Jo’s blood and soul sister, Crystal Nuding, returns to discuss energy and breath work - the free wellness tools you always have at your disposal. None of us will ever be perfect at the art of feeling good, so it’s important to know the few things that you can do to feel better fast. Combining cannabis with energy work can be a powerful tool for many. But for those who find cannabis to be a depressant, learn to get high on your own energy supply!

‘After the Show’ Notes

I hope this conversation has you ready to get high on your own energy supply. Your body is smart and powerful and the potential for healing and relief is always present within you.

Remember the free and easy things you constantly have at your disposal to help guide you.

Like the power of your smile and the thoughts that you put out into the vortex. And how simply breathing deeply with an audible sigh activates your Parasympathetic nervous system telling your body to relax without getting your brain involved.

One of my favorite things I’ve found through energy work is the word and mantra, Haola <sounds like how-la> it means all is well and getting better. I like the way it sounds. I like the way it feels to say it. And I believe it. So I repeat Haola when I start getting anxious or triggered or when I sit down for a cannabis-infused meditation with a busy mind. When I see something that’s both upsetting and out of my control, instead of fixating on it, I utter a soft haola and send love out into the world.

The name of the game is to feel good and be happy. And like Crystal said, “Your inspired action is the most powerful and important thing you will ever do.” There’s no trophy for suffering so don’t wait to be your authentic self and do what you love.

Crystal encourages us all to let go of these old ways of looking at the world:

• Life sucks and then you die

• Life is hard

• That’s just the way it is, hon (a favorite phrase of old white men)

• You have to work hard and toil to be worthy and deserving

• Struggle is honorable

• If it’s easy it’s not worth anything

• The best of life is behind us

A Few of Jo’s Favorite Feel-Good Resources

Self-Care Is mandatory. Besides my weekly calls with Crystal, I also practice daily meditation, yoga, and Qigong. My alarm goes off at 5:15a so I have two full hours to myself each morning. I know everyone can’t dedicate that kind of time but I will say that creating some sacred time for yourself each day is necessary. Stop trying to find time for yourself and make time. You are worthy, my friend. YOU DESERVE TO FEEL GOOD.

Rise & Shine

I start every day listening to Abraham Hicks’ morning rampage. My alarm goes off, I hit snooze once, and when the alarm goes off again, I listen to this before I get out of bed and start my day. It sets a high-flying foundational vibe to use as my baseline for the day ahead.

Qigong

Qigong can be described as a mind-body-spirit practice that improves one's mental and physical health by integrating posture, movement, breathing technique, self-massage, sound, and focused intent. There are likely thousands of qigong styles, schools, traditions, forms, and lineages, each with practical applications and different theories about Qi (“subtle breath” or “vital energy”) and Gong (“skill cultivated through steady practice”).

When I got curious and started asking questions about Qigong, a friend turned me onto the teachings of Master Mingtong Gu. He brings ancient wisdom to our western culture for better health and consciousness in contemporary times. Named Qigong Master of the Year by the 13th World Congress for Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Master Mingtong is on faculty for Esalen Institute, Omega Institute, 1440 Multiversity, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and the Shift Network. He is the founder of The Chi Center / The Center for Wisdom Healing Qigong, a beautiful 79-acre retreat center located 20-minutes south of Santa Fe, NM.

Learn more about Master Mingtong and the “Chi Center for Wisdom Healing Qigong” in the link below.

I subscribe to Master Mingtong’s YouTube channel and often incorporate one of his Qigong meditations into my morning wellness routine.

Yoga

Yin yoga is a nice way to start the day. It is a slow-paced style of yoga as exercise, incorporating principles of traditional Chinese medicine, with asanas (postures) that are held for longer periods of time than in other styles. For beginners, asanas may be held from 45 seconds to two minutes; more advanced practitioners may stay in one asana for five minutes or more. The sequences of postures are meant to stimulate the channels of the subtle body known as meridians in Chinese medicine and as nadis in Hatha yoga.

Yin Yoga poses apply moderate stress to the connective tissues of the body—the tendons, fasciae, and ligaments—with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility. A more meditative approach to yoga, its goals are awareness of inner silence and bringing to light a universal, interconnecting quality.

I enjoy the Yoqi Yoga YouTube channel for both Yin yoga and Qigong instructional videos and routines for what I need in the moment - like the mood lifter routine embedded below. When I need to work up a sweat and do strength-building yoga, I tune into Yoga with Adriene. Adriene is another down-to-earth Texas gal with a super approachable style to yoga.

All is well and getting better, my friend. For me. For you. For our communities. For the world and our planet. You have to believe it before you’ll see it. So let this be the moment when you stop focusing on what you don’t want and start focusing on what you do want. 

Haola,

Jo