Soul Body Blog
Gratitude
Thank you.
It is Autumn here in Ojai. As I write, we are expecting our first rain of the season. It has been over 180 Days since any significant precipitation, so that is a lot to be grateful for! But not all. As we enter the time of reflection that this time of year brings, we want you to know how grateful we are for you, too! You are our community. You are space holders and clients and students and friends. Soul Family. And we appreciate that you are part of the bigger vision of what Soul Body Ojai is. We provide a venue and experience of healing, but it is in relationship with you that the realization of a healthier, happier world exists. All of us create this together and we don’t take that for granted.
Gratitude is one of the highest vibrational experiences attainable in the human experience.
When we are thankful, we elevate ourselves and those around us because our energy is more expanded, our magnetic field larger, our mood higher, and perspective more expansive. Gratitude increases the health of the immune system, improves and increases the quality and number of our relationships, helps us sleep better, and live longer.
All of this increases glandular secretions in the body that allow us to experience life from a happier place by balancing the flow of oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin. We become more self-contained and emotionally self-sufficient, and that in turn, creates and energetic dynamic that attracts a similar vibration. Gratitude increases gratitude increases ->>>>infinity. The cool thing about the glandular system being intimately tied to the experience of gratitude is that we can trigger the same benefits by balancing the physical system. So when it is challenging to be thankful, do yoga, breathwork, and meditation. Go for a hike. Reach out to a friend or go to a group yoga class. Get some acupuncture. A massage. Adjust your sleep practices. Eat better. You will find that it will be easier to feel thankful if you do. Start where you can and go from there.
And let us help. We are celebrating you, our community and soul family next week. On Saturday, December 7th, you are cordially invited to our Annual Soul Body Open House and Gratitude Celebration! From 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, come and enjoy yoga, gong yoga nidra, meditation, sound baths, mini-sessions with our practitioners (massage, ear seeds, intuitive consultations), a warm bowl of veggie chili, yogi tea and chocolate EVERYTHING! (Check out the full schedule on our website.)
Everything is on the house. But if you feel like paying it forward into the world, all donations will benefit the Ojai Valley Conservancy. (Because we are grateful for them, too!)
Come celebrate with us.
And, as you consider all that makes your world better and brighter, know that you are on our list.
Love,
Tara, Jennifer, Sharmila, Becky, Nikki, Shiva, Angelique, Faith, Ashley, Debbie and Robin
Meet Becky Taylor
I joined the Soul Body Ojai team working as a volunteer in 2017, with basic keeping house, making tea, computer work, caring for plants and helping out with events. To say that I love Soul Body Ojai would be an understatement. I thoroughly enjoy creating a warm, friendly environment for all who enter our doors.
During my years of service, I was given opportunities that were complimentary to my life’s journey. I have become Reiki Master Certified, Certified in Gong playing as a practitioner, therapy and Yoga Nidra. I also started my own Chakra Movement dance program and picked up playing the Shruti Box and Frame drum. I anticipate facilitation of a drum circle community to be started in 2020. My biggest accomplishment is the completion of Level 1 Kundalini Yoga Teacher and I plan to continue on to reach Level 2 certification.
I find great satisfaction in my life’s work by teaching Kundalini Yoga and sharing Sound therapy through the Gong.
Becky is sure to uplift you and offer an extension of herself through love, compassion, and a friendly warm heart. If you would like to know more about her, you can visit her practitioner page for rates and current specials.
Life Cycles & Life Styles
Meet Robin Balchen
Who is Robin?
I am a licensed psychotherapist and for 16 years have specialized in treating clients with anxiety, grief, depression, trauma and injury. I grew up in Ojai and after completing my education and professional development, have returned to Ojai and created a private practice called Walkabout Ojai (www.walkaboutojai.com).
What led you to this practice?
