Take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold it now, release slowly again, deep in, helle hold release, repeating internally to yourself as you connect to my voice. I am deeply, deeply well. I am deeply well. I am deeply I'm Debbie Brown and this is the Deeply Well Podcast. Welcome to Deeply Well, a soft place to land on your journey. A podcast for those that are curious, creative, and ready to expand in higher consciousness and self care. This is where we heal, this is where we transcend. Welcome back to the Deeply Well Podcast. Of course, I am your host, Debbie Brown, and as always, it is such a pleasure to have you here. I have been so loving seeing the sacred spaces that have been pouring through into Instagram as you listen to these episodes. I've mean getting the journaling homework for everyone who has been downloading the PDFs. And just a reminder if you are someone that is actively looking to do the work while you explore these episodes and as you move through your life. Starting this season, every month we provide a PDF that you can download, you can print out, you can work with on a tablet that supports each episode. For the month, So there will be some journal prompts, journal inquiries, and I've been seeing them pouring in and I am just like wow, blown away. Some listening that have shared their journaling have been like taking close pictures, so I've been able to see some of the things you've been writing and oh my god, ooh, we are in this world deep. So just if you are listening and watching right now, and you were currently in a place where you are just rigorously in your work, you can do this. Keep going, keep going, breaking through that upper limits. It's literally like that meme of watching someone digging for diamonds and stopping right before they get to the diamond. You are almost there. The breakthrough moment is coming, and then you get to make some new choices and have fun with some new experiences. So keep going. So dope to see that, all right, This week we are officially introducing really the bigger theme of the month. We had to change course a little bit because some things in our world and political systems shifted, so to be timely, you know, we dated the show schedule. But I have been so so so excited to dive into this month's theme with everyone. This month, we are going to be exploring so many ways to get into our bodies and to invite in ritualistic practice that can really support us as we get ready one for winter and two for the next big calendar year of our lives. Twenty twenty five is upon us. First things first, just a little bit of check in some stuff that has been on my mind in my world. You know, I hope everyone has really been taking generous care of their hearts and their bodies there for many there was a big, big blow last week that we talked about on this show, and I share that, you know, I was my body was really having strong reactions going through it. Really grateful to save. I'm feeling so much better. Got some acupunctureing and got some cupping, did a lot of slow stretching, and really tried to surrender as often as I could to whatever would have been the easier choice of the day in each of the moments that I was able to do that, and it was really supportive and helpful. So hope everyone has been with their body in a slower way, in a new way, and even going into winter. Right now, as I record this episode, it is November. As we're getting into some of the colder times and colder seasons. It's such a special time to just nourish. You know, this is one of the times of the year that can be most activating to the nervous system, and it's also the time of the year that we're not supposed to be doing anything biologically. All the animals go in, right, they go into hibernation, they go underground, they go in their caves, they go into their warmth. They've stored up, they've eaten, so that all they need to do for the next few months is be in hibernation and just be in rest. Is really be an expected energy of what their bodies and their hearts and their brains know is to come in the spring, and we should be considering that in the same ways, especially in this time of year that so many of us are going to be very activated because it's holiday time. So no matter what your relationship with the people in your life is, this is a time where we are around more people than normal, some of us anyways, where you might be kind of in a lot of traffic, the stores are going to be a little bit more crowded. People are going to be really kind of having a lot of layers to what their emotional experiences. You may or may not be with your family more or less, and that may or may not be triggering more or less right, depending on our unique lives and our family systems. There's a lot of pressure on how you should feel about yourself, how you should feel about your family, how you should feel about your life this time of year. Notice that what's yours? What isn't? What's societal pressure, what's familial pressure? What do you want? You know? It's a great time to investigate and a great time to do less, to get warm, to eat savory things, and to take extra care with your body, doing things like taking warm baths, getting in that sauna, taking a little bit longer, to apply a thicker lotion to your body. Right, take pleasure in those things if you're able, take time to slow down and see how it feels to be more intentional and notice the current of the moment. Right, what is naturally coming up right now for you? And what does that have to do with the season, What does that have to do with past experiences with family? What does that have to do with how you relate to this time of year? For whatever the reasons may be, but it's a great time to put on that observer hat and really get nice and deep. So I've been thinking a lot about that myself. I've been, you know, really noticing I don't love how dark it gets so early, Like what where is my day? It's crazy, Like it's been getting dark at like four point thirty at my house lately, and I'm just like, ooh, I'm ready to just curl up off top. It's hard to get me out of the house, but this time of year, you really will not see me anywhere. So I've been leaning into that, and I've been trying to just say, what do I really need. Something I've been enjoying a lot more that I've been trying to take more intentional time with is infra red light therapy. I have one in the sauna that I that I use, but I got a lamp of it on Amazon recently. My acupuncturist had one, and I noticed that every time she would target it like in my core, on my stomach, or lay on my back and just target it on my back, I always felt so much better when I left. So I've been trying to be really diligent with that, and even if I'm in bed at the end of the day, kind of catching up on a few things. I'll pop that on and point it somewhere on my body. It was a pretty reasonable price point on Amazon, if that's possible for everyone, but it's made kind of a big difference, and so I'm already kind of noticing that that might be my thing for winter because the extra warmth too, and yeah, I'm just trying to feel fortified. So that's a little tech I'm loving. So this week I had a really awesome opportunity to be with some of the future leaders really coming out into the creative world. I had the opportunity to join the ad Color Futures program and