The Traveling Gypsy

As I alluded to in my Instagram post earlier this week, travel is not always glamorous but in fact can be down right awful. Usually we see the best slice of travel, maybe the sweet hotel room views, the cafe you had 2 mins to enjoy while on the way to the client site, maybe the river or street art captured while you woke up at 6 am just to get in that run or yoga class. I could go on and on especially about the downside of travel - but instead honeybuns let’s keep it upbeat. Here are my top survival tips for how to pack, what to store in your carry on, and how to make the most out of your travels so that you’re taking care of YOU along the way.

The Luggage situation

The Rollie 
I am a new owner of the Away The Carry-On - and LOVE it! The wheels glide so smoothly, I can fit all the things into it, and it’s so light weight. Definitely an upgrade from my ragged old Samsonite rollie. I also carry on always, ALWAYS, #always, even on my two week trips, I avoid checking my bag. I’ve had too many lost luggage incidents to deal with the stress that causes. So I pack light and keep everything close. 

The Pack
I recently upgraded to a new Patagonia Black hole 30L pack and couldn’t be happier. My old bag which was great - just wasn’t cutting it; I had a 25L Hershel. She was good for the last 4 years and was due for retirement after some rips and tears. This new pack can hold it all - definitely makes one or two week trips manageable. Whatever over flow that can’t fit into my Rollie goes into the pack. Complete with several pockets to keep me organized. There’s a pocket for everything. Air travel has become so much easier. May seem silly that I’ve put such an emphasis on luggage but it truly makes a huge difference. 

Next up, how to pack the right things

So it really depends on what kinda trip you’re taking but I practice the “Marie Kondo” method for what makes it way into my rollie. I opt for my favorite dress, jeans, sweater, shoes, and jackets. I do this because travel is stressful enough and if I feel good in what I’m wearing then I’ve at least got a thumbs up in that aspect. Nothing like arriving to your hotel and then realizing WTF did I pack? Why did I bring something that, 1) I am not comfortable in and 2) I don’t feel great in and 3) may not even be functional (yes I’ve packed a skirt without a top to complete the look). So I always pack my favorite staple pieces, I’m also guilty of all black everything with a few splashes of color. This is done for a few reasons. Mostly because I can rewear a majority of those items. Makes for easy mix and match outfits. And let’s be honest, if I spill something it’s usually not noticeable. 

Snacks

This is a KEY piece to any successful trip and I’m not exaggerating, you’ve got to make sure you have your snack bars, mixed nuts, dark chocolate goodies to help you when you’re so hangry you could hurt somebody. You also need to stay . as hydrated as possible, water, WATER, #water. Some of my favorite staples include:

• Justin’s nut butter packets

• Dark chocolate (been loving on Endangered Species)

• Macadamia nuts, Almonds, or any mixed nuts will do

• Purely Elizabeth Granola bars (grain free!)

• Tea bags

• Potato chips (GUILTY! Need this especially being grain free, gluten free)

• Paleo Beaming Granola

The Hotel situation

So, I’ve got about every hotel rewards program you could imagine, Marriott/SPG, IHG, Hilton … the list continues. What I find most critical in booking hotels is the proximity to a yoga, spin, or barre studio. It’s super important to maintain healthy workout habits when traveling. I focus mostly on yoga studios because that is how I survive travel. I need that grounding and centering that I can only achieve in a sacred studio space. I use the MindBody app to help me explore local places when on the road.

The Mantra

As I mentioned last week in my instagram post, a mantra is super important to have while on the go. Some of you may be wondering what a mantra is, so let me explain honeybuns. A Mantra is a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation. In yoga, chanting a mantra focuses concentration on a single thought or stills the mind in meditation. Last week my personal mantra happened to be the Maha mantra (Hare Krishna). When this particular mantra is said out loud it helps to enhance consciousness to the greatest possible degree.

