Healing – Salubrity and Soul

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My Journey to 10,000 Steps a Day

August 1, 2024October 7, 2024by Carol MurphyLeave a Comment

The Why

I ran into an old friend of mine a few days ago. I hadn’t seen her in years, and we hugged each other in excitement. We began catching up with each other by sharing stories about the last time that we saw each other, and we also discussed a few other topics. Then she asked me what I’ve been up to lately. The first thing that came to mind for me was how I have been relentlessly taking care of myself over the past few years. So, my immediate response was “Oh, I’ve just been taking care of myself… you know…healing and trying to be as healthy as I possibly can,” (In my highest and best “Hey girl, How are you?” voice). I might have lied just a tiny bit. I didn’t tell the whole truth, because we were in a store shopping and I just didn’t feel comfortable holding her “hostage”, so to speak, to tell her all about my journey. Maybe she’ll read this one day, but perhaps not – either is okay. I am also a very private person, so my telling this story even now isn’t easy for me, but I’m hoping that it might be able to help someone else. The truth is, I am absolutely enamored with taking care of myself!

In November 2020, I became ill suddenly. I mysteriously dropped 30 lbs. in one month, at what equated to losing 1 to 1 and 1/2 lbs. per day. I cannot even begin to put into words how frightening this was for me (and my family).

I could barely walk, and I could not drive. I was hospitalized and still found myself visiting the emergency room many times thereafter. Each time, I was undergoing major testing and then being sent home with my physicians being baffled at what was going on with me. I say baffled because I had three specialists in three different specialties, in addition to my regular physician, all of whom were unable to identify a specific cause for what I was experiencing health wise. They were also unable to pinpoint why I was having an adverse reaction to the medication that they prescribed me. It was bad. It was so bad that none of the specialists or my physician believed what I was telling them about what I was experiencing. I suppose perhaps that my experience was so unusual that maybe they thought that I was not telling the truth. I don’t know. Still, I don’t want to say that I was being gaslit, but that is what was, in all actuality, what seemed to be occurring. This is going to sound ridiculously crazy, but I even received phone calls from hospital personnel who I had never been introduced to in person, who were desperately trying to convince me to “just take the medicine” despite the fact that it was causing me to have a serious adverse reaction.

I could not believe what was happening. Neither could my spouse as he listened to these calls with me while they were on speakerphone. This was a very frustrating time for me, especially having been raised by a mother who worked in medicine in a professional capacity all of her adult life, and taught me a lot about taking care of my health. I, myself, also once worked in the healthcare field for some time, so believe me when I say that I have nothing against healthcare or the medical field. The frustration that I felt led me to seriously consider what I would do if and when I got better. In fact, it became my sole motivation to get better. I knew, however, that once I healed, God willing, I was going to have to make changes in my life; mainly because I did not want to ever have to experience what I was experiencing at that time – ever again.

Fast forward to February 2021. I began trying to walk as a way for me to take the initiative in my own health and well-being. I needed to get back into life, off the couch and out of the bed. I wasn’t my usual self. Every day was just a day in which I wondered if I would make it to the next one. I was just trying to focus on healing in private.

I stopped taking prescription medication, (because it made me feel worse than when I wasn’t taking it), changed physicians, and began seeing a holistic health practitioner and a holistic nutritionist on the side. It was a bit pricey, but that would end up being one of the best decisions and investments that I have ever made for myself, and in myself.

During that time I learned quite a bit about nutrition, herbs and spices, vitamins, minerals and I even learned ways to heal and care for my vagus nerve, sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system. I was also already enrolled in yoga teacher training, but had to postpone my certification final because of my health at that time. Since I could barely walk, that also meant that I could not practice yoga asana either. Heck, there were moments that I could barely stand. Yet, there were aspects of yoga that I kept up with because they were the only things that I could do, (with regard to yoga), that helped me a great deal. Those things are meditation, mudras, chakra sound healing, ayurveda and pranayama. I credit my general knowledge of those aspects of yoga with being a formidable part of my wellness journey.

