00:15 - Nachi

Hey fam, it's your girl, nachi, and I'm here with Damaris, your Bronx agent of chaos.

00:30

Bronx agent of chaos. And welcome back to another episode. So, damaris and I, we've been talking about how moving your body is so powerful, and we were talking beyond what you actually hear on how important it is to exercise, but really about the magic that it brings to us when we move, in whatever capacity. And so I know we've shared in previous episodes how our mother has dementia and whenever she hears music she lights up and she gets to dancing, and when you see her dancing, you really see her getting excited and having joy in just dancing. It's almost like she's in her own little party, if you will. But if we think back in the past and I don't know if you think about this, damaris, how mommy was never the first one to get on the floor, right, she was always pulled in by Boppy. Boppy was more of the party starter, so seeing her just getting up and dancing, no matter where she is, is just a beautiful thing.

01:38 - Damaris (None)

You're right, I didn't even think about that that typically in the past it was Boppy pulling to dance and she was always like his best partner. So it was like but you're right, it wasn't that. She's like oh yeah, I got to get up, this is my jam. And so seeing her do that, it's true, it's the minute she hears music, she immediately starts moving and it is a very natural thing for her. And, like you said, and it is a very natural thing for her, and like you said, there is a joy that lights up her face, almost like she's reconnecting to those memories and those good times in her mind, even though she may not remember short-term things.

02:21

The long-term memories kind of come through about, like when she used to dance, and you can just see it.

02:23 - Nachi

She doesn't say it, but you see it through her movement. You can just see it. She doesn't say it, but you see it through her movement Absolutely, Absolutely. And so we definitely want to talk about how movement can be a powerful tool right For healing drama, bringing joy and also reconnecting to our ancestral roots. So we're going to get into all of that and also want to hear later on how you all incorporate that into your lives and how that's been healing for you.

02:48 - Damaris (None)

Yeah, I think that understanding how movement can be a powerful tool to address trauma, to address health, all those things, because I think we usually hear movement of, yes, yes, you should move for physical, biological health, right, and it's like it's just about the biological stuff and, like we've just mentioned, is more than that, because there's something that's just like in the blood and I'll say this, for, like black people, right, black people of the diaspora, there is a need when we hear music or the need to move, to dance, that to me, I'm like, you know, that's a connection that you see from all communities within the diaspora very easily. It's just like, yeah, you know, you know what's up.

03:38 - Nachi (None)

Absolutely. It's a form of release, it's just our way of releasing whatever tensions or trauma, anything that we're going through, stress. It's just our way of releasing that, that energy, that that stagnant energy that we tend to hold in whenever we're stressed or we're dealing with any particular trauma.

04:04 - Damaris (None)

It's interesting that you mentioned stagnant energy, because it very much is about that energy. That is what can be blocked right, and this is why the idea of living a sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy not just, again, health-wise about sitting several hours a day, not movement, but really you're not shaking off and you're not clearing those chakras to release whatever pent up energy is in your joints.

04:32

And I we recorded an episode on our favorite books, and one of our favorite books that we talk about there's this idea of pain body, and this was from the new earth book by Eckhart Tolle and this was from the New Earth book by Eckhart Tolle, and the idea of the pain body is that, again, if you don't address traumas in your life or address things, that unresolved issues, they can manifest themselves into physical ailments.

04:59

Right, there's a number of things and people that have talked about that maybe have lived through and have buried things in their life and have not addressed them. And then they have, like arthritis or cancers or things like that. And while there are environmental factors that can contribute to those things, but if you don't have a vessel that is balanced, you'll create an imbalance in your body of stress, which things like increasing your cortisol levels, which is an actual thing, can cause inflammation of other parts of your body. And then what do you think cancers and all those things are. That's inflammation in your body that's not being addressed, because, while inflammation itself is not bad thanks to Dr Witherspoon for explaining that to me she's like we all need to have inflammation because that is our body's way of healing, natural healing. It's like, yeah, when you have a fever, you have to go through it.

05:56

She's like just addressing the symptom of a fever to lower it. That's not the proper thing. It's like no, your body needs to heat up, to kill whatever it needs to kill and it needs to go down. So, going back to what I was getting at is that there is linkages of having like this stagnant energy and why movement is so good, because you are actually you're shaking things up in your body. You could be releasing things in your body. You could look at nature and see how there'll be a video of two birds fighting each other right, and then, the minute they're done with their fight, they flap their wings to like shake off that shit.

