holistic wellness

Good Vibes Spray Recipe for Clearing Negative Energy and Boosting Mood

/ embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Good Vibes Spray: A Simple Ritual for Clearing Energy + Inviting Joy

There are days when the energy around us feels heavy, stagnant, or just… off. When my mind feels cluttered, or my heart needs a reset, I reach for something simple, intentional, and instantly uplifting: my Good Vibes Spray.

This blend is pure energetic refreshment — bright, grounding, soothing, and emotionally cleansing. It’s the kind of spray you keep by your desk, in your car, beside your bed, or in your yoga space for those moments when you need a shift now.

Below is the full recipe and the emotional + spiritual benefits of each oil. Use it as a ritual to clear negative energy, open your heart, and invite more clarity, softness, and ease into your day.

Good Vibes Spray Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Peppermint
  • Magnolia
  • Spearmint
  • Wild Orange
  • Sandalwood (or alternative if needed)
  • Eucalyptus
  • Spanish Sage
  • Frankincense
  • Ylang Ylang
  • Patchouli
  • Osmanthus
  • Rose
  • Clear quartz chips

Mix your chosen drops into a 2 oz or 4 oz glass spray bottle, top with distilled water, shake gently, and spray whenever you need a refresh.

Why These Oils? (Emotional + Spiritual Benefits)

Peppermint

Clears mental fog, boosts clarity, shifts stagnant thinking, and brings a cooling reset to the nervous system.

Magnolia

Softens the heart, calms emotional overwhelm, and brings in a gentle, nurturing energy.

Spearmint

Encourages confidence, clear communication, and ease in speaking your truth.

Wild Orange

Instant joy. Brightens mood, sparks optimism, and lifts heavy emotional energy.

Sandalwood

Grounds the spirit, deepens inner peace, and connects you with your higher self.

Eucalyptus

Cleanses the aura, clears heavy or stuck emotions, and refreshes spiritual energy.

Spanish Sage

A powerful energy purifier. Great for clearing old patterns, doubt, and negativity.

Frankincense

A spiritual anchor. Enhances intuition, stability, and a sense of sacred presence.

Ylang Ylang

Balances mood, softens frustration, and soothes the wounded healer within.

Patchouli

Earthy and grounding. Helps you feel rooted, held, and supported.

Osmanthus

A gentle emotional uplifter — inspires hope, sweetness, and renewed perspective.

Rose

The highest-vibrational oil. Opens the heart, dissolves emotional heaviness, and invites unconditional love.

Clear Quartz

Clear quartz amplifies the intention of the entire blend. It’s a master energy cleanser, magnifier, and harmonizer — helping the spray hold your intention long after the mist settles.

How to Use

  • Spray around your body for an instant energy reset.
  • Mist your bedroom or yoga space before practice.
  • Use during meditation or journaling.
  • Keep nearby for emotional first aid on tough days.

Let this blend remind you that you can shift the energy around you — and within you — anytime you need. Make on for yourself, or grab one here!

Breaking the Cycle: How Repeated Complaining Drains Us — and How Repeated Gratitude Heals

/ embracingspirit / Leave a comment

We’ve all been there—caught in the loop of saying the same frustrating things over and over. The stress, the pain, the overwhelm, the “why me?” moments. Repetitive complaining is surprisingly natural… and surprisingly draining. It doesn’t make us bad or ungrateful; it just means we’re human.

But here’s the truth I’ve learned through mindfulness, yoga, and healing:
What we repeat becomes what we reinforce.

And while complaining might feel like release, gratitude is what creates actual relief.

Why We Fall Into Repetitive Complaining

When something is hard — your body hurts, life feels heavy, you’re tired, or you’re juggling more than anyone realizes — the mind wants to loop. It’s trying to make sense of discomfort. But when we repeat the same story too often, it keeps us stuck in the same emotional place.

Repetitive complaining can…

  • increase stress hormones
  • shrink our perspective
  • drain our energy
  • make challenges feel bigger than they really are
  • prevent healing (emotionally and physically)

The hard moments deserve acknowledgment — absolutely. But they don’t deserve ownership over your entire inner world.

