Explore SoMa

Sophie hadn’t been feeling well and allowed herself to completely rest for a while - physically and mentally.    She emphasizes that we have to let go of expectations - the musts we created for ourselves.   Marianne shares that she is having a hard time with letting go of projects she has invested a lot of time in even though they aren’t fun anymore. An example is her Daily Writing Prompt, which she had published for well over 2000 days on a Social Media Platform called Hive. (The Daily Prompt is still being published if you want to join the writing fun.)    Sophie: It takes a while to get clarity and make a decision, but implementing the decision can be very fast.   Sometimes, we also can be clear on what we want but don’t know how to best reach our goals.   Sophie wants to build an intentional community based on kindness and similar interests but does not know where to start.   Our podcast is one tool to create such a community and we are hoping to utilize Patreon as a platform to host virtual get-togethers.   We are discussing how often are we doing things because we truly want to or because we perceive that it is expected of us.   Sophie attends a weekly meditation group. They pick a monthly topic to meditate on. The theme of this month is death - that really seems to be on our minds right now.   While some are contemplating physical death, others the death of an idea or circumstance in life, all agree that if we want a peaceful death, it is essential to be mindful in our daily lives.   We have some homework for you: Write down what no longer serves you.What kind of courage it will take to let go?   Reflect on how you show up in the world.What do you like about it? What do you not like? Please share your thoughts with us. Find us Patreon: Explore Soma  Instagram Explore_Soma_Podcast Facebook: Explore Soma Podcast We are looking forward to hearing from you. Sophie & Marianne

We all will experience grief many times throughout our lives. Sophie recorded a meditation designed to help us move through the phases of grief and is making it available to our Patrons.  Join our Patreon community here.   Sophie took an unexpected trip to France. Her brother in Law had suddenly died. First, she felt resistance to traveling with her husband until she realized that she didn’t want to relive the grief she felt when her mother passed six years ago. Once in France, she felt that her presence and the emotional support she could give to her in-law family was not only supportive to them but also freed her husband to deal with his emotions. Many years ago, Marianne’s mother died, and she had to make a similar decision - to go or not to go. She is glad she went and had the chance to say goodbye.  Also, coming together with her siblings and making a pact to get along was a healing experience for the family. While there, she attended a workshop on death and dying and came out with a death-positive attitude. Some of the things she learned: Dying people like a firm touch. A light touch feels irritating.The Living sometimes need to give permission to the dying person to leave. Sophie mentioned this book she had just read.    The Need of the Dying by David Kessler   Please support your independent bookstores. If you don’t, they will be gone. If you want to know how Marianne feels about the easy order solution that most people use,  listen to  Episode #4 - Find Good News.   Marianne recalls her own cancer experience and realizes that her current struggle is not with the fact that our lives have an end date but rather with the question of whether she is living her life well. During the same time Sophie was mourning her brother-in-law, Marianne had to make the decision to end the life of her very sick dog. SoMa explore how grief impacts our lives and what we can do for ourselves to help us move to a happier space. Sophie asks herself, if she died today, did she do everything she wanted to do? Have you asked yourself that question? Please share your experience with us.   Patreon: Explore Soma You can also find us on Instagram: Explore_Soma_Podcast and on Facebook: Explore Soma Podcast We are looking forward to hearing from you. Sophie & Marianne

Marianne feels reflective and a little sad that so many things she has worked for are still the same - nothing has changed. She is questioning if it is a function of getting older to question if what we have done with our lives was a big waste of time. Sophie responds with the example of raising children. That we try our best and are coming from a place of love - but we can’t control the outcomes. She gives the example of doing her best to raise her children with a healthy diet. She feels that she did a good job when she sees her oldest son cooking for himself and making good food choices. Marianne comes back to her favorite topic - the environment and the impact of our actions. She quotes some numbers from memory but is not certain about the accuracy. One thing she is sure about. The population of the US consumes way more than any European Country, which consumes way more than any less industrialized country. Here is an interesting links US Environmental Footprint Fact Sheet: https://css.umich.edu/publications/factsheets/sustainability-indicators/us-environmental-footprint-factsheet That led to Marianne’s other - or related pet peeve topic. Amazon and the out-of-control consumerism that supports one person getting very rich who does not spread the wealth to his employees. Sophie relates how difficult it is to escape the unnecessary packaging of just about every item we buy. We dive deep into our feeling around that subject and are probably depressing each other a bit. One of Sophie’s suggestions is to seek a positive News source on days when the world seems a bit bleak. While we touch on many subjects, don’t worry, not all are depressing. Sophie shares Yoga wisdom from a meditation she taught in a recent Yoga class   Join us on Patreon and find the Yoga Wisdom waiting for you - free, of course.   Patreon: Explore Soma You can also find us on Instagram Explore_Soma_Podcast and on Facebook Explore Soma Podcast We are looking forward to hearing from you. Sophie & Marianne

Marianne took her dog, BB, to her Vet thinking that she had an abscessed tooth, only to find out that we were dealing with a cancerous tumor. In this episode, Marianne shares the feelings an impending death bring up for her. Also, the mental dilemma of figuring out when is the right time to ease her dog and end her suffering. Here is little Miss BB when she was younger. Please share your experiences with us. We love for you to join us on Patreon. Our intention is to create a mindful community where we can support each other. Patreon: Explore Soma You can also find us on Instagram Explore_Soma_Podcast and on Facebook Explore Soma Podcast We are looking forward to hearing from you. Sophie & Marianne

It took us a while to get started with our podcast. You will hear mentions of winter weather - yes, we know it is summer now. A move into a new area brings about a certain amount of loneliness Sophie shares strategies her son used when moving to a new city. Sophie’s wisdom: Do what you love  - even if you have to do it alone. Waiting for someone to show up to do it with you is a sure way to feel lonely. Self-care helps We can be lonely in the middle of a lot of people if we don’t have the same interests. Here is a link to a podcast dealing with loneliness. Hidden Brain  Even small daily interactions can make a difference. Marianne used to have a small store, and many customers came to talk. Shoutout to small businesses everywhere.  Sophie shares that one way to counter loneliness is to use touch - like playing with your hair, taking a hot shower, using essential oils, or even wearing clothing or accessories that bring up happy memories. Oiling the body on a regular basis has so many benefits. Marianne learned that she should be using sesame oil since she tends to feel cold very easily.  Coconut oil is great for people who feel hot most of the time. Oil before a shower, but be careful since things can get slippery. Please join us on Patreon  and request to take part in the 3-Day  Challenge Sophie is offering. Give us feedback there, and tell us what topics interest you.

In this, our very first episode, we explain why we sound as we do. We also reminisce about the time we met, and what Yoga meant and means to us. You will hear that we aren't so sure about podcasting and where that will take us but are willing to give it a try.

Marianne is telling you a little bit about what shaped her life.