06:35 - Nachi (None)

Yeah, it reminds me of when my kids were little and they're just like really hyper or just, you know, they're anxious about something. I remember doing this thing with them where it's just like let the wiggles out, let the wiggles out, and they just have to move, you know, so that they can just release whatever tension and anxiety they're dealing with.

07:00

So that was always fun because they get. They relax after that. You know they're like ha, mommy's so funny, wait, get the wiggles out. But it's different from how we were raised, right when it was. You deal with whatever situation it is, you suppress it and you move on. And holding on to that, because it's like you suppress it, you deal with it.

07:26 - Damaris (None)

Okay, deal with that shit and move on, on and you're not really dealing with it.

07:28 - Nachi (None)

That's the irony is that you're not really dealing with it no, it's just the surface level of you're really just moving on and you're just like covering the top yeah, absolutely, absolutely, and you're just kind of pushing all of that in, and that manifests itself in so many different ways, because our mind and bodies are one.

07:49 - Damaris (None)

Hasn't released it.

07:50 - Nachi (None)

Right, it's connected and I was reading this article in Psychology Today and they had explained that after a traumatic event, the brain and body are transformed, of course, but it essentially evokes a physical and an emotional reaction in the person's experience with that event, which then activates their nervous system that we know as fight or flight.

08:18 - Damaris (None)

So can you imagine you being in this constant survival response because you keep suppressing those issues, that you're always in this fight or flight response which is only meant for survival purposes and for a limited time, right For a limited time, and you're putting all your organs under stress when you have elevated levels of cortisol, like these hormones that are meant to just keep you pushing at your max, but you're not supposed to be doing that nonstop.

08:52 - Nachi (None)

Yes, and then your brain then normalizes that behavior and so you're stuck because your body can't reset to its normal level and it's just at fight or flight. And it just makes me think too, because there was a period in my life where I felt I was in that survival mode constantly and looking back I see how that affected me. But I wasn't thinking about that at that point. I was just like I said you deal with it, you push it and you keep it moving, you don't? You don't stay stuck in those feelings. But had I known this medicine of releasing and moving your body and whatever? Because again, I feel like exercise. When people say exercise it has a negative connotation to it right, it's just not something.

09:42 - Damaris (None)

Because you think of the gym. You think you got to be a gym rat or something.

09:45 - Nachi (None)

Yes, and I don't like that, but movement can be in so many different forms. It does not have to be, like you said, you going to the gym or doing something that's pushing you to a certain limit.

09:58 - Damaris (None)

Yeah, and I was reading about how activities like exercise and getting enough sleep and eating a healthy diet those are things that increase your or boost your endorphins. And have you ever heard of I think it's endorphins, I don't know endorphins, endorphins, we'll go with endorphins. Don't at me for that bullshit. So endorphins are these hormones that relieve pain and stress and create like a general feeling of well-being. So usually they're released when your body feels pain or stress, and typically exercise does that. Or again, sometimes you know if you're stressed, maybe you're sleeping Me, I love to sleep, but things like that they're producing your brain and they act as messengers to your body. So this also helps to improve your mood. So there are some benefits to the movement right Like I think our bodies are so amazing in that our vessel is exactly how it is meant to be and it heals itself. It gives you exactly what you need, as long as you take care of your vessel Right.

11:15 - Nachi (None)

As long as you're supporting it, right. What are?

11:17 - Damaris (None)

you doing to support, to ensure that your vessel has everything it needs to operate on all cylinders. Well, it's a machine and it's a well-oiled, and you can keep it well-oiled by what you eat, what you do, and so we've already talked about eating right, and again, it's not about wholesale change overnight. These things are all incremental. But I also feel like when you put forth the intention of being deliberate in your actions to improve and improving one way is movement right.

11:51

And, like you said, when I think about mommy's situation, she dances but, she's lost weight right now because we're always playing some Zumba class, that is, playing bachata, merengue, whatever and she loves it because she thinks those are her friends. They're like. She's like oh, they invited me to dance. I'm like okay, that's cool, Cause you're happy.

12:11 - Nachi (None)

As long as you're moving, but she's.

