If you are reading this right now, you are someone very dear to me. Perhaps a stranger, but certainly a kindred spirit as well. We know when we are connected in life for a purpose, a healing, a reminder of hope or simply because the universe is showing us that we are never alone.

I love roses so very much. I love the scent of a rose as well as the miraculous beauty of a rose. Her delicate yet strong nature. Her wisdom. Her shining light when the sun hits her. The beauty of how she never needs to push. She arises from the earth so her blossoming can open to the sun.

A rose is exquisite in her beauty, yet incredibly delicate. Her petals open slowly, never forcing themselves to bloom before they are ready. While we often notice their softness and fragility, we sometimes forget their quiet courage. A rose continues to open despite the wind, the rain, and the changing seasons. Her strength is not found in becoming hard, but in remaining authentic and vulnerable. A rose is gentle and strong.

There is so much courage in vulnerability.

I understand the ROSE.

Perhaps you do, too.

Many years ago I was camping at a yoga conference in the desert with my kids. A friend of mine told me that a woman working at booth at the health fair was the most intuitive woman he had ever known. She sold essential oils as well. Gabriella (who was about eight at the time) and I went up to her to purchase an essential oil together.

I was cheerful and a bit naive. I used to be quite naive. My heart stayed open though. To close my heart felt more painful than to keep it open and loving.

Sometimes I slide back into that zone, and in those moments I lean into wisdom. I know what it feels like to be hated upon and to close up my heart. I have learned to integrate the heart with the mind and the body. It is essential for me, because isolation hurts more than making a mistake.

The thing is, I believe so much in the heavenly realms. I have a strange sense of trust and hope in humanity. Perhaps it is because of my near-death experience where I saw the higher realms. I am certain of what I saw too. The love I know is different than any love I have ever experienced in my lifetime in a conscious state. When I was held in the arms of angels, it was as if love had absolutely no fear or mind or ego. Just pure love. Like a rose in a way, but a rose without any thorns.

Anyhow, at the health fair the woman who was “so special” pulled me aside and told me I “should be ashamed of myself” for walking around like a flower that everyone wanted to smell.

I did what I used to do. I froze and then fawned. I actually asked her which essential oil I needed to dim that fragrance and vulnerability. Once I bought it I cried, tossed it to the bottom of my bag, and made sure never to see her again. The sad part is that I actually believed her. She also told me that I was not a good influence on my daughter, because, even though my clothing was “appropriate,” my energy was too available.

OUCH. Shaming a parent is ineffective. Shame just shuts us down.

Shame. That used to be my stuck point of emotion. It used to be easy for people to add to it. Shaming me worked. Not anymore.

Recently, I had one of those quiet moments when I was teaching a class and life seemed to pause into a complete softening. An ease and connection seemed to blossom like a morphic field of flowers.

I could actually feel the love and gentleness that was growing between the students and me… and possibly angels as well. I feel this kindred connection with you as well. Like we are a garden with hope.

I feel the gratitude we all share for having found safe ground to stand on together. In the midst of a world that can feel uncertain, loud, and overwhelming, we have created something entirely different. We have created a place of warmth as well as contemplation. A cozy sanctuary where our hearts can rest for a moment. A quiet sanctuary that is sacred but not religious. Spiritual in a way where we can share what we resonate with as a higher power. Even the flowers are a spiritual reflection.

I truly believe we can continue creating this kind of world together, regardless of what is happening around us personally or collectively. Choosing love isn’t naïve. Choosing love IS vulnerable, and at the same time it is one of the bravest decisions we can make. Even if we are scared to do it. Love can be fierce too. Love is not enabling. Love speaks truth. Love shines a light that can be so blinding to some. Love can create such an intense fear of abandonment and betrayal. Love is certainly risky, but for me, the other way is too painful.

We will always have fear. Being safe as a healthy human being means having the ability to sense danger. Even in meditation, our minds are still active. Our minds can feel like thieves to our inner peace, but it is our mind that knows if a wild animal has entered our space.

Living in peacefulness takes awareness as well as a joining of heart and mind. The mind attaches and holds our body tightly; the heart surrenders and lets go. The mind tells us not to trust; the heart reminds us to breathe into faith. The mind gets overwhelmed and chaotic; the heart is consistent and knowing.

The key is allowing the heart into the mind. The key is working towards becoming more heart- minded and less monkey- minded.

The mind will tell us to stay safe and either do more or do less. The mind will signal the nervous system into the sympathetic state of fight, flight, freeze or fawn.

If a rose had a mind, she would never blossom. If a rose had a heart centered mind, she would blossom slowly. The mind alone will continue to do what it needs to prevent us from blossoming into an openness in this world. I know it well.

To override the mind, we have to continuously drop into the heart.

To override the limiting thoughts we tell ourselves over and over again, we have to allow the heart to have some space in the body.

Every breath, every tear, every insight, every laugh, every connection and every bit of hope can connect us more and more and more. Every moment of us choosing love over fear becomes part of us in a vibration. The frequency of the heart is immeasurable. Connecting in the frequency forms a wisdom and healing that lives within our nervous systems, our bodies and our souls.

Roses teach us that courage comes in many colors and forms. Sometimes courage is simply opening our hearts again after they have been hurt. Sometimes courage is trusting love one more time. Sometimes courage is allowing ourselves to bloom exactly as we were created to bloom. Sometimes courage is allowing ourselves to choose again and again and again. Sometimes courage is trusting the heart even when the mind cannot make sense of it. Sometimes courage points us towards our wild and sensual spirit which is too often tamed by the shame of the thinking mind.

Like a rose, we can be delicate without being fragile and we can be gentle without being weak. Like a rose we can bloom even when others ask us to shrink, and we can be courageous while remaining tender.

