I’ve been doing this consistently for 250 days!

Are your breathing?

It feels like 2020 has been a year of holding our breath, waiting for a moment to feel safe enough to… e x h a l e.

Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, we were one of the first places to go into lockdown in March. And a practice I started on the first day of shelter in place was breathwork and meditation.

Today marks my 250 day streak of prioritizing 21 minutes a day to connecting to my breath. It’s been an opportunity to align my body, my heart, my mind, and my spirit.

My husband and I do this together. We lay in our bed each morning.

First, we follow the Wim Hof Method. Here’s the 11-minute guided exercise. It’s 3 rounds of breathing and expanding our capacity to hold our breath. Which is exactly what I believe this year is teaching all of us. How to sit in the unknown and build our capacity to hold more than we ever knew was possible.

Then, I set the Insight Timer App for 10 minutes, and we lay in silence. I love the simplicity of this app because it tracks our streak and has soothing bell sounds.

I’m not perfect at meditating. Silence for me looks like… coming up with business ideas, thinking about a conflict, dozing off into a sleepy slumber, crying, connecting and sending love to loved ones I’ve lost, calling in my ancestors for support and guidance, thinking about my to do list, and every now and then I’m in complete surrendered peace. 🧘🏽‍♀️

The biggest benefit of doing daily breathwork and meditation is consistently showing up for myself, bringing my awareness back to my body, connecting with my husband in a meaningful daily ritual that I know grounds us in more ways than we can measure. That’s why I’m excited to share this week’s episode with you which is all about safety and healing.

A Safe Space to Heal, Disarm and Be Yourself

“I wanted to create community and a safe space for women to come and disarm and to be who they really are.”

– TAMIKA LEWIS

How do you know when it’s time to be supported and have space for your own growth and healing? Whether there are days that you just don’t want to get out of bed, or you’re hiding in your productivity, this episode is for you. We’ll talk about what it means to lead with our humanity, honor our bodies, and practice self-care.

In this episode, I get cozy with one of my closest friends, Tamika Lewis, LCSW. for you.

Tamika is a speaker, writer, and licensed psychotherapist practicing in Los Angeles, California. She is the Clinical Director and founder of Womxn of Color Therapy Inc, a health and wellness community for teens and women of color. WOC Therapy offers free resources like The “Strong Woman's” Guide to Inner Peace, as well as online workshops and courses relating to anxiety, codependency, and racial healing.

Click here to listen: jadahsellner.com/178

What you'll hear (and don't want to miss!):

• Some ways that we can start disarming ourselves, in order to embrace being human
• The conversations that Tamika is having with her kids around the issues of race, and the practices she does with them to instill a sense of pride and knowledge about their culture
• Tamika’s tools and care practices that she’s using and sharing with her clients during these times of uncertainty
• What role friendship plays in daily life, and why you need to have those key people to be in your corner
• How she is navigating homeschooling as an entrepreneur and her thoughts on “mom guilt”
• The vision she is building and creating with the powerful work that she is doing with teens and women of color

Check out the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon Music (or wherever you listen to podcasts). As you’re listening, take a screenshot, share your favorite takeaway and tag me on Instagram and Facebook with #leadwithlovepodcast.

Warm hugs,