’s not a luxury, it’s an investment. Now more than ever, many are becoming more mindful about their lifestyle choices. Since the pandemic struck, close friends have gone from clubbing till the wee hours of the morning to waking up at the break of dawn for meditation and sun salutations. A good number of family members and friends have also given up on nasty vices that include smoking, excessive drinking and binge eating. Many have also taken up sports and other activities despite temporary closure of gyms and sports clubs. These lifestyle shifts—no matter how drastic or minor—are silver linings worth celebrating. They also inspire unique wellness experiences that help to soothe, heal and balance the senses.

Regular meditation and breath work practices pulled me through this entire pandemic. It has set the tone for endless days in quarantine and helped anchor a mindset for being present amidst the chaos. EVOLVE BY ERIKA offers personalized Kundalini Breath work sessions that help raise your vibration, reduce stress and help in managing anxiety. Facilitated by Kundalini Healer Erika, interactive sessions done via Zoom guide you through a customized practice that is specific to your current state, mindset and intentions. My session with Erika began with a short chat that allowed her to gauge where I was at and what type of kriya meditation I might need. Regardless of where you are in your meditation or kundalini practice, Evolve sessions are calibrated to address very specific needs. Subscribers of the EVOLVE EXCLUSIVE package, get access to:

·            5-10 minute morning practice and meditation

·            Full Kundalini Yoga Class and kriya meditation

·            Easy and delicious plant based recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner

·            Essential oil recipes.

Sessions aim to take away feelings of being intimidated or overwhelmed by a Kundalini or meditation practice. Admittedly that this is one of the most intense and powerful forms of yoga with health and wellness benefits that are immediately felt. Erika shares: “Immediate results from Kundalini consist of feeling calmer, more centered and grounded. Through practice we are tapping into our nervous system and calming overloaded channels. It can calm us, energize us, help to balance the body’s pH, help to promote physical and emotional healing, help to fight depression and addition and so much more. It also helps us to tap into our highest self.”

It was on a Friday night when I hoped on a Zoom session with Erika and rediscovered my love for the practice. Following a short consult, guided breath work and meditation, I emerged feeling brand new and energized. Months of new normal living had rubbed off any excitement once held for the promise of fun with family and friends. My Friday night Kundalini session, however, brought back a sense of gratitude and feeling of joy that set the tone for the rest of weekend. Erika advices, “Those who are ready for Kundalini are called to it. Once it enters your awareness and your curiosity, you are ready.” I’ve slowly integrated more hours of Kundalini into my wellness regimen since.

Vinyasa flows and Ashtanga practices help to awaken and energize. On days when I am feeling exhausted and in need of a reboot, however, Yin Yoga has been the go-to practice. A receptive, restorative sequence where poses are held for up to 10 minutes, Yin calms the mind and brings one to a deep meditative state. YOGA TODAY, an online yoga subscription service that films yoga, Pilates and meditation classes in picturesque locations like parks, lakes, gardens and mountaintops, has just rolled out a series of Yin Yoga sequences.

Led by Devin Bailey, this new collection of classes “are the perfect wind-down at the end of a long day and can even promote restful sleep.” This practice has also been known to help alleviate panic attacks and feelings of being overwhelmed. Through Yin, one learns to sync the mind and body, arriving at a more mindful and restful state. I particularly love following exercises shot amidst various destinations especially at a time when travel is highly limited. It not only soothes the mind, but also transports it to many of nature’s masterpieces.

Sound baths are magical. They bring forth a sense of wellness, healing, relaxation and balance. This ancient healing modality uses vibrations from music to ease mind, body and soul. Research has shown that through sounds—from chanting, singing bowls, gongs, drums and other frequencies—the body’s ability to relax and recover is heightened. Shakti Sound Baths by healer and wellness practitioner ANA NETANEL are experiences to have especially at a time of struggle and strife. She offers retreats and healing sessions some of which are divinely synched just in time for new moon manifestations or releasing during a full moon.

The team of Ana elaborates: “Sound Healing is so effective because it influences our emotional bodies as well as our physical bodies. Different sound vibrations interact with our physical and energetic bodies in beneficial ways—Activates Higher States of Consciousness, Unlocks Blocked Emotions, Relieves Anxiety and Stress, Induces Complete Relaxation, Promotes Deep Meditation, Heightens Clarity, Improves Ability to Concentrate, Relieves Insomnia, Decreases Depression, Normalizes Blood Pressure, Relieves Physical Pain, Release Emotional Trauma.”

Sound bath meditation classes are often held in private residences in Malibu. For those are do not live in the area, Shakti Sound Bath healing albums may also be accessed through Spotify, iTunes, YouTube or Apple Music. One thing I love to do is play Abundance Frequencies while writing stories like these, intended to inspire a more mindful, balanced life.