Please join me at Omega Institute from September 25-27, 2026. The rooms on campus are booked already, but Omega has recommended looking for a hotel in the Rhinebeck, NY area simply for sleeping. We have space in the workshop!

The meals and the workshop will be on campus, and we are inviting you to be with us. Wait until you see the flowers at Omega.

You can look up KarenaVirginia/Omega2026 to register or look at the link on my bio on Instagram.

Thank you again for being a kindred spirit.

Hope to see you soon.

With love,

Karena xo

About ten years ago, I was meditating, and I felt something blocked in my body. As I went to teach a yoga class that morning, my voice started cracking. I have always been one of those people who recognizes feelings and how they contribute to the physical body, however when I started studying the body, soul and mind connection I realized something that the ancient healers have known for thousands of years.

The body keeps score of everything. The body holds imprints… from our emotions to our ancestral beliefs. The body remembers all of it.

One day I will write more about that experience ten years ago, but in a nutshell, my body was telling me I needed to use my voice. When my body shuts down, I pause and listen.

Science is beginning to show us what the ancient ones have known for centuries. Recent research suggests that the nervous system plays an important role in autoimmune disorders as well as other chronic health conditions.

I have been in the field of healing since my freshman year of college in Ithaca, NY. My hands can feel energy blocks. They always have, but these days my entire body feels things too.

After decades of teaching yoga, practicing breathwork, studying the nervous system, and working with thousands of people, I’ve come to believe that true healing is multidimensional.

We are not just a physical body.

We are physical, energetic, mental, intuitive, and spiritual beings. When we nurture each of these layers with compassion, we create the conditions for profound transformation. We also inherit the emotions of our ancestors. Science is showing that we inherit beliefs even if we do not know them consciously.

Imagine what life would be like if we could truly manifest our desires into existence? Manifestation seems like an elusive dream to many, and I know since the book “The Secret” became practically a household book, many people feel frustrated with The Law of Attraction.

However, I have witnessed dreams become reality over and over and over again. The key is… The Law of Attraction does not come from thinking alone!

As Einstein said many times… we are made up of energy.

The Law of attraction absolutely works. We must heal the imprints in body, mind and soul for our energy to attract what our heart desires. Like attracts like. Our body creates a frequency. When we heal anything that is stuck or blocked, we elevate our frequency. When we elevate our frequency we become magnets to the beauty in the world.

Healing is the first step. Here is a breakdown of the healing we will be doing in Mexico this winter. There are five levels to the healing.

Level One: The Physical Body

The Foundation

Our healing journey often begins with the body.

Low energy, brain fog, inflammation, poor sleep, digestive issues, or chronic tension are often signs that our body is asking for attention. What has the body been trying to tell us?

Healing at this level can include nourishing food, restorative sleep, movement, dancing, yoga, long walks in nature, swimming in the ocean and even shaking exercises.

Level Two: The Energy Body

Our Electric Blueprint

Long before modern science measured electrical activity in the heart and brain, ancient traditions understood that we are energetic beings.

Sometimes we feel “off” even when medical tests appear normal. We may experience disrupted sleep, feel overwhelmed by our environment, or notice a sense of stagnation that is difficult to explain.

Practices such as breathwork, acupressure, grounding, spending time watching the sun as it sets and rises, sound healing, or simply creating healthier relationships with technology can help restore a greater sense of balance. Taking time away from our screens.

When energy flows more freely, we often feel more alive. Think of a tuning fork and the vibrational waves that move through the air from sound. It is energy.

Level Three: The Mental Body

The Stories We Carry

Many of us inherited beliefs that were never truly ours. These beliefs hold us back. We talk and talk about things, but we continue hurting ourselves and others over and over again. The mind can recreate what was inherited. Our brains send messages to our nervous systems that keep us stuck:

“I’m not enough.”

“I have to earn love.”

“I must always take care of everyone else.”

These beliefs keep us stuck. These believes cause addictions and self sabotage.

Healing the mental body happens with breath awareness, nervous system regulation, shifting unhealthy thought patterns by identifying the stuck points, journaling and learning to replace self-judgment with self-compassion. We also heal these stuck points energetically, because shifting the energy assists in creating new neural pathways.

Level Four: The Intuitive Body

The Wisdom Beyond Words

Sometimes we carry patterns that seem older than this moment.

We may notice recurring relationship dynamics, fears that feel difficult to explain, or emotional burdens that seem to echo through generations.

Exploring family history, ancestral patterns, dreams, deep inner reflection, Family Constellation work, or other therapeutic and contemplative practices can help us understand these experiences in meaningful ways.

Whether viewed psychologically, spiritually, or symbolically, these explorations can offer profound insight into who we are. We also learn why we hide in the false self and we recognize how we can blossom by our own awareness.

Healing often means recognizing ancestral patterns that hold us back and releasing what was never even ours to carry in this lifetime.

Level Five: The Spirit Body

Pure Consciousness

At the deepest level, healing is about remembering our connection to this vast universe. Connection to ourselves. Connection to one another. Connection to nature. Connection to a higher power. Perhaps divine love, Source, angels, the Universe or that beautiful existence in heaven that I refer to as God.

When we feel spiritually disconnected, life can lose its sense of meaning. We can feel depressed and lethargic. We can lose the sense of hope. Sometimes we are asked by the higher realms to witness our disconnection so we remember that there is a vast field of love supporting us always.

Breathing, meditation, gratitude, community, and sitting together beneath the trees on a shady beach can remind us that we have never truly been alone.

Healing Together

This is why I love leading retreats. The community aspect is essential. I have witnessed new friendships and empowering growth in togetherness from retreats. I often believe the angels guide us to one another.

Healing is about creating an experience where your entire being feels safe enough to soften. When we soften together, miracles happen. We breathe together. We move together. We meditate together. We love together.

