Hi best friend.

A while back I decided that I wanted to get a gym membership. Not because I don’t have access to a gym but because it’s incredible helpful when a gym has childcare so my little one can play while I get my workout in. I’ve also always loved the feeling of working out at a gym that has showers, saunas, steam rooms and other luxurious things that just make you feel like your work out experience feels like a day at the spa.

It’s a way to multi-task and at the same time put yourself in a high vibration when you are doing something productive for your health and wellness. I also think it is a great idea to put yourself around other like minded people. It’s never easy to make friends as a woman in your 30’s and 40’s so you want to invest your time in places where you can meet women who are going where you are going. As they say, you can always see where a person is going by the 5 people they are most surrounded by.

Anyway, for me, the non-negotiable when I was looking for a gym was a dry sauna that was for women only. I do a lot of prayer and meditation when I am in the sauna and I wanted something private, quiet and clean. I have always been obsessed with the dry sauna for person and spiritual reasons. It’s one of the only places that I feel a true sense of being free of distractions. I am disconnected from my phone, my apple watch and everything in the outside world. I just get to be in the quiet and for some reason, its when I feel the most spiritually connected with my higher self.

I frequently get ideas for podcasts, content, inspiration to call someone or a new recipe to try. It’s like I am just an open channel for what my higher self wants to say.

I’m addicted to the solitude.

So, when I took the Tony Robbins Unleash The Power Within and learned ALL of the wellness benefits of spending time in the sauna, naturally I became obsessed.

Did you know that hot sauna-ing is proven to slow down aging?

Yeah. Me neither.

Sauna bathing, an activity that has been a tradition in Finland for thousands of years and mainly used for the purposes of pleasure and relaxation. Well, emerging evidence suggests that beyond its use for pleasure, sauna bathing may be linked to several health benefits, like speeding up the healing process of headaches, skin disorders and the flu. In addition to that, it helps your cardiovascular system by stimulating the same physical body responses that are produced during a high intensity walk.

So basically, 20 min in the sauna can get your heart rate going in the same way it would a walk workout.

I personally like to do 10 minutes of sauna bathing before a 30-45 min walk and then again 20 minutes after to keep my heart rate up for longer periods of time. This keeps my metabolism fired up and enhances my workouts. I also personally like to do deep stretching after my walk inside of the heat because it loosens my body up even more.

Okay, so now back to the anti-aging benefits….

Studies have shown that “sauna bathing” can slow down aging effects by 15%.

The brain is especially sensitive to cognitive decline from unhealthy dietary patterns & everyday energy metabolism. BUT … heat induced bodily responses serve as a protection for the brain.

The increased heat exposure produces BDNF, a protein that promotes the growth of neurons that support the health & balance of the central nervous system.

This method can also be used to prevent or reduce the symptoms of depression, as 20 minutes in the sauna has been proven to reduce levels of cortisol ( your bodies main stress hormone). Read this article explaining 13 ways that saunas can improve your mental health and wellness.

My personal 5 reasons why you should try sauna bathing:

SPIRITUAL: It helps you reconnect with your higher self which will lead to personal growth and it allows you some solitude for self love and self care.
EMOTIONAL: It will lower your stress hormones and help you to experience less stress and anxiety in the body. It’s also a helpful place to reflect and process emotions.
HEALTH: It will give you a boost in your metabolism by helping support your heart rate as if you were working out longer for an extra fat burn.
WELLNESS: All of the mental health benefits and anti-aging benefits
SKIN: my skin feels so clean, fresh and dewy after you I am in the sauna. I have noticed a significant clearing of my skin and a boost in radiance.

Now here’s my secret to be able to actually do the sauna…because the sauna can be hot and draining.

*The key is to keep yourself seriously hydrated. I make myself an electrolyte water in the peach mango flavor. It literally tricks my body into thinking I am at a spa on vacation. I just feel like I am on a little getaway and I make a whole ritual out of it.

I also use the time to meditate, focus on what I want to manifest AND say affirmations to get myself into a better personal energy.