12:13 - Damaris (None)

She's lost weight and that was never the intent. It was more so to to get her moving and for her to be able to do it independently, because both Nachi and I work from home. But we're still working, so we can't spend all the time to make sure she's doing exercises. And, similar to us, she's not really into doing like, oh, let me do jumping jacks and pushups, like that's not her thing, it has to be some sort of activity that brings her joy, and dancing does that.

12:40

The other benefit that we've seen from her is that she's always complained a lot about her joints because she suffers from arthritis. We've not heard about anything, much of anything, lately, lately, and the only time we hear about maybe her back hurting is when she's been sitting down for too long. Yeah, but, her arms? I haven't heard her talk about her arms or her shoulders hurting in months since we've been.

13:04 - Nachi (None)

Yes, and she would always complain about religiously something like she can't. Oh goodness, my arm, she barely could do anything if she's putting up plates, if she's moaning and groaning, if she's, you know, on YouTube has been a game changer for her.

13:35 - Damaris (None)

And we're seeing these benefits that we didn't even think it was more so just to keep her engaged and keep her active and so that she's not bored. But what we've seen has been awesome for us.

13:48 - Nachi (None)

And I would say this to people who deal with dementia One I can't even imagine the struggle, the mental struggles that they deal with right, because they're losing their independence. They're not able to trust themselves anymore as they used to, and it's just a long journey that ends up progressing in time, and those dealing with dementia typically deal with depression, and I like to say that she seems more upbeat now.

14:21

Yes, and I don't know if you ever noticed that, because dancing for her is a source of joy. Yes, and music and dancing, they're like they're married. They're like a married couple.

14:35 - Damaris (None)

Yes, Especially for Dominicans.

14:37 - Nachi (None)

Yes, yes. So when she hears music, she is up and she is dancing and she would dance for a long time if you keep it up. Yes, she would not stop.

14:49 - Damaris (None)

Literally. I saw her two weeks ago. I picked her up this weekend for her to stay with me and I asked you. I said has she lost weight? Yeah, that's from all the dancing she's doing, oh my God, but in a healthy way. She looks like fantastic and I'm like okay, mommy, yes, let's do it.

15:07 - Nachi (None)

Yes, and she's like yup, you know, she's all happy, she gets really excited.

15:12

It just keeps her active and that's really important, especially with people with dementia. But I talked about depression, right, and a lot of us deal with depression based off of whatever's going on in our lives, like I have a friend who is going through a very rough and challenging time now, and for her the way she releases is attending dance classes like Soda, and she also walk and she's participating in different marathons that she's never done before. But if you think about it, this is something that she does for herself, so that brings her joy. She's not doing it for her kids or her family, it's just this is the one thing that she can control, and it's specifically for herself and that lifts her up, that brings her joy, and so you got to think about that, especially when it comes to our mental health. It's just not only physical, but also our mental health that movement does help with dealing with those type of issues, that the weight of whatever mental challenges you're dealing with, that sits in your body.

16:33 - Damaris (None)

It's not just like, oh, it's my mind, it's your whole body.

16:43 - Nachi (None)

And, like you said, I see mommy be more joyful because that dancing brings her joy and at the same time she's shaking all that stagnant energy in her joints and then she's like now, she's like a little oiled machine and it reduces her anxiety too, I see, because she's like a little oiled machine right, and it reduces her anxiety too, I see, because she's always wanting to do something right, because she feels like she's not being useful or she's being a burden. So she's always trying to figure out, like, what can I do, how can I help?

17:06 - Damaris (None)

and and at times it's like, well, there's nothing you can do right now and, as a matter of fact, if I were your age, I I'd be like I'm not doing anything because I've worked so hard my whole life.

17:18 - Nachi (None)

I'm relaxing and you're serving me, and that's that. But she, you're right, it is a sickness. She always feels like she has to do something, and I can see her getting anxious because she goes in circle when she's trying to figure out, like what do I need to do? I need to do something.

17:37 - Damaris (None)

So nothing, just be.

17:39 - Nachi (None)

Yeah, girl, but you put that. Get her to dancing. She don't care about anything else but that.

17:46 - Damaris (None)

Basically no, and I think there is.

17:50

Again, I can only speak for our experiences and being of the diaspora, being of Caribbean descent, and the influences, if you look ancestrally, just how music and movement is a way that we celebrated each other.

