1: Embody, Restore & Integrate (w/ Dr. Hamad Shirazi)

Hola! Thank you for coming down to St. Pete. This has been exciting to have you here. How’s your time been?

It’s been great. Yeah, I’m used to the area, but every time I come, I enjoy it. And especially to be with y’all who we recently connected in Belize. Yes, we talked about it and here we are. Yeah, well, I have my own business, just Coach Shirazi, and then I’m working with Eastwell Chiropractic as an independent contractor.

Okay, that’s exciting. And then you also do retreats, retreats, workshops, continuing education. I am just a man on a mission wanting to facilitate health, happiness, and healing in whatever ways, you know, I’m able to. I love that. Well, it was really beautiful having you down at Pranamaya Island Resort because we welcomed you to come be a guest with us and put your feet up, but then you just felt this like need as a heart-giving provider to give back and you started treating a lot of people, which was really sweet.

How did it feel treating while you’re at a resort like that? So that is what- how I have been manifesting and designing my life. For me to actually be fully fulfilled is when I’m also of service. So it’s, it’s a perfect blend of enjoying and receiving, but also giving and having that harmony, right? It was really fun because we originally had scheduled a Heal the Healer retreat, which is where we were going to give back and be of service to doctors such as yourself to help stave off burnout.

But yourself and then a few of the other wellness providers who are there were like, oh my gosh, we want to be a part of Heal the Healer. And I was like, this is amazing. This is great. And they said, no, we want to provide, we want to serve. And I said, okay, this group of people is like, we all want to be of service.

Very hard for us to receive. So now we’ve completely shifted gears. And now we’re doing the Embody, Restore, and Integrate. Tell me what that means for you. Especially with the type of practice that you have.

Yeah, and I think with our synergy collectively, and as, uh, being part of the team, which I’m so grateful for, is, you know, there’s many of us on this journey of, let’s say, elevating consciousness or awakening and just wanting to return to ourselves and to be healthier, to be happier, more integrated. I think the theme would be first we need to also embody it. So as deep and complex as we could get spiritually or philosophically, we also need to be present because our body is the vessel and where we even, you know, receive that consciousness. And then to restore is to return back to reflect. We need the yin and the yang and the balance and the harmony.

And then it’s okay, how do we integrate this and make it simple, digestible, and practical for all of us, as far as the facilitators, the teachers, as well as the participants. So one of my favorite parts of getting to collaborate with people is working with people like yourself, but also my co-retreat creator, Bree, is with us today. She’s on the line and has really helped us, I think, embody, for lack of a better word, this downregulation of the nervous system, right? This idea of how do we come home to ourselves and who we truly are. And this is walking barefoot around the property.

This is eating food as medicine. This is spending time in the ocean for those negative ions and under the sun for the vitamin D. So, Bree, welcome. I’m so glad you’re able to join us from Oregon. So excited to be here with you all.

Share a little bit about your intention and purpose of how you bring people in to the embody, restore, and integrate principle at Pranamaya when we do these retreats. Yeah, it’s, it’s such a beautiful both question and journey that you and I, Mara, obviously have been on in collaboration with the entire team who’s on the ground year-round running Pranamaya full-time. I think with a retreat like this, there’s really something to say about what we might call the explicit curriculum, which is, you know, the many workshops that we’ll do, the yoga sessions, the movement sessions that Dr. Shirazi will lead, the spa and acupuncture experiences that people will have. And then there’s all of this other stuff in the background that we might call implicit curriculum, which is a part of the sacred healing container that we create when we come together.

That really is a part of this embody, integrate, restore, which is what is the kind of environment that people, when they step in, they immediately start experiencing the benefits of what we’re holding as the greatest intention for the retreat. So we always talk about one of the first things that we do, regardless of the retreat or the topic of any retreat or gathering, is we start to slow down. And so inherently being on an island, the pace is different. And inherently being in a culture like in Central America, the pace is really different. And so we have that on our side.

And then as facilitators, I think we explicitly and implicitly start to do that immediately upon people landing at the resort. The pace is different. The rhythm of life is different. There’s a schedule and, you know, events and workshops that are going to hold people in that container. And we always say if someone misses morning yoga because they’ve slept in for the first time in 2 years, we’re going to celebrate that.

