Start your new year with clarity and purpose!

A Dry January and Social Media Detox can be your ultimate reset button, providing both your body and mind with the rejuvenating break they deserve. Here’s your 30-day guide to disconnecting from endless scrolling and embracing a healthier, happier you.

Below are some helpful tips for success. Maybe you’re already practicing some of these. Have a scan and see where you currently rank.

Week 1: Set the Tone

• Declutter Your Feeds: Unfollow accounts that drain your energy or distract from your goals. Set time limits for apps to reduce temptation and reclaim your time. Unsubscribe from most of your emails.

• Journal Your “Why”: Write down your goals and how you’ll benefit from this reset. Whether it’s for physical health, mental clarity, better sleep, or more free time, having your intentions clear can keep you focused.

Week 2: Establish New Habits

• Find Your Fun: Replace happy hour with healthier, fulfilling activities like yoga, walking, or pursuing creative hobbies that bring joy.

• Digital-Free Evenings: Dedicate time (most if not all) in the evening before bed to read, meditate, or unwind without screens, creating space for a more restful sleep routine.

• Track Your Progress: Celebrate small wins—whether it’s waking up refreshed or noticing less anxiety. Tracking progress will reinforce your commitment.

Week 3: Stay Motivated

• Lean on Community: Share your journey with friends or join online groups for Dry January or digital detox support. The sense of community can keep you going.

• Try a Challenge: Experiment with new recipes, mindfulness exercises, or fitness routines to keep things interesting and engaging.

• Reassess Your Feeds: Reflect on your social media habits. Revisit your feed and decide what truly adds value and aligns with your goals moving forward.

Week 4: Reflect & Recharge

• Evaluate Your Gains: Take note of the physical and mental improvements—better focus, more energy, or deeper connections. Recognising progress can be a huge motivator.

• Create a Balanced Plan: Consider which habits you’d like to maintain long-term, such as social media-free mornings or mindfulness routines, to ensure lasting benefits.

• Celebrate You: Treat yourself to something that aligns with your goals—a spa day, a new book, or quality time with loved ones. Your success deserves to be celebrated!

Share Steamy Mystical Musings

Suggested Do’s & Don’ts:

Replace, Don’t Deprive: Swap old habits for activities that bring joy and relaxation. This isn’t about depriving yourself but enriching your life.

Stay Present: Practice mindfulness throughout the month. Fully experience the benefits of your detox by being present in each moment.

Be Kind to Yourself: This is a journey of progress, not perfection. If you slip up, gently refocus and keep moving forward.

Transform January into a month of self-discovery and empowerment as this 30-day reset will leave you refreshed, recharged, and ready to take on the year ahead with clarity and confidence.

PROMO: 20% off your Annual Subscription

Purposeful Intention Setting for a Digital Detox:

Setting intentions is a powerful way to focus your energy and create a clear path forward. Intentions provide a sense of purpose, helping you align your actions with your goals. Research suggests that when intentions are paired with specific actions, they significantly increase the likelihood of success.

By articulating what you hope to achieve, you make it easier to stay motivated and track progress. Intentions also serve as a reminder, especially when challenges arise, allowing you to stay grounded and true to your purpose. Without clear intentions, it’s easy to become distracted or lose sight of your goals.

1. Reconnect with Yourself: Dedicate time each day for personal reflection, journaling, or meditation.

2. Prioritise Real-Life Connections: Focus on deepening relationships with family and friends by being present.

3. Cultivate Mindfulness: Engage in activities like yoga or walking without distractions.

4. Rediscover Offline Joys: Explore hobbies or simple activities that bring peace and inspiration.

5. Set Boundaries for Digital Wellness: Create clear guidelines for when and how to use social media after your detox.

6. Focus on Personal Growth: Invest time in learning, self-care, or developing new skills.

7. Embrace Gratitude: Keep a gratitude journal to reflect on the positive impacts of the detox.

8. Gain Clarity: Use this time to reassess your priorities and how social media affects your life.

How much of what’s suggested here are you already practicing in action?

Can you find a better balance and stick to it for the coming year?

Leave a comment

Save this article in your library and revisit around New Year’s Eve. Use these notes— and I’ll be honest here… ChatGPT totally helped to finalise 😑 —as a guideline for planning sustainable and healthier habits in the coming year.

We 💪 can 💪 do 💪 it!

Namaste xx

Audra

I have some new subscribers joining and have had some questions from others within my network about using Substack.

