How I Started Root & Vibe
Why I love sound bath meditations:
In my personal experience, sound therapy is meditation super-charged. One of my favorite quotes about sound therapy says “meditation is like taking the stairs and a sound bath is like taking the elevator.” Sara Auster. If you have ever tried to meditate (or are new to meditation and want to see what all the fuss is about) and can’t seem to relax your mind, this is definitely an experience you should try. It captures the benefits of meditation faster and with greater ease.
How I got started in sound therapy:
Over the years when I would travel out of town for yoga trainings and classes, I always instantly resonated with the crystal singing bowls when an instructor would incorporate them into a yoga class. When my family spent time at the Texas Medical Center and the Texas Childrens’ Hospital, two of the largest and most esteemed medical facilities in the world, I noticed sound healing therapies were being offered at the centers. I knew there was more to this and I wanted to learn as much as I could. My journey studying, practicing and learning about sound therapy was part of my healing journey from a difficult and traumatic year, and I am so honored to share this modality as a Sound Healing Practitioner with my community. I have seen sound therapy help ease anxiety, allow for deeper relaxation and to help turn inwards with deep introspection. When I saw my participants having these experiences, I knew I wanted to open a sound meditation studio here in Victoria, TX.
How I got to be a plant shop owner:
The other piece to my plant journey that brought me here to opening a plant shop also took place over that same traumatic year. For me, my physical yoga practice was too intense for me, too emotional. I did a lot of deep prayer and meditation during this time, but physically moving into and out of yoga poses was too much. I did start a strong walking routine during this time, as walking putting one foot in front of the other and just going, was about all the physical I could do. I need something easier and that gave me a time for creativity and learning and that is when I went really deep into plant care and establishing houseplant routines. The other piece to this was the air quality and nesting aspect of bringing a new medically sensitive baby home. I had not nested during the pregnancy. We received the life limiting, fatal diagnosis at 22 weeks. So, all baby showers and nesting type activities at home, such as setting up the nursery, were called off. We didn’t do or buy anything in our house for the baby because we did not know what our outcome would be, and it didn’t look good. So, after two months in the NICU when we realized we would be brining him home but now we didn’t understand how his lungs would function as they continued to develop, I went a little over zealous in setting up more houseplants. I read a NASA study that suggested on plant for every 100 sq ft in house for air quality, so I started there, and then just kept going. My next goal was 100 plants. I am at about 65 and I think that is about all I can manage easily for now. I will be working to create programs using plants as our modality for teaching more mindfulness practices for students. We are also working on a program that will use plants as a tool for grief care ‘Planting Through Grief’