The Shift: Replacing Repetition With Intention

Instead of repeating the pain, we can repeat the gratitude.

Not the toxic positivity kind.
Not the “pretend everything’s fine” kind.

But the grounded, honest, heart-centered gratitude that reminds us:

There is still some good here.
There is still something working.
There is still something steady beneath the struggle.

This shift isn’t about silencing your pain — it’s about changing the soundtrack of your inner world.

Why Repeated Gratitude Works

Practicing gratitude repeatedly — especially in small, simple ways — can:

  • soften emotional tension
  • support nervous system regulation
  • expand your perspective
  • create new thought pathways
  • bring your attention back to what is supporting you
  • help you feel less alone
  • anchor you in hope, even during hard seasons

It’s the repetition that matters.
Just like complaining reinforces stress…
gratitude reinforces resilience.

A Simple Daily Practice to Try

If you catch yourself repeating a complaint (it happens!), try this gentle shift:

  1. Pause.
    Notice the loop without shame.
  2. Acknowledge the truth.
    “This is really hard right now.”
  3. Add one small gratitude.
    Just one.
    “And I’m grateful I’m learning to take better care of myself.”
    “I’m grateful for the support I do have.”
    “I’m grateful for the strength I didn’t even know I had.”
  4. Repeat the gratitude instead of the complaint.
    This is where your healing gains momentum.

A Repeated Gratitude Mantra to Use All Week

“Even in the hard moments, there is something supporting me. I choose to notice that.”

Say it as many times as you need.
Let it become your new repetition.
Let it anchor you back into compassion — especially compassion for yourself.

Closing Reflection

We all slip into repeating our pain. But with awareness and intention, we can choose a new pattern — one that restores instead of drains, one that lifts instead of weighs down.

A life rooted in gratitude doesn’t ignore the hard things.
It simply refuses to let them be the only things.

Living Mary Oliver’s Wisdom: Paying Attention, Being Astonished, and Sharing Your Story

/ embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Living Mary Oliver’s Wisdom Through Healing, Teaching, and Everyday Wonder**

There are some quotes that stay with us, not because they’re clever or inspiring, but because they feel like a compass pointing us back to ourselves. Mary Oliver’s simple yet profound guidance has been one of those touchstones for me:

“Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”

I return to these words again and again — especially during seasons of change, healing, or uncertainty. They’ve shaped the way I teach, the way I write, and the way I share my story with the world. And the more life I live, the more I realize how true they are.

Pay Attention

Paying attention is an act of devotion.
It’s choosing presence over autopilot.
It’s noticing the way your breath settles your nervous system.
It’s honoring the wisdom of your body — even when it’s hurting, even when it’s asking you to slow down.

In my own healing journey, paying attention has been my teacher. It’s also what inspired so many of the reflections and weekly practices in 52 Weeks of Wisdom & Wellness. When we pause long enough to notice the subtle shifts within us, we create space for renewal.

Be Astonished

Life asks us to be astonished — not in a loud, dramatic way, but in the soft moments that catch our breath.

A sunrise after a difficult night.
The way community gathers and holds us.
The resilience that keeps rising even when we feel worn down.
The capacity for joy that still lives in us, quietly waiting.

Being astonished is not about pretending everything is perfect. It’s about allowing ourselves to be moved, touched, awakened by the small wonders that sustain us.

Tell About It

This is the part of the quote that has shaped my work the most.

Telling about it — through writing, teaching, mentoring, or public speaking — is how we weave connection. It’s how we share our healing in a way that encourages others to find their own. It’s why I wrote my book. It’s why I continue to speak to caregivers, yoga teachers, and communities who need support.

Storytelling is healing.
Storytelling is service.
Storytelling is how we whisper to one another, “You’re not alone.”

Every time I stand in front of a group, turn on a camera, or sit down at my keyboard, I carry Mary Oliver’s words with me. They help me stay rooted in what matters: presence, awe, and truth.