And so that is a part of- it’s not the only thing, obviously, but this, this implicit and explicit slowing down, changing the pace, and then essentially making space inside for inner wisdom to bubble up, but then also making space outside for people to experience nature, connections with other people, and then, you know, the spa and more, more explicit, you know, workshops that we’ll have for people as well. Yeah, it’s been really exciting over the past year working with you, Bri, and us bringing a multitude of people from a variety of backgrounds, and that the one theme that it seems that everyone takes away is that their experience was I’m going to use the keywords that people have shared, that it’s like going into a portal, right, when they get onto our island, and it’s magical. And then the creativity process that bubbles up from that. And I remember you saying in one of our previous podcasts, Bree, you said, in order to actually have that space to think clearly and have that creative process, we have to slow down. And in order to heal, we have to slow down.

And so pranamaya and the Belizean culture, like you just shared, are inherently what we call island time, right? Belize time. So everything engenders that ability to sleep deeply, relax, and press the reset button on our nervous system. And what kind of yoga do you think you’re going to be offering at this upcoming retreat? Because I know you, you have a variety of styles, Bree, that you do, but there’s usually a common thread of what you’re leading people through?

Yeah, well, my passion and also my training is in somatic experiencing and somatic work. And so my yoga practice personally, and then what I instruct has really changed over time to align with the principles of, of that work, which is a real concentration on mindfulness and a felt sense of what’s happening in the body. So it’s sort of restorative yoga, but it doesn’t mean that we always move really slow or that we, you know, hold poses for a really long time. But the general experience is one that is about slowing down enough to feel and then also making and finding micro adjustments and micro movements that feel really good in people’s bodies. Because as an instructor, and I know Dr.

Shirazi can probably relate, it’s like you could give all the anatomical cues in a yoga pose or in a movement session, or even potentially in a chiropractic session, that are accurate from an anatomical perspective, but they’re going to feel and look really different in people’s bodies. And so I really have cultivated a practice of, you know, instructing, hopefully, and, and the feedback is such that people have their own wisdom again kind of bubble up, and then instruct them once they’re in a pose and how to be in it, either more fully or in a way that feels better for them. And so I think this general principle around slowing down kind of guides the yoga as well. The exciting thing though is Pranamaya also have- has a beautiful gym. We have TRX equipment where we can- can and will facilitate, you know, more fitness-related or workout or slightly faster-paced experiences.

And all of that will be integrated because We wanna treat the whole person. And so there’ll be whole people-related experiences throughout the retreat. Something that I loved at the retreat that we did around Labor Day was we had a movement specialist there, Patrick Daly, and the two of you started to play off of each other, right? Like one morning you would be teaching a yoga session, the next day he would be teaching a movement session. And I just love that this organic flow happened.

And I’m totally picturing this, that you and Dr. Hamad start doing this also, that this organic kind of like tap, you’re in, you go and build upon what was put in so that people’s bodies, this muscle memory is starting to really understand. It’s not counterintuitive, right? It’s actually intuitive movement for the body, but also learning these different ways of moving in this safe experience because so much movement sometimes people think they’re, let’s use the word working out, which I can’t stand the word, I’m gonna go work out. It’s really how do we move our bodies safely so that we are healthy and feel happy afterwards, right?

And so I think the two of you together, this collaboration is going to be really fun to see how you, you play together. I’m already looking forward to it. I really appreciate the way Bree was stating it, because I think we’re coming together for a common thread and going about it in very complementary and synergistic ways. Because like she was mentioning, slowing down, And I like to use the term working in a lot. I like that.

And we need to work in and regulate the nervous system with the breath, integrating movement with the rhythm of the breath, even incorporating elements of tai chi and qigong with strength and conditioning. So I think Bree and I, we will, you know, complement. I was laughing because I was picturing where the TRXs are. And we had the pickleball courts. I was like, don’t be surprised if we’re doing some conditioning drills and some sprints out there when I’m leading because I plan on you know, yeah, synergistically bouncing off with Bree, but giving our participants a full scope of options and ways to achieve freedom of movement and integration.