18:07

But not just that, right, like to me, I feel like that's where we surface level, but there's storytelling, right, there's storytelling, and then there's also ritualistic things that you're doing with your body, right, like cause sometimes. Yeah, like what I think about that summer when our father passed away and we rented a house in Florida which was like the best thing ever because we just had a month where we just decompressed with ourselves and our closest family, because it was during COVID and you know, everybody had to get quarantined. So we're like, well, we'll quarantine with each other by the beach and with a pool, and so we rented this house and I felt like it was like once a day we would play Back to Life, soul to Soul, and we would hear you know that drop, you know, right, when that beat comes back to life and it's just like we would just start dancing and just singing and it helped for me, it helped.

19:05 - Nachi (None)

Every time I hear that song. No, yes, it just brings this life. I'm like yes.

19:10 - Damaris (None)

Back to life. Yep, I mean cause.

19:15 - Nachi (None)

I this life. I'm like, yes, back to life.

19:16 - Damaris (None)

Yeah, I mean because I'm like my life has been destroyed right now, burned upside my father's gone burned upside down. And the funny thing is, when we were listening to that song and it wasn't until years later that I found out that what she was saying in that song was she was talking to god. She's like what do you want me to do? How do you need me on this planet? What is my mission? Because I'm done and that's yes, girl, girl, so for me. That's why I feel it's so innate with us. Just like when you hear a beat, when you hear music, when you hear certain lyrics, you hear the story that they're telling me. You're like, yes, and that is a way that obviously back in the day no one had paper and pen, but you communicated by sharing stories and retelling it.

19:57 - Nachi (None)

And that was through music, that's through dance and so that all that's important, not just for physical and spiritual being, but it's a connection to no, yeah, when I was looking into this topic, I came across this way for people to heal, to connect and to stay strong within the community. And she goes on to explain that dance or movement therapy is now used to help people heal through movement, which is actually rooted in these ancient traditions. And so she goes into how dance is a tool for healing and how therapy uses it or borrows these traditions to acknowledge and honor where we all came from. And so I appreciate that, because, you know, it's almost like taking us back to or connecting us, like, oh, this is why it feels good when we move, when we hear the drums, when we hear that beat drop just like, like our body just goes into convulsions.

21:33

Like, yes, like yes, yes, it's.

21:35 - Damaris (None)

We rhythmically just move to it. We're like, yes, it's like a call from our peoples, our ancestors, like I feel you, yes, absolutely, Absolutely.

21:48 - Nachi (None)

And you see that across the diaspora, because you see that African rhythms where it's blended with indigenous and, of course, European influences, because that's the reality. I mean, I just think that that's. You're just more connected when you realize that this is in us, it's a part of us and we're sharing that. Those traditions in the many different dances.

22:16 - Damaris (None)

We see it in merengue and b, and a lot of people don't realize this, but a lot of like the dances that involve a lot of pelvic movement is meant to also shake up the energy of our sacral chakra, right, like that is important because that energy around our uterus and whatnot is is where, as women, we bring life. So that is important to also not have stagnant. And part of it is like you know the pelvic movement and you see that in in multiple cultures, like belly dancing, like what do you think that is Like you're shaking, but you're also like you're shaking that stuff to just like clear out whatever energy and get that out.

23:04

Release it energy and get that out, release it. And and here's the thing too I think about in my 20s, late teens, 20s throughout I partied hard and would go to clubs because I loved to dance and I didn't want right and I didn't want to be that 40 something year old still in the club, because I'm like, nah, let me get this out my system now.

23:25

But I think now you know, I see I feel like younger people don't really club the way we used to like, they don't really dance and whatnot. And I'm like, and now y'all suffering through all these anxieties, you gotta dance. I'm like, go out there and dance, twerk it out. I'm like there there's roots into twerking. I mean that was just, it's stupid. But but there is a reason why, if you look at the roots twerking again, you're you're shaking that pelvis, you're you're addressing that, that sacral chakra there. That's all important, that's. You don't want that energy there. And so you know, as we kind of already mentioned, that there are different types of dances and activities, that that that kind of help you identify what the right movement activity is right for you. Yeah, and I know, like you mentioned, we have friends that enjoy African dance classes, cause, again, it's a, again it's a great way to get a workout, have fun, do it with rhythm and be engaging, because not everyone likes the hardcore step aerobics or you know just other. This is another way to do cardio.

