In this episode, we’re exploring the deep healing power of nature and what it means to be in relationship with the Earth.
I’ll share my personal story, from walking the Camino de Santiago, to how long hikes and time in nature continue to shape my healing journey, creativity, and nervous system regulation.
You’ll learn:
🌿 How nature supports the nervous system—shifting from sympathetic stress to parasympathetic calm
🌿 How your body stores and releases energy, emotion, and memory while walking, hiking, and connecting to the land
🌿 The meaning of nature signs and what they may be inviting you into
🌿 Flower essence as an energetic tool for healing and why I incorporate it into my practice
🌿 How gardening and slowing down outdoors reminds us of our true, whole selves
📣 Retreat Announcement: The Return to Soul Retreat is happening this October!
WORK W. ME
Inner Alchemy Breathwork
Integrative Exhale Breathwork
Events
Return to Soul Retreat
CONNECT
The Monthly Newsletter
DM on IG
Website
Subscribe & Review Apple Podcasts
Follow & Rate Spotify
Disclaimer: Please remember that the information shared on this podcast is intended to inspire, educate, and support you on your personal journey. It does not substitute for professional mental health advice. I am not a psychologist or medical professional. If you are experiencing distress, mental health challenges, or medical conditions, please seek help from a qualified professional.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Somatic Healing for Wellness-Focused
Women, a podcast for thesensitive, soulful,
high-achieving woman ready tocome home to herself.
I'm your host, rae.
I'm a somatic coach andbreathwork facilitator here to
guide you back to your body,your truth and your power.
Each week we'll explore nervoussystem healing, somatics,
(00:24):
breathwork, embodied living,creativity, self-expression and
soul-led personal growth.
If you are ready to soften thepressure, release perfectionism
and live with more presence,more pleasure and more purpose,
you're in the right place.
Let's take a deep breath andlet's dive in.
(00:44):
Welcome back to the podcast.
If you are new here, I'm Rae.
I'm a somatic coach andbreathwork facilitator.
And if you aren't new here,welcome back.
I'm so glad that you're tuninginto today's episode.
So before we dive into today'stopic, just a few front desk
(01:08):
items for us.
So we do have a retreat that Iam hosting.
It is coming up in October andthere are four spots available.
The door is closed to sign upfor the retreat on August 31st,
and it is a retreat that is allabout being in nature, being in
(01:30):
community and being withyourself.
So those are the kind of likethree aspects of the retreat and
I'm really excited to behosting it.
It is a weekend long.
It's on October 2nd to October5th and it's in upstate New York
, so I am excited to bring youthat opportunity.
And then our second front deskitem there are quite a few new
(01:54):
listeners here, so welcome ifyou are new since the rebrand of
the name of the podcast, and ifthat is the case, I definitely
invite you to listen to episode76, where I kind of go into more
of my personal story and how Igot to where I am today and how
I can support you and all ofthese other wonderful things.
(02:15):
So, yeah, I'm excited thatyou're tuning in here today as
well.
And for today's topic, we'regoing to be talking all about
being in relationship withnature, and this is a topic that
I am passionate about.
I feel very connected to nature.
I love to incorporate it intomy work.
I think it's super supportivefor nervous system regulation,
(02:39):
regulating with the body,getting into the body, quieting
the mind, understanding the mindso many different benefits of
really feeling connected tonature, and there are so many
different ways that we can dothat as well.
So for me personally, I knowthat when I was very young, I
(03:00):
was always outside.
I was a competitive athlete, soI spent a lot of time competing
outside, just playing actualsports outside in general.
But even when I wasn'tcompeting, I was always running
around.
I lived on a it's called like adead-end block, where there's
no, the cars can only come downone way, and I had a lot of
(03:21):
friends on the block that I grewup on, a lot of childhood
friends, and we all would just,I have so many memories of us
like running around, playingmanhunt and sitting on our front
porches and just talking andplaying on the lawn, and so I
was outside a lot from a veryyoung age and I've always felt,
since I was a child, just veryconnected to nature in general,
(03:44):
and the irony with that is thatI am terrified of bugs.
So I don't know where thatcomes from, but it's still with
me to this day.
I do not like bees, spiders,ants oh, it gives me like the
heebie-jeebies.
So I don't.
I don't know, but you can stilllove nature even if bugs aren't
(04:05):
your thing.
