Hello everybody and welcome to the final podcast episode of 2021.
It's the Awaken Together podcast and I'm Kat.
I'm Jenn.
And first off, thank you so much for being with us this whole year.
We really hope you've gotten a lot out of this whole podcast experience.
And believe it or not, we have two weeks left of 2021.
I can't believe it.
Wild.
So we were thinking it's really the perfect time to reflect on what this year was for
you.
But first, before we dive into that, it's been a while since Jen and I have been here
together for an episode.
So we'd love to catch up with you all.
Jen, how is everything in your world?
Thanks for asking.
Honestly, it's so nice to be back in this space.
I don't know how we missed each other for three weeks, but if it isn't pointing and
all telling that me and Kat have had kind of an interesting few months, or interesting
month rather, it's definitely true.
I shared that I was sick for too long in my eyes.
We were talking before that me and Kat both struggle with being slowed down.
It was not easy for me.
And yeah, obviously I shared too that the eclipse, I blamed it on the eclipse, but I
feel like I really faced my shadows when I was sick for such a prolonged amount of time.
I really watched my coping strategies and got to see, yeah, it doesn't take much for
those old habits to want to come back.
So you have to fall like double down on your practices of self care, the things that ground
you.
And yeah, the second I got back into my normal swing, I was back in my grandma's house.
This is where we've kind of made our final pit stop on our travels on the road.
My grandma got really sick.
And so yeah, it's just been one big fun after the other.
But honestly, I really have been deeply appreciating the practices that we share in this podcast
all along.
I've fallen back on those and as hard as I can be on myself when I slow down, I also
know I have such a more beautiful way of coping with change and stress than what I used to.
So that's my little mini update.
What about you, Kat?
Yeah, I mean, shocker, not too different from you.
Never is.
I know, right?
So yeah, we've had sickness in our household too.
I shared on my last episode of the podcast.
I've taken a little bit of a turn since.
So last I shared, Kyle had COVID and we were in the middle of quarantine for that.
I had managed to dodge it for a week and a half, maybe even two weeks.
So we finished up quarantine.
I had a negative test like two days before.
I went to a yoga class.
I went and got a massage.
I was feeling pretty decent, like a little bit of congestion, but that was nothing new.
And then I was set to fly to Boston on Thursday and then I took a test like last thing Wednesday
night while I was packing just to be triple sure, because I wasn't getting better, but
I wasn't getting worse.
And it was positive.
So I felt so bad.
After all that 10 days of quarantining, not having it, I had to go right back into quarantine
because I got COVID too.
And so right now as I'm talking to you, I guess I technically still have COVID, but
I'm really lucky that it's super mild for me.
I do attribute like healthy practices that I have in place with sleeping while eating,
while hydrating, not living a super stressed out life.
And yeah, some of the other self-care practices that we talk about here with just getting
my mind in check with meditation, more to come on that.
But yeah, right now I just can't really taste or smell and I still have this lingering congestion.
So my quarantine is done this Saturday and after that I am going to be free to the world
and I am grateful.
I will say that all of this is kind of wrapping up before Christmas and New Year's and the
holidays.
So I'll still have some time to enjoy that and just, I love this time of the year normally,
just getting festive and getting together with friends.
So I won't be able to go home, but I'll still make it the best that I can here in Colorado.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
You've been sick Kat.
Thanks, likewise.
Yeah, here we are.
Learning lessons at the same time as we do.
That's right.
Slowing the F down, our constant life lesson.
Yes.
So today we were going to share with you one of the biggest things that I think has inspired
some of what we're going to talk about in this episode and just making it a ritual to
close out your year and then open up your New Year with not necessarily the classic
like goal setting, but with kind of a deeper, deeper intention setting.
So we, me and Kat are both big fans of the Yoga Girl podcast with Rachel Brathen.