You know I just love to ROMANTICIZE everything into a nice little ritual. So, why not try it out too?

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The Journal Ritual You Didn't Know You Needed - Gratitude Journal

Self-Care is doing the inner work to discover what makes you uncomfortable because the more you know about yourself, the deeper you can heal & the more you can grow.

Everyone who knows me well, knows that I am obsessed with journaling. Literally, I can remember the very first diary I ever got as a little girl. It was red and it had a pretty deep gold lock on it. It was so precious and I was absolutely so fascinated by it.

A private little book where I could pour all of my thoughts and secrets I didn’t want to share. It felt so satisfying to hold secrets with my little red companion. I also was very specific about the pens I wrote with. For a while, I even was obsessed with mechanical pencils, I loved the way you had to click the top three times to get just the right amount of led for my hand to glide across the pages.

It was bliss to me.

Even today, you can never find me without some kind of notebook in hand. There are so many benefits to journaling, you can read them here. I am always jotting down ideas, thoughts, plans, realizations, etc. When I learned the importance of de-cluttering the mind with journaling, the impact on your mind it is when you write something down and how morning pages can change your life…I became unstoppable.

In 2018 I wrote my first guided journal which was so personal to me at the time.

So then in 2021, I went through some major life changes and I was craving an up-level in my life. I actually started a new journaling ritual that stepped up my journaling in an entirely new way.

I included gratitude journaling every single day.

After a few weeks, I noticed a difference in how I felt after I journaled. I felt more powerful, more ‘together’ and more in control of my thoughts and mindset.

I’m a double Capricorn, so I appreciate structure and guidance along a path. I love guided meditations, guided workouts, guided recipes and guided journals. It feels good to me to have direction and freedom to do it my way and at my pace. So, naturally, I had to create a beautiful journal for you (and for me) with my exact journaling ritual process so you could do it, too.

Here’s my journal ritual breakdown:

I always light a candle to set the mood. The mood is everything and the lighting from the candle just sets an ambiance that has you feeling calm. cozy and supported. You want a safe space to express your emotions. This is my absolute favorite candle ever.
I always need a cup of tea next to me when I am spending time with my journal. I love a lemon ginger tea the most, something about that combo always feels good to me. Because a warm cup feels so warming and comfortable. It just puts me at ease and preps me to open up my heart in the deepest way. It really gets you into your senses.
When journaling, sometimes I need to start the flow by writing out what I am grateful for. It helps for me to slow down my mind and get into the zone of appreciation and happiness. It warms my heart up a little so that I can fully get into letting out my soul onto the paper.
Then I take a moment to read the guided journal prompt. I close my eyes, take a deep breath and allow my soul to answer the question. Typically when we go to journal, our mind is ready to go, expressing all the fears, worries and what needs to be fixed. But try to move past/through that and see if you can bare your soul and share from the heart. Write as much as you can, the more the better. Even if you feel afraid to put certain things out on paper, it is a very cathartic and cleansing process. You’ll forge a deeper bond and connection with yourself when you do.
With each journal prompt, I add in an affirmation for you to recite to yourself throughout the day. Affirmations are thoughts geared toward increasing your self-love and confidence. They just feel so good when you let them really become your truth. I try not to just say it once and forget it. I repeat the affirmation in my mind all day long because the only way to reprogram your mind is through repetition and consistency.

In my new guided journal, The Daily Bliss, I created 111 journal prompts and affirmations as a daily personal reflection to inspire self-love, nourish your soul and realize your worth. I also have space for you to everyday write down a few things that you are grateful for. It’s a beautiful ritual to embark on every single day to help you connect to your inner self.

Your new journal can accompany you everywhere so you can always practice a little self-love and self-care on the go. When you feel an anxiety attack hit, a negative thought spiral, get in a tiff with a co-worker or feel frustrated by the world around you. Your journal will be your ability to connect back to your own bliss within. That feeling when you pour into your own cup instead of giving so much of yourself, you feel depleted.

I’d love to know, do you like to journal?