Please note that I am not advising anyone to utilize any of these same methods to help heal themselves because I am not a physician, nor am I providing medical advice. I am just sharing what worked for me, and my personal story of healing because it is relative to my personal journey of why I started walking 10,000 steps a day. As a caveat, I would advise anyone who might be considering trying anything that I mention in this post to please consult with your physician before doing so.

Moreover, please note that there are many additional points and details about my condition, and the situation that I experienced that I have decided to leave out of this post, and not share here for reasons related to privacy. This is something that you should also take into consideration before trying anything in this post without consulting your physician.

Baby Steps

As wonderful as all of these healing modalities were for me, they are not in alignment with the topic of this blog post. What I really want to place my focus on, and share with you is the subject of walking. More specifically – my dedication to walking 10,000 steps a day as a daily routine, and how you can start a similar walking regimen like this of your own.

Walking is so underrated. It is an exercise that is low-impact, but good for your heart and circulation. It is a weight-bearing exercise that is also as good for your lungs, as it is for your heart. It can help to lower your blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, improve your balance and coordination, strengthen bones and muscles, reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and high stress levels, help you lose weight and improve overall energy.

When I started my commitment to walking, I made a promise to myself to just walk at least 500 steps a day. It was hard for me at first because walking was very difficult for me to maintain without having my health condition flare up. However, I figured that I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain if I just pushed through it and began by taking baby steps.

Those 500 steps were some of the slowest steps that I have ever taken in my life, but lucky for me – I had nothing but time. It didn’t matter that my steps were slow. The only thing that mattered was that I was trying, and not sitting on my behind doing nothing but wasting away. I was determined to get back to my old self, or something even better.

After successfully achieving those 500 steps for a while, it would be two weeks later that I would begin my move to walking 1,000 steps a day. My steps continued to steadily increase each month – slowly, but surely. By March 2021 my average steps per day were up to 2,300, and by the end of summer that year I was walking 4,200 steps a day.

Today my steps per day average anywhere between 10,000 and 13,000 steps, depending upon how much time I am able to dedicate to my daily steps due to work or other tasks.

How You Can Implement A Similar Walking Practice Into Your Daily Schedule

Walking 10,000 steps a day can be quite challenging to achieve. Especially if you lead a busy life, or have a lot of other responsibilities. Making 10,000 steps a day a priority in your daily schedule takes a great deal of motivation and dedication – even a little bit of encouragement on some days – but I promise you that if you prioritize walking 10,000 steps a day, and put it in your calendar or to-do list, or better yet just make it a daily habit that you do before you start your day, after you eat dinner, or any other time that works with your schedule, and do it every day; you will find that it won’t be very long before it becomes a habit.

Try committing to it for 21 – 30 days to start. Then just keep it up. Personally, I am so used to getting my 10,000 steps in daily now because I started by making it a part of my daily morning routine right after brushing my teeth, washing my face, showering, getting dressed for the day, practicing yoga and eating breakfast. I have been doing this so long that it actually feels strange whenever I don’t start my day in this order.

You might be wondering if it is okay to take a day off from walking. My answer to that is a resounding, “Yes!” Breaks are very important if you are to sustain your 10,000 steps a day as a daily practice. It may also be good for your body to take a day off from walking. However, I have to admit that when first I started walking, I didn’t take any days off – but it was a lot easier for me to do that at that time since my daily step average back then hadn’t yet quite reached 10,000.

Nowadays, my body will let me know that walking 10,000 steps for 7 days straight deserves at least one day off, and my knees, calves, thighs and back usually appreciate it when I do take a break. However, there aren’t very many weeks in which I actually take a day off if I can help it. I will sometimes do somewhere between 1,500 – 5,000 steps in lieu of doing zero steps on my off days, unless I feel as though my body and mind really need the full break.

Another question that I often get asked is, “What do you do on days in which there is inclement weather?” Well, my response to that question is that I walk indoors. So, there is no excuse for me not to get my steps in. In instances when I am not able to walk outdoors, I will walk the whole perimeter of my home indoors, (Yes, you read that correctly, I will walk the whole perimeter of my home). This could also be done on a treadmill if you have one. Unfortunately for me, I gave mine to Good Will a couple of years ago, but as you can see, that hasn’t stopped me from my personal commitment to completing my daily steps. I really meant it when I said that I am enamored with taking care of myself.