My retreats are designed to support healing on every level… physical, energetic, mental, intuitive and spiritual. These are transformative experiences. There are hundreds of testimonials… you can read them… or you can believe me… or you can come and join us.

Our bodies are not working against us… our bodies are communicating with us. Are we listening?

With love,

Karena Virginia

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It’s not an easy topic to discuss, because somewhere along the way many of us learned that sexuality and the divine do not exist together.

Yoga Journal produced a Kundalini 101 virtual course with me a few years ago, and I was grateful that they were open to doing a full workshop on sacred sexuality.

I feel that one of the blocks we experience in life is from the lower triangle. Many of us were taught to keep our sexuality secret. Connecting to the divine takes purity, which means cleansing the lower energy centers.

When our energy centers are off balance, they are overactive or underactive. When we close off a part of our body, our nervous system often reacts with a form of self-sabotage.

We all know the people who hide their sacred sexuality behind religion, but act out sexually with deep shame in secrecy. We also know people who experience pain around sexuality. There are autoimmune disorders that stem from shame around sexuality. In body, mind, and energy environments, we have always understood the dis-ease of the body that stems from the lack of ease in the mind. I’m often careful about writing about the body and mind connection, because I do believe there are genetic and environmental factors to illness as well. I also know that many people feel shame around illnesses. When someone tells them to change their mindset to eradicate a thyroid disorder, it can bring up deep shame.

I am an advocate for helping people eliminate shame. I never want any of my clients or students to carry shame.

My point is twofold here. I do believe shame is the lowest frequency of emotion.

Psychiatrists have studied the emotional scales. Some may call it pseudoscience, but I do believe we cannot prove everything through science.

Then again, what about Maslow’s hierarchy? Many of us learned about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in science and psychology classes in high school. The fear of losing safety because of something that we feel is wrong with us (shame) versus reaching self-actualization by having the self-esteem to know that we are worthy of safety and love.

Also, Erikson revealed his theory that guilt can cause a person to manipulate or push heavily against their environment to get their needs met. Erikson’s virtues were care and wisdom. He believed that when we cared enough for ourselves without guilt, we had the ability to influence the world effortlessly through authenticity, alignment, and internal stability.

It has now been studied with individuals in trauma recovery. For example, Dr. Gabor Maté speaks extensively on shame as a foundational consequence of childhood trauma. He also links illness to the behavioral adaptations born out of that shame: self-silencing, chronic people-pleasing, and the suppression of healthy anger.

I have seen this year after year with clients. I can feel it within myself when I shut down a part of myself in order to create a peaceful environment for others.

Even writing this article here right now. This is not a topic I write about often because I know it can make people feel uncomfortable.

Sexuality can be extremely sacred and deeply divine.

I took a spirituality and sustainability course in Italy once. When we went to Assisi, I felt the absolute sacred love of St. Francis. I also found some texts on St. Clare and St. Francis that fascinated me. Many of those texts are no longer available.

I truly believe Mary Magdalene was the love of Jesus’ life. And at the same time, I love church and the Bible.

I speak of topics many don’t. I am a disruptor. It’s as if the words move through me. I can’t hold them in. Sometimes I feel like it’s the way I can support others.

I don’t mind if people have different opinions. I listen. I actually enjoy hearing other people’s points of view. It helps me make sense of this world at this time.

We long for community so much that we stay in our silo. We are accepted for being part of the same belief system. I’d rather be in alignment with my truth. My own inner truth.

The more I allow myself to be authentically me, the more I accept others.

In life, fear keeps us in the silo. Fear also keeps us stuck. Our minds and hearts become disconnected.

Perhaps healing begins the moment we stop fearing who we are.

When we honor our bodies, our truth, and one another with compassion, we remember that we were never meant to live in shame. We were meant to live fully alive.

Maybe that’s what true freedom is—not the absence of differences, but the courage to live authentically, to love deeply, and to create a world where the next generation never has to confuse shame with holiness.

I think there is something so very sacred about allowing ourselves to feel pleasure. I also truly believe that if we were taught that our sexuality was dangerous before being taught that our bodies were meant to feel ecstasy, the shame will creep in. We might even punish ourselves around it. Our bodies are meant to be full of sensation. Shame comes from the curriculum of what we learned was right and wrong… or how we were never taught to be free in our sacred sexuality.

Join me at Omega in September, where we will move our bodies in sacred dance, Kundalini yoga, and somatic movement.

Some are asking about accommodations….

The rooms are sold out on campus, but there is space in the workshop, and many local hotels have rooms. Come alone or come with a friend. You can eat your meals on campus while sleeping somewhere else.

It will be safe and very cozy.

The best way to find out more is to search Karena Virginia Omega Institute.

We have a special healing retreat coming up in the winter on the beach in Mexico too from January 31-February 6, 2027 ~ Best way to see more is to look up Journey to the Self: 5 levels of healing with Karena Virginia.

The Karena Virginia Podcast is available for you wherever you listen or watch podcasts, and it’s all about expecting the best and getting it. The law of attraction works when we understand the missing link in the “thinking” part.

My brand new book, Breathe With Me, is now available on Amazon or you can order it at your local bookstore.

Remember, angels surround you ALL the time. You are LOVED. Angels accept you fully. All of you.

See you soon.

Love,

Karena

A simple reminder about the retreat at The Omega Institute in September. The private rooms are sold out, but there are hotels in Rhinebeck and the surrounding areas. You can purchase meal passes for Saturday and Sunday at the Omega campus as well. They are very reasonably priced, and the food is so healthy and yummy. We will have so much fun in our healing together wherever we stay.

It is fine to miss the first session on Friday evening and come to the sessions on Saturday and Sunday only. You will experience profound healing in a short amount of time. It happens. I have witnessed it time and time again.