add Color is, of course an incredible company. Huge shout out to the amazing Tiffany Warren, the founder and president of ad Color and just such a special woman with a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful spirit and incredibly impactful reach and work in the world. They do this program add Color called ad Color Futures, which is all about nourishing and supporting the next generation of leaders coming up. And so they asked me to come and speak and do a Protecting your Piece workshop with the group this week, and it was amazing. I was so inspired by everyone I had a chance to talk to there and meet, and I'm firmly in the belief that I was born in the wrong generation, like I should be gen Z because every time I meet people, especially through the corporate work that I do, that are actively in the working world, the new gen Z leaders, I'm just always blown away by the depth, and I'm blown away by the creativity, the self awareness, a lot of the fearlessness. And you know, for all my fellow Jeriak millennials, you know, in large part we did a lot to help, you know, kind of usher that space in because our young working lives were steeped in one of the worst recessions when we got out of school, and the working landscape was so different, so we really had to play by so many of the old rules, even though we had revolutionary visions and desires inside. But seeing the seeing gen Z and the way that they're moving in the working world and the kind of boundaries that they hold and the kind of ideas that they're being really fearless with it inspires me deeply. So I love being with them and being able to share with them as they get ready to take over and build this world. The wisdom that I've a mass in my career, and the wisdom that I've a masked as a being, and especially the wisdom I've a mass within my expertise of well being. Because if they can be less burned out than me, I did my job. If the next generation of leaders can come from a deeper state of integrity, of grace, of impact, of desire and treat themselves better in the process so that they can have more harmony between who they are and a soul level and the work they do in the world, I've done my job. So I love, love, love every time I get a chance, not just to speak to leaders, but I love that all forms, all backgrounds, all age demographics, but especially just really sharing space and creating soft space for this next gen as they continue to stand in their truth and understand what their authentic voices and their authentic way of being in leadership is. It's just such a joy to witness and be with that. So at a wonderful time speaking to that group. And I was in conversation with a really wonderful woman who had a chance to work with a couple of years ago, to the cultural strategy director at ad color Pilar mccorter, and she's just dynamic. So every time I get a chance to be in conversation with her, it always feels so elevated. So loved that. Big thank you for that, And hopefully I'll have some stuff from there I can share soon as well. If you're listening to the show. I'm gearing up right now, actually leaving out first thing in the morning to give a keynote talk at Summit Baja, which I'm so excited about. So I'm headed to Mexico this week and I'm going to be doing a keynote with Summit. I'm also leading a second workshop with Summit, and I'm joining another cause that is so deeply close to my heart with my dear friend Maria Shriver for her incredible foundation, Women's Alzheimer's Movement WHAM. If you haven't yet, please sign up for their newsletter. It gives some of the most incredible, cutting edge data, information, articles, thoughts on women's health, and it just Yeah, it's always a really powerful companion that pops into my inbox and gets my wheels turning and gives me a lot of information that I love. So I'm going to be joining that Women's Wellness weekend and leading workshops and teaching meditation. So really excited. It's one of my last things that I'm doing before we get into twenty twenty five. Also be out at Art Basal next month if anyone is out there doing a couple events. So excited to really let this beautiful expansive twenty twenty four come to an end and go into twenty twenty five with a bang and some rest. So that's where my head's at. But let's talk about what we're diving into this month, so I know, you know, as we enter this new month, we are diving into a theme that is incredibly, incredibly close to my heart. With the world around us speeding up as it always does, especially this time of year, season is sneaking in, and there is no better time to talk about how to tangibly create safe spaces within our selves. This entire month, through every episode we approach, we're going to be exploring ways to connect with our inner calm and our inner self through rituals and remedies that bring us back to a place of grounded presence. When we are in a place of grounded presence, we have full access to the truth of who we are and the truth of our personalities and the truth of our character. Our personalities change, and our character can really get tested, our integrity can really get tested when our emotional needs and our physical needs aren't really feeling met, when we're out of whack, when our nervous system is not regulated, when our emotions are not regulated. So the more we can lean into practices and processes that support that, the more we can be our authentic self and being the truth of who we are and show up in our purpose in the most impactful way and in the most authentic and easeful way. So a lot of us have been feeling the quickening of the energy that's been around us, the sense that life moves faster than we can really even keep up with. We also might be feeling overwhelmed because of the time of year, or craving peace. Together, we're going to slow down, We're going to find balance. And this month officially, our theme is called creating safe space within Rituals and Remedies for finding your calm. So what are rituals? I know, in the last few years we've even seen that kind of language popping up a lot more. It's very ancient terminology. Rituals have always kind of been hand in hand with what it is to be in devotion. So so many religious systems, so many belief systems in Wai traditions have rituals as active parts of them. Some religions you can see it a little more obviously from the outside looking in, like Catholicism or even those in the Muslim belief there are different practices in protocols that are put in place to engage with one's faith. So in the Catholic system you might know that as even like using a rosary during prayer or in meditation. It could be using a bead in mala in prayer and going through each bead and reciting a mantra. And these are rituals that are part of daily practices. Lighting candles, right if you've come into a church and you light a candle or light a candle at home or to meditate in your safe space, that would be considered a ritual. It is something that adds to the devotional practice you are going to be doing or you are steeping yourself within. Rituals for me are are very plentiful in my life. I love to turn everything into art into beauty, into a ritual of some kind. So that is lighting sage when I first get up and before I go to bed, or an encense, doing specialized prayers that I do with myself, meditating with my mala, having different