24:41 - Nachi (None)

Yeah right.

24:42 - Damaris (None)

Music. Come on now. So I will say I was invited to an African dance class like 20 something years ago by my best friend and she would. She did this weekly right. So I'm like she invited me. I'm like, yeah, I bet I go. It was clearly advanced and these people already had the script. They already read, they already knew what steps were going to be included I.

25:04

I was so lost. I was like what is this? This is a setup. I felt like a total. What happened here? Why does everyone know the steps and I don't? Why you got me up in this class looking crazy.

25:17 - Nachi (None)

Go with the rhythm, girl.

25:19 - Damaris (None)

I was. But I was like three steps behind. I was like, oh, oh, wait, turn now I'm dropping that what it was too much. Oh, wait, turn now Dropping that what it was too much. And I was like you know what? You're never going to get me again, Never doing this, but it was actually a lot of fun.

25:31 - Nachi (None)

Yeah, no, those type of classes are always fun. They're fantastic, I highly recommend them and I feel like you always have to go with what you enjoy doing. Yes, and that's why earlier on I talked about the word exercise. I just get this negative feeling from that.

25:53 - Damaris (None)

Right, it's a negative connotation, even though it doesn't have to be. We're going to remove the negative connotation in this conversation because exercise is good for you.

26:02 - Nachi (None)

No it is, but it's about finding what you enjoy doing.

26:07 - Damaris (None)

What aligns with you, absolutely.

26:08 - Nachi (None)

If you like, going to the gym and hitting the gym, like getting on the treadmill and the elliptical.

26:14 - Damaris (None)

The elliptical or any of that nonsense.

26:16 - Nachi (None)

Go at it Like, yes, Do what makes you just brings you joy, if that's what it is Facts, because you're not going to catch me on that show. No, For me personally. I do love yoga because it challenges your body, but it's almost like it doesn't make you. You don't have to be perfect at it, and I think that's why I enjoy it so much, because it is challenging.

26:41 - Damaris (None)

Yeah, you used to do the little sweaty yoga, oh, I love sweat yoga.

26:44 - Nachi (None)

Oh my gosh, I love it.

26:46 - Damaris (None)

I can, can't be doing that.

26:47 - Nachi (None)

I got too much hair like I can't be I had a lot of hair when I was doing it I don't know how you did it.

26:52 - Damaris (None)

That's something like I don't know how you did it.

26:55 - Nachi (None)

I loved it. And let me tell you, I am not. I don't like getting up very early in the morning, but I used to get up at five in the morning just to go to these yoga classes, because it was the combination of doing these poses and just letting all that toxin sweat out.

27:11 - Damaris (None)

That's the thing People don't understand, like exercise is not just to make your life miserable, but you are releasing toxins from your body when you sweat, like all those things are good for you, let it go, you don't trap these things in yeah, yeah. No bueno, no bueno.

27:27 - Nachi (None)

And you can do exercises that are really gentle, like somatic exercise. Somatic exercise is more about moving your body intentionally, so opening up your hips, stretching yes stretching your body. A certain way it's kind of releasing, because for some people I know for myself Right, cause you don't always have to sweat.

27:52 - Damaris (None)

I get it. You don't always have to sweat.

27:54 - Nachi (None)

No, I know that I tend to hold tension in my hip, so doing hip opening exercises does help with that Right.

28:03 - Damaris (None)

Let me find out. You drop it like it's hot.

28:05 - Nachi (None)

Girl help with that? Right, Let me find out. You drop it like it's hot Girl. I'm not dropping like it's warm, but but I'll try it. I'm, I'm working on those hip, you know, opening up those, my hips. I definitely feel it in my whenever I'm tense and stressed I do feel it in my shoulder, but in terms of, like I said earlier, I tend to deal with situations stressful where it's just like, okay, I'll suppress it, move on, I don't have time to deal with it. Right, Like, get over it, it's time to keep it moving, but don't deal with it. So that gets stuck in my hips and that's where a lot of trauma does get. You tend to hold a lot of trauma in there. So do some somatic exercise. They're very gentle and they help you kind of open up and release some of that tension.