And as I was growing up when Iwas a junior in high school so
how old is that?
Probably like 16, 15 or 16years old my Spanish teacher who
was awesome, miss Reese, shewent on a.
Who was awesome, miss Reese.
(04:25):
She went on a like for one ofthe holiday breaks.
She went on a trip with some ofher family and friends and when
she came back from her trip sheshowed us like a PowerPoint
presentation of her trip.
And she had gone on a week longhike on this trail in Spain
called the Camino de Santiago,and I could probably do a
(04:47):
podcast episode just on myexperience with the Camino de
Santiago.
But when she presented us andlike shared with us about her
experience, I said to myselfimmediately this is so cool,
this is something I absolutelyneeded to do.
And I decided when I was ajunior in high school that when
(05:07):
I graduated from undergrad, fromcollege, I would go and hike
the Camino de Santiago.
And so it is a 500 mile or 600mile hike across northern Spain.
It starts in southern Franceand then you hike all the way
across northern Spain and itends in Santiago de Compostela.
(05:31):
And then I continued onafterwards a few I think it was
a hundred more miles to Finicera, which is like the water.
So I walked to the coast.
So I followed this call to goon this journey and hike 600
miles across Spain by myself,and I really did not really know
(05:57):
what I was doing.
I just I remember getting offof the bus.
Once I got to the trailhead, thecity in southern France,
saint-jean-pierre-de-port, and Ireally I don't I did not know
like where to go or what to do.
I ended up I found like areally big group of other hikers
(06:20):
.
They're called pilgrims whenyou're doing the Camino, so I
found a big group of pilgrimsthat were also hiking.
You could tell they looked.
It was just very obvious thatthey were also hikers and it
wasn't an organized group.
They all had just come off oflike another public bus that
came in from Germany.
So I was like I'm just gonnalike join this group.
(06:42):
Clearly they know where they'regoing and hopefully, hopefully,
no one will notice.
And that's exactly what I did.
And I ended up finding basicallya hostel, what they call
albergues, and I found analbergue and one of the groups
of people from that group wasthis woman, enya, who was my age
(07:06):
, and they sat us next to eachother at dinner it was a
communal style dinner and theysaid you two sit next to each
other.
You're the same age because Iwas the, you know, one of the
youngest ones there and, uh, youtwo be friends and like,
immediately we hit it off.
We became, uh, really goodfriends.
We bonded over American promand she was asking me all these
questions about America and I'masking her about Germany and
(07:29):
we're in France, but we'rehiking through Spain.
The whole experience was justabsolutely surreal and I hiked
through every terrain.
So you know, we start.
I hiked with her and her family.
She was traveling with her momand her aunt and I hiked with
them for the first seven daysand then eventually we parted
ways, which was superheartbreaking.
And, yeah, I could talk aboutthis story at length, maybe in
(07:52):
another podcast episode, but thepoint of what I'm sharing is
that I walk through everyterrain.
I walk through mountains,cities, desert, more cities and
then all the way to the coast,and really, how I ended my trip.
The whole experience in itselfwas pretty incredible, but how I
(08:17):
ended my trip was this reallystrong connection with being in
nature and connected to like theearth and connected to really,
really the present moment.
I've never felt so present,because all I was doing for
almost two months was hiking onthis trail and I was like I'm
going to do this, I'm going todo this, I'm going to do this
(08:37):
I'm going, I decided after thattrip.
I felt like I had seen so muchof so much beauty in Spain.
I was like I want to see thiswhere I live in the States, in
the US, and so one of the manythings that I brought home with
me was this desire to see moreof nature and deepen that
connection, and it led me togoing to many national parks.
(09:01):
Every time I travel I'm alwaysfinding a park close by or a
hike or something to just get asense of the energy of where I
am, and today it also looks likea lot of hiking in my local
area.
I live in New York, so in thetri-state area I have a few
hikes that I absolutely love,going for long walks.
A lot of my creativity andideation comes from spending
(09:26):
this time outside and being innature and going on these long
walks.
So you don't have to, you know,hike across Spain to feel
connected to nature.
You absolutely can.
If that's inspiring to you, youdon't have to.
And even when I go for longwalks around where I live, I'm
at the beach, so I don't.
Sometimes I feel like I don'tget that strong connection to
(09:48):
like earth, like trees, becausewhere I am is more sand and
water and beach, but there's, ofcourse, a connection.