Firstly, I’m not a total Substack fan as I do have a fair share of viable complaints. In fact, today, yet again, I just sent over another email to their not-so-helpful customer support. Please send some thoughts and prayers as I still work out glitches leftover from a hack and duplication of my account earlier this year. BIG SIGH 😮‍💨

But, what I do like about Substack, is the diversity of user-friendly features. The media assets offered as free templates in your dashboard, like this embedded audio clip in this article where I cover how to start a basic meditation practice. Substack makes it super easy to stay anonymous, or add your own special personal touch if you’d rather that be your thing.

Share Steamy Mystical Musings

Today, I write about softer topics, eventually…

In my messages and daily encounters, I’m hearing so much pain shared—from stories of uncertainty, fear, to a looming every present collective fatigue that seems to sweep across the globe these days. It's as if we’re all bracing for an questionable future, caught in a whirlwind of emotions that demand grounding from our roots.

Over here in Holland 🇳🇱 we've got some issues brewing alongside problems that other EU countries share. When I first left USA to move abroad in 2005, I found The Netherlands to be a quaint, slower version of the America I was leaving behind. Life, overall, just moved slower. It felt like what I imagine 1950s America being like, but with women having more rights.

Fast forward to 2024, and things have shifted. The shadows of nationalism, fascism, and an encroaching police state loom large, especially with WW3 knocking at everyone's door.

So let’s pause together for a moment.

Take a deep breath in…

Hold that breath at the top of your inhalation, and pause for a second...

Then, exhale slowly...

And pause again, at the bottom of the exhalation.

Okay, then, repeat that three more times...

Close your eyes if you can and just feel what is feels like to be present in your body.

What does it feel like to occupy this space in this moment?

Leave a comment

Patience. Practice. Dedication.

Senior Restorative yoga teachers, Judith & talk much about finding liminal space—that in-between state where you’re not rushing toward anything, or holding onto the past.

And while, my brain understands this as a meditative exercise practicing present moment awareness in finding the space between breaths, and thoughts, I now start to recognise finding these liminal spaces in other parts of my life.

Eventually this becomes a daily mindful practice if you can find a moment to sit uninterrupted… and be still.

Over time, I’ve learned to find these liminal moments in my everyday life. It’s not easy, but with patience and practice, these moments expand.

This entire month has felt like a waiting period where I’ve needed to force myself to take my normal speed down a few notches. Feeling the comfort in more solitude and rest, leaving me to prioritise finding moments to ground, or hunker down in my body.

Perhaps it's an annual hibernation habit, but this season feels particularly powerful to retreat deeply within with all that’s going on in the world and in our interpersonal relationships.

Practicing breathing retention mirrors the action of finding the space between. We pause at the top of an inhale and again if you’d like, at the bottom of an exhale...

letting the world still itself...

for a second or two…

In those seconds, something magical happens. The mind clears. The senses dim. All that is left either looks like light behind closed eyes, or feels light with a lack of oxygen.

This practice reminds me of the immense power we hold in taking for granted something as simple as breathing. With a solid consistent breathing practice in place, we find a purpose that is created in intention, and becomes surprisingly healing to self-sustain our life’s vitality (or prana1).

Share

As we move into the final weeks of 2024, I encourage you to take a breath—literally and figuratively. Reflect on these questions:

🚪 What doors need to be firmly closed before the year ends?

♻️ What’s still worth salvaging and carrying forward?

💭 How can you carve out 10-20 minutes a day for breath work, meditation, or reflection?

Let’s face the future with clarity, purpose, dedication, and yes—a little patience.

Subscribe now

Hey, are you just getting started with a finding a breathing and/or mediation practice that works for you? I recommend saving these articles👇 for when you have time.

Namaste xx

Audra

Anxiety, panic attacks, and loneliness have become ever-present in our daily lives.

Many of us either experience these struggles personally or know several colleagues,…

Read more

I was recently chatting with my lifer friend and fellow yoga teacher, Jacqui Sunshine, about interpersonal relationships and how dynamics change over time with our long-standing bonds. Whether it be …

Read more

Girl, Bye!

As the pandemic swept through in Spring 2020, I found myself taking a cold, hard look at my inner circle. What I saw was a landscape littered with symptoms of burnout and life-altering transitions. I found this meme somewhere and quickly had an a-ha moment.

Being an Aries Moon with a Leo Ascendant, passion and drama play out innately strong in themes of my life, and managing chaotic moments has become a standard survival tactic. Though, what begins as a coping mechanism often morphs into an endless routine of extinguishing fires. And often fires started by other people, draw endless attention to incidents that I was tired of being burned by.

Many of the folks I had in my life at that time, like I was prior, were not aware of their own level of burnout, or at least not to what extent. I slowly realised I was operating in a bubble full of “sick” people. Lives played out and events turned, and we all have somehow found a reset while continuing to dredge the road of happy destinies.