Omega is an easy commute from NYC and a few hours from New Jersey. Everyone is welcome. There will be plenty of modifications in the physical practices. This is mostly about moving energy.

Also… please look at room options for our healing week in Mexico in 2027. There are only a few private rooms left.

Hope to see you soon…

Love,

Karena xo

Hearts Open, Miracles Flow

Awakening to Healing & the Law of Attraction
Omega Institute Rhinebeck, NY
September 25 - 27

We have choices.

As America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, many of us are filled with a plethora of emotions.

This newsletter is international, and I recognize that it will be reaching some across the globe. From what I hear and feel, America is speaking loudly these days.

I've been learning to become willing to take responsibility for the knowing and healing that has come through me my entire life. I used to feel so confused by it. I wanted so much to be a normal child. Normal children didn't carry the weight and pain of others to the extent that they felt a depression and ache that did not have words. Normal children sat still in class and listened to the teacher. Normal children could sit and watch a show while their big brother moved the rabbit-ear antenna on the television to get better reception. 

Teachers were whispering about one another and their students in the faculty restrooms. I could hear them, but not with my physical ears. I heard them by feeling the knowing in my body. I felt happy when those around me were happy. I knew a fake smile from a mile away though. I cried when I heard sad stories, and my little sister would get mad at me for crying. Later she told me that my crying made her feel like she was not a caring person. My response was that she was simply a normal kid. I felt it all. 

I have a vivid memory of looking out the window in our childhood family room and seeing the most beautiful sheer, translucent and white jellyfish- like structures. My brother and sister were sitting on the orange velour couch. My best friend, Ali, was sitting on the floor in her perfectly ironed red- and- white strawberry patterned dress hugging her knees in to her chest, and I could see her perfect white frilly socks folded over the tops of her shiny red little shoes. I was sitting on the floor next to Ali. I wanted to be like her. Normal.

Out the window I saw what I now call angels. They were so beautiful. I remember thinking that it would be better if my brother moved the rabbit ears from the television to create an antenna  to the angels instead of "The Pink Panther Show." I knew better than to say something about the angels though. I had done that in Sunday School and the teacher kindly told me that I was using my imagination. That teacher, Reggie, just passed away, actually... my family still goes to the same church. Last I saw Reggie she reminded me of the profound questions I asked as a child. The thing is, I was a knower and a feeler. Not an easy way to be as a child. 

I have learned to stay on my side of the street. I used to want to rescue. That rescuing was not from the deep feeler as much as it was from the part of me that wanted to prove to myself that I had a place in the world. It was something I was good at. It was more than that too. I wanted to feel part of something greater than me. I longed for community.

We live in a society where we are supposed to stay in our own lane, and yet the main source of information is gathered externally.  I have learned the importance of stillness, unplugging and deep breathing.  I need connection and community as most of us do, and that takes listening and contemplation. I have learned to be a critical thinker- not an enabler. The answers are truly within.

So here it goes- we know history repeats itself. From the depths of my heart, I believe what our world is living in is a catalyst. History has shown us that after a conflict and/or divide, community is formed.

So many people are feeling lonely. I think the Hallmark channel will have some high ratings today. The July 4th BBQs and the potluck dinners where the dramatic moment becomes the catalyst for lasting love.

Yes. The thing is- we are IN the catalyst now. The community time is coming.

I see you as part of my community, and today I want to thank you.

You matter so much to me. I can’t do this alone either.

My deepest sense right now is that we have a choice. Each choice takes courage.

I remind my kids all the time:

“You have choices… you get to choose… and sometimes that means to choose again… and again. We make mistakes in life, and we have the choice to grow and learn from them or to shrink in shame. Choose wisely…. And always make a choice.”

I am imperfect, but I am choosing to love myself anyway. Our shame survives in the dark only. Together we can be the light for one another. That’s true community. That’s true freedom.

I send love. I send love because it is my medicine to send love, and because I care.

Love always,

Karena xo

Since I was tall (so they said), they put me in the room with the disabled adults. I wanted to work with the children, but I didn’t speak up for myself.

It was really hard. I showered, fed and took care of four women at a time. I was told they didn’t know me, but I Knew they knew me.

This is a photo of Marilyn with me. She attacked me once and I had scratches all over my face. Dad didn’t want me to go back. Mom said I was strong and I had it in me to be a caregiver. I went back.

I stayed at the job during winter breaks and summer during my college years. One part of me did it to prove to myself that I was caring. Another part loved the people I cared for. It was gratifying because I felt I was making a difference in the world. Another part of me just wanted to get a job at the candy store and eat jolly ranchers.

Mom was a nurse. She also volunteered her time in helping others. A true giver. She taught us to give back. She taught us that two wrongs don’t make a right. She taught us to be kind to others. Mom is probably one of the kindest women I have ever encountered in my life. Honestly.

One day while I was in my mid twenties, I asked my sister to visit the center with me. I was working in a different field altogether and living in nyc at the time. Stephanie came with me and she saw one of the women sign language apple to me. I told Steph that they told me the women would never remember me. Steph saw what I knew. They remembered. They knew. I was the one that snuck and gave Sally applesauce before putting her to bed. Five years later and she remembered me.

People can forget what is said and forget moments, but we never forget how another person makes us feel.

I miss the days when being kind to strangers was a virtue. I miss the days when we thought before writing something unkind.

I miss the days when people were held accountable for cruelty. Maybe I am a dreamer. But I know there is a dimension beyond this earth realm where goodness, love and compassion win. I know angels sing. And I believe we will find our way back to love. I also believe there are very good people in this world- and if you are still reading this now- you are one of them.

I believe we know more than we give ourselves credit for. Sometimes too much information from the external only complicates what our soul knows in the depth of the heart.

Returning to our innate wisdom takes profound courage. Reclaiming the love in our hearts takes fierce surrender. The human design asks for connection. The misconception is that to connect with others, we must speak the same language or carry the same beliefs.