The maha mantra is chanted for the benefits of the energies of the three Hindu deities referred to in the mantra. The name comes from the Sanskrit, maha, meaning “great”; man, meaning “to think”; and tra, meaning an "instrument" or "tool." A mantra, therefore, is an “instrument of thought.” The mantra goes like this:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

I personally enjoy listening to mantras when flying, and Krishna Das is my go to! Peep him here on Spotify for lots of good songs, or view the Hare Krishna video on Youtube.

Your mantra doesn’t have to be the above, it could be as simple as “Love”, “I am okay”, or “Breathe in, breathe out”. Whatever phrase or word resonates with you is a great place to start. some alternative mantras that are very powerful are the below:

• “Aham Prema” (ah-hem-pree-mah) This mantra translates to “I am Divine Love,” a simple mantra to chant 108 times

• “Aum Gum Shreem Maha Lakshmiyei Namaha” (ohm-guum-shreem-mah-ha-lok-shmee-yay-na-mah-ha) ...

• “Om Mani Padme Hum” (ohm-mah-nee-pahd-may-huum)

Now, if this is the ONLY thing you take away from my post then my work here is done. As a society we need more meditation, so fly on little birds and spread your wings, sing your mantras high into the trees.

The Oils

Naturally I have my go-to oils that I always have with me. The list includes:

• Peppermint (aids digestion and sore muscles)

• Lavender (for skin, sleep, frizzy hair)

• Citrus Refresh (pick me up boost!)

If I’m traveling during a new moon, full moon, or in retrograde, then I usually pack one of the following:

• New Moon

• Full Moon

• Custom blend of Sage, Lavender, + grounding oils

I think that about covers the bases. Of course I always have a great travel hat, my sunnies, my crystals, and a good book to accompany me on the go. I would love to hear how you stay sane and healthy while on the go! Always love to hear about new travel trips and ways to make travel more efficient! Love & Light, xx

Anahata

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a lovely holiday. I seem to have been doing so many things and a lot of nothing at the same time. Yin to my Yang. I spent the week between Christmas and New Years, eating a lot of oatmeal. Sleeping for 10 hours a day -- can we say hibernation? Getting my yoga on, and indulging in more cocktails than I'd like to admit -- hot toddy's and bourbon coffee are so good right now. Which is why Saturday was the BEST thing I could've done for myself. I attended another session of Breathwork with Brigitte. 

This time there were 30+ beautiful souls along for the journey. I was also fortunate enough to experience this next to Devin. I held his hand in mine and onward we went. The room as warm, and as Brigitte guided us through the breath I began to sweat. My mind went into so many directions it's hard to remember exactly what was going on. I remember feeling this intense gripping sensation in my hands. My right palm curled tight into a fist -- so tightly that one couldn't pry it open if they wanted to. In the hand that was holding Devin's I felt an electric current. As if there was a surge of electricity moving back and forth between his hand and mine. My arms then felt as if they were chained to the floor. I couldn't move them or uncurl my fingers. I just kept breathing in and out of my body, and tried to relax knowing this sensation was only temporary. I was quite fascinated by the electric feel that was projecting between our hands. This was of course not necessarily a new sensation - as Devin and I have experienced our energy bodies reacting to one another before, but the intensity of this was quite new. This went on for the entire active meditation portion. It reminded me of that small shock sensation one may have when you encounter and electric shock - such as a piece of clothing that has static electricity that zaps you a little bit. 