I can see, you know, dolphinsand whales and so many amazing
things, but I've been seeingactually a lot of red cardinals,
which I find absolutelyfascinating because I don't know
where they're living there'snot many trees at the beach but
(10:11):
they're coming and they'refinding me and I accept it and I
welcome it.
So being in nature can supportyou in so many different ways.
It can support you in feelingthat stronger connection to the
universe, regulating yournervous system.
So, being in the body whathappens in the body while you
(10:34):
are going for a long walk orspending time in nature or
hiking whatever kind of languageyou want to use is your body is
slowly coming into thatparasympathetic state.
So a lot of times we can be inthat stressful state in the body
where we are in a heightenedstate of anxiety or we're
(10:56):
processing challenging emotionsor stress.
And when you go on and spendtime outside, you're shifting
your nervous system into thatrest and digest state and your
body is what remember, is instores past experience, past
trauma, uh it, it holds on to itand so you can heal and release
(11:19):
and move energy in the bodythrough a movement practice like
hiking or walking, or.
Um.
Yeah, like I said, it doesn'thave to be 500 miles across
spain, but it can be if that'syour jam.
But being in nature andspending time in nature will
shift your energy and dependingon where you're located.
(11:40):
Actually fun fact, I did didrecently look up the location of
where some listeners are andshout out to Australia, because
apparently there's a lot ofpeople that tune in from
Australia, which is really cool.
I'm in New York, but welcome,and the reason why I mentioned
that is because here in New Yorkwe're moving slowly from spring
(12:02):
into summer.
We just had Memorial Dayweekend, which is basically the
unofficial weekend kickoff tothe summer, even though the
summer solstice is in June.
The weather is getting muchwarmer.
We are going to be spendingmuch more time outside.
The invitation to is there atleast, and so, yeah, I think
(12:25):
that's why I'm feeling part ofwhy I'm feeling inspired to talk
about this connection withnature, because, yeah, we're
getting that invitation to stepoutside more and go to the beach
and go hiking, and be outsideand go to the park and go for a
walk after work and all of thesewonderful things.
So, if you are feeling thatinvitation as well.
Hopefully you're finding thisepisode supportive.
(12:48):
Another aspect of being outsideand in nature that I really love
and I talked about it a littlebit already is that connection
with universal energy andelements.
So something that I receive alot from in nature are signs
from loved ones who have passed.
I love seeing, you know, redcardinals, butterflies, dimes
(13:11):
are big for me, big signs for me.
But there are, you know.
You can see feathers.
There are specific birds,animals.
I love seeing an animal outsideand looking up like the
symbolism of it.
That's one of my favoritethings to do.
A few weeks ago I saw a monkparakeet.
I thought that was fascinating.
(13:32):
Who even knew there was wildmonk parakeets on Long Island?
I definitely didn't, until Isaw one, so it was really
interesting.
But as you go and you spend moretime in nature, you can might
be end up seeing thingsdifferently, can shift your
perspective.
Things might be a bit brighter,things might feel more clear.
It definitely brings me a lotof mental clarity and a lot of
(13:56):
emotional relief.
So, yeah, if you find yourselfbeing pulled outside, like, what
are the signs that you arereceiving and what elements do
you feel most connected to?
Do you feel connected to, likethe earth and the dirt?
Do you feel more connected towater?
Do you feel more connected toanimals or insects like
(14:21):
butterflies, like?
How does nature speak to youpersonally?
Because I think there will be alot of nuance for each one of
us and each one of our nervoussystems and what feels really
comforting and regulating for us.
One other aspect of nature thatI really enjoy, that I find
deepens my connection for myselfand also for my clients, is
(14:44):
using flower essence.
And flower essence is atincture.
It's something that you ingest,you put it on your tongue a few
times a day for a one monthcycle and I use these different
blends through Spirit Seed,lindsay Fauntleroy.
I studied with her for about ayear to learn all about five
(15:06):
element theory and all thedifferent elements and how those
elements connect to the bodyand nature and how flower
essence itself for anyone thatdoesn't know is like I mentioned
.
It's a tincture, where theytake the flowers and they soak
them in water and then thequalities of the flower are
being absorbed into the waterand then they take that water
(15:28):
and they create a tincture ofjust that flower or there are
some blends.