kinds of incenses that I use in ritualistic work or energy work. These are all things that for me really make me feel more open, make me feel more grounded, make me feel more connected, and it helps really take you out of your day to day grind. So you know that feeling if you're having a stressful day and you say, Okay, I'm gonna go try to meditate, and then the first thing that happens when you sit down is you feel really tense. Right, you haven't had any foreplay for the meditation, so you feel really really full of thoughts sometimes or restless. Well. Having these rituals and these practices going along with these sequences and practices that you do, it helps set the stage, It helps make it easier, It helps bring you into state of relax It helps sharpen your mastery and really get those mastery engines going. It is slow practice and process where you are bringing a lot of diligence and devotion and presence to what you're doing in preparation for you to be in your faith practice, whatever that looks like for each of us, or your nervous system regulation practice. So some of what that does is if you have open flame, that elemental energy, it is soothing you. That fire is bringing soothing into this space. You're having certain sense come into your nose, come into your physical body, that is disarming you. It's bringing you down and in so that you can more deeply connect to whatever your practice is. So if you do some of these things before prayer, it can really magnify the power of the prayer or deepen your feeling of being supported and connected to God when you're in that prayer. If you're doing these in your meditation practice, it allows you to get to that gap, that space of observation that we are always looking into when we are in a meditation practice, or if you're getting ready to be in a breath work. It helps you come down and in easier and faster, so that you can come into that grounded space and really regulate your breathing, which regulates your emotions and regulates your nervous system. So it's kind of that layered approach, and you're not going to do it all perfectly, all fast, all right away. These are different layers that you can add in. You may want to do these layers a couple times a week or multiple times a day. I'll find the perfect cadence for you. But just notice and observe and start to build your understanding of what do you like, what feels good, what makes you feel emotionally supported. It's a slow rhythm. And this is the part of the practice and the self work that I really love the most because it unlocks your creativity at such a high and deep level, and it turns some of the genius that you may have in the outside world to yourself. There are some ways that you're giving aesthetic or some of your best ideas out to monetary work, or to authority or to projects, and these are ways that you get to give all of those gifts that you possess to yourself and refine them. And that slow refinement also feeds the outer world that it feeds that inner world first and it gets really special and delicious. So to really ground everything that I'm saying, let me kind of honing it in a little further. But rituals are simple, supportive practices that are small or large. They're deeply personal, they're meaningful, they're intentional, and these are the things that we do on a regular basis to help us stay grounded. They help us tune into what we need and to support our overall well being and wellness. Rituals are not at all one size fits all. There's no magic formula to the perfect ritual. It's what you like, it's what brings you to life, it's what spiritually and energetically turns you on. They help us really know and begin to explore what truly uniquely works for us. The beauty of rituals is that they can be this be spoken, personalized, and they can be simply whatever resonates with us, whatever feels nourishing and our bodies and our soul, and whatever is more meaning for us. Especially when it comes to choosing a morning and evening rituals. Now you can do them the same, or you can have something that really invigorates you in the morning, really grounds you at night. That's when you get to get very very playful with it. So whether that means like morning meditation and afternoon walk, lighting a candle before you sleep, or even journaling for five minutes a day. It is discovering what supports you deeply well. The power of the ritual is that when we explore the different kinds, there are so many ways to create them in ways that nourish us. Grounding rituals can be really really simple. Enjoying a quiet tea can be really nice in the morning. I love to start my morning, either with a tea or with warm water with a little squeeze of lemon inside of it. That really gets me going. It gets me to wake up. I also like to the first thing I do when I wake up. I love to warm my body up by getting out of bed and doing some slow stretches. So for me, that looks like a few cat cows in and out, kind of tucking the tailbone and then pushing the hips out, head down, head up. If you're not familiar with that term cat cow, it's a yoga posture. Consider looking up some images on or videos on YouTube right now to get kind of a feel of what I'm saying. But that feels really good for me. I do slow stretching. I have some wooden tools that I use on my back and my body to get this circulation going, and I find that overall my body feels really healthy and supported throughout the day, and it helps me make sure I'm not injuring anything with any quick turns or horsing around with my son. So that is really helpful for me. Spending time in nature. Sure, so we don't all have access to this, but even if it is opening a window and taking in a deep breath from the outside, that can feel good. Depending on where you are. Get creative. You know your space better than I do. You know what part of the city you're in better than I do. That looks like for myself walking outside and immediately putting my feet in grass, looking up to the sky if the sun is out, looking up at the sun, taking in three to five deep breaths, and I do that with my son. We both do that to start our morning, and so that really feels great for the both of us. Rituals do not have to be hard. Simplicity is key. Do what you'll really do a lot of times, especially if some of us are Type A or we're perfectionists, or we're successful or used to doing things well, or just have a nice eye for detail or want to please. Can be this over perfectionism that makes everything too perfect, to pristine to actually be helpful. I do not want you to do that. Start slow, start simple, and just notice what feels good. It does not have to be instagrammable, It does not have to be so pristine and perfect. It can be ugly, it can be brief. But I just want you to lock in and start to get a feel of what works for you. Taking a few deep breaths, slowly drinking coffee, taking a breath between each sip after it goes down your throat. You're just looking to find ways to create more opportunity for presence in your life. Start building these daily practices slow. The goal is not to add more pressure to your life. I want you to integrate these rituals in your daily routine and very small, meaningful way. Whether it's five minute grounding practice in the morning or something a little bit longer. You may have time to dance in the evening. You may have time to