It used to take me 5 hours or more to complete 10,000 steps a day. Now it takes me about 2 – 3 hours if I walk non-stop, but sometimes when I am pressed for time, and have work to do, I will break my walk into sections where I will complete the first 5,000 steps early in the day, and then finish the final 5,000 steps or more later the same day at a time when it’s more convenient for me. I just make sure to complete those final 5,000 steps before 11:59 pm. You can also try breaking the steps up into 3 parts or 4 parts even. I have found that breaking the steps down into more manageable step amounts can be really helpful in remaining dedicated to getting 10,000 steps in a day. If this is something that interests you then I highly recommend that you give it a try – after consulting your physician.

In Closing

So, as you can see making a commitment to walk 10,000 steps a day can be easy. All it takes is a little serious interest in wanting to complete 10,000 steps a day, and maybe, (as in my case), a great big wake-up call.

I am not saying that walking 10,000 steps a day cured me. What I can say for sure, however, is that it didn’t hurt me in any way and contributed to my feeling healthier than I have in decades.

Lastly, if you have any other tips for getting 10,000 steps in a day, or if you are starting your own 10,000 steps a day practice, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment in the comments section or message me from the contact page.

Thank you for reading.

Until the next time…

Take care and be well.

Carol

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Salubrity and Soul…The redux

May 1, 2023May 9, 2023by Carol MurphyLeave a Comment

A ring of the doorbell in the middle of a warm summer’s night. A couple of songs playing on the radio, one after the other, on the way to the emergency room that now every time I hear again will forever take me back to that moment in time when I was hoping that all that I was experiencing was just a crazy bad dream. An unanswered prayer that I now have a greater understanding of and immense gratitude for. A dark night of the soul and a healing journey that led me back to my yoga practice after a long hiatus. A spiritual awakening. A promise kept and a divinely guided idea that I felt compelled to share. All – the birthing of Salubrity and Soul, the blog, and now Salubrity and Soul Yoga – coming soon.

Today I re-welcome you to Salubrity and Soul, the blog. Formerly a grief blog, but now a space where I sometimes share tidbits of my healing journey, perspectives on life, spirituality, gratitude, my love of nature, but mostly all things yoga, meditation, wellness and wellbeing related.

Salubrity and Soul celebrates the whole self – mind, body, heart, and soul and thriving within a wellness of being – mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Whether you are a veteran Salubrity and Soul reader or are new to this space I thank you for stopping by, and I appreciate you taking time out of your day to read my posts. My hope is that you find the content here helpful and as always I look forward to connecting, learning and sharing with you.

Also, before I end this post I would like to remind you that you can connect with me on Instagram at @salubrityandsoulyoga, and soon you will be able to also connect with me on Spotify on the Salubrity and Soul Yoga podcast where you can listen to content from this blog as well as find meditations, short yoga sessions, weekly affirmations and more while on the go or whenever you’re just short on time and don’t have time to read the blog. Thank you for reading.

Until the next time…

I’m sending you light, I’m sending you love

and as always

Take care and be well,

– Carol

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Ayurveda: What is it?

March 9, 2020March 9, 2020by Carol MurphyLeave a Comment

Ayurveda! A name that you’ve, undoubtedly, heard a lot about lately as it has become a trending practice. But did you know that ayurveda has been around for a very long time, and is one of the first systems of medicine in human existence?

Originating in India, it is a 5,000 year old system of healing that addresses the mind, body, and soul.

Other forms of healing and medicine have a connection to it such as traditional Chinese medicine, reiki, accupuncture, accupressure, polarity therapy, energy medicine and herbal medicine just to name a few.

One of the most interesting things about ayurveda is the way that it acknowledges the wisdom of other cultures and traditions in addition to its own.

Often referred to as “the science of life”, ayurvedic knowledge was derived from the Indian Vedas, which is one of the oldest written texts in the world, and a traditional concept of philosophical phrases, (known as sutras), as a way of transferring knowledge to the next generation.