Logging off

Amidst this turmoil, I found myself entrenched in the corporate world, serving as an executive assistant in a fancy setting with fancy tasks for fancy people. Despite the allure of this environment, a call from my past prompted a profound realisation—I needed to prioritise my role as a mother, especially with the onset of the pandemic in Holland. Physically and emotionally drained from navigating the aftermath of a separation from my husband, I made the decision to step away from my job.

My resignation was met with understanding from my bosses, who also happened to be the company's leaders. Over a decade of dedication had proven my worth, allowing me to make my exit with a simple declaration: "I don't feel good and need to go home to rest."

The decision was driven by a heavy emotional burden—surrounded by a world in turmoil, coping with personal upheavals, and the complexities of divorce. 

Subscribe now

Control. Alt. Delete.

Living in Europe afforded me the legal protection to prioritise both my physical and mental health, offering paid time off as mandated by law. Despite my affinity for my job, burnout loomed, fuelled in part by the exhaustion of maintaining a facade.

At work, I could be my authentic self, basking in validation and camaraderie. Yet, returning home felt less like a respite and more like a jail sentence, as I thrived in social settings, finding solace in being a people-pleaser and social butterfly for the majority of my day.

The pandemic prompted a seismic shift in my perspective on parenthood. Previously, my value was tethered to my workplace contributions, but post-separation, my definition of home underwent a profound transformation. Surrounded by illness and isolation, I fast-forwarded through worst-case scenarios, drawing on my past experiences with depression to prioritise self-care and solitude.

Recognising the events being surrounded by people falling ill and being isolated at home, I could quickly fast forward with a worst case scenario for my own mental well-being. Being diagnosed with depression at a young age, and experiencing various levels of situational and environmental high/low blows throughout life, I had already learned enough to know I needed time to rest in solitude for my nervous system to process what I was about to go through. 

My bosses offered their blessings and I aligned therapy treatments with a support team of professionals. Then, I went home and went to bed for six months.

Leave a comment

Letting go of chaos

In the whirlwind of 2020, as the world grappled with unprecedented challenges, I found myself immersed in a journey of self-discovery and reinvention. The pandemic served as a catalyst for profound personal growth, prompting me to embrace a staycation—my own staycation version of a "Eat, Pray, Love" moment.

Amidst the chaos, I found moments of clarity and renewal, shedding old habits and embracing new perspectives. I came off most of my prescription medicines and lost 45 kilos in under nine months. I was able to have moments spent at home with my kids, learning new ways to be a mother. I reduced the amount of people I had in my life adding depth to the relationships that were most impactful. And, resting in solitude prevailed throughout most of my time spent while in recovery mode.

It was for real shadowy for a solid year, give or take a few months, as the process of purging and elimination can be quite thorough and long-lasting.

Alarms are alarming

In our fast-paced, hyperconnected world, it's easy to accept numbness as a norm, as this was very much my own story and unraveling. My journey through burnout revealed that it wasn't any one thing that led me to that breaking point, but rather the relentless pressure to keep up with a modern-day westernised ‘American Dream’ reality that didn't align with what makes me feel authentically happy.

It took time, but I eventually learned to embrace that numbness and find peace within it. Surrendering to it wasn't easy—it felt like an endless dark night of the soul. But through that struggle, I came to understand that many of the mental health challenges we face are symptoms of the societies and cultures we've learned to adapt to.

From geopolitical tensions to personal reflections on mental health

Looking to mental health topics and awareness being on the rise, we can start to make sense that many of these mental and emotional (dis)eases are directly related to the insane realities of the societies and cultures we’ve learned to adapt to under hyper-capitalism. But that’s another topic for another day.

Subscribe now

Deep in Reflection & Observation

During recovery of a heavy burnout, and for the hours I was awake, I sat around staring at walls sensing for solutions to appear. This was in practice of daily sadhana which includes, yoga asana, meditation, both active and silent, journaling, study, and some form of daily cardio.

I realised it was exactly what I had asked for years prior, but I never had the time to spend since I was otherwise busy working, producing, caring for anyone other than myself.

For me, finding the courage to end my marriage took energy I didn’t have during the years I spent in the marriage trying to save it. The time during the pandemic, being single, forcing myself to spend time alone when I didn’t have my kids taught me to value the relationships of those closest to me. But I woke to realise I didn’t feel emotionally safe around most people I was surrounded by. 

Leave a comment

Living My Yoga - Grace in Sovereignty

As a longtime yogi, I realised I had abandoned my spiritual practice but had a newly found opportunity to reignite it during the pandemic. I turned to my practice for guidance and inspiration during lockdown and processing a divorce. Spending more time in philosophical studies and textual guidance. Having virtual classes and online resources with my teachers located all over the world became my lifeline, helping me take small steps towards my goals even when my energy was low.