really soak into some deep meditations, do some sna do some cold plunge, do some recapitulation. But don't let it feel pressured. You don't want to make it feel like something else. You're failing at You want it to feel beautiful for you. You wanted to feel like a reprieve. You want it to feel like a companion to your life and something that you do that's special for you simply because you deserve it. There's not necessarily an end in sight. There definitely, as I keep saying, no way to do it perfect, no way to really do it wrong, And there's no rewards you're going to get at the end of this. So take the pressure off. Just start to notice what is making life feel a little better every day. Where is a place for slight, be more delight or pleasure or smile or whatever it is that you uniquely need and want. It is a pause to help you stay connected to you and your needs. Listen to those inner signals. Listen to that inner intuition. Our bodies and minds throughout the day give us all the subtle cues when things are off or when we need something. Just like it lets us know when we're hungry, you get that tummy growl. There are other things that come up for us too that we notice. A pinon our intuition, a hid in our gut, a hid in our heart, the feeling of maybe an ache or a desire for some rest. Right, do you feel tension in your shoulders, notice it, Meet that need as you feel it, Take a breath, restlessness in your chest, or any kind of a sense of unease. These are all signals or messages from your inner self, just asking that you take a moment to pay a little more attention to your beautiful body and your beautiful life. It's really important to start to notice and recognize these signs and slow down for them in real time as you're able, and I know sometimes depending on how your work life looks, how your parent life looks, how your trauma looks, there can be different barriers to being able to access that. A simple deep breath can begin to show you where space can be made, how to make it, where you feel, how to feel It's slow, slow, slow, slow, slow. Give yourself the whole month to slowly start to observe and notice, and when you notice these signals, respond in kindness, respond with support. It is so easy to ignore these feelings, to ignore the signals, to ignore our needs and push through because so many of us have been doing it for our whole lives. This month, I want to invite you to not do it that way. Throughout this month, we're going to dive into meeting our needs with the dualistic nature of the holiday season, that mix of love and dysfunction, and sometimes that that mix of you know, real comparison between ours and other people's experiences, between things we have and things other people have. Be that material, be that familial, be that in terms of joy, be that in terms of having basic needs met. All of that can create a sense of distress and disease and start inside of our bodies this time of year. So we're going to sink into some of that as we explore this month, and we're going to go over very practical grounding practices and find ways to create more of an inner anchor. We're going to lean into meditation and breath, heart centered focus, setting intentions, and creating practice. So your soul work for this episode as we gear up to dive into this month is I want you to really spend some time with yourself, and I want you to do three things. Okay, the first one and if you have a journal, this could be really helpful. Or even if you just know you're gonna have some time in traffic and you can turn the music down and set aside sometime to think about this prompt. This could be very helpful. So your first would be I want you to take stock of what are your rituals and your remedies now in your life as it stands. What would you consider a ritual? Is it a little more elaborate, like you have the sense and the safe space and a little bit of zen. Or is it a little more natural to the flow of your day, like you're drinking that tea, you're drinking that coffee with a little more intention, you're grounding your feet. Come up with your list of what you can already identify that you do, and if it's nothing, that's okay too, because that is also the point of this moment. We can start from scratch. The next thing would be, I want you to start to notice this time of year, especially going into this moment, what are some of your needs? Really make a list. What are some of the pressures that may be coming up for you right now? Is it related to holidays, spending? Is it related to maybe just thinking a lot and planning about what the next year is going to be. Is it related to family? How do you feel this type of year? What is your truth. What is the truth of what your life looks like in the holidays? What is the truth of how family looks and expresses itself to you? How do you feel when you're in these moments? Notice it. I want you to just start taking stocks so that we can approach them over the course of these next couple of episodes. And we know where your curriculum lies. So what is your work to be done? If we are going to be exploring a system regulation, if we're going to be exploring holiday season and some of the blues of this time of the year and some of the strengths, and if we're gearing up to really support ourselves with a practice that can push us through twenty twenty five, notice that, what are your needs? And then I want you, as the third thing, to think, what is the deeper intention? What is a deeper desire? Not just the need, but what is a deeper, deeper, deeper desire for you in this moment? What are some of the cravings of your heart? Who will you be? How will you feel if you can have a life that feels a little more harmonized, a little more healed, a little more whole, a little less reactive. How do you feel about the idea of getting closer with your body right now, of getting closer with your inner world? I want you to notice, I want you to write to it a lie little bit. Thank you for joining me this episode. I hope that we are able to create an inner sanctuary together. My desire and my intention is for you to feel equipped with calming practices that feed your purpose and the truth of who you are. We've just released a new playlist on our Spotify ritual gems. I hope you'll check that out. I hope you'll download the pdf, sign up for the newsletter, and I can't wait to explore all of these things with you. Thank you for joining now, mist Stay. The content presented on Deeply Wells serves solely for educational and informational purposes. It should not be considered a replacement for personalized medical or mental health guidance and does not constitute a provider patient relationship. As always, it is advisable to consult with your healthcare provider or health team for any specific concerns or questions that you may have. Connect with me on social at Debbie Brown that's Twitter and Instagram, or you can go to my website Debbie Brown dot com and if you're listening to the show on Apple Podcasts, don't forget, Please rate, review, and subscribe and send this episode to a friend. Deeply Well is a production of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect Network. It's produced by Jacquess Thomas, Samantha Timmins, and me Debbie Brown. The Beautiful Soundbath You heard That's by Jarrelen Glass from Crystal Cadence. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Take a deep breath in through your nose. Hold it now, release slowly again, deep in, helle hold release, repeating internally to yourself as you connect to my voice. I am deeply, deeply well. I am deeply well. I am deeply I'm Debbie Brown and this is the Deeply Well Podcast. Welcome to Deeply Well, a soft place to land on your journey. A podcast for those that are curious, creative, and ready to expand in higher consciousness and self care. This is where we heal, this is where we transcend. Welcome back to the Deeply Well Podcast. Of course, I am your host, Debbie Brown, and as always, it is such a pleasure to have you here. I have been so loving seeing the sacred spaces that have been pouring through into Instagram as you listen to these episodes. I've mean getting the journaling homework for everyone who has been downloading the PDFs. And just a reminder if you are someone that is actively looking to do the work while you explore these episodes and as you move through your life. Starting this season, every month we provide a PDF that you can download, you can print out, you can work with on a tablet that supports each episode. For the month, So there will be some journal prompts, journal inquiries, and I've been seeing them pouring in and I am just like wow, blown away. Some listening that have shared their journaling have been like taking close pictures, so I've been able to see some of the things you've been writing and oh my god, ooh, we are in this world deep. So just if you are listening and watching right now, and you were currently in a place where you are just rigorously in your work, you can do this. Keep going, keep going, breaking through that upper limits. It's literally like that meme of watching someone digging for diamonds and stopping right before they get to the diamond. You are almost there. The breakthrough moment is coming, and then you get to make some new choices and have fun with some new experiences. So keep going. So dope to see that, all right, This week we are officially introducing really the bigger theme of the month. We had to change course a little bit because some things in our world and political systems shifted, so to be timely, you know, we dated the show schedule. But I have been so so so excited to dive into this month's theme with everyone. This month, we are going to be exploring so many ways to get into our bodies and to invite in ritualistic practice that can really support us as we get ready one for winter and two for the next big calendar year of our lives. Twenty twenty five is upon us. First things first, just a little bit of check in some stuff that has been on my mind in my world. You know, I hope everyone has really been taking generous care of their hearts and their bodies there for many there was a big, big blow last week that we talked about on this show, and I share that, you know, I was my body was really having strong reactions going through it. Really grateful to save. I'm feeling so much better. Got some acupunctureing and got some cupping, did a lot of slow stretching, and really tried to surrender as often as I could to whatever would have been the easier choice of the day in each of the moments that I was able to do that, and it was really supportive and helpful. So hope everyone has been with their body in a slower way, in a new way, and even going into winter. Right now, as I record this episode, it is November. As we're getting into some of the colder times and colder seasons. It's such a special time to just nourish. You know, this is one of the times of the year that can be most activating to the nervous system, and it's also the time of the year that we're not supposed to be doing anything biologically. All the animals go in, right, they go into hibernation, they go underground, they go in their caves, they go into their warmth. They've stored up, they've eaten, so that all they need to do for the next few months is be in hibernation and just be in rest. Is really be an expected energy of what their bodies and their hearts and their brains know is to come in the spring, and we should be considering that in the same ways, especially in this time of year that so many of us are going to be very activated because it's holiday time. So no matter what your relationship with the people in your life is, this is a time where we are around more people than normal, some of us anyways, where you might be kind of in a lot of traffic, the stores are going to be a little bit more crowded. People are going to be really kind of having a lot of layers to what their emotional experiences. You may or may not be with your family more or less, and that may or may not be triggering more or less right, depending on our unique lives and our family systems. There's a lot of pressure on how you should feel about yourself, how you should feel about your family, how you should feel about your life this time of year. Notice that what's yours? What isn't? What's societal pressure, what's familial pressure? What do you want? You know? It's a great time to investigate and a great time to do less, to get warm, to eat savory things, and to take extra care with your body, doing things like taking warm baths, getting in that sauna, taking a little bit longer, to apply a thicker lotion to your body. Right, take pleasure in those things if you're able, take time to slow down and see how it feels to be more intentional and notice the current of the moment. Right, what is naturally coming up right now for you? And what does that have to do with the season, What does that have to do with past experiences with family? What does that have to do with how you relate to this time of year? For whatever the reasons may be, but it's a great time to put on that observer hat and really get nice and deep. So I've been thinking a lot about that myself. I've been, you know, really noticing I don't love how dark it gets so early, Like what where is my day? It's crazy, Like it's been getting dark at like four point thirty at my house lately, and I'm just like, ooh, I'm ready to just curl up off top. It's hard to get me out of the house, but this time of year, you really will not see me anywhere. So I've been leaning into that, and I've been trying to just say, what do I really need. Something I've been enjoying a lot more that I've been trying to take more intentional time with is infra red light therapy. I have one in the sauna that I that I use, but I got a lamp of it on Amazon recently. My acupuncturist had one, and I noticed that every time she would target it like in my core, on my stomach, or lay on my back and just target it on my back, I always felt so much better when I left. So I've been trying to be really diligent with that, and even if I'm in bed at the end of the day, kind of catching up on a few things. I'll pop that on and point it somewhere on my body. It was a pretty reasonable price point on Amazon, if that's possible for everyone, but it's made kind of a big difference, and so I'm already kind of noticing that that might be my thing for winter because the extra warmth too, and yeah, I'm just trying to feel fortified. So that's a little tech I'm loving. So this week I had a really awesome opportunity to be with some of the future leaders really coming out into the creative world. I had the opportunity to join the ad Color Futures program and add Color