And, and also we can still on this island be barefoot while we’re doing that. Yes. And the TRXs are hung in our custom-built outdoor palapa, which is the grass thatched rooftops, and it’s 360-degree views of water. So it’s in the shade, you get the beautiful island breeze, but then the sun is there, the water is there. It’s not like going to a sterile gym, right?

It’s a totally different, totally immersive experience when you’re getting to do yoga and movement like this. Yeah. In that environment. Yeah. And then maybe people pick up a badass game of pickleball where they’re at it.

Yeah. I actually played for the first time on my last trip down there and it is so much fun. Have you played pickleball? Oh yeah. And I played some tennis as well, so- okay.

And I’m more of like a basketball player, so I can utilize my athleticism. And it’s fun because I love ping pong, I love tennis. Yeah. And I think it’s basically like a hybrid. It is the two.

Yeah, we’re bringing in ping pong too. So we’re gonna ping pong, we have volleyball there now too since you were there. Um, the first time I ever played pickleball was actually with Bree in Oregon, and I think it’s been about 15 years, so I almost want to say I’ve never played pickleball. Bree, have you played again since we played? I’ve, I’ve played a few times, but I don’t play enough to remember the rules.

And there’s definitely a part of me that like, I actually really love, you know, like board games and I love strategy games. And so pickleball to me feels like when I re-engage in pickleball and like I’m reminded of all the rules, I love it because they’re- I’ve never really gotten good enough to be that strategic, but I’ve played with like a partner who’s like really good. And then it feels, you know, it’s similar. It’s like you’re playing off of each other and things like that. But I have to be reminded of the rules every time I play.

Well, we’ll have to get up a game of, you know, 4 of us to play together because the owner of the property, Steve, is actually a really, really good pickleball player. And it was really fun on this last visit. We were just there a few weeks ago with Ben Greenfield and his family. And he and Ben played against Ben’s 17-year-old sons and the old men schooled the young men every game. It was really fun to see that.

Just that, again, that fun, the play. Like we’re, as much as we create this retreat itinerary for everyone, like Bree said, there’s so much free time to play. Like, how did we forget to play? Bree and I talk about this a lot of when did we get so, when did we start adulting and being so serious about adulting versus having fun and playing, like not working out, working in, going outside, being in community, playing with each other. So that’s a big component of what we do at these retreats too, is reminding people Don’t adhere to the itinerary.

If we see you, that’s amazing. If you’re off resting or journaling, that’s amazing too, right? And so, and then if you’re off playing, we’ve got the paddleboards and we’ve got the water bikes as well. So it’s just, it’s a great environment all around. Yes.

But I think a big part of what I’ve heard, and I’ve definitely caught myself saying when I come home from let’s say, a vacation or a retreat is, how do I take home the things that I learned, right? How do I integrate those things? And we were just talking about this, and Bree and I are actually developing a workbook that will be customized for our retreat guests as well. So it’ll be something that acts as a tool for them after they have left us, but the continued support. And then you were sharing, Dr.

Hamad, that you have some things as well of how to actually integrate this back into their day-to-day lives. Yeah, and I find so much value in that because I think the retreat is great. I, I heard someone mention how going to a retreat is like going to the dentist for your cleaning, but then what you do every day is like, you know, brushing your teeth. So for us to provide the synergy where like you are getting a deep cleaning and an amazing immersive experience with us, but then we are going to collaborate and work together to take this home so that they are better and more integrated. So I know for me, I’ve always been on this mission of how can I add the most value, most value in the least amount of time and efficiency.

So in this retreat, I’m planning to have fun interactive, like workshop about embodiment and getting more connected with ourselves. And then in the one-on-one chiropractic with coaching sessions with each individual, I plan on developing that homework or that curated next step for them. And that’s something that we can put in the work box- oh, within the workbook where each individual participant will get an action item. Wow. And then we’ll also be doing movement together.

So it’s, it’s the theory, it’s the learning, it’s the embodiment and the receiving even of the adjustment and the different therapies that we have. But then, then also experience it while they’re there. The application. Application. And we have enough days so that we can also problem solve.

So let’s say for example, I’m getting our group to practice core breathing, getting the glutes to fire properly and to integrate the myofascial systems while we move or walking barefoot. We’ll have time together to be able to, you know, oh, I trained, but I didn’t, you know, I didn’t feel it here, or my knees started to bother me, right? I hope to add value and we can do it collectively where we are able to give real-life problem solving in the time together. I love that. I love also that they’re going to get body treatments from Bree.

