Do not underestimate the power of self-care, reflection, and having an open mind.
This past weekend, Thursday-Sunday, I spent the summer solstice in Stratton, Vermont at the Wanderlust Festival with one of my dear friends.
Do I practice yoga regularly? Erm. No.
However, attending a yoga festival was exactly what my heart, mind, and soul needed.
Over the course of 4 days I spent 1 of them in full immersion with Emily Fletcher learning the Ziva Method of Meditation. I now practice meditation 2x a day. This is kind of a big deal since I've tried countless apps, read a copious amount of books, and for the life of me, could not feel the effects of meditation. That all changed this weekend. Emily's method is accessible, straightforward, and it works! Here's a free guided meditation and chapter of her book to see if you want to pick up what she's laying down, too.
I also did Amplified Yoga with Donovan McGrath on top of the mountain (we took the gondolas up the mountain to get there!) This was not your typical yoga class...there was a lot of chanting affirmations, jumping up and down, and even screaming expletives. IT WAS INCREDIBLE. And the background music was provided by DJ Sol Rising. If you want the soundtrack to my weekend, you can listen to his Spotify playlist and it will come pretty close. I loved Donovan's session so much I went to two more before the weekend was done.
I also took a crystal class, went to talk by Kate Northrup, tried Aerial yoga, took a drumming class called Bucket Beats (I have video to prove it if you don't believe me! Check my stories for what Brad from Druminyasa shared.), took a breathwork class for abundance, and learned how to make kombucha.
And through all of this I gained so much clarity around things I've been wrestling with in my personal life right now. Part of it was the overall vibe, but it was also because I held space for myself for four whole days to just be. And to reflect. And to be grateful. Next year, I'm hoping a bunch of us Revelers can all go to one together.
I came back refreshed and feeling motivated to capture that momentum and make changes in my life.
The Modern Revel Summer Reading Challenge has Begun!
The goal? The read as many books as we can before Labor Day from the list of ten selections.
The books range from scandalous, steamy novels, totally mindless beach reads, multi-cultural storytelling, historical fiction, and thrillers.
Start Reading - Browse the Book Selections!
Quick, Worthy Reads:
For those of us who have a renewed commitment to exercise, prioritizing it above other aspects of our life, this article popped up in my feed again. Is this our midlife crisis?
As we strive to practice more self-care, it's important to balance the actual act (more sleep) with the material thing (high thread count sheets) as the author makes the case here. In other words, don't spend so much money and time on the tools without actually using them!
Finally, the media is starting to pay attention to GenX women. This piece in the WSJ celebrating women who are reinventing themselves and embracing this phase of life. You all, we are just getting started my friends. The best is yet to come. Can you feel it?
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KIT + LYLAS
Jess