It is our inner knowing that actually connects us. Abandoning ourselves and giving our power away only separates us from what we long for which is to be truly seen, heard and valued as a spark of the universe.

We share a common longing in life. We share the need to be seen, to be accepted, to belong, and to help others. What we really value is human connection. Doing “life” alone just does not work. Loneliness is a pandemic in America these days, and yet the divide has never been larger than it is right now.

What I am witnessing is a need for tribalism amongst individuals—it appears to be the way of connection. I say “appears” because I think it is creating an illusion of connection.

What truly connects us is our mutual longing for peace, global community, affordability, health, and safety.

I have experienced deep pain and trauma from the divide. As I have worked very hard on my recovery from the fear of being hurt and shamed for using my voice, I have learned something. We cannot please everyone, and we must never abandon our own heart.

Every time I write a newsletter, an odd shaking comes over me. I recognize it as my nervous system freezing. I pause to breathe and remember to be gentle with myself. I fear offending someone. I also fear the hateful responses like the ones I received in the past. But I have to be authentic; otherwise, what is the point?

The lyrics from “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen remind me that I can be imperfectly me: “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”

There is a huge crack in the systems… maybe it is our love that can shine light into them. We can’t do it alone.

The thing is… most of us want the same thing in life. When I look around, I see so much love, support, and care for others. When I widen my gaze beyond the hateful rhetoric, I see so much light.

Perhaps it is because focusing on the mean, the violent, and the ugly has been heartbreaking to me. I am choosing to look at the light that enters the cracks.

It is extremely confusing to me how bullying, lying, and intimidation seem to gain value in the clicks. True power comes from love. I imagine a world where love lives in the power positions. True strength comes from love—not from fear. Love is the most powerful tool in this world. I see the love and light shining through those cracks… maybe it is softer and not as loud… but love is here.

I was at a wedding on Saturday night with close family friends from my youth. My brother, sister, mom, and I went together. We have had tremendous loss in our lives. My brother has suffered heartbreaking loss. His way of living is to help others. I think it might be how he survives what he has experienced. His loss has also been our loss. It is too sad to write about here because I want this note to be uplifting to you.

In 2024, my brother had a few different political views than my sister, mom, and me. He is also the intellect in the family. As a child of immigrants, his nursery school teachers told my parents to have his IQ tested. Dad hardly spoke English at the time. His IQ was so high that it was confusing to my parents… then I came along, like a fairy, preaching about angels and unable to sit still in class… so you can imagine how my brother wins a debate.

The thing is, I have learned to listen (with my ears half closed), with partial eye contact and deep belly breathing. Then I will say one or two things that go directly to his heart. It is in those heart-infusing moments that I see him nod in agreement. I am not going to say this is easy for me, because it is not, but I love my brother deeply. I grew up with four other family members in all of America. My family is essential to me.

We did not discuss anything at the wedding. The music was loud. So we danced. We danced. We danced so much that we laughed. We even got Mom out of her wheelchair and onto the dance floor. Our mutual effort these past few years has been helping Mom heal. She is a miracle mama. Love heals.

My point is—love is the only way. I know this with every cell in my body. And yes, love can be fierce. True love is not enabling. Love means we do whatever we need to do to create a better world—together.

One of my big announcements is that I have a new book published. It is available as I write… I have not even received the hard copy of it myself yet, but it just went up on Amazon. I dedicate this book to love and connection… to healing… to attracting our deepest heart desires into our lives… I dedicate this book to love. It is called: Breathe With Me.

I also wanted to respond to some of you who have asked about the retreat at The Omega Institute in September. The private rooms are sold out, but there are hotels in Rhinebeck and the surrounding areas. You can purchase meal passes for Saturday and Sunday at the Omega campus as well. They are very reasonably priced, and the food is so healthy and yummy.

It is fine to miss the first session on Friday evening and come to the sessions on Saturday and Sunday only. You will experience profound healing in a short amount of time. It happens. I have witnessed it time and time again.

Omega is an easy commute from NYC and a few hours from New Jersey. Everyone is welcome. There will be plenty of modifications in the physical practices. This is mostly about moving energy.

Also… please look at room options for our healing week in Mexico in 2027. There are only a few private rooms left.

Hope to see you soon.

Remember… you have many angels by your side. YOU are loved. YOU are very loved.

Love,

Karena xo

This week I had a few very interesting conversations with clients. One of them received a large gift from a family member in the mail. It was the exact amount she needed to invest in her dream home, and she had never even told her family about her dream.
Another client who felt such guilt for finally standing up for herself,  found a sense of freedom that comes only when we speak our truth, and she and her partner healed an extremely  challenging process. Another client, who had been pushing herself forward without her nervous system fully on board, had to cancel a business trip due to the flu. Ironically, she felt a complete sense of peace in not being able to show up the way her perfectionistic personality expected. She decided after a week in bed to follow her heart and leave her job. She will attract something bigger and better. She is ready.

This is all life.

I love my work. I love my clients and students. They are so important to me. I am pretty old-fashioned and have a collection of books that I refer to often in order to better support the people I work with. I love human psychology. I love quantum physics. I love spirituality. I love spending time with angels, and I treasure moments in nature when I find myself in that special realm between heaven and earth.

I also love the way the Law of Attraction works. I have noticed that the Law of Attraction seems to have lost some of its sparkle in the collective. It is as if, collectively, it has frustrated people and therefore been set aside.

I have seen the Law of Attraction work in the most incredible ways. The problem is that many of us have been taught to think our way into co-creation. Thinking alone is not enough. We are multidimensional and complex beings.

There is a missing link in the way the “change your mind to change your life” teachings have often been explained.