Through her somatic healing and then through you, through chiropractic, myself through acupuncture, and then through our incredible Belizean spa therapists who are there for Belizean-inspired massages. And we have all organic, locally made products that we use in our spa as well. So people are truly going to leave feeling better than when they arrived. We’ve taken out all the toxins, all the chemicals around the property so people can truly restore. At the same time and detoxify.

Bree, a lot of people don’t know what somatic healing is. What is somatic healing? What do you provide in the course of these sessions? Yeah. So one-on-one sessions look similar to maybe other kinds of therapeutic and/or energy work sessions that people maybe have received.

So people will lay down on the- a massage table, or sometimes we’re on some pads on the floor, and then I’ll be practitioning around them, which is again a familiar setup for a lot of people. And we do a combination of, again, this, this word felt sense that I think sometimes is a bit buzzy, but it also really passes if someone’s never heard that word. I think it still passes the, the intent behind the practice, which is using everything from physical sensations to potential emotions or memories or even just things that get stored in the body, using that as a way to move through layers of noticing, so observing and noticing, and then layers of depth of feeling over the course of a session. And so that happens through hands-on work, not manipulation, like I’m not a massage therapist, so I won’t be pressing or pushing on people, but usually gentle hand placements on the heart or the belly or the shoulders. And then dialogue as well.

So people sharing their experience, me asking questions, sometimes longer longer phases of silence. But it really is based in mindfulness practices. So this observing, going inside, working in, although slightly different way of using that term. But there’s a level to which, and as a practitioner, I also have to be very intentional about this in my own life, which is the amount of time I take to go inside of myself, pull back my senses inside so that they aren’t geared toward the outside world, and then also pull back my like mental awareness so that it’s not out in the ethers doing all my to-do lists all the time, and instead turning all of that life force, all of my attention inward, and really just seeing the state of what’s happening. And sometimes people find stillness and silence that they’ve been craving.

Sometimes people find sadness or grief that is from a recent or a past loss. Sometimes people find total joy that doesn’t seem like it has like a super specific, um, you know, uh, like root, but it’s just like some internal state of joy that, that I think we sometimes forget because of how busy we are. So it’s almost usually it’s an invitation to find something very simple but very real inside that again, we just sometimes gloss over in daily life. Experience the future of wellness with Axiom H2 by First Alternative Therapies, now available at Prana Maya Island Resort in Belize. This advanced hydrogen therapy delivers molecular hydrogen directly to your cells, helping reduce oxidative stress and inflammation while boosting energy and mental clarity.

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You had described it as- what did you describe it as before? It wasn’t Jell-O. What did you describe? Yeah, the word soma has a couple of different roots, but one of them is like the soma or the nectar, the nectar of the, of the body. Yeah.

Yeah, I think so. If people have had Reiki before, because you are also a Reiki practitioner, Is it somewhat comparable to that for someone to get an idea of- they’re laying down, their clothes are on, you’re barely touching them, and if you are touching them, it’s maybe in a specific spot on the body where you’re feeling where there’s maybe a blockage, meaning a stuck energy? Or- yeah, I think the one distinction, and it doesn’t have to be super important for people to know, know this or remember this, but there’s a lot of energy healing that essentially channels energy into people. Reiki is one of those. I don’t practice Reiki as much anymore.

It’s a beautiful practice. I just sort of have now been trained in these different modalities, and so I as a practitioner don’t actually channel energy into someone. It’s more an interactive space where I hold space and accompany people on their journey inside. And one of the ways that this is helpful to maybe think about is when people are meditating, people always tell me they have a hard time meditating. I also have a hard time meditating, even though I love meditation and live and work at a meditation retreat center.

But it is very hard. But to be guided is such a gift. And so in some ways, I’m guiding meditation or mindfulness-based techniques while people are in a horizontal, receptive, open position so that people can come to know themselves. And then their landscape is the goal, and the channeling of energy isn’t necessarily the goal. I’m just really a guide and, and a helper because that journey can be hard to do by ourselves.