Once the active meditation ended, we were guided to soften and relax the breath and body, however, I still couldn't ease up on the grip. Then I started to convulse, right there on the floor after a few "calming" breaths. My chest was surging towards the sky and tears streamed down my face. At this point I was sweating profusely, and it felt and I'm sure appeared like I was having my own little dance party on my mat. Both Brigitte and Rick confirmed later, this was the case. #breathworkdanceparty? Anyways, after what seemed like forever my breath started to ease up and I began to grow a little chilly as my body started to relax. My arms softened as I was still experiencing tingling through my fingers and arms but it had become lighter. After the restorative portion of the breath, we were guided into a mini savasana. I tried to just relax as best I could, I was hyper aware of all the noises in the room, the beating of my own heart, the chill my body felt. It was a surreal moment as I laid there. Once Brigitte cued us to stir it took me a while to find movement, my hands still felt glued to the floor and my fingers felt locked into the fists I had created during the active meditation portion. I laid curled up on my side for a while before I felt the urge and ability to get myself upright. As I made my way up, others in the group started to share their experiences. It always amazes me the similarities that we all experienced, and yes I know we're all sharing that same energy, but we all have something different going on internally. Some had that 'fist of fury' experience as I'll dub it - others expressed feelings of a wedding and a funeral. Extremes on both ends of the spectrum. I felt exhausted, my mind was dull and my body felt like it had just been hit by a bus. Even today a few days later my arms are aching like I lifted something incredibly heavy.  

I shared with Brigitte what I was feeling and had experienced. Tightness in the hands is often showing a blockage that one can have in our heart chakra. Even though the hands are clearly not our hearts, they are passages directly to it. She explained that this type of reaction meant I had fear in my heart. Let's rewind to get everyone on the same page about the fourth chakra. The fourth chakra, also known as Anahata, is the center of love and connection. A strong, balanced heart chakra allows you to live freely and openly from a place of compassion. However, a blocked heart chakra can interfere with your happiness and relationships in many ways. Some common symptoms of a blockage can include loneliness, fear, anxiety, inability to forgive. If this chakra is imbalanced in some way it means that somewhere along the line, there has been a disruption in your attitude and understanding of love. For me, I would say that I definitely have fear when it comes to matters of the heart. Not just in romantic relationships either. I've experienced pain in all types of relationships with those I've cared for. I've done a good amount of healing and meditation, but of course there's always more work to be done. I sometimes find my mind subconsciously going back to past experiences and trying to project that into the now, weaving small webs of doubt. The mind will play tricks on you, which is when you have to learn to shut it down and listen from the heart. You must also know your worth, and know that good things are meant for you -- that the love you show to others will be given back to you as well. Which is interesting. I was sort of surprised see what was blocked this time around and how ironic that Devin was there to share the experience with me. The hand that was holding his wasn't gripped shut. It was electric and moving energy. I told Dev about this and what Brigitte had explained to me about my fear and blockage in my heart chakra. His thoughts were that given what we had learned and experienced that perhaps his hand was helping to ground me. I like this explanation of course -- but that's me being biased. He too felt the current surging between our hands, but didn't experience any gripping or tightness sensations. How interesting that the hand that held his was open and freely moving of energy. This leads me to believe that my heart is open to him, I have always felt that but surly this supports that belief. I'm not going to analyze what happened much further, just keeping an open mind about it all and promising myself to try and keep my heart open too. In the meantime, I'm going to try a few of these techniques to help keep the energy moving and flowing. The below consists of meditations, affirmations, visualizations, suggestions I've pulled from various texts and online blogs. 

• Be green. Get out in nature. Even this time of year with all the snow! I also just acquired some new plants for the house. 
• See green. Visualize a strong, clear green light filling up your heart center—located in the center of your sternum and below your shoulder blades.
• Breathe green. Diffuse EO's such as lavender, beragmot, sandalwood, ylang ylang. 
• Be love. 
• Give love. 
• Listen to love. The songs or sounds that light up your heart. 
• Remind myself that the grass isn't always greener. 
• Practice yoga. 
• Forgive.

"The Heart chakra is such an important chakra, the centerpiece of all seven. It is the place where the physical and spiritual planes come together, and all of this rests on a foundation of love and gratitude. When it is open, there is much joy and love to be found in the world. This is why it is important for everyone to heal and grow the fourth chakra." - Mind Valley

If you haven't attended Breathwork yet and you live locally in Capital District I urge you to get to a workshop soon. This meditation is truly transformational. Thanks to Brigitte and Rick for guiding all of us on Saturday. xx