is, of course an incredible company. Huge shout out to the amazing Tiffany Warren, the founder and president of ad Color and just such a special woman with a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful spirit and incredibly impactful reach and work in the world. They do this program add Color called ad Color Futures, which is all about nourishing and supporting the next generation of leaders coming up. And so they asked me to come and speak and do a Protecting your Piece workshop with the group this week, and it was amazing. I was so inspired by everyone I had a chance to talk to there and meet, and I'm firmly in the belief that I was born in the wrong generation, like I should be gen Z because every time I meet people, especially through the corporate work that I do, that are actively in the working world, the new gen Z leaders, I'm just always blown away by the depth, and I'm blown away by the creativity, the self awareness, a lot of the fearlessness. And you know, for all my fellow Jeriak millennials, you know, in large part we did a lot to help, you know, kind of usher that space in because our young working lives were steeped in one of the worst recessions when we got out of school, and the working landscape was so different, so we really had to play by so many of the old rules, even though we had revolutionary visions and desires inside. But seeing the seeing gen Z and the way that they're moving in the working world and the kind of boundaries that they hold and the kind of ideas that they're being really fearless with it inspires me deeply. So I love being with them and being able to share with them as they get ready to take over and build this world. The wisdom that I've a mass in my career, and the wisdom that I've a masked as a being, and especially the wisdom I've a mass within my expertise of well being. Because if they can be less burned out than me, I did my job. If the next generation of leaders can come from a deeper state of integrity, of grace, of impact, of desire and treat themselves better in the process so that they can have more harmony between who they are and a soul level and the work they do in the world, I've done my job. So I love, love, love every time I get a chance, not just to speak to leaders, but I love that all forms, all backgrounds, all age demographics, but especially just really sharing space and creating soft space for this next gen as they continue to stand in their truth and understand what their authentic voices and their authentic way of being in leadership is. It's just such a joy to witness and be with that. So at a wonderful time speaking to that group. And I was in conversation with a really wonderful woman who had a chance to work with a couple of years ago, to the cultural strategy director at ad color Pilar mccorter, and she's just dynamic. So every time I get a chance to be in conversation with her, it always feels so elevated. So loved that. Big thank you for that, And hopefully I'll have some stuff from there I can share soon as well. If you're listening to the show. I'm gearing up right now, actually leaving out first thing in the morning to give a keynote talk at Summit Baja, which I'm so excited about. So I'm headed to Mexico this week and I'm going to be doing a keynote with Summit. I'm also leading a second workshop with Summit, and I'm joining another cause that is so deeply close to my heart with my dear friend Maria Shriver for her incredible foundation, Women's Alzheimer's Movement WHAM. If you haven't yet, please sign up for their newsletter. It gives some of the most incredible, cutting edge data, information, articles, thoughts on women's health, and it just Yeah, it's always a really powerful companion that pops into my inbox and gets my wheels turning and gives me a lot of information that I love. So I'm going to be joining that Women's Wellness weekend and leading workshops and teaching meditation. So really excited. It's one of my last things that I'm doing before we get into twenty twenty five. Also be out at Art Basal next month if anyone is out there doing a couple events. So excited to really let this beautiful expansive twenty twenty four come to an end and go into twenty twenty five with a bang and some rest. So that's where my head's at. But let's talk about what we're diving into this month, so I know, you know, as we enter this new month, we are diving into a theme that is incredibly, incredibly close to my heart. With the world around us speeding up as it always does, especially this time of year, season is sneaking in, and there is no better time to talk about how to tangibly create safe spaces within our selves. This entire month, through every episode we approach, we're going to be exploring ways to connect with our inner calm and our inner self through rituals and remedies that bring us back to a place of grounded presence. When we are in a place of grounded presence, we have full access to the truth of who we are and the truth of our personalities and the truth of our character. Our personalities change, and our character can really get tested, our integrity can really get tested when our emotional needs and our physical needs aren't really feeling met, when we're out of whack, when our nervous system is not regulated, when our emotions are not regulated. So the more we can lean into practices and processes that support that, the more we can be our authentic self and being the truth of who we are and show up in our purpose in the most impactful way and in the most authentic and easeful way. So a lot of us have been feeling the quickening of the energy that's been around us, the sense that life moves faster than we can really even keep up with. We also might be feeling overwhelmed because of the time of year, or craving peace. Together, we're going to slow down, We're going to find balance. And this month officially, our theme is called creating safe space within Rituals and Remedies for finding your calm. So what are rituals? I know, in the last few years we've even seen that kind of language popping up a lot more. It's very ancient terminology. Rituals have always kind of been hand in hand with what it is to be in devotion. So so many religious systems, so many belief systems in Wai traditions have rituals as active parts of them. Some religions you can see it a little more obviously from the outside looking in, like Catholicism or even those in the Muslim belief there are different practices in protocols that are put in place to engage with one's faith. So in the Catholic system you might know that as even like using a rosary during prayer or in meditation. It could be using a bead in mala in prayer and going through each bead and reciting a mantra. And these are rituals that are part of daily practices. Lighting candles, right if you've come into a church and you light a candle or light a candle at home or to meditate in your safe space, that would be considered a ritual. It is something that adds to the devotional practice you are going to be doing or you are steeping yourself within. Rituals for me are are very plentiful in my life. I love to turn everything into art into beauty, into a ritual of some kind. So that is lighting sage when I first get up and before I go to bed, or an encense, doing specialized prayers that I do with myself, meditating with my mala, having different kinds