I think we all, again, probably have experienced that. Trying to do it in meditation is a lifelong practice. It’s definitely a lifelong practice. I think it’s why monks spend their entire life dedicated to it and never mastering it wholly or completely. Um, I don’t know, have you all seen the monks that are walking across right now?

They’re probably in your neck of the woods. They came through my neck of the woods recently. Did you get to see them? No, I was working, serving the people, but I, I had people telling me about it. It was- I just started following them, that they’re on this march from Texas to D.C.

in the mission of peace, right? And they have a dog with them that has a heart on its forehead, and just so sweet that this whole movement is happening of peace walks right now. And so for us in Belize, we definitely do a lot of peace walking also. So I want to kind of give people an idea of what they could expect when they come to Pranamaya is that we are on a private island. There’s no one else there with us.

We don’t lock our doors. I mean, you can if you want to, but it’s definitely not necessary. Uh, we shared a villa together last time, and it just- it’s such an ease of coming and going. You feel like you’re home. I- at least I hope you felt that way.

That’s what I want people to feel when they come to the island. Um, we are hugging everyone. The staff is hugging everyone. Remembers everyone by first name. It has this real intimate feel that this isn’t a large resort where you’re one of thousands of people walking around the property.

So it feels intimate, it feels safe, it feels grounded, it’s quiet. So at night, people say that they have never slept better than when they sleep there because there’s no airplanes overhead, there’s no boats going by, there’s no loud traffic noise or parties going on. Um, and that in itself helps downregulate. The nervous system, just being immersed in quiet and nature. We’re surrounded by mangroves all around us also.

And our mornings start with gentle yoga with Bree, and then we go into breakfast, and all of our food is farm and sea to table and organic. We have made sure and curated the food part as food is medicine for everyone. So even if you have food allergies, autoimmune disorders like a celiac disease even, we are going to be able to feed you and nourish you with the most yummy, delicious food. We have had people come who have celiac and they say that they have never been more well looked after and enjoyed the eating as much as they have. They can’t wait for their next meal because again, they feel safe that they’re not gonna get sick while they’re there from the food that they’re having.

And then mid-morning, we usually go into sessions, whether it’s gonna be with you, Dr. Hamad, or it will be with Brie or myself, the spa, or maybe it’s workshops stop time, and then we have afternoon lunch, and then in the mid-afternoon, we do another round of these sessions, right? We have the ViBed with the molecular hydrogen, PEMF mat. We have grounding tools. My acupuncture will include some meditation, maybe cupping therapy if it’s applicable as well.

Something I love to do are what are called serenity sessions where you will get back-to-back treatments. Like, I love to give somebody acupuncture and then have them get a chiropractic session because then they’re all loosey-goosey relaxed, so then your adjustments are easier, and then they hold longer too. So it’s really beautiful to have this easy access of us all together to do back-to-back therapies that the average person is going to have to run around to different appointments, different offices, and we’re one-stop shopping for them to be able to do that. We also have a woman named Jarka who comes and does sound healing over- we have a private pier over the water, and she’ll do sound healing sessions. If it happens to be raining, we’ll do it in one of the villas and put candles on and maybe do it in the evening for kind of a quiet wind down into dinner.

And then our dinners are typically communal. We’re always sitting together or finding new people to sit next to and true relationships are made. I mean, this is a perfect example of where we’re sitting right now at Naaman Collective in St. Pete. Josh is the owner who is my suitemate in the office building, came with us to Pranamaya, met you, met Bree, and now we’re all sitting here doing this podcast together.

That came out of that one magical visit. And this is what happens every time, is these beautiful relationships blossom while we’re there. And then this creative juice blossoms of- you’ve now come down to do this health summit with Josh today. It’s so exciting to see what evolves out of this time together. And I’m so excited to see who’s gonna come with us on this particular spring retreat journey and the relationships that they’re going to form out of it.

And I just call it rendezvous. It was already predestined, it was already planned, and now we’ve actually just rendezvoused at the right time in the right place when it was meant to be. Did you make other relationships while you were there? I had something coming up while you were speaking as I was listening, is the challenge I had was there’s too much abundance, right? It’s like The food, like, I felt so full and abundant to where there was an overwhelming amount of, like, nourishment, the environment, the people, like, every- everything I could have meditated with.