So with spirit Lindsay Fowler.
She creates blends depending onthe different intentions that
are present.
So, depending on what yourintention is and what season of
life you're in, you couldconsider taking a flower essence
(15:50):
if that speaks to you like atincture or a blend, and then
you would observe for one monthhow this blend is interacting,
based on your intention.
So I really enjoy using floweressence and I find it really
powerful.
It's very subtle, it's verygentle and it definitely helps
me to feel more connected tonature in a different, more
(16:14):
abstract way.
I do have a few podcastepisodes specifically on flower
essence, so definitely, if thatinterests you, you can scroll
back and kind of find one thatjumps out to you.
And then the last aspect ofconnecting with nature that I'll
highlight is gardening.
Actually, that's something thatI have, in the past few years,
(16:36):
gotten more interested in.
I do have like a very smalloutdoor space where I live at my
house, so I discovered porchgardening, like container
gardening basically, where youcan grow things in these
containers, and this issomething that I find super like
(16:56):
, fun and fascinating andsomething that I've been totally
nerding out on for the past fewyears.
So this is just my second yeardoing and planting my own garden
.
So this year I have a fewdifferent vegetables, um,
tomatoes, cucumbers, uh, whatelse?
Oh, potatoes I'm makingpotatoes, which is which is I
(17:17):
find so cool uh.
Some different herbs, uh, youknow, basil, cilantro, all
different herbs, and then I'malso gonna see how this one
plays out.
But I'm uh creating like alittle tea garden.
So I have all different uhherbs that can be used for tea,
for making tea, and my plan isto, after it starts to grow, to
(17:37):
dry it out and then, um, I'llhave like dry uh tea and make
them my own little tea bags andand send them to my friends and
and gift people some sleepy,sleepy time tea.
So, uh, what I what I willmention is like I really have no
idea what I'm doing when itcomes to gardening.
Honestly, it's it's very new tome, but I'm having a lot of fun
(17:58):
with it.
And I was talking to one of theguys at the store because I was
asking him a lot of questionsthat probably were silly
questions to ask, but he wasvery kind and we were just
talking about the experience ofgardening and he was even saying
he's like, yeah, when you goout there and you're just.
You know your hands are in thesoil and you're planting
(18:19):
something or you're taking careof something.
He's like if anything's on yourmind, it's just gone.
He's like you, just you getlost in the moment of regulation
.
It's a form of processing, ofallowing yourself to shift your
perspective, drop into adifferent place, feel more
(18:45):
connected to the present moment,feel more connected to nature
and really again working withthe nervous system, regulating
the nervous system.
So if gardening speaks to youdefinitely another resource that
you can use and totally send mea message too.
I would love to hear more ifyou are planting something, like
what you're planting, how it'sgoing.
Um, I just find it such a funconversation, honestly.
(19:08):
So this is all to say thatnature really helps to bring a
sense of wholeness.
It helps us to remember who wereally are.
It helps us to move pastvarious illusions that we
experience in our day-to-daylives.
It allows us to pause, itallows us to get present, it
allows us to release and let goand connect.
(19:31):
So I hope that you are able tomake some time for yourself to
get outside, be in nature,embrace this warmer weather,
this transition, as we're movingslowly from spring into summer
and if it is speaking to you andit is something that you really
enjoy.
At the retreat the Return toSoul retreat we will be doing a
(19:53):
few different hikes.
So we are doing one of myall-time favorite hikes in the
New York area, which I'm excitedfor, and then we're doing
another hike that is a bitlonger but less strenuous, so I
will be also guiding you on thehike.
So it will be, of course, likeat your own pace always and, you
know, moving in the way thatfeels good for you.
(20:14):
But I'll be giving you someprompts to help you experience
maybe the hike more mindfully,or help with integrating or
receiving signs, you know,bringing more awareness into
your experience.
So if that interests you,definitely check out the show
notes.
There's a bunch of informationon the return to soul retreat
and any questions you just sendme an email or a DMm.
(20:37):
And, yeah, I'm I'm so glad thatyou're here and you're tuning
into the podcast and I hope thatyou enjoyed today's episode.
I hope that you have anincredible rest of your week, an
incredible rest of your day,and I will talk to you soon.
Thank you for being here andtuning in to Somatic Healing for
(20:58):
Wellness-Focused Women podcast.