of incenses that I use in ritualistic work or energy work. These are all things that for me really make me feel more open, make me feel more grounded, make me feel more connected, and it helps really take you out of your day to day grind. So you know that feeling if you're having a stressful day and you say, Okay, I'm gonna go try to meditate, and then the first thing that happens when you sit down is you feel really tense. Right, you haven't had any foreplay for the meditation, so you feel really really full of thoughts sometimes or restless. Well. Having these rituals and these practices going along with these sequences and practices that you do, it helps set the stage, It helps make it easier, It helps bring you into state of relax It helps sharpen your mastery and really get those mastery engines going. It is slow practice and process where you are bringing a lot of diligence and devotion and presence to what you're doing in preparation for you to be in your faith practice, whatever that looks like for each of us, or your nervous system regulation practice. So some of what that does is if you have open flame, that elemental energy, it is soothing you. That fire is bringing soothing into this space. You're having certain sense come into your nose, come into your physical body, that is disarming you. It's bringing you down and in so that you can more deeply connect to whatever your practice is. So if you do some of these things before prayer, it can really magnify the power of the prayer or deepen your feeling of being supported and connected to God when you're in that prayer. If you're doing these in your meditation practice, it allows you to get to that gap, that space of observation that we are always looking into when we are in a meditation practice, or if you're getting ready to be in a breath work. It helps you come down and in easier and faster, so that you can come into that grounded space and really regulate your breathing, which regulates your emotions and regulates your nervous system. So it's kind of that layered approach, and you're not going to do it all perfectly, all fast, all right away. These are different layers that you can add in. You may want to do these layers a couple times a week or multiple times a day. I'll find the perfect cadence for you. But just notice and observe and start to build your understanding of what do you like, what feels good, what makes you feel emotionally supported. It's a slow rhythm. And this is the part of the practice and the self work that I really love the most because it unlocks your creativity at such a high and deep level, and it turns some of the genius that you may have in the outside world to yourself. There are some ways that you're giving aesthetic or some of your best ideas out to monetary work, or to authority or to projects, and these are ways that you get to give all of those gifts that you possess to yourself and refine them. And that slow refinement also feeds the outer world that it feeds that inner world first and it gets really special and delicious. So to really ground everything that I'm saying, let me kind of honing it in a little further. But rituals are simple, supportive practices that are small or large. They're deeply personal, they're meaningful, they're intentional, and these are the things that we do on a regular basis to help us stay grounded. They help us tune into what we need and to support our overall well being and wellness. Rituals are not at all one size fits all. There's no magic formula to the perfect ritual. It's what you like, it's what brings you to life, it's what spiritually and energetically turns you on. They help us really know and begin to explore what truly uniquely works for us. The beauty of rituals is that they can be this be spoken, personalized, and they can be simply whatever resonates with us, whatever feels nourishing and our bodies and our soul, and whatever is more meaning for us. Especially when it comes to choosing a morning and evening rituals. Now you can do them the same, or you can have something that really invigorates you in the morning, really grounds you at night. That's when you get to get very very playful with it. So whether that means like morning meditation and afternoon walk, lighting a candle before you sleep, or even journaling for five minutes a day. It is discovering what supports you deeply well. The power of the ritual is that when we explore the different kinds, there are so many ways to create them in ways that nourish us. Grounding rituals can be really really simple. Enjoying a quiet tea can be really nice in the morning. I love to start my morning, either with a tea or with warm water with a little squeeze of lemon inside of it. That really gets me going. It gets me to wake up. I also like to the first thing I do when I wake up. I love to warm my body up by getting out of bed and doing some slow stretches. So for me, that looks like a few cat cows in and out, kind of tucking the tailbone and then pushing the hips out, head down, head up. If you're not familiar with that term cat cow, it's a yoga posture. Consider looking up some images on or videos on YouTube right now to get kind of a feel of what I'm saying. But that feels really good for me. I do slow stretching. I have some wooden tools that I use on my back and my body to get this circulation going, and I find that overall my body feels really healthy and supported throughout the day, and it helps me make sure I'm not injuring anything with any quick turns or horsing around with my son. So that is really helpful for me. Spending time in nature. Sure, so we don't all have access to this, but even if it is opening a window and taking in a deep breath from the outside, that can feel good. Depending on where you are. Get creative. You know your space better than I do. You know what part of the city you're in better than I do. That looks like for myself walking outside and immediately putting my feet in grass, looking up to the sky if the sun is out, looking up at the sun, taking in three to five deep breaths, and I do that with my son. We both do that to start our morning, and so that really feels great for the both of us. Rituals do not have to be hard. Simplicity is key. Do what you'll really do a lot of times, especially if some of us are Type A or we're perfectionists, or we're successful or used to doing things well, or just have a nice eye for detail or want to please. Can be this over perfectionism that makes everything too perfect, to pristine to actually be helpful. I do not want you to do that. Start slow, start simple, and just notice what feels good. It does not have to be instagrammable, It does not have to be so pristine and perfect. It can be ugly, it can be brief. But I just want you to lock in and start to get a feel of what works for you. Taking a few deep breaths, slowly drinking coffee, taking a breath between each sip after it goes down your throat. You're just looking to find ways to create more opportunity for presence in your life. Start building these daily practices slow. The goal is not to add more pressure to your life. I want you to integrate these rituals in your daily routine and very small, meaningful way. Whether it's five minute grounding practice in the morning or something a little bit longer. You may have time to dance in the evening. You may have time to really