I’ll conclude with a ‘living my yoga’ musing I wrote and had stuck on a post-it note on the underside of my fancy ergonomical desk when I worked in corporate HR:

“At the end of the day, you are just a number on a spreadsheet. It’s not personal, so don’t take yourself so seriously in this environment. Be authentically you, no matter how many flags HR receives on your behalf. Processing harsh feedback is what brings more strength in authenticity.”

These moments are learning opportunities. If you’re not learning, you’re not evolving.

This audio pod included in this article offers as a way to condense text, ya know…to protect burnout brain and all.

I share more input here, so for readers wishing for a deeper dive there’s a call to action for a boundary exercise I’ve learned in therapy that has been tested with success. I invite you to have a leisurely listen and enjoy the mindful meditation which is grounded in the below affirmations.

Let's end with being grateful for this day, and for this opportunity to serve in this life.

Many, many blessings. Goodbye for now.

Namaste xx

Audra

Get more from Audra White in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Refer a friend

Unlock the Power of the New Moon: Asking the Universe for Your Desires

With each New Moon, a touch of enchantment is invited into to our lives! As the Sun and Moon align, a fresh cycle begins giving us a chance to focus on aligning our intentions with our personal and collective goals. A moment to chase for the change we wish to see and be in this world.

This cosmic convergence blends yin and yang, creating fertile ground for seeding intentions and petitioning the Universe for our desires. You might wonder, what role does intention setting play in all of this?

If you've practiced yoga, your instructor may have urged you to set an intention for your session—perhaps focusing on strengthening your obliques or enhancing flexibility, both physically and mentally. Similarly, coaches often advise being intentional in how you engage in various aspects of life, whether it's work, social dynamics, or intimate relationships.

Consider trying intention setting during the New Moon—it can be remarkably fulfilling, yielding potent outcomes.

Share Steamy Mystical Musings

A key ingredient in this process is you

Intentions help direct our energy towards our desired outcomes, even if we don't explicitly think of it in terms of our "energy field." They motivate us to take steps towards our goals. While other methods can also help focus our attention and energy, setting intentions during the New Moon adds an extra touch of magic.

Suddenly, unexpected synchronicities emerge, novel solutions materialise, and doors swing open. It's as if the Universe extends a guiding hand to support us on our journey.

Read further below for tips offered to make the process of manifestation easier and obtainable. Rest well and often, and remember, taking care of your own mental health is paramount in tense times.

Read more

Hello Lovely Readers,

How are you embracing the early moments of the vernal equinox?

After spending quite some time on Substack, while only dedicating the past few months …

Read more

Read more

Dear Readers & New Subscribers, happy to greet you in this virtual space.

I have recently collected some new names in my book of souls, and feel it's importan…

Read more

At this juncture, we find ourselves witnessing the echoes of history in the present, guided by an ever-evolving crystal ball that affords us a profo…

Read more

I just published about it here, and also updated my network with my Newsletter here, but would like to take this moment to say…

You don’t have Tourett…

Read more

Yoga in Theory

A new series I’m kicking off and will be promoting over on my FREE newsletter are ‘Ways to Live your Yoga’. I look forward to sharing more on such a basic phrase, ripe for any one body.…

Read more

When not preoccupied with preaching matters of the moon, I’m found on the mat either in my home studio, or in Delft at Womanhood Studio.

Though it is August now, over here in Western Europe we are experiencing autumn-like conditions; while the rest of the world melts.

In hopes of summer to return to those of us lingering around the North Sea for holidays, I’m aspiring for a warm Indian Summer in September.

An early promo for ‘September Series: Mindful Moment - A Journey Within’ running on three Tuesdays: classes now available via Zoom!

Running 12, 19 & 26 September, classes now available via Zoom, herewith the plug for said series! Moreover because as I was writing the promotional content for the class, I found inspiration for reasons why we dedicate time to somatic practices.

What are somatic practices?

Happy you asked. Somatic practices refer to a broad range of approaches and techniques that focus on integrating the mind and body to enhance self-awareness, improve physical and emotional well-being while promoting personal growth.

Isn’t that how we are supposed to live our life?

In theory, yes! The word ‘soma’, is Greek translating to ‘living body’.

Often we learn to operate outside of the body, or perhaps too much within the perimeters of the brain. As a remedy, we turn to practices like meditation, to learn how to integrate the physical, mental planes while positively influencing brain health with a psychological approach embedded in self-care. An added benefit is to address the spiritual plane, but to keep things practical and simple, best to start with physical and mental first.