A central belief in Ayurveda is that food is medicine, but ayurveda is not just about diet and nutrition. It is a lifestyle that can include diet, maintaining a daily routine, the elimination of bodily toxins, aromatherapy, yoga, meditation, breathwork, chanting and various other holistically based selfcare methods – but the most important part of ayurvedic practice is the utilization of dosha specific guidance.

The goal of an ayurvedic practice is to bring the body into a state of balance and to maintain that balance; which in turn, helps with overall wellness. It is also believed to help with healing faster should you become ill.

What I love the most about ayurveda is its personal approach to wellness through the use of doshas that help address your individual and unique health concerns. In other words, it’s customizable and what’s not to love about something that is specially designed to help you care for yourself and address your own specific health needs? Because if you really think about it, health and wellness (perhaps) shouldn’t consist of a “one-size-fits-all solution. Wouldn’t you agree?

Thanks for reading.

Until the next post…

Take care.

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25 Ways to Live a Holistic Lifestyle…(With a Focus on the Mind)

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020by Carol MurphyLeave a Comment

Hello everyone! Now that we know that holistic living is more a way of living than just a way to curb illness, (and involves the mind, body and soul), I would like to talk about what holistic living looks like when it solely involves caring for the mind.

A few weeks ago I watched a news program that covered a story on how the rain forest in the Amazon is in danger because of the the excessive practice of burning and clearing away of necessary plant life for commercial purposes due to some of the effects of consumerism. It was quite an interesting program.

They mentioned how that problem has an affect on animal life as well, which was kind of sad, but it really got me thinking. If you’ve ever watched a documentary or read a credible article on the Amazon, you know that it is considered to be “the lungs” of our dear planet earth. Without that critical part of our planet’s whole, who knows what the health of Earth will be like in the years to come. A simple domino effect of problems can have an adverse effect on the “whole”of just about anything. It’s no different with our “selves” .

Whenever one aspect of our health is impacted, (positively or negatively), it can affect other parts of our health, (positively or negatively), too. Our emotions can lead us to develop headaches or stomach issues; or they can have an effect on how well we recover from surgery or illness.

So as you can probably guess, working towards keeping our minds as healthy as we work towards keeping our bodies healthy is a part of living a holistic lifestyle because, again, our mind, body and soul are interconnected.

Here are a few ways that you can apply holistic health to your mind health. This list is not exhaustive, but these are a few things that I have personally learned from holistic practitioners, tried, and deem effective:

1. Practice meditation daily.
2. Use affirmations
3. Practice yoga daily.
4. Think critically about everything.
5. Practice healthy optimism and positivity.
6. Avoid negative thinking.
7. Practice gratitude daily.
8. Develop personal boundaries and avoid toxic relationships / “energy vampires”.
9. Challenge yourself often and release yourself from “comfort zones”.
10. Journal regularly to express and release emotions, feelings and thoughts.
11. Be careful with your thoughts and the things that you allow your mind to entertain.
12. Develop a strategy, such as using a mantra, to redirect your mind from any triggers that might lead to negative thought patterns.
13. Get out into nature and go for a walk to help clear your mind and strengthen mental well being.
14. Try learning new things – often.
15. Give your brains periods of rest by practicing mindfulness, meditation or listening to music.
16. Don’t let your ego take over your being.
17. Practice deep breathing or Pranayama .
18. Practice “Earthing” .
19. Give yourself natural vitamin D by practicing healthy sun gazing.
20. Maintain only those relationships and friendships that foster positive mental health – and that feel good.
21. Try a little aromatherapy every now and then.
22. Detach from social media and technology regularly.
23. Separate your personal life from your work life,
24. Practice minimalism.
25. Create a sacred space in your home – a special place where you can go to for solace and quiet time to find peace from the busyness of daily life.

I hope that this list helps you as much as it has helped me, and if you have any tips of your own with ideas on how to live holistically, (with a focus on the mind), I would love to hear them, so please feel free to share in the comments section below.

Thank you for reading.

Until the next post…

With light and love,

Take care.

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Welcome 2020!