If you were moved or inspiredby today's episode, please take
a moment to leave a rating andreview on Apple Podcasts.
It truly helps the podcast growand helps more people find me
on their healing journey.
Make sure to check out the shownotes to sign up for the
monthly newsletter.
Links to more resources,opportunities to work with me
(21:21):
and ways that we can stayconnected.
If we aren't already connectedon social media, head over to
Instagram to follow me at Raythe Somatic Coach.
Send me a DM.
I'd love to connect with youand I answer each note that
comes in.
I am so happy you're here and Icannot wait to talk with you on
our next episode of the podcast.
Welcome to Somatic Healing for Wellness-Focused
Women, a podcast for thesensitive, soulful,
high-achieving woman ready tocome home to herself.
I'm your host, rae.
I'm a somatic coach andbreathwork facilitator here to
guide you back to your body,your truth and your power.
Each week we'll explore nervoussystem healing, somatics,
(00:24):
breathwork, embodied living,creativity, self-expression and
soul-led personal growth.
If you are ready to soften thepressure, release perfectionism
and live with more presence,more pleasure and more purpose,
you're in the right place.
Let's take a deep breath andlet's dive in.
(00:44):
Welcome back to the podcast.
If you are new here, I'm Rae.
I'm a somatic coach andbreathwork facilitator.
And if you aren't new here,welcome back.
I'm so glad that you're tuninginto today's episode.
So before we dive into today'stopic, just a few front desk
(01:08):
items for us.
So we do have a retreat that Iam hosting.
It is coming up in October andthere are four spots available.
The door is closed to sign upfor the retreat on August 31st,
and it is a retreat that is allabout being in nature, being in
(01:30):
community and being withyourself.
So those are the kind of likethree aspects of the retreat and
I'm really excited to behosting it.
It is a weekend long.
It's on October 2nd to October5th and it's in upstate New York
, so I am excited to bring youthat opportunity.
And then our second front deskitem there are quite a few new
(01:54):
listeners here, so welcome ifyou are new since the rebrand of
the name of the podcast, and ifthat is the case, I definitely
invite you to listen to episode76, where I kind of go into more
of my personal story and how Igot to where I am today and how
I can support you and all ofthese other wonderful things.
(02:15):
So, yeah, I'm excited thatyou're tuning in here today as
well.
And for today's topic, we'regoing to be talking all about
being in relationship withnature, and this is a topic that
I am passionate about.
I feel very connected to nature.
I love to incorporate it intomy work.
I think it's super supportivefor nervous system regulation,
(02:39):
regulating with the body,getting into the body, quieting
the mind, understanding the mindso many different benefits of
really feeling connected tonature, and there are so many
different ways that we can dothat as well.
So for me personally, I knowthat when I was very young, I
(03:00):
was always outside.
I was a competitive athlete, soI spent a lot of time competing
outside, just playing actualsports outside in general.
But even when I wasn'tcompeting, I was always running
around.
I lived on a it's called like adead-end block, where there's
no, the cars can only come downone way, and I had a lot of
(03:21):
friends on the block that I grewup on, a lot of childhood
friends, and we all would just,I have so many memories of us
like running around, playingmanhunt and sitting on our front
porches and just talking andplaying on the lawn, and so I
was outside a lot from a veryyoung age and I've always felt,
since I was a child, just veryconnected to nature in general,
(03:44):
and the irony with that is thatI am terrified of bugs.
So I don't know where thatcomes from, but it's still with
me to this day.
I do not like bees, spiders,ants oh, it gives me like the
heebie-jeebies.
So I don't.
I don't know, but you can stilllove nature even if bugs aren't
(04:05):
your thing.
And as I was growing up when Iwas a junior in high school so
how old is that?
Probably like 16, 15 or 16years old my Spanish teacher who
was awesome, miss Reese, shewent on a.
Who was awesome, miss Reese.
(04:25):
She went on a like for one ofthe holiday breaks.
She went on a trip with some ofher family and friends and when
she came back from her trip sheshowed us like a PowerPoint
presentation of her trip.
And she had gone on a week longhike on this trail in Spain
called the Camino de Santiago,and I could probably do a
(04:47):
podcast episode just on myexperience with the Camino de
Santiago.
But when she presented us andlike shared with us about her
experience, I said to myselfimmediately this is so cool,
this is something I absolutelyneeded to do.
And I decided when I was ajunior in high school that when
(05:07):
I graduated from undergrad, fromcollege, I would go and hike
the Camino de Santiago.
And so it is a 500 mile or 600mile hike across northern Spain.
It starts in southern Franceand then you hike all the way
across northern Spain and itends in Santiago de Compostela.
(05:31):
And then I continued onafterwards a few I think it was
a hundred more miles to Finicera, which is like the water.
So I walked to the coast.
So I followed this call to goon this journey and hike 600
miles across Spain by myself,and I really did not really know
(05:57):
what I was doing.
I just I remember getting offof the bus.
Once I got to the trailhead, thecity in southern France,
saint-jean-pierre-de-port, and Ireally I don't I did not know
like where to go or what to do.
I ended up I found like areally big group of other hikers
(06:20):
.
They're called pilgrims whenyou're doing the Camino, so I
found a big group of pilgrimsthat were also hiking.
You could tell they looked.
It was just very obvious thatthey were also hikers and it
wasn't an organized group.
They all had just come off oflike another public bus that
came in from Germany.
So I was like I'm just gonnalike join this group.
(06:42):
Clearly they know where they'regoing and hopefully, hopefully,
no one will notice.
And that's exactly what I did.
And I ended up finding basicallya hostel, what they call
albergues, and I found analbergue and one of the groups
of people from that group wasthis woman, enya, who was my age
(07:06):
, and they sat us next to eachother at dinner it was a
communal style dinner and theysaid you two sit next to each
other.
You're the same age because Iwas the, you know, one of the
youngest ones there and, uh, youtwo be friends and like,
immediately we hit it off.
We became, uh, really goodfriends.
We bonded over American promand she was asking me all these
questions about America and I'masking her about Germany and
(07:29):
we're in France, but we'rehiking through Spain.
The whole experience was justabsolutely surreal and I hiked
through every terrain.
So you know, we start.
I hiked with her and her family.
She was traveling with her momand her aunt and I hiked with
them for the first seven daysand then eventually we parted
ways, which was superheartbreaking.
And, yeah, I could talk aboutthis story at length, maybe in
(07:52):
another podcast episode, but thepoint of what I'm sharing is
that I walk through everyterrain.
I walk through mountains,cities, desert, more cities and
then all the way to the coast,and really, how I ended my trip.
The whole experience in itselfwas pretty incredible, but how I
(08:17):
ended my trip was this reallystrong connection with being in
nature and connected to like theearth and connected to really,
really the present moment.
I've never felt so present,because all I was doing for
almost two months was hiking onthis trail and I was like I'm
going to do this, I'm going todo this, I'm going to do this
(08:37):
I'm going, I decided after thattrip.
I felt like I had seen so muchof so much beauty in Spain.
I was like I want to see thiswhere I live in the States, in
the US, and so one of the manythings that I brought home with
me was this desire to see moreof nature and deepen that
connection, and it led me togoing to many national parks.
(09:01):
Every time I travel I'm alwaysfinding a park close by or a
hike or something to just get asense of the energy of where I
am, and today it also looks likea lot of hiking in my local
area.
I live in New York, so in thetri-state area I have a few
hikes that I absolutely love,going for long walks.
A lot of my creativity andideation comes from spending
(09:26):
this time outside and being innature and going on these long
walks.
So you don't have to, you know,hike across Spain to feel
connected to nature.
You absolutely can.
If that's inspiring to you, youdon't have to.
And even when I go for longwalks around where I live, I'm
at the beach, so I don't.
Sometimes I feel like I don'tget that strong connection to
(09:48):
like earth, like trees, becausewhere I am is more sand and
water and beach, but there's, ofcourse, a connection.
I can see, you know, dolphinsand whales and so many amazing
things, but I've been seeingactually a lot of red cardinals,
which I find absolutelyfascinating because I don't know
where they're living there'snot many trees at the beach but
(10:11):
they're coming and they'refinding me and I accept it and I
welcome it.
So being in nature can supportyou in so many different ways.
It can support you in feelingthat stronger connection to the
universe, regulating yournervous system.
So, being in the body whathappens in the body while you
(10:34):
are going for a long walk orspending time in nature or
hiking whatever kind of languageyou want to use is your body is
slowly coming into thatparasympathetic state.