Share

Further Supportive Reading …

Mindfulness:

Learning the art of remaining present in the moment. Discover how mindfulness can empower you to live with intention while building self-awareness, allowing you to experience life more fully.

Breath work:

Discovering the transformative power of the breath as you delve into various breathing techniques that can help regulate the nervous system, reduce stress, and induce a state of tranquility. Explore the connection between the breath and emotions, and learn how to harness this connection to create a sense of balance and calmness.

Somatic Stretching:

Experience the graceful union of movement and mindfulness with somatic stretch. Gentle stretching and flowing movements designed to connect you with your senses, release tension, and increase body-mind awareness. Through somatic stretching, you will develop a profound sense of fluid physical embodiment.

Calming the Body:

Discover practices that soothe your nervous system and release physical tension, allowing you to experience a deeper level of relaxation and serenity: shaking the body intentionally, dancing, tapping, humming, to name a few.

Exploring Through the Senses:

Engage your senses to immerse yourself fully in the present moment. Embrace the beauty of the present moment through sensory exploration, fostering a greater appreciation for the simple joys of life.

Training the Mind to Be Still (aka ‘Meditation’):

Learn to tame the busy mind and cultivate a peaceful inner sanctuary through guided meditation and mindfulness exercises. Develop the ability to observe your thoughts without judgment, allowing space for clarity and insight to emerge.

A few modern-day practices:

• yoga asana

• breath work

• dance/movement

• tai chi & qigong

• MEDITATION!

These practices can be used for various purposes, such as stress relief, personal growth, trauma healing, improving physical health and fostering a deeper mind-body connection.

Even for readers not joining this series, this is good input to have in your memory bank.

Share

Keep coming back!

Namatse xx

Audra

Oh hey Friends, can I interest you in starting a Substack today? Recommend savvy tips from this creative Substacker and this handy starter-kit recommended provided by another smart Substacker.

Living Your Yoga

As a yoga teacher, my identity is mostly sharing love and light. But I am also very human which means I’m full of faults bringing me to moments I’m not always proud of.

I approach life with a pragmatic, slightly cynical, realist outlook that brings added intensity to my teachings and writings. With deep beliefs in metaphysical sciences, not always is my brand a popular sell.

As a product of the environments I’ve lived in, and based on my own interpretations on how the world operates, I frequently feel it’s more realistic to expose heavier topics as this helps illuminate light into areas that need more attention to resolve. 

Paths leading to love and light are great and all, but most paths I’ve been on are full of rocky obstacles and prickly bushes that graze ankles. 

As yogis, we are allowed moments to be angry, or otherwise feel our emotions. As teachers, we are allowed to have opinions and judgments. Collectively, we are all allowed space to work those out during any point of our yogic journey.

Why Practice Yoga as a Lifestyle?

I study yoga as means to positively aid to, and protect my mental health, while working hard practicing random acts of kindness throughout life.

It can be often that my brain is lost in a self-absorbed fairy tale. Sometimes I find, I’m not even made the star of the show. An expected glitch in the matrix, perhaps.

I was told at a young age after much complaining to my elders, that sometimes life wasn’t great and we need to ‘suck it up’ while marching onwards. My wee brain held onto this boomer-infused statement and for a large part of my life. I simply thought I would never feel happiness, while a general theme was to suffer for others.

Yoga lightens me up. Gives a fresher perspective in mindset and makes me less grumpy. In today’s modern-day world full of pressurised distractions, practicing yoga aids in finding a neutral balance. With applied learnings taken off the mat, our lives can be transformed and include having a deeper connection to ourselves, others, inclusive the universe in which we live in.

Practicing yoga yields ample beneficial moments of self-awareness which creates structure for a building a routine of living in the present moment.

Share

I started practicing yoga in my early twenties, during a time when I was renouncing religion but still seeking a spiritual aspect. Growing up in a Christian setting in the southern midwestern part of America taught me to respect religion for what it is. But living abroad, and experiencing life in various cultures has taught me religion doesn’t have to be the driving force behind how I chose to define God. 

Practicing a yogic lifestyle is not about the poses!

For my journey, yoga has helped embody a path of self-development and find ways to care for my physical and emotional health as I move through the process of human evolution. This keeps me out of doctor offices and gives me more autonomy over how I manage my long-term health.

Practicing yoga is an embodied mental state that requires consistent time and dedication in efforts of reaching moments of peaceful, neutral thoughts towards one’s self and others. It’s not just about the poses. It is a lifestyle in observation of mind - body - intuitive health.

Studies in diverse yoga philosophies and various asana (poses), pranayama (breath work) and meditation (mindfulness) practices brings a sense of fulfilment that connects body and brain. Sometimes, if willing to listen quietly, spirit will flow. 