January 6, 2020January 6, 2020by Carol Murphy

Hello friends! Well, we’ve officially entered a new decade…and a new year! Happy New Year!

I have not posted in while because I decided to spend time with and focus solely on family this past holiday season. So, since I wasn’t able to wish you a Merry Christmas, I’ll do so now… Merry (belated) Christmas to you and yours! I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season!

We are 6 days into the new year and I have to say…I feel a slight sense of relief that the holidays have ended. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the holidays, but there has to be at least one person reading this that can agree with me that the holidays, as great as they can be, can also be very, very tiresome. So, it feels quite good to feel a bit of relief from all of the excitement that comes with that time of the year. Now we just have 11 more months to go until we get to create more special memories with those we hold dear once again. That is always definitely something to look forward to. Those cherished moments are the best!

Many of us are returning to work and/or school this week as we ease back into our schedules and personal versions of “the familiar” and the “the everyday.” I for one am looking forward to “getting back into the groove of things”.

2019 was a transformative year for me personally and for Salubrity and Soul. With my having begun a new wellness journey, and the rebranding of Salubrity and Soul, I am very excited about the road ahead!

So stay tuned if you’d like to see what I’ve been up to over the last several months because over the next few weeks I will be picking up where I left off, and delving deeper into the process of sharing my discoveries through a series of daily, weekly and monthly posts.

Before I end this post I have to inform you that there are no words that can fully express the gratitude that I feel towards you- my followers- thank you so much for your readership whether new or old. This has been one rough journey. Thanks for journeying with me…still. You’re amazing! Stay beautiful.

As always, thanks for reading.

Until the next post…

With light + love,

Take care.

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What is Holistic Living?

November 6, 2019November 6, 2019by Carol Murphy2 Comments

When you think of holistic living, you may conjure up thoughts of consuming “green juice”, using herbs to heal ailments or improve nutrition, creating natural beauty products out of resources made in nature, or some form of complementary medicine such as acupuncture.

Although those things definitely fit into the scope of living holistically, they are a small part of what it means to live a holistic lifestyle.

Holistic living is a philosophy that requires an understanding that all parts of the body, or self, are interconnected and should be considered when taking care of one’s complete health and wellness.

Moreover, on a more basic and common level of understanding what it means to live holistically, it simply means living your life in balance with your mind, body, soul, (and I always like to include heart as well.)

There is no specific way to live holistically, but, one important aspect of doing so consists of living in tune with nature and using natural products, elements, and food, etc., keeping your thoughts and emotions as positively open and healthy as possible – and doing it all collectively as a way to heal or maintain health, wellness and well-being.

I hope this post gives you at least a hint or an idea of what it means to live a holistic lifestyle. Stay tuned for a few ideas on ways to live a holistic lifestyle.

Until the next post…

Thank you for reading.

Take care,

Carol

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Why I Began Living a Holistic Lifestyle

October 31, 2019September 7, 2020by Carol MurphyLeave a Comment

Grief really took a lot out of me. I didn’t expect it to, but it had a negative impact on my health. This was despite the fact that I did my best to eat healthy, exercise, get adequate rest and go hiking often.

To be honest, I was really taken aback and quite surprised at how draining grief can be. It’s funny how we never expect ourselves to ever experience certain things. I guess you could say that grief “caught me off guard.” I believed that I was handling my grief well, but a year later discovered that I was doing just the opposite when I had a health scare and had to go to the hospital to find out why I was having breathing and heart issues. That is when I knew that I had to make a change.

“Honor the physical temple that houses you by eating healthfully, exercising, listening to your body’s needs, and treating it with dignity and love.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

Grief affects you emotionally, but it can also put a strain on you physiologically and physically and take a toll on your whole body. Oftentimes you’ll feel as though what you’re feeling is just basic tiredness, but for me it wasn’t just tiredness. I just wanted to feel like myself again. So, I took the leap to take my health power back (so to speak).

One way that I did just that was to begin living a holistic lifestyle that included changing the way that I eat, sleep, rest, think about myself and others, exercise, live and basically just care for my whole self.