I had listened to that podcast for years and it's also what led me to start the group on
Facebook that led to me meeting Kat, which by the way, I feel like we should emphasize
because I don't know if you guys even know this, but me and Kat have only met in person
one time.
It's so wild.
Still blows my mind.
It's like so weird.
I like love her and she's a soul sister we've met once in person.
So it's that shows you what you can do with your internet friends.
So just don't forget that.
But anyway, that is our inspiration.
One of the things that Yoga Girl does every year, the very last episode of the year, she
leads us in reflection on the past year and how she usually breaks it up is four sections.
You look at home, you look on mind, you look on body and you look on spirit and you check
in through all those categories and just reflect on what the year held for each category.
That's right.
It's been a super impactful exercise for me to do.
I believe I've done it the past three or four years in a row and it's just a really nice
way to tie a bow on the year because we were talking a little bit before this and if we
don't take that time to reflect on what the heck happened in the year that we just completed,
kind of like our rituals with the full and new moons, then it becomes really difficult
to see any progression in life and we need to celebrate what worked well and we also
need to learn from what didn't work so well so we can amplify more of the good and make
sure that our lives are living in the way that we want to feel aligned and you want
to talk manifesting 101 like this is what it's all about.
Yeah, exactly.
And I think it gets kind of more socially accepted to look forward on what you want
of the year but one of the things that I don't think I had done until I was introduced to
that practice was I don't think I reflected back very much.
I remember I would post like some pictures for the year, you know, sometimes it was like
year in reviews and stuff would pop up and I would share a few memories but I don't remember
like extensively going over like all the things that had occurred so I could really process
it.
I was not the best at doing that and I also think I let those goals for the next year
consume me and overwhelm me so much that they fell apart as you know is very advertised
and talked about.
I think that happens with most people.
We're not meant to see beyond a whole year.
I think we do need to break it up but I love the process of really going through categories
to like what our intentions would be for all of those and I also love setting just like
a word for the next year so that's something we're going to talk about a little bit too.
Absolutely and I think all the more it's important to do an exercise like this while we're still
kind of living in this COVID world.
I led this meditation that I'm going to share with you all in just a few minutes with my
meditation club last December actually and it was the year of 2020 closing out and some
of the feedback that I received was that it's really, it can be really hard to reflect on
the highs and the lows of the year when you don't have events or travels to tie them to
and now naturally the world is, it has been opening back up so we have more of those events
but I'll really encourage you all to consider not only the big events because sometimes
the greatest teachings happen in the mundane of everyday life.
Extra challenge.
Yeah I'm so glad you said that and that's, that is really the problem with that kind
of trend of posting just a few pictures of the year that capture probably the moments
that were more like highlights.
And so yeah that I think I've always struggled with more future based thinking.
I think COVID really, the initial pandemic dropped all of us more into the now because
we couldn't really plan out our future which was a beautiful collective lesson to learn
but yeah I tend to chunk things together.
I look at my past and I think I just, yes probably summarize it more into like the good
moments the good takeaways and just like lump things partly because of my ADHD brain and
I think a little bit but exactly as you said just like pointing out oh I went to this,
I did this and so yeah it's beautiful to elaborate and open up on that.
I think it gives you more clarity than you could expect.
Yeah well how about instead of talking about this grandiose practice we feel it for ourselves.
Yes ready.
Okay let's do it.
So wherever you might be right now if you have the space where you can sit or lay if
you're at home I really encourage you to do that to find a comfortable position one where
you're both comfortable and alert.
So go ahead get any little wiggles out gently close your eyes if you feel safe doing so.
Begin to bring your awareness simply to your breath.
Start to slow it down.
Take five slow deep breaths together.
Take a breath in.
Exhale let it go.
Again breathe in.
Breathe out.
Thinking if you can slow your exhales to be a little longer than your inhales.
Breathe in.
Exhale soften.
Again inhale through your nose and exhale through your nose.
Empty out.
Hold at the bottom and take in one last deep breath all the way in.
Feel your belly expand ribs expand.
