January 2024 Newsletter
Welcome to 2024! Thank you for all the wonderful connections and memories made last year! I have loved sharing time with you at retreats and classes and on our monthly hikes and I am looking forward to connecting with more of you this next year. I am hopeful that this new year will bring more healing, more connection, and more love into each of your lives. Thank you for reading my newsletter where each month I will continue to share with you more of my personal journey and things I have been learning, teaching, reading, and loving. My hope is that you will find something that speaks to your heart and leads you toward healing and happiness in your own life. Please feel free to share this email with any friends or family who you feel may benefit from it as well.
What I am learning:
In November, I concluded a coaching position that I have had since June 2022. Each week I offered a meditation, along with an opportunity for ladies to receive individualized coaching from me, as part of Sariah Bastian’s program “Beyond Breath”. Sariah is a mentor and dear friend and the opportunity to coach for her has been an incredible learning experience. As I have coached and worked with the ladies who are part of her program, I have learned so much about myself. I had a desire to be in integrity with the skills and tools I was offering as a coach and I found it encouraged me to practice even more diligently. With consistent practice, we see greater shifts and more sustained changes in our own lives and I know that my life has benefited greatly from this time coaching.
As this opportunity came to an end, I have found myself pondering what direction I want to take in my business. Though the answers are not crystal clear yet, I have learned a few things from my contemplations. I recognize that what I love most about my business is the interactions I have with YOU. I really love coaching and teaching classes and hosting retreats and hikes. I also really love working as part of a team and having support and feedback. I also learned that I don’t enjoy the business aspect or the social media part of running a business very much, (as I’m sure any of you who follow me there are aware). I am excited for new opportunities and so many possibilities and will be taking time this month to gain more clarity on my next steps. I'll share more of what I uncover and learn next month, and in the meantime, I would love to hear what you have been learning about yourself lately. I would also love it if you would fill out this short survey (if you haven’t already) to give me some insight into what would be most beneficial for you this coming year. My desire is to offer experiences that will have a meaningful impact and offer tools that will help you navigate your day-to- day life with more peace. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B6L2S76
What I am offering:
Every Tuesday evening at 8:00 pm MST, I have an amazing group of ladies that join me for a yoga class with breathwork and guided meditation. We have built a beautiful community of women and I look forward to teaching them each week. This is an online class and we always love when new friends join. First class is free and the cost is $10 each class after. Please join our group app by scanning the QR code below if you are interested in joining us.
Once a month I host a free women’s hiking group for ladies in my local area of Southern Utah. Our next outing will be on January 20th at 9 am. We are planning to hike the Lava Gap to Middle Gila Trail near Snow Canyon. It is rated moderate and is approx. 3.5 miles. Stay tuned for updates or changes due to weather. I look forward to seeing you all on the trail! If you are interested in joining us for a hike, scan the QR below and join our group hiking app. I have attached the tentative list of hikes for all of 2024 so you can mark your calendars and plan to join us. Please note that there may be changes due to weather, so joining our group will allow you to stay up to date on any changes.
I am offering private, in-home (or on-line) yoga lessons for those looking for more personalized attention. I also am happy to do private retreats tailored to you and your group's needs. These offerings are not on my website currently so please reach out via email if a personalized yoga session or retreat is of interest to you.
Retreats tentatively scheduled for 2024: June 29th, July 20th, and October 5th. If you are interested in attending, please respond to this email with a short message and I will send you a notice when registration goes live.
I am also selling homemade herbal salves on my website. Choose from Calendula, Pine, Rosemary, or Calendula mixed with Rosemary. The calendula and rosemary salves are made from homegrown organic herbs and the pine salve is carefully harvested from Pinion pines in the Southern Utah area. These salves have many beneficial properties and are a great addition to your home first aid kit.
If any of these offerings are of interest to you, please reach out to me at joyfulbalancedhealth@gmail.com
What I am reading:
This month is the first month I have not read a new book this year. I have been devoting time to deep cleaning and organizing my house room by room. Instead of listening to courses or podcasts, I took a mental break and listened to music to help keep me inspired and motivated. So instead of sharing about what I am reading this month, I will share a list of the books I have read this year so you can add them to your reading list if you are interested:
· The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu
· How To Meet Yourself by Dr Nicole LePera
· Women, Food, and Hormones by Dr. Sara Gottfried
· A New Way to Age by Suzanne Somers
· The Inspired Yoga Teacher
· Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith
· The Four Desires by Rod Stryker
· The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope
· Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
· Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts by Richard Schwartz
· Heart Minded by Sarah Blondin
What are some of your favorite reads from this year? I’d love to add your top picks to my ever-growing list.
What I am loving:
Several years ago, I was introduced to “Unravel Your Year” and “Find Your Word” workbooks from Susanah Conway. I really love taking the time to reflect on the past year and preparing to embrace the New Year through this beautiful free download she offers. Here is the link: https://www.susannahconway.com/unravel-your-year-2024-download I hope you will love it as much as I have.🥰
Sending you all love and light,
♥️Jessica