soak into some deep meditations, do some sna do some cold plunge, do some recapitulation. But don't let it feel pressured. You don't want to make it feel like something else. You're failing at You want it to feel beautiful for you. You wanted to feel like a reprieve. You want it to feel like a companion to your life and something that you do that's special for you simply because you deserve it. There's not necessarily an end in sight. There definitely, as I keep saying, no way to do it perfect, no way to really do it wrong, And there's no rewards you're going to get at the end of this. So take the pressure off. Just start to notice what is making life feel a little better every day. Where is a place for slight, be more delight or pleasure or smile or whatever it is that you uniquely need and want. It is a pause to help you stay connected to you and your needs. Listen to those inner signals. Listen to that inner intuition. Our bodies and minds throughout the day give us all the subtle cues when things are off or when we need something. Just like it lets us know when we're hungry, you get that tummy growl. There are other things that come up for us too that we notice. A pinon our intuition, a hid in our gut, a hid in our heart, the feeling of maybe an ache or a desire for some rest. Right, do you feel tension in your shoulders, notice it, Meet that need as you feel it, Take a breath, restlessness in your chest, or any kind of a sense of unease. These are all signals or messages from your inner self, just asking that you take a moment to pay a little more attention to your beautiful body and your beautiful life. It's really important to start to notice and recognize these signs and slow down for them in real time as you're able, and I know sometimes depending on how your work life looks, how your parent life looks, how your trauma looks, there can be different barriers to being able to access that. A simple deep breath can begin to show you where space can be made, how to make it, where you feel, how to feel It's slow, slow, slow, slow, slow. Give yourself the whole month to slowly start to observe and notice, and when you notice these signals, respond in kindness, respond with support. It is so easy to ignore these feelings, to ignore the signals, to ignore our needs and push through because so many of us have been doing it for our whole lives. This month, I want to invite you to not do it that way. Throughout this month, we're going to dive into meeting our needs with the dualistic nature of the holiday season, that mix of love and dysfunction, and sometimes that that mix of you know, real comparison between ours and other people's experiences, between things we have and things other people have. Be that material, be that familial, be that in terms of joy, be that in terms of having basic needs met. All of that can create a sense of distress and disease and start inside of our bodies this time of year. So we're going to sink into some of that as we explore this month, and we're going to go over very practical grounding practices and find ways to create more of an inner anchor. We're going to lean into meditation and breath, heart centered focus, setting intentions, and creating practice. So your soul work for this episode as we gear up to dive into this month is I want you to really spend some time with yourself, and I want you to do three things. Okay, the first one and if you have a journal, this could be really helpful. Or even if you just know you're gonna have some time in traffic and you can turn the music down and set aside sometime to think about this prompt. This could be very helpful. So your first would be I want you to take stock of what are your rituals and your remedies now in your life as it stands. What would you consider a ritual? Is it a little more elaborate, like you have the sense and the safe space and a little bit of zen. Or is it a little more natural to the flow of your day, like you're drinking that tea, you're drinking that coffee with a little more intention, you're grounding your feet. Come up with your list of what you can already identify that you do, and if it's nothing, that's okay too, because that is also the point of this moment. We can start from scratch. The next thing would be, I want you to start to notice this time of year, especially going into this moment, what are some of your needs? Really make a list. What are some of the pressures that may be coming up for you right now? Is it related to holidays, spending? Is it related to maybe just thinking a lot and planning about what the next year is going to be. Is it related to family? How do you feel this type of year? What is your truth. What is the truth of what your life looks like in the holidays? What is the truth of how family looks and expresses itself to you? How do you feel when you're in these moments? Notice it. I want you to just start taking stocks so that we can approach them over the course of these next couple of episodes. And we know where your curriculum lies. So what is your work to be done? If we are going to be exploring a system regulation, if we're going to be exploring holiday season and some of the blues of this time of the year and some of the strengths, and if we're gearing up to really support ourselves with a practice that can push us through twenty twenty five, notice that, what are your needs? And then I want you, as the third thing, to think, what is the deeper intention? What is a deeper desire? Not just the need, but what is a deeper, deeper, deeper desire for you in this moment? What are some of the cravings of your heart? Who will you be? How will you feel if you can have a life that feels a little more harmonized, a little more healed, a little more whole, a little less reactive. How do you feel about the idea of getting closer with your body right now, of getting closer with your inner world? I want you to notice, I want you to write to it a lie little bit. Thank you for joining me this episode. I hope that we are able to create an inner sanctuary together. My desire and my intention is for you to feel equipped with calming practices that feed your purpose and the truth of who you are. We've just released a new playlist on our Spotify ritual gems. I hope you'll check that out. I hope you'll download the pdf, sign up for the newsletter, and I can't wait to explore all of these things with you. Thank you for joining now, mist Stay. The content presented on Deeply Wells serves solely for educational and informational purposes. It should not be considered a replacement for personalized medical or mental health guidance and does not constitute a provider patient relationship. As always, it is advisable to consult with your healthcare provider or health team for any specific concerns or questions that you may have. Connect with me on social at Debbie Brown that's Twitter and Instagram, or you can go to my website Debbie Brown dot com and if you're listening to the show on Apple Podcasts, don't forget, Please rate, review, and subscribe and send this episode to a friend. Deeply Well is a production of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect Network. It's produced by Jacquess Thomas, Samantha Timmins, and me Debbie Brown. The Beautiful Soundbath You heard That's by Jarrelen Glass from Crystal Cadence. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.