This time open your mouth and sigh it all out.
You can just settle your mind down.
Return to your normal breathing in and out through your nose.
No need to control it.
Just let it be natural.
Start just by taking notice of where you are at the moment.
Scanning your body and mind for information.
Notice how you feel physically and mentally.
And then begin to observe your thoughts in a neutral non-judgmental way as they come
and go.
This practice isn't about clearing your mind but rather noticing your gut reaction of what
comes up first.
Your instinct.
Now begin to replay the year in your mind slowly as if you were watching a movie reel
of highlights lowlights big and small moments from your year.
And as you do keep in mind the following four categories of your life to help guide your
thoughts and memories.
Home what happened with your family in your house.
Mind literally thoughts themes that came to mind your work.
Hobbies.
Body how did your body feel?
What changes did you make and how you take care of yourself?
Are you moved to eat?
And finally the fourth category is spirit or soul.
Considering your spiritual practice.
Any internal talk shifts that you've experienced.
Start with January 1st 2021 New Year's Day and move through your year month by month.
Recalling the people, moments, emotions, activities, details, mistakes, highlights, all of it.
Just play through these memories from the year little by little in your mind as they
come to you and watch them like a recap of all that happened.
Try to stay with each moment for a little while moving on to the next handling it one
month at a time.
As your mind wanders away from your reflection reel, gently bring it back.
Which month are you in mentally?
What's happening?
Now I know we all move at our own pace.
I don't want to rush you.
So I invite you to pause this podcast to continue thinking about each month, the highs and the
lows and don't rush it.
When you reach the end of December, finish the movie reel of the year and notice how
you feel.
Now begin to settle your attention on your biggest challenge from this year.
In what ways did this experience, person or situation challenge you?
What did you learn from this experience?
What was the lesson behind the teaching?
Now begin to settle your attention on your favorite moment from this past year.
Hold it at the center of your mind and take it in through all of your senses.
Really replay this moment in your mind's eye.
Try to take that feeling into all of yourselves with your entire mind and heart.
Really feel that state you were in when you were living through this favorite moment.
Don't rush this part.
Recall how your body felt, what your mind state was, what your energy felt like.
Recall any colors, images and sensations.
As you bring your attention to this positive memory, identify what you can do to experience
more feelings like this in your life.
What is in your control?
Stay with it for another moment.
And slowly transition your mind back into the present moment by bringing your awareness
back to your breath.
Deep inhales and slow exhales.
It's now the time to take all of the general feelings in this year and pick one word that
encompasses what it taught you.
Take a deep breath in through your nose.
Exhale, let it go.
When you're ready, you can begin to open your eyes, bring your awareness back and we'll
turn to some journaling.
Writing down your thoughts and ideas helps to really reinforce any learnings that comes
with reflection.
So I'm going to offer a few journal prompts and we'll share the rest of them on our Facebook
and Instagram pages.
For those who'd like to really go deeper, you're welcome to take five minutes or two
hours to put all of your thoughts down on paper.
You can write in an unstructured way or you can respond directly to these prompts, whatever
works best for you.
Prompt number one, what mattered most to me this year?
What mattered most to me this year?
Number two, list the things that you were proud of in the last year.
List the things that you were proud of this last year.
Number three, list the things you regret and why.
List the things you regret and why.
So once you've got those down, you're welcome to right away and then you can pause this.
You're welcome to return after you've done your journaling prompts or you can do it after
this podcast wraps up.
But I'll encourage you to take a look at what you've written, given all your responses,
list out the things that you'd like to create, feel, achieve and plan for the next year.
So check.
Thank you, Kat.
Welcome back.
Yeah.
Oh, I like, eyes are teared up.
I wasn't expecting such a response, but that was beautiful.
Thank you.
Of course.
Yeah.
I wanted to ask and we wanted to just reflect a little bit out loud just for you guys to
kind of hear our mental thought process, if it helps inspire some of your writing.
But Kat, why don't you share a few of the things that you feel like fit into those four
categories, home, mind, body, spirit or soul.
Just give us a few of the things you, that stick out in your mind from 2021.
Yeah, for sure.
I'd love to.
This is such a great exercise.
I'm with you.
So for home, for me, I nested a lot this year, more than ever.
So with our home, we made it really cozy and I got to share every day pretty much with
my husband, Kyle and our dog, Minnie, which felt just like really homey and it made me
slow down.
So this year was all about that.
Last year was too, but like this year we also, we had to focus on, like I got married this
year.
So that was a big part of my home life too, with planning a wedding and moving that wedding
and changing the plans as we went along because of COVID and just whatever felt right to us.
So yeah, home was really, really big in terms of like my relationship and marriage and growth
that all happened within these four walls and outside.
And then mind, mind was really interesting.
It started out early in the year with fluctuations of extreme highs and extreme lows as I navigated
starting my business.
I started it in December, so it was very new this year.
And I also, I believe it was around June when I kind of had this epiphany of like, chill
out, like this is your business.
You have to make this work for you, not the other way around.
And from there I was able to experience periods of more steadiness towards the summer and
the fall in my mind and my capacity and my work.
And this was also a big year of building my confidence back up after a year of being really
low when I was let go for my last job.
And yeah, just like understanding what having my own business meant to me and what I got
to make it mean.
And aside from that, just like me as a person, like detaching from these labels and understanding
what that meant to me alone as myself.
And then body, this is really big.
And it wasn't until I wrote this down that I realized it.
So I'm excited to share it with you.
But this is the first year ever that I haven't counted calories in some app or been to a
gym once.
And what's shocking is this is the steadiest that my weight has ever been and probably
the most confident that I've ever been in my body.
Wow.
No coincidence there.
I know, right?
So like my former orthorexic self who dealt with disordered eating would be shocked that
that's possible.
That like not obsessing over the things can actually lead to more steadiness and ease
and love and flow.
So yeah, I leaned into nourishment.
I felt good for my body, you know, fruits, veggies, but also comfort foods, yoga, Pilates,
walks, hikes, kickboxing, dancing, all from my home or in nature.
And that felt really, really good.
And then finally, spirit for me, my spiritual practice has flourished this year.
And I feel like it's become more of a regular staple of my days now, whether it's like pulling
a car, doing some self Reiki, meditating or connecting with nature.
I feel really grounded in spirituality and my place in this world right now.
It feels really cool to say.
Thanks for sharing.
Yeah, of course.
I'm excited to hear about these four categories for you this past year.
Yeah.
Also as that, I mean, the reason this podcast even happened this year is because me and
Kat were in a pretty similar place the start of the year to even be in this space and in
this, yeah, this kind of mental mindset to share all of this stuff.
So yeah, clearly a big year.
Or I'll start with home like you did.
So for home category, home was very funny this year because I've been homeless.
So I chose to live in my car, shared this before on the podcast, but me and Danny and
our dog, we just wanted to like have a real true break.
And we didn't feel like we could fully make that happen while we were paying rent and
just dealing with all the other things.
So we turned the back of our SUV into our home.
We got a roof rack.
We filled it up with all the necessities.
We have solar panels and all this stuff to just like be able to make it in the middle
of nowhere.
And so home has been huge category because although I didn't have a set home base, I
really learned to redefine what home even meant.
And it was beautiful to get to spend, yeah, just like you, a lot more time with my dog
and my husband.
And I just don't think I was very present.
I was really burned out of energy by the time I got home most of the time from my physical
therapy job, giving a lot to patients that I don't think that quality time had really
thoroughly been there.
And so it was beautiful.
A lot of people ask me if that made me crazy to be in that small of a space with both of
them, but honestly, it was beautiful and really needed.
I just don't think we had enough of that.
So I was full of gratitude as I was experiencing, knowing that it wasn't going to be forever.
