Self Care

Do you like to iron? I (Marianne) do not. But Sophie finds her time at the ironing board relaxing and a form of meditation.

So, what does ironing have to do with self-care?

According to Sophie, self-care is the ability of us to be aware of our personal needs.

Sometimes, we have to decide what action brings us more peace of mind: visiting with our family or taking care of unfinished tasks.

We do talk about a mangel which actually makes ironing fun. If you have never seen one, do a search for many different models - a new model you can but today runs about $ 2,500.00.

But this photo I found online is close to what we had in our home and used for the weekly ironing marathon.

When Sophie and Marianne were in Yoga Teacher training, we started a little book club. One of our favorites was Loving What Is by Byron Katie. We both highly recommend that you read this book. Please get it from your local library or support an independent bookstore!

Does Self Care sometimes feel like a chore? If it does, is it still self-care?

Sophie describes the Ayurvedic practice of Abhyanga. Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry. If you are knowledgeable about this subject, you can help improve the article. And while you are at it, donate to Wikipedia. Now, more than ever, we need sources of information.

Our conversation did bring us to mental self care.In particular, letting go of guilt and stopping comparing ourselves to others.

As always, our conversation takes us to many different topics. Here is one tool to calm ourselves when unhelpful thoughts are taking over: Sing a song or repeat a mantra over and over.

Join us on Patreon for many guided meditations and our Yin Yoga Series.

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We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Sophie & Marianne

As you know, Sophie moved across the country to an area where everything was brand-new to her. No established friends, connections, or even knowing the city,

One thing she found was that a move like that offers a chance for a new beginning.

It is easy to fall into old habits and establish what we had before.

But it is a great opportunity to sit back for a bit and think about what one really wants to do.

The world of Yoga has grown dramatically in the US and has developed in different directions.

For many, Yoga is a physical exercise - nothing more. Others only practice the meditation aspect.

Sophie is in-between.

Sophie likes to teach Hatha Yoga - each pose is held for 30 seconds or a minute. The important part is to be aware of the breath (prana).

She started teaching in a new studio - every teacher is new to that particular place. She found that she felt very comfortable with all her co-workers and attributes that to the fact that they all are starting together, eager to build community.

We mention Yin Yoga. Join us on Patreon for an in-depth conversation about this form of Yoga.

Join us. We are inviting our Patrons to practice Yin Yoga with us.

All Patrons are invited to our first talk and craft event. We will meet via Zoom on Friday, March 7, 2025.

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We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Sophie & Marianne

The beginning of 2024 meant moving - for both Sophie and Marianne.

While Sophie had planned her cross-country move from California to Florida for several months, Marianne's from Arizona back to California was unexpected and happened quickly.

The first part of this episode is a conversation recorded shortly after our moves. The second part is a reflection of how that year went for us.

As always, we are honest with our listeners as to what has worked out, what hasn't, what we learned, and where we want to go from here.

Sophie felt that the move to a place where she didn't know anyone was an opportunity for deep soul-searching.

Here are some of her observations.

In California, she had built her life around her young children. The way she was able to teach classes and what activities to pursue.

Now, the children are adults and have gone off to school. But, after moving to Florida, she realized that she had been caught in her own life. The routine, the comfort, the familarity.

The need to rebuild everything was a great opportunity to examine what she really, really wants to do in this phase of her life.

Ayurveda will stay without a doubt.

Sophie will teach a hybrid in-person/Zoom Ayurveda class in January. You might want to listen to our previous episode, which explains what Ayurveda is all about. Listen here

We also have a special episode for our Patreon supporters, which explains in detail how to determine what Dosha we are. Check out this episode here

As always, we invite you to join us on Patreon. Our goal is to build community there and are planning another live event soon.

Maybe it will be a Laughter Yoga session again - or...

Stay tuned to find out.

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We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Sophie & Marianne

In this episode, you are learning about Laughter Yoga and a bit of Sophie and Marianne’s history with this practice.

Sophie wrote an excellent article explaining the practice and the benefits of Laughter Yoga, which you can find on our Patreon Page.

Please join us there, read all about it, and become part of our community.

Great news!

You all can laugh with us. We are offering a free virtual Laughter Yoga session on November 23, 2024 at 10 AM Pacific Time.

Find details on how to join on our Patreon Page.

The session has limited participants. Please make sure to secure your reservation.

Sophie and Marianne both learned Laughter Yoga as envisioned by Madan Kataria. Here is his website with lots and lots of information.

Linda Leclerc is a well-known Laughter Teacher presence, and Marianne had the pleasure of interviewing her for her former podcast.

Linda is very active in the World of Laughter, and we encourage you to check her out.

If you are inspired to give a Laughter Club a try, you will find many in person Laughter Clubs all over the world, as well as a large number of online opportunities.

We hope to see you on the 23rd of November at out Laughter gathering or, if that date doesn’t work for you, that you laugh with any laughter friend anywhere in the world.

Ho Ho Ha Ha Ha.

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We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Sophie & Marianne

Come and join our Explore Soma Patreon community to take part in further conversations about the topics we discuss on the podcast - or whatever is on your mind.

AND! We have free memberships. Of course, there are more perks to all who support us but plenty of fun to be had for our free members.

In today’s episode, we start in the world of knitting and end up exploring the meanings of symbols and how much power we give them - or maybe we shouldn’t?

Tell us what you think!

And if you are wondering about the Placebo Effect we are referring to, join us on Patreon and listen to that part of our convo.

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We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Sophie & Marianne

Did you know that you could be the proud owner of a pair of hand-knit socks simply by supporting us on Patreon?

We are holding a raffle on June 12th and one lucky winner will get a pair of awesome socks made to order.

Not into Patreon? You still can get a raffle ticked. Contact as at exploresomepod @ gmail.com to find out how.

In this episode, Sophie tries to find out why Marianne loves knitting so much.

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We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Sophie & Marianne

Hope and Fear

Quote by Maya Angelou: “Hope and Fear can not occupy the same space. Invite one to stay.”

Before we dive into the content of this episode - we are having a raffle on Patreon for all of our supporters!

This time, the prize will be a custom hand-knit pair of socks!

Find out more here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/who-wants-pair-99863064

Sophie asked Marianne why this quote is resonating with her at this time.

Marianne speaks about her feelings and fear regarding the climate crisis, which is manifesting in many unusual and often dangerous weather events, and her anger that most everyone doesn’t seem to care.

Sophie shares that she saw an almost identical quote in a book about Ayurveda she recently read.

Sophie emphasizes that we can only impact the present moment and need to do the best we can without any expectations.

We touch on many examples of how behavior impacts others. How to deal with it - or not.

Quite a few times, we disagree as well.

Many topics SoMa are touching on in this conversation were also explored in depth in this episode: Find Good News

Sophie reminds Marianne of a time when they studied the methods of Byron Katie. Here is a link to her website.

One of the questions we have for you, our listeners, is this.

How do you deal with frustrations in your life?

What helps you to find inner peace?

You can email us at ExploreSomaPodcast@gmail.com

or meet us on the following platforms

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Sophie & Marianne

Sophie has studied Ayurveda for many years now and has a website all about the art of living the Ayurvedic way.

On this website, she has a link to a test Marianne took.

In this conversation, Sophie is going over some of the basics of Ayurveda and how to apply the principles to our daily lives.

You can find the test here if you are curious about your doshas.

Sophie explains what Doshas are.

If you are interested in a detailed example of how the results can be interpreted - or, for that matter, how to determine your answers to the question, we have a detailed analysis of Marianne’s results on our Patreon page.

And good news for all Patrons supporting us on any level - Sophie offers a 20% discount on her online course.

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We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Sophie & Marianne

Join us and be part of a beautiful community on Patreon. We have many plans for this year.