Welcome to Wellness Weekly coming to you every Wednesday. This will be a weekly series, sort of like a Letter from the Editors that will rotate between Morgan, Lara and Luigi with the occasional guest. We’ll hold space on the Dirt to check-in on our Sixth Sense: the term we use to refer to our spirit, our intuition, our inner power. And because while we exist in the world alongside our other Five Senses, we’ll do a check-in of those, too.
April's Theme is Renewal here at Smudge. As we enter the 2nd quarter of 2021 (Hello Spring!!) and as we start to see some light at the end of the Covid tunnel, shout out to all the folks getting their shots #WeBelieveInScience. Just a reminder though as one of my favorite videos says - the pandemic isn’t over just because you’re over it.
As we enter Spring, I think about what renewal means for me and I think about this current season of my life. One of the things I love about creating content is that it requires you to constantly be inspired and gather new information. The more that you learn and read and grow, the more inspiration and information I have to share with the class. So I’m definitely feeling like I’m in a renewed season of learning and growth and change. So while I am beyond ready to emerge from my covid cocoon and dance in the sun again with all the people I love, while we wait, I’m getting my study on. I’ve gotten back into therapy because health is wealth and that should ALWAYS include your mental because as the tagline of one of my favorite podcasts says (shoutout to the Friend Zone), “who in the hell wants a musty brain?” I’ve also started trying to get into breathwork and meditation. I think the meditation is starting to stick but I keep falling asleep doing the breathing, anyone else struggling with breathwork or am I just not good at it?!?
So now that we’ve talked about my 6th Sense, what’s going on with the other 5 you ask??
Inspired By the 5 other Senses: Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch
Sight: I’ve started reading “Believe It” by Jamie Kern Lima and I am loving her attitude and energy. If “just keep swimming” was a person it’d be Jamie!! Her book launch was pretty epic with her and a few friends like Mel Robbins, Chrissy Metz, Jay Shetty and more. You know just a few regular folks stopping by to chat with their friend. Over 200k people tuned in and the energy was pretty electric!! I also was so excited (and humbled and honored) to see my bestie launch her jewelry line Four Twenty Three and learn that one of the pieces is named after me!! It is a Green Tourmaline and it’s sooo fitting because it is a stone that attracts luck, success, abundance and prosperity AND it inspires creativity, AND can be used to project, create and manifest your goals. It’s ME in a stone.
Sound: I’ve been listening to Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliott and doing some shadow work and it is like peeling an onion, sooo many layers, and maybe a few tears. Doing the work can be a bit exhausting at times (probably why I keep falling asleep during breathwork) but clearing out the cobwebs is also pretty nice. I usually feel lighter the next day so I keep pushing through. I’ve definitely been mixing it up more and checking out new podcasts in between the music which right now is totally tuned into Chika because even though she didn’t win Best New Artist at the Grammys (cause hello, Megan Thee Stallion), she is still a force to be watched and reckoned with.
Smell: Currently I’m enjoying my own concoction of scents that I made with Quinntessentials during our Smudge Session - Spring Cleaning With Crystals and Essential Oils. About ten days ago, Julie Quinn joined us from the woods and after an AMAZING sound bath from Miya Kishi Dunets we got to make our own blends. I now have two lovely bottles infused with essential oils and crystals that I can spray anytime I need a pick me up.
Taste: This week I went to one of my favorite burger spots in DC, Lucky Buns and they were doing a special burger with Pork Belly which I of course ordered immediately. It was literally one of the best things I’ve ever eaten, like so good I tried to go back two days later only to discover that the special was over. I lowkey teared up a little but I did get to salute the dude who came up with it. Not as tasty but he definitely deserves all the praise.
Touch: Something to know about me is that I am very lucky. I win contests on the regular and the latest win was for these yoga pants I’ve been dying to try. The Nadi X Biometric Smart Yoga Pants by Wearable X. These tech yoga pants have embedded sensors and guidance through vibration and audio. So basically you get haptic feedback as you flow and practice. My first impression after one session is WHOA, the difference is noted. After my first session, I already feel the difference and the soreness of the focused practice. Looking forward to seeing how these pants improve my practice.
Looking to amplify your own power of renewal? I’ve been renewing my Tarot practice and Smudge Wellness suggests the following decks:
