Soul Body Blog
Timely articles and ideas for your health and wellbeing…
The Confident Healer SoloCast
Here is your invitation to this solocast, where I reflect on some of the things that the pandemic taught me. These were: forgiveness, finding my voice and expressing myself in a more public way *cough* The Confident Healer podcast *cough*, and figuring out how to deal with your loved ones when you have opposing political viewpoints. I mean, we are all humans living on this planet, we have to help each other.
I also miss hugs. The other major lesson last year taught me even more so is, the power of touch. I get hugs from my partner and our cats, and I miss hugging all my loved ones, too. *sigh* Soon, it will happen.
I had my ups and downs, and had plenty of time to reflect, grow, retract, grow, reflect…well, you get the picture. Honestly, there were some deep pitfalls than I had experienced in a couple of years, but I found a way to climb out.
Part of climbing out was *not* turning off my phone, staying in touch, seeing uplifting posts, and seeing friends in the safest way possible. And getting many covid tests. I have never swabbed my nostrils and sinus cavity (in some cases) so many times like I did last year. It’s not over, so I expect to get more nasal penetration until we are all somewhat safe and immune.
I do hope you are all well and have found some sort of refuge from the chaos happening in our country. Turn off the news, close your laptops and get outside– weather permitting of course!
And if you can get outside, take me along with you, and allow me to add a pep in your step, and let you know that we all struggle and we all recover. Find your light and shine bright, my friends, shine so bright other people shine, too.
If you would like to listen to the other 12 amazing healers that I spoke to, visit, The Confident Healer to see the list. I spoke to everyone from a licensed sexuality therapist and coach–Angelica Gutierrez, in Episode 1, to a Cosmic Channel and Shamanic Guide, Lotus Sky, Episode 12.
We are Grateful for You!
Thank you for your bright light in this world. Thank you for taking care of yourself so that you can better care for others and your community. Self-care and practice are even more challenging these days. We are grateful that you are doing it, anyway.
Thank you for hanging in there with us. It has been a strange and startling year, full of wisdom and wonder and unexpected challenges. But you are doing it. Please lean in and know we are still here to help you however we are able. This Thanksgiving and always, we are grateful for you.
In person classes and workshops may be currently cancelled, but you can still catch us live and recorded at our online home at SoulTribeOnline and online events on our website at SoulBodyOjai.
In person treatments are available at our safe, contained space in downtown Ojai. Acupuncture, Sound Healing, Massage Therapy, Hiking Therapy, Reiki, Intuitive Guidance, Cranial Sacral, Body Talk and Zero Balancing are all available.
The Confident Healer Podcast
I have a confession to make, it took me a long time to come out of the healer closet and I lacked confidence when it came to being public with my work, even in Ojai! I was afraid of being judged, I didn’t like putting my photo on different media and “talking myself up”, I had so many what-ifs, and they were all in my head. And that held me back. I am always curious to know from other healers about how they cultivate their confidence, and so, The Confident Healer was born.
I wanted to interview healers that I normally don’t see in the wellness industry—I don’t know why Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPoC) aren’t more visible in this industry. It’s not like we don’t exist. I want to know what does a Black healer face when she decided to be an astrologer, Reiki Master, what about an Indigenous person that is a Shaman, or a Mexican person or… you get my drift. Of course, we all had some kind of trauma, but for BIPoC and BiPoC LGBTQI+ the experience will have experienced trauma mixed with some kind of racism, homophobia, or sexism (or all three). These are stories that aren’t heard for many reasons and I am providing a space to be heard and seen to create unity, compassion, and to inspire. Especially in a non-white America, BIPoC families will hold high expectations for their children to have “respectable” careers, put your head down and fall in line—pursue a field as a medical doctor, mechanical engineering, accountant, something steady and that pays well. You want to make your parents proud, they want you to do better than them. Throw being an immigrant, and LBTQI+ in the mix and you have some more external pressure and internal struggles to untangle. Becoming a healer no matter who you are or where you come from can be daunting because of fears of being judged by your family and peers, the limitations from religious indoctrination, and/or you don’t feel supported because there is no model for making money as a healer anyway, cause let’s face it, it’s still a fringe career choice (outside of our Soul Body Ojai community 😉 ).
Social equality has always been an important aspect of me, being a woman of color who grew up:
- a bi-cultural immigrant
- from a patriarchal and religious society that oppresses women
- grew up with a bigoted family (big secret!)
- spent my formative years in FLORIDA, helloooo
With those experiences, I should have turned out to be a very different person. I never felt comfortable enough to voice this in a public manner, but this year has empowered me to not be complicit in my public silence. I am taking a stand and including the people that we don’t often hear from and showcasing those stories, too.
When you see people doing the same kind of healing work that you want to do, and are thriving—paying their bills, supporting their families, it’s so encouraging and motivating. And when you see someone that looks like you, think about how that impactful and empowering it is for someone that isn’t white, isn’t straight or binary. Representation does matter. Period.
So far, I have interviewed five women and one man, and it’s been so inspiring to hear their stories and hear their strategies for being confident. It’s made me more comfortable in my marketing, like putting my face on social media and reaching out to people so people will know about The Confident Healer.
I think learning the mechanics and history of self-confidence from a healer will really help anyone listening to build their confidence up. Life has thrown us one big, fat, horrid curveball this year and this is my way of making some sweet-ass proverbial lemonade.
I have new episodes up on Mondays, I hope you will give it a listen and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode and I hope that you also tell your friends about it, too so they can find the gems that make their life a little bit better.
I am so excited to do this show and I hope you love it as much as I love making it.
You can check out The Confident Healer Podcast here.
Autumn is in the Air!
There is a notable crispness to the mornings now. And the marine layer stretches into the valley like a cool blanket, a living thing made of dew. The local apple trees are coming ripe. The plum trees and sycamores in the valley are just beginning to turn to color and there is a welcome release beginning to happen here in Ojai. While it will be sure to warm up again (perhaps as you read these words!), there is still a gentle, yet definitive reception of Autumn now. And we are grateful.
Autumn is the time of release. An easing and celebration of the natural manifestation cycle. There is a discernment calling…what has been created now begins its graceful decent into the deeper layers of the self. What is not received on this layer is given away to seed the next cycle, through relationship. Being in conscious understanding and interconnection with is process is key to living a healthy life, in congruence with the cycles of the Universe.
Here at Soul Body Ojai, much of our work is to support that interconnection so that healthy living becomes even more a hallmark of the mundane and everyday. It provides a supportive and consistent grounding in a time where everything seems to be changing quickly. A daily practice, self care, community, and self work all have a flow. We hope that our presence in your life helps you to find the balance and flow that is inherent to your life.
In celebration of the season and in support of you, we are offering a rare gift. Our annual Autumn Attunement Cleanse with Tara Matthews, L.Ac is a hallmark of our seasonal offerings. It is an experience in seasonal attunement with deep investigation into seasonal engagement through diet, yoga, introspection and community. An elegant synergy of earth medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, yogic philosophy and integrative thinking, the Autumn Attunement is a favorite course that is not to be missed, year after year.
This year, we are offering it as a gift. For this one time, it is included in your subscription at our sister site, Soul Tribe Online. Simply register for a monthly or annual subscription, ask to join the Autumn Attunement Tribe, and get ready to go on October 19th! Tara will give you the rest of the information. Monthly subscriptions can be canceled at anytime, but do hang around long enough to complete the 21 days, enjoy our yoga livestreams and recorded classes with our talented teachers, get to know the community, and see what shifts for you. We have a feeling that it could be a wonderful experience and we are excited to have you along for the journey!
MASSAGE is BACK!
Massage is back in our new private outdoor space here at Soul Body Ojai! Rest assured, it couldn’t be a better time to receive massage, if you need a vacation from the stressors of life-as-we-know-it these days.
The number one benefit of massage is relieving stress, and decreasing anxiety and depression. There is nothing more relaxing than human touch, a warm table, gentle relaxing scents of aromatherapy, a clean, dark room, and gentle music. Also, many studies have shown that regular massage keeps the immune system strong and resistant to disease. This is partly due to increased blood and lymphatic circulation which helps to rinse toxins and impurities away. It is also due to massage simply helping the body, mind, and spirit come back into balance by letting your thoughts calm and slow down, and allowing you to step into the present moment.
HUMAN TOUCH IS POWERFUL- simple- yet powerful. We forget, sometimes, how powerful it can be if we haven’t received it for a while- and we all need it more than ever right about now. Give yourself a gift- come back to the present moment- come back to yourself.
Give Angelique Castagna, Certified Massage Therapist for over 20 years, a call at 805-798-5924 to schedule your massage vacation.
Rest assured, all of us at Soul Body Ojai are taking extra precautions and following county regulations to keep you safe during this time – WE HAVE A LOVELY OUTDOOR SET UP FOR YOU! COME AND SEE!