28:59 - Damaris (None)

The other thing too, doctor with a spoon, our family doctor always recommends in her sheet to us when we have a doctor's visit with her is qigong, and that is. You can easily find a number of youtube videos of people instructing you how to do qigong and it's really great and it's just like really these smooth movements, again intended to move energy throughout your body out and bring it in good energy. It's all really good. It was stuff that we used to have mommy do as well, but again, if she would follow it on her own it would be great, but she doesn't because it's just not, it's not intuitive to her as it is to dance merengue, so, which is fine, she's still moving. So she may not do it with Qigong, but that is a nice smooth, chill, relaxed way of again incorporating movement into your life without it being overly stressful, and, I think, a nice way to move into that space so you can get comfortable with like and it's like five, 10 minutes right.

30:01

Again, the idea is that you are doing something to move parts of your body that you may not normally move, and what ends up happening is that, yeah, you keep tension there, you continue living a sedentary lifestyle. It will lead to chronic diseases in the future.

30:18

They've shown that scientifically in studies and I don't even need to read the studies, I just go by my intuition and my spirit tells me move your ass and so, and I know, and my husband's on me too, he's like Damaris, you need to do more exercise, you need to do this and I will say I take for granted that I have a fast metabolism. So I'm like so it's not a weight thing for me, it's really a lazy thing for me, but I find for me, you, you like to play tennis.

30:47

I play tennis. I like to do that because it's fun. It requires me to react at that moment and move differently depending on how I'm trying to attack the ball. So going to the gym and doing just regular exercises, oh my God.

31:02 - Nachi (None)

It's boring, it's terrible, but I try to do like a couple.

31:06 - Damaris (None)

I'll try to do a plank once a week, like that's not. That's not real. Planks are hard but I, honestly, I'm like I feel it in my system immediately.

31:15 - Nachi (None)

You see a lot more people talking about mobility exercise, so I feel like it's a combination of certain yoga moves and somatic exercise. So there's some gentle movements, but also movements like the plank that you need to incorporate to keep your body mobile.

31:38 - Damaris (None)

Yes, yes, and like certain squats, like there's that Asian squat where you're like sitting not the squats that I think people are thinking about like oh, you have a dumbbell and like you squat in with to try to get a bigger butt. No, it's actually a squat so that your, your hips and those joints are super flexible so that as you get older, you're not always prone to imbalance and falling.

32:03 - Nachi (None)

So it's really important that you squat and like stretch and keep those hips flexible imagine, like your bottom, your bottom is close to the floor, right, but how would I say, girl, they need to look it up.

32:19 - Damaris (None)

I don't know how to describe it, but it is a great look up. Asian squat and I know I'm saying it wrong, but I feel like going to. It's basically you sitting down and your butt is touching your heel, so like your knees are up, you're sitting down, and that don't even sound right. That don't even sound right. Your knees are up, your butt is down. What?

32:40 - Nachi (None)

Yeah, it's almost like your butt and your. Yeah, I don't know it's great.

32:44 - Damaris (None)

If you see the squat, you're going to be like, oh yes, when you look at other countries and when people are sitting reading the paper, they'll be sitting in like this squat position and that is so good for your hips.

32:56 - Nachi (None)

Yeah, your hips, yeah, so just that, if you, if you guys, do yoga, it's that yoga squat, that that you typically do, with your bottom close to the floor and your hands, your hands, your arms are in that prayer position, but your elbows is pushing out your knees.

33:15 - Damaris (None)

Girl. That don't even sound right, it don't even make sense, but you know what we sound, so unprepared right now. Y'all know what we talked about. Maybe we'll find a link Put it in the show notes. I can't even tell you, but I think we honestly covered some great breathing and we have a whole episode on breath work. And then there's the different types of light stretching you could do with through yoga, through Qigong, and there's like great Zumba dance classes on YouTube or go in person and try out, like those Afrocentric beats, music classes and soga classes, dance hall classes girl make it a party, but get some

34:03

exercise out of it, or guys. You know, when I say girl, I mean I'm talking to guys too. Girl, it's everybody. Yes, girl, come on now.