But there was so much goodness, you know, it was just like I didn’t even have time to connect with everyone. But everyone there, it was so curated. The environment was so great. And this is more from the participant side. And from the food to all the activities, the environment, and I like being in harmony with nature, but I also like nice things.

And that’s what I’ve shared with my friend is like, it’s the perfect blend of being connected to nature. So it’s not like too luxurious, but it is very clean and luxurious. I think it’s been a beautiful harmony. Oh, that’s well said. So, and then I was super excited as Bree was speaking.

I’ve done multiple workshops in collaborations with like acupuncturists, uh, with somatic healers, with Reiki and massage, and I already envision what’s going to happen because it’s always unfolded perfectly. Whether someone sees me before or after someone, it seems to always be what that person needed. And then it’s beautiful the way it like, you know, works out. Maybe, yeah, they see you for acupuncture treatment session or see me after, or vice versa. Maybe one of us unlocked the key for the other one to have, you know, like maybe the home run effect, right, with that person.

So I can already see us like sharing and smiling and just being so fulfilled at the end of the days. Yeah, you know, just helping the people. It’s a good point because our- the group that we all had when I hosted you and Josh, or when Bree and I hosted the two of you, that was a large group. We were over 35 people for that group. So this particular retreat we’re keeping more intimate.

It’s going to be capped at 20 people. So that we can have that more intimate experience on the property too, that more one-on-one time, because I know you felt like, “I don’t have enough time to treat all the people I wanted to treat,” whereas on our retreat, it’s going to be more intimate. Yeah. And so there’s going to be ample time for people to maybe even have more than one session. Yeah.

If that’s what their body is calling for also. Bree, any other thoughts that you want to share? You just spent a past year at Pranamaya, and we hosted quite a few groups, and they were all so very different each time. I remember you saying on this last group, you’re like, this is the most energized group we’ve had. It was a really fun way to kind of conclude 2025 retreats at Pranamaya.

But what are- what’s your kind of feel after our year there together? Yeah, I was thinking of a similar question like for this podcast, you know, of like, what’s- what is- what else is there to say besides the very, very important but also very, you know, common- not common, but like, we want to tell people about the schedule, we want to tell people about the property. And the thing that bubbled up that is one of the things that I love about Pranamaya and every retreat that we’ve done is that so many surprising things happen. And I mean surprise in the best of ways. And in the line of just being awe-inspired, really awe and wonder every single time we go.

And, you know, not to give away too much, but like one time or a couple of times, you know, it’s rained on the day we were meant to go to the jungle. And then the rain ended up being like this huge gift and portal for like people coming together and, you know, toughing it out in the rain. And then we ended up with just beautiful sunshine afterward or moonrises over the pier and over the water that are just like the most stunning, you know, moonrises, or we’re on our morning sunrise paddleboard, which feels quiet and sacred. And then, like, I totally fell in the water, you know, and it’s hilarious. We’re all laughing.

I did too. It was needed. There’s something about that, the spontaneity that comes and the surprise. And I think that’s when we are living closer to life, when those things really touch us deeply. Yeah, when we get off the schedule, right, and we start to do things that are new, and sometimes that’s scary.

I remember we had talked about that in one of our meetings with Dr. Jason and Thea, and talking about getting out of our routine and how that can be scary sometimes. But then it’s so freeing when it also happens, when we get out of that day-to-day grind, that day-to-day routine, and we experience something new that actually liven us up, right? It releases dopamine, it releases GABA, it releases serotonin, and we feel happier. I think a big thing that we had talked about when we were there in our last podcast, Bree, was laughing, right?

That is one of the best things when we’re there is like I laugh so hard. There are moments that my, my sides hurt. And it’s just, again, we’re out of that stressful routine where we’re taking ourselves so seriously and we’re adulting way too much, and we’ve got that infinite checklist of things we have to do, and all that just goes out the window when you’re at Pranamaya. It’s this experience of getting to be free and getting to really be grounded in nature and tap into who we truly are. It is, it’s exciting, and it’s the spontaneity that comes is always, I think, the most fun part of it.

