Hi friend,
Scientists are now revealing what our ancestors always knew:
Getting our hands in the dirt is more healing than talking about our wounds.
Sitting around a fire and telling stories will heal us more than talking to an AI therapist.
Healthy friendship and community is the ultimate medicine.
As a collective, we went through a massive wave of self-reflection and healing and now, there’s a shift in the air.
It was a necessary chapter, but life is more than childhood wounds and emotional excavation.
At some point, “the work” of healing old wounds, tending to your inner-child and emotional processing must come to an end.
Integrating “the work” is not endless self-reflection. It's about putting what we've learned into practice. It’s being able to live a joyful life, prioritize your creativity, and be of service in the world by sharing your gifts.
Inside Today’s Newsletter:
🎙️ Rising Woman Podcast Episode: ADHD in Women: The Hidden Signs & How Hormones Affect Your Symptoms with Dr. Jolene Brighten
✍️ A Practice + Journaling Prompts: Feel the support of the earth, your ancestors, and your community, plus questions to reconnect with the stories and people who feel like medicine
🎙️ The Rising Woman Podcast
✨ Practice for the Week: Rooted and Remembered
Long before therapy rooms and screens, people found healing in the earth beneath them, the fire between them, and the company of those they loved. That wisdom still lives in our bodies.
This practice helps you feel the support of the ground, the people who came before you, and the community around you.
Set aside about ten minutes. If you can, do this outside with your bare feet or hands on the earth. A quiet spot indoors works beautifully too.
Step 1: Settle. Find a comfortable seat or stand with your feet hip-width apart. Let your hands rest wherever feels natural. Take a few slow breaths, letting each exhale be a little longer than the inhale.
Step 2: Arrive. Feel the weight of your body meeting the ground. Notice the texture beneath your feet or hands, the temperature of the air, and any scents or sounds around you.
Step 3: Root. Imagine roots growing down from the soles of your feet or the base of your spine, reaching deep into the earth. With each exhale, let yourself sink a little more into this support. Notice where your body softens as it feels held.
Step 4: Remember. Bring to mind someone who came before you. It could be a grandparent, an ancestor you never met, or an elder who shaped you. Picture them sitting beside you by a fire. Notice what you feel in your body as you sense their presence.
Step 5: Receive. Ask yourself, “What wisdom or strength did they pass down to me?” Let the answer come on its own time. It might arrive as a word, an image, a memory, or a feeling. Place a hand on the area of your body where you feel this gift most.
Step 6: Gather. Now widen the circle around the fire. Picture the friends and community who feel like medicine to you. Let them take their seats one by one. Notice how your breath, your chest, and your shoulders respond as the circle fills.
Step 7: Let joy in. Ask, “What wants to move through me now?” Maybe it’s a gift you’re ready to share, a creative spark, or simple delight. Let your body respond. You might sway, smile, hum, or stretch. Stay here as long as feels good.
Step 8: Return. Thank the earth, your ancestors, and your circle. Widen your attention to your whole body. Open your eyes and look around. Notice how you feel now compared to when you began.
If anything feels like too much at any point, open your eyes, feel your feet on the ground, and come back to your breath.
You come from a long line of people who healed together, close to the earth and close to one another. Each time you return to that remembering, it becomes easier to find your place in the circle and share your gifts with the world.
Journal Prompts
When was the last time I felt my hands in soil, water, or something alive? What shifted in me afterward?
What stories did the elders in my family tell? Which ones still live in me?
What story about my own life am I ready to share out loud with someone I trust?
Who are the people who feel like medicine to me? How can I reach out to one of them this week?
What has all my inner work been preparing me for?
Where is joy already trying to find me, and how can I let it in?
What does the integration of all the inner-work truly look like? Service, sharing your gifts, making your art and allowing joy in ✨
Sending you love,
Shay
P.S. If you have a burning question for me, submit it here. It could become the inspiration for my next article, post, or video. :)