Part of it is science. Classical physics explains mechanical events involving matter affecting matter through force, motion, and gravitation. Quantum physics explores how energy and matter interact at a different scale. Our energy matters. The thing is, we must also integrate and allow ourselves to feel the emotions that may be blocking the flow.

Many people say to me, “I am afraid that my vibration is off because I feel sad.” In my experience, it is often the opposite. Our frequency must be aligned with our process. We have to feel to heal.

One of the biggest missing components in the Law of Attraction is togetherness. We heal in community. We heal with our hearts joined. We are social beings. We thrive when we share our shame and we come out of isolating ourselves. 

There is such a pandemic of loneliness in our world today. Many of us feel it at times. I know I do. I thrive on togetherness.
We can heal. I truly believe healing is possible.

I had a client with stage 4 breast cancer whose recovery shocked her doctors. She changed her energy, and I witnessed the transformation. Her husband came over to tell my husband the news. My husband asked what happened. I explained that sometimes the woo-woo can be surprisingly true true :).
She did the work herself.

As mystical as some of this sounds, it is actually quite practical.
I have been doing this work for a very long time. When practiced with care and integrity, it can be profoundly impactful.

The New Age movement is great for some people. As for me, I am actually pretty mainstream—a bit naive at times—but I do believe that a heart that loves is a heart that heals.

Please come and join me for a retreat! We have our weekend retreat coming up at The Omega Institute in New York State. We asked for a weekend this year so many who were not able to take a week off would be able to join. We begin on Friday evening and we finish on Sunday at 12 with a group lunch afterwards. Omega is an easy commute from NYC, and a few hours from New Jersey. Everyone is welcome. There will be plenty of modifications in the physical practices. This is mostly about moving energy.

Also... please look at room options for our healing week in Mexico in 2027. There are only a few private rooms left.

I have a few special announcements to share in my next newsletter as well.

Hope to see you soon.

Remember... you have many angels by your side. YOU are loved. YOU are very loved.

Love,

Karena xo

Amore from Italy.....

I've been thinking so much about love these days. I have also been reflecting on how our childhood wounds contribute to who we are in relationship to others as adults.

My father moved to America from Rome, Italy, in his twenties. He lived in the center of Rome. As a child during World War II, he was running toward a bomb shelter and a fragment of a bomb cut into his leg. The fragment remained in his leg. This "shrapnel" was left in his body for his entire life. The doctors said that his immune system would form a wall of scar tissue around it. And it did.

The thing is, that bomb fragment was nothing compared to the trauma my father experienced growing up. I often think that my father had some kind of ability to compartmentalize his childhood pain as well. 

With everything Dad experienced including actual starvation, somehow he became one of the most loving people in this world. I am not saying this lightly- everyone who knew him says it. Every year when I return to Italy, I see tears in his friends' eyes as they say: "Oh Giulio.... Era un uomo d'oro"

How did he live with so much love after growing up with so much fear? I asked him once. In his strong Italian accent, he said:

"I switched it. I can choose."

Maybe love is not something to find outside of ourselves... perhaps it is something to become. 

Love is one of the most sought-after experiences in all of humanity. Longing to be seen, chosen, understood and held. What if love is not outside but is within waiting to be  "Switched."

How does someone stay open when life teaches us to close? Soft in a world with so much hardness? 

Love asks us to be courageous enough to be vulnerable, honest enough to be real and compassionate enough to see beyond our own pain.

It starts within. The more we cultivate the love inside, the less we need to be chosen by another. Once we find the gem of love inside, we stop chasing something outside of us.

Inner love assists us in aligning with our true selves... it eradicates the false self. It is not perfection- it is a continuous practice of returning to the heart... again and again and again. We choose again... and again... and again. 

At the end of our lives, what will matter more than how much we loved? I don't know. I just know that I am making the choice to love... and if my love is too much or too little... it is ok... I will continue to choose love again and again... and again.

A new podcast will be released next Monday. It will include simple exercises to assist in reseting the nervous system and coming home to self with love.

"The Karena Virginia Podcast" is available wherever you watch/listen to podcasts.

Thank you for being here. I truly appreciate this community more than you know.

Ti mando amore,

Karena xo

Sundays are days to be together. I was on FaceTime with my sister, mom, and Gabriella. I said, “We live too far apart. We need to live the way people lived years ago. Together.” My sister reminded me that I was the one who moved first. True. 

My friend and I walked to the water in our bare feet. She asked first, so politely. I said, “Yes, please.” Like bohemians walking together, her tiny feet next to my long toes. We walked all the way to the river, my inner child’s heart expanding with so much love and connection. It was as if the little one inside me had found her happy place. That’s how I feel when there is a soul connection with another. I long for it too. Not small talk, but deep heart-to-heart reflection. We long to share and contemplate and witness things we deal with alone, quietly and every day.

Today I texted Gabriella and said: “Shame only survives in the darkness.” Sometimes I observe my daughter thinking of everyone before herself. She rarely makes mistakes. Hypervigilant, the way I used to be. So now I tell her about my shame. We laugh. When humans bring shame into the conversation, we learn to laugh.  Sometimes we cry first. We integrate. I don’t want my daughter to ever give her magnificent power away. If she saw herself the way the world sees her, she would be stunned by the brightness of her light. Why don’t we see our own magic?

I’ve had spiritual teachers. I’ve been disappointed. I’ve also been blessed by their gifts. Two things can be true at once. At some point along this path, I realized I was the door, the container, and the wisdom I was searching for. All I needed to do was close my eyes. The information and answers are right there. I've been sitting with the roses. Simply closing my eyes with my breath. The answers come. The wisdom flows right in. Sometimes it is overwhelming because it is so very real.

And it needs to be shared.
 