And around the rain part, it is an island in Central America. It’s tropical. It’s gonna rain. And I remember the first time that we went into the jungle and it was like a downpour day. And Bree, you weren’t with us on that particular trip, but Steve and I were a little stressed about how this was going to play out.

Like, how do we serve lunch outside around the beautiful source of the water area? And after this was all- that particular day was done, Steve said to me, he said, I hope it rains every time we go to the jungle. Right? It wound up being, like you just said, the most magical part of the entire day was everyone sitting under the beautiful canopy of the jungle, protected from the downpour a little bit, but this beautiful light rain just touching everybody, and everyone not stressing about it, kind of going, “This is what it is, and this is fun right now.” So those moments do present themselves.

Yeah, I wanted to share, uh, a few of the moments I had when we were riding in. We came at the time of a full moon, so magical is one way to put it, because we’re literally arriving to the island, all of you are out greeting us, there’s a full moon shining on us, and then the next morning we have full moon and the sun’s rising at the same time. And they were such magical moments. And I feel like there was a lot of even instantaneous life lessons because even Bree was mentioning about the rain that morning with Yarka and the sound bowl. Remember, we were all, uh, it started raining and then we were trying to situate how we’re gonna get under, and then we had a beautiful rainbow.

So then we ended up having, you know, a rainbow sound bath on the water. Yeah, that was pretty amazing. That’s right, I gave you a little foot massage because that’s how like close we were to each other and cuddled on the pier. Yeah, that was, I think, probably my favorite sound healing session. And the ability there to just have, you know, it seems like something’s going wrong but not necessarily.

And it’s such wisdom for life is we always, you know, see the, the silver lining. Yeah. And then those magical moments show up. Yeah, you are definitely, I think, such a bright light because you’re always smiling. You have such a positive attitude about everything, and that obviously is going to be brought to this upcoming retreat too.

What’s something you would love people- what would you like to inspire in people as a takeaway of why they should come? Like, who should be coming on this retreat, this Embody, Restore, Integrate? Anyone who’s called to on this journey of, you know, returning to their self, loving themselves, and also seeking community. We’re here in St. Pete.

I live in Atlanta. We met in Belize. And, you know, and Breeze in Oregon. Yeah, exactly. Breeze in Oregon.

So if you’re ready to lean in, you have no idea what life offers us. And even if you’re a participant, you don’t know who you’re going to meet. Or what’s going to be on that next step of your journey. And I think a lot of us understand theoretically sometimes, oh yes, we need to let go and surrender, but to truly actually do it and to take that leap of faith- I’m so grateful. I had in my mind that I would love to work together in a group like this at a resort like this, and it manifested and came into my life.

But I was speaking with another one of our friends, Josh, about if we don’t lean in and we don’t take that step, we don’t want to regret or have that feeling of not knowing. And but then when you do lean in and you trust, you have no idea, you know, what’s on the other side of that. Yeah, living the dream, what you can unlock, right? This potential that’s in all of us that we’re kind of holding on to out of maybe fear, for lack of a better word, that if we actually break open, we feel like we’re breaking, but we’re actually letting the light in. When we do that, right?

For me, the person who I most want to be coming on this retreat is somebody who’s saying, “I’m at my wit’s end. I’m exasperated. I don’t have enough time. I don’t even have time to come on this retreat. How could I come on that retreat?” You’re the exact person who needs to come on this retreat, and you need to prioritize your health.

We all need to prioritize our health, our greatest asset. Is our health. Health is wealth. And if we don’t have our health, we can’t do any of the other things or participate in the things we want and need to be participating in, right? Like our families, our work, ourselves.

We don’t get to do that if we’re not prioritizing who we are truly as our source, that authentic self showing up. And I had a conversation with one of my closest girlfriends yesterday about the authentic self. What does that mean? And so that’s something that we also explore of being of integrity, being authentic, and not being a part of this matrix of running and running and running all the time because we lose who we are. We lose who we are just by putting shoes on our feet with a rubber sole, and now we’re not connected to the electromagnetic field of the earth, right?

So as soon as we can come back home to who we are, all of a sudden all those things like you just talked about- and I love that you keep using this word of in, right? We work in, we lean in- I love that, it’s like coming in to ourselves instead of exhausting by putting everything out there all the time for people. It’s a true conservation of our energy. And if we can conserve our energy, we can show up as our happiest, healthiest, safest selves. It’s what I say to my patients all the time.