So a lot of times we can be inthat stressful state in the body
where we are in a heightenedstate of anxiety or we're
(10:56):
processing challenging emotionsor stress.
And when you go on and spendtime outside, you're shifting
your nervous system into thatrest and digest state and your
body is what remember, is instores past experience, past
trauma, uh it, it holds on to itand so you can heal and release
(11:19):
and move energy in the bodythrough a movement practice like
hiking or walking, or.
Um.
Yeah, like I said, it doesn'thave to be 500 miles across
spain, but it can be if that'syour jam.
But being in nature andspending time in nature will
shift your energy and dependingon where you're located.
(11:40):
Actually fun fact, I did didrecently look up the location of
where some listeners are andshout out to Australia, because
apparently there's a lot ofpeople that tune in from
Australia, which is really cool.
I'm in New York, but welcome,and the reason why I mentioned
that is because here in New Yorkwe're moving slowly from spring
(12:02):
into summer.
We just had Memorial Dayweekend, which is basically the
unofficial weekend kickoff tothe summer, even though the
summer solstice is in June.
The weather is getting muchwarmer.
We are going to be spendingmuch more time outside.
The invitation to is there atleast, and so, yeah, I think
(12:25):
that's why I'm feeling part ofwhy I'm feeling inspired to talk
about this connection withnature, because, yeah, we're
getting that invitation to stepoutside more and go to the beach
and go hiking, and be outsideand go to the park and go for a
walk after work and all of thesewonderful things.
So, if you are feeling thatinvitation as well.
Hopefully you're finding thisepisode supportive.
(12:48):
Another aspect of being outsideand in nature that I really love
and I talked about it a littlebit already is that connection
with universal energy andelements.
So something that I receive alot from in nature are signs
from loved ones who have passed.
I love seeing, you know, redcardinals, butterflies, dimes
(13:11):
are big for me, big signs for me.
But there are, you know.
You can see feathers.
There are specific birds,animals.
I love seeing an animal outsideand looking up like the
symbolism of it.
That's one of my favoritethings to do.
A few weeks ago I saw a monkparakeet.
I thought that was fascinating.
(13:32):
Who even knew there was wildmonk parakeets on Long Island?
I definitely didn't, until Isaw one, so it was really
interesting.
But as you go and you spend moretime in nature, you can might
be end up seeing thingsdifferently, can shift your
perspective.
Things might be a bit brighter,things might feel more clear.
It definitely brings me a lotof mental clarity and a lot of
(13:56):
emotional relief.
So, yeah, if you find yourselfbeing pulled outside, like, what
are the signs that you arereceiving and what elements do
you feel most connected to?
Do you feel connected to, likethe earth and the dirt?
Do you feel more connected towater?
Do you feel more connected toanimals or insects like
(14:21):
butterflies, like?
How does nature speak to youpersonally?
Because I think there will be alot of nuance for each one of
us and each one of our nervoussystems and what feels really
comforting and regulating for us.
One other aspect of nature thatI really enjoy, that I find
deepens my connection for myselfand also for my clients, is
(14:44):
using flower essence.
And flower essence is atincture.
It's something that you ingest,you put it on your tongue a few
times a day for a one monthcycle and I use these different
blends through Spirit Seed,lindsay Fauntleroy.
I studied with her for about ayear to learn all about five
(15:06):
element theory and all thedifferent elements and how those
elements connect to the bodyand nature and how flower
essence itself for anyone thatdoesn't know is like I mentioned
.
It's a tincture, where theytake the flowers and they soak
them in water and then thequalities of the flower are
being absorbed into the waterand then they take that water
(15:28):
and they create a tincture ofjust that flower or there are
some blends.
So with spirit Lindsay Fowler.
She creates blends depending onthe different intentions that
are present.
So, depending on what yourintention is and what season of
life you're in, you couldconsider taking a flower essence
(15:50):
if that speaks to you like atincture or a blend, and then
you would observe for one monthhow this blend is interacting,
based on your intention.
So I really enjoy using floweressence and I find it really
powerful.
It's very subtle, it's verygentle and it definitely helps
me to feel more connected tonature in a different, more
(16:14):
abstract way.
I do have a few podcastepisodes specifically on flower
essence, so definitely, if thatinterests you, you can scroll
back and kind of find one thatjumps out to you.