34:15

So, and then also again everything that's meant to be holistic. And so, while we're talking about movement and physical activity, it is all part of what are you consuming, what are you digesting, what are you putting on your body? Right For me, I make my own body oils, because I don't want lotions because they're loaded with chemicals and things like that. There are different things that I do and that's all important, things like that. There are different things that I do and that's all important. That's all part of you caring for your vessel, because to me, my vessel is a gift from the Most High and I'm a highly favored child of the Most High, so he's expecting me to take care of my vessel very highly. That I do that.

35:00

I try to get as much rest as possible. So I do get eight hours of sleep a day, and I know that's hard for some parents and that might just mean you go to bed a little earlier. I know it ain't fun, it's hard. It's like you got to figure out where you decompress and that stuff is not easy because I'm not trying to minimize at all. I think and that's what's the saddest part for me is is that I think people also need to realize that that is a season. So while you may not get enough sleep now, then what do you do to balance that out? Right, like, how do you incorporate movement, how do you incorporate better eating habits so that your lack of sleep doesn't contribute significantly to an imbalance in your body? And that's really the bottom line here, for that.

35:40

And I mean do some jumping jacks, Any last little tidbits, Nachi.

35:45 - Nachi (None)

You don't need to be perfect. Just to Damaris's point, it's just the little things that you do. That adds up in the long run. And I could say for myself I'm not a perfect being and I don't do everything exactly as such, but I am proud of myself for the little things that I end up doing. That supports me and I balance it out. If I'm not moving as much, I got to do other things to counterbalance that. It just a. It's a balancing act, which many of us have been doing. We just need to be, as we always say, mindful of it.

36:26

We have to be mindful of our intentions and and our actions exactly and and ditto to everything that she said.

36:35 - Damaris (None)

I'm not perfect either. Far from it. I know there are things I need to address yeah I could do better with with like right I know I can't like. I feel like my father in the spiritual realm is looking at me sideways like girl. We know what you could be doing better but they don't get at me like that.

36:54

No, I, I know this, I. But I also try not to beat myself up about it. Because then I also because, because nachi knows, I drink my celery juice. You know, I have my whole foods when I'm eating. It's just like people don't understand. Like I'll have a steak, that's like my favorite thing, and while some people may be like, oh my god, that's full of fat or something, no, but it's a whole ingredient, it's one ingredient. It's not processed food. I have, have that, some potatoes, a salad, spinach. I make my own dressing. So I do things to minimize all the ways in which this world is trying to attack me, but you cannot. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. Praise God, that's it. So I do what I can in this world, and I know that I could always improve. But I also know that I'm doing my best, and so I pat myself on the back, and you should too. Thank you, nachi, for doing that for yourself, and so should you. Our family that's listening, our family and friends listening.

37:49

Because y'all are all family. If you've been listening to us for a while, then you family you are primo, you're right.

38:03

Do not beat yourself up. We are no together, yeah, but it's a. It's a way to acknowledge and this is why we're sharing this because we know how it can feel overwhelming to think like I'm not doing enough in this space. I should be doing. No, you, you should just be trying. You shouldn't feel like you need to be doing more. You should just know and be willing to try, no matter how small it is, even if that's the point and that's what we want to come across.

38:23 - Nachi (None)

Yes, and enjoy your indulgence because, just like Damaris loves to nap, that's okay.

38:32 - Damaris (None)

Praise God.

38:33 - Nachi (None)

Don't feel guilty about it. You want to have a cookie? Go ahead, enjoy it. But no, you need to balance that out. You're not going to nap all day.

38:45 - Damaris (None)

You're not going to eat junk all day, so be able to enjoy and also know what you need to do Hope that you got some nuggets out of this episode and just some motivation and inspiration, but also understanding how the importance of movement and for the next pandemic, don't think that, oh my God, I'm going to be quarantined and I can't leave. No move. Move is good, walking is good. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Being cooped up in a spot is not good for you. I hope again that you guys enjoy this episode, because we enjoy talking about it and sharing our experience, especially what we're witnessing with our mother and her evolution, and just our personal journey as well. So, as always, you know we love to close out with.

39:32

There's a lot of noise out there, but our message is consistent Stop getting distracted by the smoke and mirrors, t the noise. Focus on your divine purpose in life and sometimes that means turn off the fucking tv, do not watch the news. I know it's hard, but we need to vibrate higher if we're really trying to elevate our frequency and the frequency of the collective, and we can only do that by starting with ourselves first. That's it and always. Thank you for listening. We love you so much. Thank you.