I think one of my favorite things to do is create community. We are longing for togetherness in authentic, transparent, and accessible ways. It’s like a family we create together. When we are comfortable together in the safe container, we recognize that we are so similar. We learn to laugh at the shadow sides of ourselves. The light gets brighter. Sometimes the light shines so brightly that we can’t contain the miracle. We run looking for one another to say things like: “She doesn’t need her oxygen anymore!” or “The pain is gone!” or “I finally let it go, and then it came back with unexpected and unexplained love!”

These are some of the things that have happened on the retreats. There are many more too. I truly believe the miracles happen when we are together.

In the moments we spend together meditating, I sometimes feel the joy of my bursting heart loving in ways that are perhaps too much for those not in our environment. Honestly, it can feel a bit uncomfortable when I return to everyday life. Like an Italian grandmother bringing her inner child to a playground. It’s not safe. But I need to get on that swing and swing higher into the heavens. It IS SAFE. The divine is here.

After closing my eyes and shifting inward, I often bring this huge heart deep into my roots, anchoring this precious, innocent energy and signaling to me that it’s okay to love this big. To build a mothering home around this heart of innocence and unbridled love. This heart is meant to be uncovered, seen, felt, allowed, expressed, yet also tempered and held by a maturity that would ensure its security and well-being. It hurts too much to isolate that big heart. It feels like a censorship of sorts. The mother in me wraps the essence of the lover in me—the innocence and heart. I wrap my arms around these spaces.

The places where I’ve isolated and withdrawn, or where I’ve shied away from this love, were usually the spaces where my wild inner child’s heart has called to me. I’m learning now to listen.

Our bodies may be pointing toward that place where our pure essence, our most joyful parts, might meet wise and warm, cozy arms. In those moments, we have found our true identities.

Somewhere in our lives, we were paralyzed by fear and unable to leave the frozen state. We don’t remember the moment... possibly. But that frozen state feels familiar.

For us to uncover our purity and essence, the eight-year-old inside each of us, is like walking barefoot. We don’t know if the tar will stick to our feet. We don’t know if we will step on the cement sidewalk and get yelled at by the pavers in their construction outfits. That really happened to me with my best friend, Rosemary. Only we did it on purpose. I just remembered this as I was writing to you all. This is the beauty of hearts connecting.

Anyway, as I said to my friend last night as we strolled to the river after the thunderstorm in our bare feet:

Sometimes we need to take a leap of faith. Most leaps land with love supporting them. I’ve seen it time and time again. The thing is, we are so afraid of getting stuck in the tar. We are also afraid of getting in trouble or disrupting a dynamic. And oh, we are so afraid of hurting another beautiful soul's heart.

It is important to dare, but why? Is it worth bothering when it is sure to result in some kind of bruise? My answer is yes. Take that step onto the wet grass. It is only through jumping while holding hands that we learn we are held.

We learn, through the quiet devotion of living with an open heart, that each day offers a small sacred risk. A moment of creativity. A truth spoken when it would be easier to stay silent. A conversation that trembles at the edges.

And in these offerings of ourselves, we come to know something holy: yes, we may be touched, shaken, even wounded in places. But we are never undone. We are never destroyed.

Something in us remains unbroken, luminous, steady, alive and breathing. The essence of us cannot be erased. It simply deepens. It becomes more authentic. Multi-faceted... real.

When the heart is open,  the heart becomes exquisitely alive to everything. She feels the wind as intimacy. Almost sensual. Like love... a beloved brushing gently and softly along the skin. Goosebumps. Ecstasy.

When we allow life to touch us in our sensuality, we move from isolation to aliveness. We dance into life rather than being the shy observer standing in the sidelines. From freezing and fawning into sensing and expressing. 

When the heart remembers she can be BIG, and she can dance in her bare feet and shine radiant light to the world, the breath deepens. LOVE was never meant to hide.

But in the midst of its natural beauty Puerto Rico also faces intense hurricanes and tropical storms on a regular basis. When Hurricane Fiona struck in 2022, it was so devastating that winds tore asphalt from the roads and the skies dropped over 30 inches of rain.

And yet, in the months that followed, something extraordinary began to unfold.

The flowers returned—more abundant than before. Greenery pushed through again, vivid and alive. New species of birds appeared, as if arriving to help restore what had been lost. The people named this transformation milagros—the Spanish word for miracles.

As she spoke, I felt a quiet sense of “of course.” Of course there were miracles. Not in a distant or abstract way, but in something deeply human. The people had held onto love. They had kept faith—like believing, even in the darkest moment, that the caterpillar will become the butterfly.

There is something powerful in that kind of faith—spirit in service of love. Spirit in the service of each other. A higher love that does not deny difficulty, but moves through it, and in doing so, invites renewal.

Difficulties come in many forms—from everyday frustrations to devastating tragedies. And yet, each one offers a chance to choose how we respond.

At the airport on the way home, the TSA lines stretched around corners. The line to check a bag nearly reached the highway. It was hours long—frustrating, exhausting. And yet, in that moment, I saw something familiar: people helping one another, smiling, offering patience, wishing each other well. There was a quiet understanding that we were all in it together.

And that may be the simplest truth of all.

On this small planet, we share both the burdens and the beauty. From the smallest inconvenience to the greatest tragedy, we move through it side by side—the same earth beneath our feet, the same air we all breathe. And beneath it all, there is a shared wish: for one another’s well-being, for children everywhere to grow and flourish, for something better to emerge.

Right now, I find myself hoping—and praying—that where there has been cruelty inflicted, there may be more love. That humanity remembers we are connected, and that the same mysterious spark of life beats in every heart.

My trip to Puerto Rico was incredibly beautiful—not because it was free from hardship, but because it reminded me that deep, abiding beauty is what endures. Beauty is the real triumph. It reminded me to care for one another all the more—to keep going, to rebuild, and to believe that human beings are made of love at our core.