Since I made that lifestyle change I have been able to lose weight, (without even trying to), reduce bodily aches and pains, reverse 2 chronic health conditions, gain increased energy throughout the day, manage stress better, become more calm and mindful in all aspects of my life, improve the way that my body feels and the way that I approach and think about life.

Living a holistic life is not a diet or a fad. If done, it should become a way of life if one is to reap the rewards of the benefits that it offers.

I’ll talk more about what a holistic lifestyle is this week, but I just wanted to share my “Why?” with you for now, and how excited I am about the changes that I’ve made.

I can tell you that I love that it’s not just about food, or just about exercise, or just about spirituality. What drew me to it is how this lifestyle cares for all parts of you. I also love it’s connection to living in harmony with nature. I am glad that I stumbled across this new lifestyle and I can’t wait to share more about it with you.

“Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within us is the greatest force in getting well. Our food should be our medicine, our medicine should be our food.”
– Hippocrates

Have you made any lifestyle changes lately? I would love to hear your story in the comments section below.

Or, if you’d feel more comfortable discussing privately…shoot me an email.

Happy Halloween! If you are celebrating the day, have fun and be safe.

Thanks for reading!

Until the next post…

Take care,

Carol

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Change is Life

October 30, 2019September 7, 2020by Carol MurphyLeave a Comment

Happy Well-being Wednesday! I would like to talk about change. Change being a means of making something different from what it originally was. Change being an alteration that turns something into something else. Change is hard, but what I’ve noticed is that it is very necessary if you want to grow – that is.

Well, change is what Salubrity and Soul has in store for the upcoming new year. Yes, again. I am discovering that healing may cause you to change more than once, and that’s okay.

“The only thing that is constant is change.”
– Heraclitus

Change is all around me. It’s in this glorius season that we call “fall”, but apart from seasonal change, I am also in the midst of, yet another, metamorphosis as I embrace my new self as a result of overcoming situations that have eclipsed my life for the past 2 years and; as I become friends with acceptance.

With this change I feel that it’s time to modify the content being shared here on Salubrity and Soul so that it better compliments and resembles my current interests, lifestyle and well…self. If you’re wondering what to expect, you can find out more about Salubrity and Soul’s changes on the about page.

There is a quote by Brene Brown that truly resonates with how I currently feel, it says, “I only share when I have no unmet needs that I am trying to fill. I firmly believe that being vulnerable with a larger audience is only a good idea if the healing is tied to the sharing, not to the expectations that I might have for the response that I get.” – (pretty profound, huh?)

I feel that I have expressed how I felt about my loss clearly enough. I also feel that continuing to share my feelings regarding my loss would be inappropriate. Not because I no longer feel my loss, because I do. Every single day. I have just reached a point where I feel that sharing suggestions, tips and ideas on how to get through grief and loss instead of my personal story of loss would be a better way to support my fellow bereaved. I am grateful to have had a lot of support during my time of bereavement thank you to everyone who held on with me as I rode the waves of grief – I cannot express enough how grateful I am to you. I could not have done it without you. You are amazing!

Change is hard, but with a little patience and support it becomes a lot easier. I hope that you’ll continue to stick around – whether you’ve been following for a while, or are a new reader. From now on I will be sharing more on my new lifestyle changes… changes that have helped me improve my health and wellbeing. Join me, won’t you? Let’s live better together!

Until the next post…

Take care,

Carol

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New Moon, New Opportunity

July 1, 2019July 1, 2019by Carol MurphyLeave a Comment

There is that old saying, “Every day is a new beginning!” which is just as inspiring as it is true, but did you know that every month we are offered a chance to begin anew as well?

This lesser known second chance is one that is gifted to us by our amazing universe every time that a new moon occurs, which is about every 28 – 30 days.

The new moon is an planetary (or astrological) moon phase that happens when the sun and moon become conjunct. This is also when a new lunar phase cycle begins.

Tomorrow, on July 2, 2019, at 3:16 p.m. EDT, a new moon in Cancer will occur – and with a solar eclipse! How exciting! Unfortunately, though, this occurrence will only be visible in South America – but that doesn’t mean that you can’t experience the healing and spiritual effects of the this event.