And then the last aspect ofconnecting with nature that I'll
highlight is gardening.
Actually, that's something thatI have, in the past few years,
(16:36):
gotten more interested in.
I do have like a very smalloutdoor space where I live at my
house, so I discovered porchgardening, like container
gardening basically, where youcan grow things in these
containers, and this issomething that I find super like
(16:56):
, fun and fascinating andsomething that I've been totally
nerding out on for the past fewyears.
So this is just my second yeardoing and planting my own garden
.
So this year I have a fewdifferent vegetables, um,
tomatoes, cucumbers, uh, whatelse?
Oh, potatoes I'm makingpotatoes, which is which is I
(17:17):
find so cool uh.
Some different herbs, uh, youknow, basil, cilantro, all
different herbs, and then I'malso gonna see how this one
plays out.
But I'm uh creating like alittle tea garden.
So I have all different uhherbs that can be used for tea,
for making tea, and my plan isto, after it starts to grow, to
(17:37):
dry it out and then, um, I'llhave like dry uh tea and make
them my own little tea bags andand send them to my friends and
and gift people some sleepy,sleepy time tea.
So, uh, what I what I willmention is like I really have no
idea what I'm doing when itcomes to gardening.
Honestly, it's it's very new tome, but I'm having a lot of fun
(17:58):
with it.
And I was talking to one of theguys at the store because I was
asking him a lot of questionsthat probably were silly
questions to ask, but he wasvery kind and we were just
talking about the experience ofgardening and he was even saying
he's like, yeah, when you goout there and you're just.
You know your hands are in thesoil and you're planting
(18:19):
something or you're taking careof something.
He's like if anything's on yourmind, it's just gone.
He's like you, just you getlost in the moment of regulation
.
It's a form of processing, ofallowing yourself to shift your
perspective, drop into adifferent place, feel more
(18:45):
connected to the present moment,feel more connected to nature
and really again working withthe nervous system, regulating
the nervous system.
So if gardening speaks to youdefinitely another resource that
you can use and totally send mea message too.
I would love to hear more ifyou are planting something, like
what you're planting, how it'sgoing.
Um, I just find it such a funconversation, honestly.
(19:08):
So this is all to say thatnature really helps to bring a
sense of wholeness.
It helps us to remember who wereally are.
It helps us to move pastvarious illusions that we
experience in our day-to-daylives.
It allows us to pause, itallows us to get present, it
allows us to release and let goand connect.
(19:31):
So I hope that you are able tomake some time for yourself to
get outside, be in nature,embrace this warmer weather,
this transition, as we're movingslowly from spring into summer
and if it is speaking to you andit is something that you really
enjoy.
At the retreat the Return toSoul retreat we will be doing a
(19:53):
few different hikes.
So we are doing one of myall-time favorite hikes in the
New York area, which I'm excitedfor, and then we're doing
another hike that is a bitlonger but less strenuous, so I
will be also guiding you on thehike.
So it will be, of course, likeat your own pace always and, you
know, moving in the way thatfeels good for you.
(20:14):
But I'll be giving you someprompts to help you experience
maybe the hike more mindfully,or help with integrating or
receiving signs, you know,bringing more awareness into
your experience.
So if that interests you,definitely check out the show
notes.
There's a bunch of informationon the return to soul retreat
and any questions you just sendme an email or a DMm.
(20:37):
And, yeah, I'm I'm so glad thatyou're here and you're tuning
into the podcast and I hope thatyou enjoyed today's episode.
I hope that you have anincredible rest of your week, an
incredible rest of your day,and I will talk to you soon.
Thank you for being here andtuning in to Somatic Healing for
(20:58):
Wellness-Focused Women podcast.
If you were moved or inspiredby today's episode, please take
a moment to leave a rating andreview on Apple Podcasts.
It truly helps the podcast growand helps more people find me
on their healing journey.
Make sure to check out the shownotes to sign up for the
monthly newsletter.
Links to more resources,opportunities to work with me
(21:21):
and ways that we can stayconnected.
If we aren't already connectedon social media, head over to
Instagram to follow me at Raythe Somatic Coach.
Send me a DM.
I'd love to connect with youand I answer each note that
comes in.
I am so happy you're here and Icannot wait to talk with you on
our next episode of the podcast.
Popular Podcasts
Cold Case Files: Miami
Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.