Yoga is one means for mental & spiritual liberation while also focusing on physical movement, mindfulness practices, and alchemy. For me personally, yoga has taught me how to enjoy life, since not all of my life has been enjoyable.

Spotlight on mental health: A story of unfavourable mentions 

In 2015 my life changed radically upon the deaths of three parents, a struggling marriage and a job promotion. 

At the time, I was failing at managing my own issues with with co-dependency in my personal relationships and instead of actually treating the root of the problem, I masked all the symptoms and put my energy elsewhere. Namely, towards my job. The energy I put forth in places outside my home invigorated me enough to keep up a solid run, but eventually I burned out.

I wrote this post on my (now retired) personal blog, covering my impressions on being a working mom and would like to draw the reader’s attention to the power behind how we use our words.

When I published this post back on my birthday in 2015, I had taken decisions that were to change my life that I wasn’t happy about. Those decisions were based on sacrifices for others at that time. 

Instead of following my body’s intuition (what I wanted), I chose to follow my mind’s logic (what programming made most logical sense). By 2018, I had experienced most of the horrors I wrote about years earlier. 

At this time, I was deeply spiralling into a depressive state and didn’t realise what I was doing while writing. In reflection, I can now see I was literally projecting a visual representation of what my life could look like if I continued the downward spiral I was on. This is a form of toxic manifestation, and not one I advise. Obviously, and I have resolutions to offer to warn against this! 

Fortunately, making decisions and taking actions to change my life drastically while putting in hours of self-development work, therapy & revamping a yogic lifestyle from my youth has paid off. I finally feel I’ve reached a reasonable state of happiness while living in an insane world.

Largely my time was dedicated to self-care and deepening close relationships while strategically minimising my time with others outside my inner circle. Added limited, planned community participation and networking with contacts I felt emotionally safe to share space with.

I will be sharing more writings covering topics of burn-out, addiction, transformation and recovery in coming posts. Am happy to receive you here.

Subscribe now

When do we get a break?  

I feel we are not given enough time as humans to appreciate just living life. It feels like we are pushed to only produce, being treated as part of an automated process.

As humans, our mental health suffers because of this. We are emotional beasts with purposes, and means to live out dreams and ambitions. But seems societal norms taint these opportunities for us.

Often we think we are doing the right thing when in fact, we loose ourselves within the confines of our own egos. Perhaps a part of that is because we often feel rushed, or like we are pressed for time.

Time! There’s never enough time!

But is that really the truth? Especially if we are responsible for creating our own realities and changing our mindsets?

With dooming global matters looming in our next chapter, we need to highlight topics to positively support our mental health in daily convos making the new norm of our daily greetings to one another of “How’s your mental health today?!”

I’ve grown in comfort in discussing my own experiences after being diagnosed with atypical depression at a young age. I learned after a decade of hiding my “ailments” that sharing them was a better way for myself and others not to have to suffer alone in a void of darkness.

Prioritise our mental health in all matters. This should remain the focus in our lives going forward. Time isn’t only experienced in linear manners, best to become creative with the time given.

Invoking power behind our words. 

Many of us understand how manifesting works. Though having an ability to successfully materialise thoughts into realities is something that takes practice & time to refine.

This involves an investment in dedication and practice to learn to do properly. We cannot just expect good, or bad, situations to pop up as there is a large part of accountability in action that we are responsible for. 

For me, the learnings have been great to eliminate toxic and negativity thoughts. Words, behaviours, people, overall situations with bad vibes. Goners. But this has involved a complete mind - body - soul transformation where the rewards have not come easily. 

Learning how to manage my mental health has taught many difficult lessons while yielding favourable returns, especially when accepting massive failures. I work hard to maintain daily programming of a healthier mindset as my brain consistently retreats to thoughts that deter. 

I do still enjoy embodying the essence of a dark pragmatic, as intense for me feels more comfortable. But, I remain happy to look to the lighter sides of life as this continues to inspire and motivate. Appreciating nature, stillness and solitude that are elements of that inspiration. 

Living yoga and doing yoga are two different topics. Looking back on my relationships with yogis that I’ve maintained for two decades, I’m grateful for these connections while also observing the diverse journeys of others.

It starts to feel more like a religion and definitely there can be a lot of cult-like activity stemming from practitioners, hence shoppers beware. Though, I find leading a life full of curious explorations tends to steer a healthy bond for a connection to the self, Self & the Divine.

Future writings to be included for this space covers thoughts and ‘stories’ on: spiritual maladies…sharing experiences in result of failed exhaustive capitalism… unveiling trauma scars left from battling the patriarch…

Does come laced with hope, inspiration, and a bit of magic.