Do you feel happy? Do you feel healthy? Do you feel safe? If you can’t say yes to all 3 of those, then let’s talk about the one that you can’t say yes to and let’s get you there as a priority. Because I truly believe every ailment that we have comes from stress, whether it’s a heart attack, an autoimmune disease, itchy skin, hair loss, digestive upset, whatever it is, the root can come back to stress.

And that’s where something like Somatic Healing with Bree, where she’s unlocking that to help let it up and let it out and let it go in a very safe way also. So that’s a big one that the work we do today for our health is not even about an hour from now or a year from now. It’s about 10, 20, 30 years from now. All right, because a lot of the injuries we have, let’s say, you know, I played lacrosse in high school, and I remember turning with the stick in my hand, and my foot didn’t move, but my body kept moving, and I tweaked my knee. And forever now I have this kind of funky knee, right?

If I had known to do this kind of work, at 16 years old, I wouldn’t have a funky knee at 47 years old, right? And so, and at 47, if I can keep doing the work now, man, when I’m 77, I’m gonna feel like I’m still 47. Yeah, right. And that’s the big one is people, we all need to start taking the time and prioritizing the time to come on retreats like this, that we can age not just with the years, but with the wellness in our years, right? It’s not just about longevity.

It’s about how we feel in that long-term part of it, right? There’s this whole now biohacking movement, longevity movement. I’m like, that’s great. But what is the quality of your life in those years? And that’s a big part.

Happy, healthy, and safe. And that starts with embody, restore, integrate, right? Bree, what’s your- who do you most want to be coming on this retreat? Well, you both have said so many. I want all those people to come on their team.

And then, you know, I kind of am feeling people who are maybe on the verge of either a life transition or wanting or needing some kind of change in their life, or maybe on the verge of some kind of either starting a creative project and/or maybe trying to find the energy and the inspiration to finish a creative project that they’re in the midst of, or like at the end of. I have a friend who just finished a book, for example, and she took herself on a retreat to the San Juan Islands to like, not even to finish the book, to get and restore the inspiration and reconnect with why she wanted to write the book in the first place. And so I’m thinking about all those creative people. Yes, maybe some of them are burnt out, maybe some of them are just simply like looking for the next thing that might inspire them. And I feel like Belize in general, and the little village of Plasencia, and then the island where Pranamaya is, is- it’s inspiring.

It is, it is, it’s beautiful both at the level of nature, but it’s also what has been curated in the physical spaces and the resort itself, and then within through the people. It’s beautiful, it’s stunning, it’s awe-inspiring. Um, there is- there’s a sense of just being cleansed, and I don’t even mean because we’re gonna have people do like a nutrition or food-based cleanse, although that that’s part of what happens when we eat the quality of food that’s at the- on the resort. Um, but cleansing, meaning like, you know, a bit of a technology detox is always good, a bit of, um, you know, detox from just like busy life and to-do lists. So yeah, that, that would be my call out, is people who are starting or needing some rejuvenation around projects or creative things, um, and just want to spend time with cool people doing really cool stuff and receiving a lot of healing and inspirational opportunities while they’re, while they’re with us and while we’re all together.

I love that. It’s, as Steve’s business partner David says, they got a lot of cool stuff going on over there. So we definitely have a lot of cool stuff that we are all excited to share because as healers, we want to be of service and we love to just integrate and share all of our knowledge and our tools. I mean, we have so many tools, just between the 3 of us, that the time that we have with whom is going to choose to show up and lean in with us, I mean, I think there’s going to be a level of, I’m going to use your word, abundance that they go home with, right? This abundant knowledge, this abundant self-awareness that they knew was there, but just had to be kind of unlocked, right?

Well, I want to thank you both so much for joining today and doing this and helping us inspire some folks to come and jump into the Embody, Integrate, Embody Restore Integrate retreat. It’s going to be May 12th through the 16th. And you can get more information at marwellnessgroup.com and pranamayarresort.com. And we look forward to seeing you there. I’ll see you in May.

I’ll see you in May, Bree. See you in May. I can’t wait.

Oh! Oh!