Life was going to come back with more chaos at some point.
So I really stayed in that moment.
And then the mind category, doing this podcast and having like outlets to talk, the mind
category also has been beautiful because that's helped with my mental health so much.
I think a lot of the anxiety I was having even in 2020 and before that was I was never
using my voice.
I was a hoarder of information, but never really sharing any of it, not thinking it
was really necessary.
I don't think until a lot deeper healing happened for me.
So getting an outlet to share and teach and having my TikTok page with 50,000 followers,
which is nuts.
I would have never thought that would happen.
But having just a community that's been built on me authentically to sharing the things
that I'm passionate about has been so mentally healing.
And yeah, I started like tearing up thinking just of how many people have trusted me to
guide them.
And it's been so beautiful.
The retreats I've led and all of our supporters of this podcast and all of the supporters
on the various events I've done.
You've had beautiful clients, Kat.
I've had beautiful people trust me with teaching them astrology and going over their birth
charts with them or even tapping into their aura, which is very vulnerable.
So much good, so much beautiful stuff for my mental health.
And a lot of that falls even under the spiritual category as well, because each of those active
things led to deep spiritual experiences, some I've shared along the way.
And then I'll just do body.
It was really strange at first as I was writing this, because I was like, I think I've put
the least amount of energy into body.
But then at the same time, that makes it almost the loudest.
Because I really haven't hyper focused on my body.
So it feels like I've given it the least amount of attention.
But I think honestly, the ability to let go of my body probably holds more weight than
any of it.
Just as you said, I was in the gym four days a week consistently.
And now my movement practices have had to look so different because I've been on the
road and various weather and it's just been totally different.
But yet I think I've dropped into my body a lot, a lot more.
It's just been a lot less of probably what I would have thought connecting with my body
would look like previously.
So yeah, I think that's a lot of it.
It's been so beautiful.
Oh, this year, I'm going to have to have even a deeper cry.
I can feel it.
But it's been so freaking beautiful.
I feel that.
I feel that so much.
Because your reflection also made me think about other things that I hadn't thought to
share.
Oh my gosh, so beautiful.
And I am excited to go back and do some of my own journaling on this too.
Yeah.
So thank you guys.
This comes in layers and Kat emphasized it a lot as she shared the meditation.
But take a lot of time and just feel it because your body, it might provoke more emotions
than you think.
I'm expecting to have tears from that little meditation, but our body's always holding
the memory.
And if we move too quickly, we're not allowing our body the chance to feel it.
So do that meditation, connect with the journaling prompts, continuously close your eyes and
see where you feel it.
Yeah, it's the most beautiful practice.
So we thank you guys.
And just a few close out things for you.
This is going to be the end of our season one, but we are going to continue into season
two, January 7th.
So you'll have a few weeks without a podcast episode, but we will be back.
We wanted to divide it up in season so that we can kind of give ourselves a little break,
but also so you have some space in between to reflect.
So we have shared on our Instagram and Facebook that we are hosting a free event for you guys
that will be on December 18th at three o'clock Eastern Standard Time, two Central, one o'clock
Mountain Time.
And yeah, the Zoom link is on the bio of our Awaken Together podcast Instagram page.
You can sign up.
We're going to guide you through a full moon ceremony and then answer any questions that
have come up in the podcast.
We've talked about so many cool topics and we'd love to just hear some feedback from
you guys.
So I hope we see you tomorrow as you listen to this podcast, go sign up.
And Kat, thank you for the most beautiful season one of something I thought was just
going to be a dream, having a podcast.
Me too.
Like if it weren't for you, I would have never been able to do this on my own.
So I'm so grateful to be able to not only like one, have a podcast, but two, share this
with you because it makes everything better.
And I'm just so grateful for you in these conversations and you as a friend.
So thank you and thank you so much to all of our listeners.
We hope to see you tomorrow.
Bye love, love, love, love.