Run-on sentences and pets are included. Link below for my FREE newsletter and enjoy a freebie trial period to this blog to test the waters.

Get 60 day free trial

Namaste xx

Audra

Astroyogi Audra's Newsletter

New Yoga Classes. It's not about the poses!

Dear Friends, As you know I am busy with launching my brand so you may receive more updates from me than you feel you need. Permission to filter. If it’s meant for you to see it, there will come a way xx Dear Network, I happily extend to you 3️⃣ invites for upcoming ‘yoga’ classes that may be of interest…

Read more

3 years ago · Audra White

Ok so hi. Felt it was time for this since I’ve obtained new subscribers here.

My name is Audra. It means ‘storm’ in Lithuanian though my dad just thought the name was uniq…

Read more

Ouch, I read that one and felt it hit home pretty deeply.

Gaslighting, for me, only became applicable around USA 2016 elections, and I really needed some time to wrap my head around my own definition of feeling this phenomenon within my own life.

Perhaps this content is only relatable to a few readers.

Others, here to drop in and observe. Both welcomed.

A story….

Years ago when my children were younger, I developed an aversion to going to public places with them. It felt overwhelming to be around so many people as where I live is aligned to my own definition of “densely populated area”.

This was also aligned with experiences of attending social events, or any public outing, as no where felt comfortable unless I was at home or at work. 

I didn’t realise at the time what was happening inside my body that was causing me to shut down while in crowded places, only years later did I understand what a label of highly sensitive person meant for my own assignment. 

For a few years, I was operating in an active high functioning depressed mental state and had learned to adapt to this as my baseline normal mental state.

Living in a vacuum of a human shell, operating on a calm, relaxing auto pilot mode on my best days. Mostly medicated and desensitised which yielded on my worst days, a level of unconsciousness resulting in destructive patterns towards myself, or others.

The human desire to keep up with all of society’s demands on us, most of which are programmed with narratives of work harder and do more for others, is not sustainable for proper physical or mental health.

At some point, I realised I no longer wanted to be a human doing, but rather a human being.

I was driven on striving to reach a majority of what I said I would do by the time I was forty, though once I had obtained most of these things, my soul still felt empty and unfulfilled. 

My downfall, was accepting fate instead of living in destiny. I had rationally chosen logic over what my intuition wanted. Because… logic continued to present safe and stable options for me.

In the end, I was performing daily actions mindlessly in order to get by and continue to survive, instead of live life to its fullest. All because it seems like the rational decision to follow.

“Capitalism teaches us we won’t be happy until we have the next best thing. This condition teaches us to live in the future. We are consumed by looking outside of ourselves for happiness. We are taught to not be happy with what we already have.”  - Kathryn Budig

Continuing life this way for a long time caused my senses to first numb, then once untreated for a long period of time, my senses began to overtake my logical, rational thought process as my body entered a hyperactive state on a physical plane. It literally felt like all my emotions were seeping out of the pours of the skin on my physical body. 

A trip to Ikea for me, once painless and often inspiring, turned to managing a heavy task of navigating an abundance of noise, bright lights, stale air, exits that were hard to find, and too many PEOPLE.

Everywhere people, herded like cats through a pre-designed layout that encouraged following others blindlessly. And to top it off, I could smell every scent in the building from the cooked hot dogs to the excess of human skin and body odor. This smell made me physically ill within moments of entering the enclosed building.

Sure a trip to Ikea can be a hassle for anyone. One usually goes with a plan and makes an effort to be as productive as possible. At the time, I used this space as an outing. A visit to the free indoor playground. A cheap lunch that the kids will get excited about. I had a purpose to fill by checking off the shopping list as well as providing entertainment. I planned and made a purpose for the outing.

These trips were not meant to upset my nervous system, though in turn the external stimulation was too overwhelming to my already delicate mental state of pure exhaustion and caused me to feel like I was loosing control of my own surroundings. 

I felt lost, and disoriented. I could feel walls starting to close in by feeling sense of being trapped. I was sensitive to the sounds and visuals I was taking in. The florescent or LED lighting would cause my eyes to burn and water.

One day while being herded along, a voice on the intercom announced my children needed to be picked up from the playground only ten minutes after they were dropped off. They too had a hard time adjusting to the chaotic environment of the playground it seemed. This threw all sorts of kinks in my plan of completing the shopping list for that hour. And now with extra tiny hands to keep track of, plus my time spent on picking up the boxes from the warehouse, while also ensuring I had collected all the items in the shopping areas was limited, or at least now split in half in efficiency.  