A Gentle Reminder for Your Day

Wherever you are in your own season of life, may these words remind you to slow down, breathe deeper, and return to what is real and meaningful.

Pay attention to the small things.
Let yourself be astonished.
And tell your story — because your voice, your wisdom, and your lived experience matter more than you know.

Seasonal Essential Oil Blends with Gemstones: A Perfect Companion to 52 Weeks of Wisdom & Wellness

/ embracingspirit / Leave a comment

Revealing My New Seasonal Essential Oil Blends and Gemstones

A Beautiful Companion to 52 Weeks of Wisdom & Wellness

As I’ve been writing my new book, 52 Weeks of Wisdom & Wellness: A Year of Mindful Living, one guiding truth has woven itself through every chapter: our bodies, hearts, and spirits respond deeply to the rhythm of the seasons. Each season brings its own emotional tone, its own energy, and its own invitation for how we might move, breathe, and live.

This is why I created a set of intentional seasonal essential oil blends, each paired with a gemstone, to complement the journey of the book. These blends aren’t just lovely scents. They are seasonal anchors, helping you tune into the themes of renewal, radiance, gratitude, release, rest, and reflection as you move through the year.

Spring Blend: Renewal

Gemstone: Green Aventurine
Theme: New beginnings, emotional softness, gentle growth

Spring corresponds to Weeks 1–13 in 52 Weeks of Wisdom & Wellness, where the focus is on healing, compassion, returning to the body, and creating space for new energy. Spring is an invitation to soften, open, and begin again. The blend supports uplifting the heart, releasing heaviness, and stepping into fresh possibilities.

Essential oils: Lemon, Geranium, Eucalyptus, Frankincense 

Summer Blend: Radiance

Gemstone: Citrine
Theme: Joy, courage, vibrancy

Summer aligns with Weeks 14–26, a time focused on presence, energy, confidence, and living with intention. This season encourages expansion and warmth. The Summer Blend supports vitality, creativity, courage, and grounded enthusiasm.

Essential oils: Wild Orange, Jasmine, Lime, Ylang Ylang

Fall Blend: Gratitude and Release

Gemstone: Tiger’s Eye
Theme: Appreciation, clarity, letting go

Fall corresponds to Weeks 27–39. These chapters explore gratitude, grounding, awareness, and gently releasing what no longer serves. Fall invites us to simplify and return to the essentials. The Fall Blend supports emotional release, inner steadiness, and the practice of gratitude as the season shifts inward.

Essential oils: Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Orange, Clove 

Winter Blend: Reflection and Rest

Gemstone: Amethyst
Theme: Stillness, intuition, restoration

Winter aligns with Weeks 40–52. These final chapters center on reflection, deep rest, quiet healing, and reconnecting with inner wisdom. Winter is a season for listening, softening, and tending to the inner world. The Winter Blend supports nervous system calm, deep rest, and spacious reflection.

Essential oils: Myrrh, Sandalwood, Lavender, Juniper Berry  

How These Blends Connect to the Book

The book is intentionally structured by seasons, with 13 entries for each, inviting you to move through the year with presence and mindfulness. These blends were created as sensory companions to those themes, offering a grounding ritual as you read each week.

You can roll on the seasonal blend before beginning your weekly chapter and let the scent become a reminder of your intention for the season. This creates a layered, embodied experience of the book through touch, scent, breath, and awareness.

A Year of Wellness, One Season at a Time

My hope is that these blends help you feel supported as you move through your year. Whether you begin with Week 1 in spring or choose to start during another season, each blend offers a simple ritual to connect you back to yourself. They are gentle reminders to pause, breathe, and honor where you are.

They Also Make a Beautiful, Meaningful Gift

These seasonal blends and their gemstones make a thoughtful gift for anyone who values mindfulness, essential oils, intentional living, or emotional wellness. Paired with 52 Weeks of Wisdom & Wellness, they become a year-long offering of support, encouragement, and self-care.

This is the kind of gift that feels heartfelt, personal, and deeply nurturing. Perfect for holidays, birthdays, caregivers, teachers, friends, or anyone entering a new chapter of life.