After receiving by Bachelor of Arts Degree in Behavioral Science, I began working as a counselor and case manager for adolescents in inpatient and residential programs. I then went on to receive my Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work and professional psychotherapist license with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Since then I have worked in many communities in multiple capacities such as Clinician/Psychotherapist for the Counseling and Psychiatry Department at the University of California Santa Cruz, Saint Louise Hospital, and RehabOne Medical Group, and Director of multiple mental health inpatient and outpatient programs. I have also provided clinical expertise in training law enforcement in the San Jose Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team, consulted for human rights attorneys at the Silicon Valley Law Foundation, and taught as an Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of Social Work at San Jose State University. I continue to provide clinical supervision for board registered therapists working in both community based and psychiatric inpatient programs.
What do we do in therapy?
When working with clients, my primary therapeutic emphasis is in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which I find most effective in treatment. It is the basic underpinning of most evidenced based psychological practices used today, including mindfulness. In CBT we work to explore your stressors, the thoughts behind them, and how they affect you. We then challenge these thoughts with mindfulness exercises and homework assignments, which in effect changes the emotions the thoughts bring forth and corresponding actions you take. We work to open your mind to objective, rational, non-judgmental thoughts that reflect the bare truth leading to self-compassion. The results are liberating, leading to a healthy and flexible sense of self. Those who struggle with toxic thoughts (anxiety, grief, depression) require an emotional revolution, a revolution which mercifully challenges old conditioning, judgements, convictions and rituals. In our sessions we will work together to consciously cultivate an inner evolution and let the revolution infinitely evolve. There will always be obstacles of all shapes and sizes year after year, and each resolution you pursue will manifest when your internal paradigm shifts creating a flexible mind. The deeper the resolution, the greater the shift. Purging the patterns that hurt us, or hinder our creativity and productivity, will liberate our soul. ¡Viva la revolución!
Ok then, what is Walkabout Ojai?
In working with my clients and through extensive research, I have found that often emotional growth and healing occurs much more naturally and comfortably through walks alongside one another in nature as opposed to the traditional closed room. The evolutionary concept of Walkabout Ojai is to assist those looking to overcome toxic thoughts and/or painful emotional barriers in a holistic manner, by ambling through Ojai’s nature paths, breathing in fresh air, hearing the birds sing, and conversing at ease to let the therapeutic process unfold. For those seeking more traditional therapy, I also offer sessions at Soul Body Ojai.
Sounds amazing! What now?
Those interested in either traditional therapy sessions, walkabout sessions, or upcoming group sessions, please contact me for a complimentary consultation at 805/290-4466 or email any questions to [email protected]. More information about services and costs, as well as resources on eco-therapy and CBT can be found on my website.
Going Deeper with Sound
As you may know, Soul Body Ojai is singularity of sound. We work very closely with the Naad. All of our Kundalini Yoga classes include sacred sound therapy, we offer Full Moon Gong Immersions, Seasonal Sound Baths, Annual Gong Trainings, custom sound baths for private groups and much more in the works for those of you who dig our Yoga of Vibration habitat. Sound heals.
We are elated to announce our latest addition: the therapeutic offering of Gong Yoga Nidra.
What is Gong Yoga Nidra? It is Yoga Nidra, or guided yogic sleep, enhanced and deepened by the addition of specified gong playing. Gong Yoga Nidra creates relaxation, enhances healing, enables self-diagnosis, and helps us to integrate change by accessing the subconscious. It is a tool for initiating deep change and root causes of physical, emotional and psychological imbalances that result from stress. This therapy brings about a supported lucid dream state brought about by the enhancement of alpha state, a superconscious mind frequency that releases tension, enhances vision and brings about a heightened awareness that allows us to be more present in our lives. Guided meditation is nothing new. But combining yoga nidra with specific gong playing styles to direct the experience is. And it is our new favorite modality. We hold the honor of the technology as a deep blessing for our community.
Are you ready to add Gong Yoga Nidra to your self-care regimen? Beginning in October, it will be offered by our Soul Body Certified Practitioners every Wednesday evening at 7:00 pm. All you need is you, comfortable clothes, and whatever extra cushion you might want for an extended yogic sleep. We will briefly warm up the body and then off we will go~ into the super great wide open of your potential. Get ready to relax and dream yourself into a higher vibrational state!
See you there.
NEW WEEKLY CLASS!
GONG YOGA NIDRA
with Certified Soul Body Ojai Teachers
Wednesday 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm beginning in October 2019