“A new moon teaches gradualness and deliberation and how one gives birth to oneself slowly. Patience with small details makes perfect a work, like the universe. – Rumi

Most people never pay much attention to our alignment with this energy force, but it is there for the taking if we’re open to receiving its offerings.

New moon events are prime times to set intentions, make life changes, start new goals or projects, etc. I, personally, like to think of these events as being special unconscious universal connections that help us to vibrate higher and grow spiritually.

If you’re wondering what to do during a new moon, and are interested in taking advantage of this celestial event I’ve listed a few simple ideas below.

Start a new venture.

Energy received from the new moon holds an abundance of possibility allowing you reap the rewards of the seeds you have sown in the form of set intentions prior to the new moon event. (It’s best to set intentions that will take place the day after the new moon – not on or before.)

For example, the new venture that I have set my intentions for is to successfully train for a 5k that I will be participating in this September. So, any training that I begin, in order for my intention to have the best chance for success, will begin on the day after the new moon.

You should also make sure that your intentions are as specific as possible. For instance, ” I want to complete the 5k in September in 35 minutes or less”, or ” I want to beat my score from last year’s 5k by 10 minutes.” The reason why you should be as clear as possible is because this helps the universe and divine intervention help you reach your specific goal without any ambiguity.

Start a healing ritual .

Thankfully, new moon energy is great for helping us learn to appreciate the calm after the storm or better yet, the light that brightens our days once again after the darkness ceases. A healing ritual can help you overcome grief, a job or relationship loss, or any other type of loss and it is as simple as drawing on divine intervention or the universe for comfort and solace. Being as specific as possible here is key as well. You might want to include, in your intention, when you would like to be healed; and note what what you would like to replace your loss or sadness with.

Create a sacred space.

A sacred space is an outdoor or indoor space that is created for the purpose of prayer, meditation, self-reflection or intention manifestation. Most sacred spaces are created within one’s home, and becomes a place that one uses to get away from everything or just commune with a higher power. It is a safe, quiet, comfortable space decorated with personally relaxing or soothing colors, preferred spiritual or religious relics, decorations and furnishings. Oftentimes a makeshift alter is also created within a sacred space and filled with candles, religious or spiritual beads, statues, crystals, rocks and other items that can help you connect with your higher power and enlist good positive healing energy.

I recently began working on creating a sacred space in my home. It isn’t quite where I would like it to be, but I will be working on it until it meets my satisfaction. Stay tuned for future updates on its progression – especially if you’d like some tips!

Candle lighting.

My tried and true… and my favorite means of preparing for a new moon is candle lighting. This method is done by lighting a candle, holding it in your hands and saying a prayer, mantra or asking your higher power to help you bring more love, happiness, gratitude, blessings and light into your life. It’s as easy as that. It is customary to let the candle go out on its own, but for safety’s sake… I would not do this. Please put the candle out in a safe manner once you have completed your candlelight new moon ritual.

I hope that you found this non-exhaustive list of new moon ritual ideas helpful, or at the very least interesting. Thank you for reading and Happy New Moon in Cancer!

Until the next post…

Take care + Be well!

Bereavement, desert, empowerment, encouragement, Exercise, featured, Healing, Health, hiking, hiking to heal, Inspiration, Joshua Tree, Life, Lifestyle, loss, New Beginnings, outdoor adventures, Personal Growth, spiritual, travel, Uncategorized, Wellbeing, Wellness

An Experience in Late Spring Desert Soothing

June 6, 2019by Carol MurphyLeave a Comment

Hello Everyone and Happy Thursday! I just returned home from a slightly extended, (and much needed), trip to one of my favorite places to visit in Southern California – Joshua Tree National Park.

It was exciting, relaxing and wonderful as usual – this was my third time visiting this national park.

I missed not going last year, tremendously, because I was deep in the throes of overcoming grief, and I didn’t realize exactly just how much I missed the desert until I was finally able to once again step foot onto the coppery, tawny hued hot sand and dirt of the very beautiful Mojave-Colorado desert inspired landscape of Joshua Tree National Park. You really have to visit this part of the earth to truly appreciate just how welcoming it is.

