I’ve shared my story many times, in many settings and during many live Soma sessions or classes. I never feel like I get everything in and always feel like I’m leaving out relevant details of this magnificent love story.

Since joining Soma Breath in August, 2021, and getting immediately hooked to the practice, not only have my health issues been halted and significantly improved, I have also reignited my creative itch and have been doing a lot more of my old favorites. Photography, painting (actually sold my first painting as a professional, last year!) and playing a little music, both piano, which I played as a kid into my teenage years, and guitar, which my brother has been teaching me for the last several years. I’ve also picked up a little sketching and most recently, renovating my website and doing a lot more writing. I’ve been blogging for years (at a snails pace, mind you) but more recently I have been inspired to write. This blog post is an effort to express my love and gratitude to Niraj and the team at Soma Breath for delivering me my wellness in one scrumptious buffet. It’s like trying on Cinderella’s slipper….and it just FITS! And, btw, I have yet to meet ANY of the Soma tribe in person – but they are so incredibly supportive and active, and I look forward to meeting them all, eventually! Actually, just booked my first in-person retreat in September in Denver, AND it’s Soma’s first time in the U.S.! Super excited!

A big part of the inspiration to write is to share my healing journey, which I’ve been writing about for a few years. However, after discovering Soma Breath in 2021, all of my practices and rituals were woven together in the beautiful tapestry that Soma Breath offers. Music, meditation, breathwork PLUS all the good stuff, much of which I was already doing. AND I found Soma Breath scrolling social media. So there ARE good things on social media. Curate your algorithm peeps! 😉

After being diagnosed with MS in December, 2017, I chose the natural path to healing. (See my blog: How I Halted MS Naturally https://holisticwellnesswithcindy.com/2022/11/11/how-i-halted-ms-naturally-my-wellness-journey/). As a holistic esthetician for nearly 20 years, I have always practiced and preached we are what we eat (see relevant blogs November, 2015 You Are What You Eat holisticwellnesswithcindy.com/2015/11/05/you-are-what-you-eat/ are what you eat ; January, 2018 What Is Holistic Skincare holisticwellnesswithcindy.com/2018/01/25/what-is-holistic-skincare is holistic skin care ; and March, 2020 Holistic Skincare and Holistic Health holisticwellnesswithcindy.com/2020/03/27/holistic-skin-care-and-holistic-health . I have also been doing ginger lemon tea for several years, for immunity, inflammation and weight maintenance, even prior to my diagnosis in 2017. Here is my recipe: holisticwellnesswithcindy.com/2018/03/01/lemon-ginger-tea/ So in a sense, I feel like I already had a foot in the door, or at least on the right path, when I started my actual “healing journey”.

In January, 2018 I embarked on a Yoga Teacher Training certification, primarily to harness my health and learn more about Ayurveda (the sister science of yoga, likened to ancient Chinese Medicine and Indigenous Native American Medicine) which is a lifestyle based on each individuals’ chemical make-up. There are periods of cleansing, fasting and detoxing, and attention to gut health and micronutrients, and connecting mind + body + spiritual well being. I implemented regular sauna and contrast hydrotherapy sessions a few years ago. Breathwork was always my favorite aspect of Yoga and after reading Breath, by James Nestor in 2020 (during the pandemic) I briefly considered a career in respiratory therapy, as I was enthralled with the science. I also read and loved Donna Fahri’s The Breathing Book, which was one of my required reading assignments during YTT. I wrote somewhere in a notebook (and I have looked for it but have yet to find it) …a list that I wanted to study more breathwork, Ayurveda or meditation and Soma Breath has given me all three.

The best part about Soma Breath is the customization, which is the foundation of Ayurveda and the Dosha system. Personalization is important because we are all different! We have different chemical make ups, different energy types, different lifestyles, different wants and desires. And rest assured, you can do YOU inside Soma Breath. As a matter of fact, one of the biggest epiphanies I’ve had since my journey began has really just been discovering and getting comfortable with who I am. I’ve been preaching self love and self care for a long time, but not until this last couple years and going through some of the meditations, exercises, and challenges, did I really start to feel comfortable in my own skin and really started stepping out of my comfort zone (ironic, that is also the name of the skin care line I work with) and actually embracing discomfort. Two books I read that really helped improve my mindset; the Comfort Crisis, by Michael Easter and Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. The book Power vs. Force by Stephen Hawking and Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson, are both insightful reads into the development of our personalities and the impact of society on our personalities and humanity, in general. I also participated in a week long challenge with Wim Hof, who, incidentally, has worked with Niraj and Soma Breath. All of what I have done has lead me to and completely complements my Soma Breath journey.

And finally, I must admit, I was NEVER able to find a comfortable space with meditation. I have found with the assistance of counting our breath AND beautifully and scientifically crafted music, tools I now use during mediation, I have reached some of the most profound meditative states I never thought possible. There is a vast variety of music for moods and rhythms you might choose on a given day, based on how you’re feeling, or perhaps you have a big event you want to prepare for, you will find a meditation for that. Additionally, I have manifested travel plans, and a more successful and consistent rhythm in my work flow and home life! I rarely have a bad day, but when I do, i know I’m disconnected from my center….and my breath. All I know, is I’m coming up on two years with Soma, I am an Advanced Instructor and I am and probably always will be on my Transformational Coaching Journey! IT IS MAGICAL!