Adding more fuel to an unnecessary fire, these feelings of discouragement and frustration compiled and while trying to roll with the punches, I felt my body loosing control. 

It started with my blood pressure dropping quickly, a common thing for me as I already have low blood pressure innately. Usually eating or drinking something quickly helps as I often have snacks and water on me.

Fortunately on this particular event, I was close to the bathroom and managed to make it to the nursing room that Ikea graciously offers mothers. With some simple breath control and cold water splashed on my face, I was able to restore myself back into the present moment.

I was lucky this time. As moving from a heightened state of awareness to dysphoria can happen quite quickly.

The onset is usually the same, starting with centralised chest breathing - a sure bet to an increased heart rate. Adrenaline kicks in and breathing rhythm becomes faster paced. The lightness of an air quality can quickly turn into experiencing stages of feeling hearing fade and/or seeing with blurred vision, or being tunnelled. At worst case, fainting occurs.

Learning to adjust to a hypersensitivity nature hasn’t been easy. For years, I relied on medicines. This served a purpose until it didn’t. Learning how to properly care for my nervous system through mindful based practices such as breath-work and yoga has been the biggest take away; though has taken years to practice and re(de)fine.

The take away for me that has been the most powerful, is practicing present moment awareness.

Perhaps this lesson I've hosted with fellow yoga teacher Stuart Landsee covering basic stretching techniques, accompanied with guided breath-work exercises will help to find your own moments of awareness?

Stuart Landsee, who normally is found soaring off mountain sides in Zion National Park USA, has his own unique style of teaching that is completely different than mine. I can appreciate his views, literally, based in nature. Enjoy his offering of restorative yoga fresh from the autumn Utah mountain side here.

Breathing and Flowing,

Audra

Though I’ve had proven help in receiving solid mental health support while living in this area, this list is most certainly not complete. Nor does it include all of the professionals I’ve used on my own journey. Just a starting point for anyone needing a baseline anchor.

Heads up, as there can be waiting lists. Always good to just start with an email or phone call.

https://www.therapynow.nl/

https://access-nl.org/what-we-do/meet-the-counsellors/

https://ksp.nu/en/home-en/ 

https://internationalmentalcare.com/

FunctioningPsychology

https://www.antiloneliness.com

https://www.artherapy.nl

https://www.paolabobadilla.eu/about-paola-bobadilla 

http://hovanessian.info/

Share

On Wednesday 19th October, I will co-facilitate an open forum with members from the American Women’s Club where mental health wellness is our focus.

This month, our group is highlighting anxiety and how this can show signs in our bodies. Further tips on how to manage our anxious moments are shared below.

We will cover topics specific to our gut health on how to better support our parasympathetic nervous system. We will lightly address polyvagal theory, which is the breakdown of understanding our body’s trauma response ratio and how this impacts our overall physical, mental, and emotional health.

This is a chance for members within our community to join at the clubhouse which is a safe refuge for all nationalities to discuss these topics in a protected environment, and with health and wellness practitioners noted at the bottom of this post.

For those within the Hague area, please feel free to join us for this self-nurturing event. Local resources can be found here.

Tips to calm an anxious mind. Immediate to longer term.

Complied this short list for a quick reminder, or prompt to give yourself. Perhaps something here will resonate?

1. SLOW DEEP BREATHING – A yawn, or sigh, also helps. Otherwise work with breath control. Inhale for 4 counts, hold at the top of the inhalation for 4 counts and then exhale through pursed lips for as long as lung capacity allows.

2. Stay Present and practice the Rule of 3 – Name 3 inanimate objects immediately in your surroundings you can see, 3 things you smell, 3 things you can hear.

3. Get outside – best in open nature but any short walk will help.

4. Body scan activation – At the end of the day, when you have time to yourself, practice visualising from toes to scalp, active relaxation. Click HERE for a short, guided meditation.

5. Reward yourself regularly – Dopamine releases when there is an anticipation of a reward. Schedule indulgences for yourself!

6. Identify your trigger – Make an honest inventory list of things that emotionally drain you. Slowly eliminate what does not serve you one by one.

   Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

   "Normalise daily 20 minute sponsored nap times" - Said all Yogis everywhere

For me personally in managing my own anxious moments, I found self-awareness to be the most helpful. To reach this state, the secret is found living within the present moment. Often this can be difficult when the mind’s thoughts race to take us elsewhere.

A good support system should never be underestimated. And asking for help is always warranted.

I remain a safe person for others struggling, as are these women:

Keep Breathing,

Audra

It was the only thing k…

Read more

How about right before bed when you’re already gearing down for sleep?

Have a listen to this quick guided visual meditation where instruction is foc…

Read more