To back track a little bit, I didn’t go last year because it just didn’t feel right. I even made reservations twice last year, and cancelled them just as soon as I made them. So, I know deep down I wanted to go badly, but my need to hibernate at home and learn how to live without my youngest child was so much stronger. Sometimes I think that my son may have even had a hand in my not going because I was no where near ready to enjoy myself – as one should when on vacation.

My last visit was just a few months before my son’s death, so as you can probably imagine, this trip brought back so many memories of when he was still physically in my life.

This year though, I was more prepared for the adventures and physical exertion required for such a trip; as well as the opportunity to release some really heavy internal turmoil and manifest a hint of personally relevant rehabilitation. The desert offers many opportunities for reflection and healing and my heart and mind are now in a good place – a place of equanimity.

This trip was quite different from my previous trips to Joshua Tree National Park in that it was less about reaching a specific peak, enduring a strenuous trail, or taking a lot of pictures so that I could post them to Instagram. In fact, for the first time ever while traveling, I gave extra attention to avoiding my smartphone while away. I wanted to make sure that I would be fully immersed in my trip, and that required me to be fully present in every moment so that I could obtain the most from my experience with nature, and the culture of the area, while there. Trust me, it was by no means easy, and I was tempted to get on my phone a few times to post photos on social media and to create a post here on Salubrity and Soul, but I didn’t and I am glad that I was able to keep my promise to myself and to ensuring that I would be able to have the best possible connection to my trip experience.

I did take a few photos eventually though, because I had to have something to remind me of my trip besides the Joshua Tree t-shirt that I bought. I just made sure that capturing photos from my trip just so that I could let everyone know what I was up to at the moment was not my main focus – or a focus at all.

This trip was was less about physical activity and more about becoming one with nature, more specifically, the desert – and and allowing it to teach me about surviving, overcoming, adjusting to harsh conditions and thriving while in that state.

I love being in the desert and I figured if anything was going to propel me to another level of healing in my bereavement it would be within the lessons learned from watching the example of resilience from the delicate but oh-so-mighty desert.

One of the first things that I noticed was the abundance of plant life and wildlife at Joshua Tree National Park this year. It was obviously more green and more bright with colors from a variety of plant species that were dormant during my last visits – (and my 2017 visit was pretty exciting as far as seeing color and running into fauna was concerned, so that should give you a little hint to the eye-catching changes that left me in awe.) I concluded that my increased sightings of lizards, birds, insects, desert rats and rabbits were the result of the increased plant life which undoubtedly was the result of the fact that the desert had received quite a bit of rain earlier this year. This part of my trip was something that I enjoyed witnessing as it made my trip even more pleasurable and in a lot of ways – more spiritual.

Joshua Tree National Park emits such a deep, raw energy within its boundaries that I would describe as being very cleansing. Maybe it has something to do with it being a high desert, or maybe it is because when you are out there it is almost as though you are visiting another planet, or because the desert holds a great deal of “fire energy”, or perhaps it is due to it being a vast land once inhabited by ancient natives and still feels like it.

Whatever the reason, many people, myself included, love to visit this desert public land for the visual aesthetics, the physical activity offerings and the spiritually stimulating opportunities.

Had I decided to go last year, I know that I would not have enjoyed myself as much. It would have been a very solemn and mentally draining trip and I don’t believe that I would have been able to even entertain the thought of going out for a hike each day; or try new restaurants in the area like I was able to while on this trip. It feels very good to be able to open up myself up to new experiences once again – and in a place that fills me with so much joy and peacefulness.

Have you ever gone on vacation only to return home feeling as though you now need a vacation from your vacation? I have, but that never happens to me after visiting Joshua Tree.

I am grateful for every moment of mindfulness along the trails that I hiked and every awe-inspiring view that captured my attention and my heart. The connection that I receive with every visit here never fails me. This time is no different. Right now I feel transformed, invigorated and inspired to share the lessons of resilience that I learned from the desert.

Thanks for reading!

Until the next time,

Take care + be well