I find that one of the simplest ways to return to that truth is to breathe deeply and feel the breath as a sustaining form of love—keeping me alive, and keeping all living things alive. And as you exhale, you might imagine infusing that breath with a quiet message of love, carried outward. We all share the same air, after all—and in its own way, it connects us, heart to heart.

I wish you a gentle and loving weekend... perhaps some time for reflection and renewal... perhaps simply rest... trusting that nature renews naturally.

Remembering we are loved from above.

Love always,

Karena

PS: I will be speaking in NYC this month in honor of survivors for sexual assault awareness month. Please see more information on my socials if you would like to attend.

.

I wasn’t what they would call a “normal” child, and we were already a very different family. I was born in NYC as a first generation American, and proper manners was like safety to my parents who always felt we could be shipped out of America. So I learned how to adapt. I became good at wearing hats.  I carried an invisible bag filled with them. In any moment, I could reach in and choose the one that would help me blend in. I never had an ugly hat. They were all pretty ones. Kind ones. Loving ones. Gentle ones. And I would give all of them away if someone needed one of them.  I would show them how to make their own. I would give them all my ribbon.... anything so I felt included and valued. Many sensitive souls learn how to do this. We learned to rescue others in order to feel appreciated. But, it was more than that too... we wanted to save the world. Something beautiful is happening now. The world is shifting deeply and quickly. We do not need to yell from the rooftops.  In many ways, the reality we once relied upon is restructuring itself. The old operating systems of our world are beginning to break down. And if you’ve been sensing it… feeling it… noticing it long before others…waking up with the ache... perhaps you are recognizing that you do not need to put the fires out alone anymore. The fires are more obvious now, and there are many others stepping in with their rescue box.

You were just sitting in the front car of the train.

And perhaps that is why you spent so many years feeling as though you didn’t quite fit into the world.

But here is the beautiful part. More and more people are beginning to move toward the front of the train now. You are not alone there anymore. You can actually hand them to torch. Give them a chance to activate their own generational healing by using their voice.

One thing I have always known more than anything else is that Spirit ALWAYS leads the way. Spirit is the conductor. We are merely passengers on the train. Even if we are in the front of this very odd train of knowing. If you are one of those souls… which I believe you are... Welcome. You were never strange. You were simply early. And maybe called weird. No worries. We have one another. And we do so well together in community.  With my Love,

Karena

PS: Save the date for a weekend with me at the Omega Institute: September 25–27, 2026.

Also, please join me at Sun Moon Yoga and Healing in Tinton Falls, NJ on March 22, 2026. AND... save the date for my 5 Levels of Healing Retreat, a week of deep clearing, reconnection and co-creation from January 31 to February 6, 2027 on the beautiful ocean of Mexico. Also... my latest podcast of The Karena Virginia Podcast was filmed in Costa Rica and it discusses emotional integration vs emotional suppression for healing body, mind and nervous system.  The Karena Virginia Podcast is available wherever you watch and listen to your podcasts. 

He was raised in a very strict Roman Catholic Church environment in Rome. My grandmother prayed the rosary for hours daily.

Dad considered this time of year a time to transform what limited us rather than to deprive ourselves of kindness. The rebirth was the gift, and our responsibility was to give more to others… not to deprive ourselves.

He used to remind us to trust. In his strong Italian accent, he would say:

“Karena, don’t worry about it. You desire something if you have already sensed it. Take that deep longing and bring it to God. The God I know does not give you the taste buds for something delicious that you cannot have. God longs for you the same as you long. Now… eat di pasta!”

His motto was simple: Let go. Let God. Let the seeds God planted blossom so you can show God that you celebrate your life.

Today holds many spiritual truths for many walks of faith. The collective consciousness creates a matrix of prayer. So many people are in ritual today.

This morning when I woke up, a sense of two paths came to mind. Neither path is a bypass of any sort, but one is much healthier than the other.

It is as if we have a choice to turn toward one or the other.

One path holds so much fear, tightness, doubt, manipulation, and a sense of contraction in our nervous systems. It can be an addictive path because it removes us from the depth of the inner pain our hearts are feeling. It is the path of drama and chaos. It holds a form of control. It is a real path as well.

The other path is one of wonder, awakening, authentic supportive connection, community, and co-creative power. It is a path for the mystics. This path has organic flowers blooming in gentle sunlight. We tend to walk slowly on this path, and that itself can feel like a bit of disconnection in this very fast-paced world we live in. This path is not spiritual bypass; it is a very real path of harmony. We still speak truth along this path, yet we take deep breaths along the way.

Every minute of every day we have the choice to choose which path we will take. We also have the chance to choose again. Each moment we get to decide if we will put our energy toward love or toward fear. Wherever our attention goes, our energy flows. What we focus on becomes our reality. What we attune to, we become part of.

We are all being pulled toward one side or the other. We feel it. We sense it. We can feel it in our breath, our chest, our sleep patterns, our irritation, and the tightness of our bodies. World events, the instability we feel, the constant stream of crisis, and the feelings of outrage and uncertainty are triggering us. At times it doesn’t even feel real. But it is real. So very real. As we pause to move along this unknown territory, many of us are recognizing that  we cannot simply “think” our way out of this earthly storm of sorts. From the divine center of our beings, we have the opportunity to speak up in ways we perhaps never have before. But before we can speak from our true nature, we are being called to look at our words and actions and make sure they align with who we are and the ethics we believe at the deepest levels of our being. Not what we have been taught. Not what is socially acceptable. But at the deepest soul level of our spirit.

On this episode of The The Karena Virginia Podcast, I speak directly about how to find calm in the midst of chaos. Not through spiritual bypassing, but through ancient, embodied practices that were designed for times of upheaval.

Breath practices that regulate the vagus nerve.

Sacred movement that discharges stress.

Rituals that anchor you when the world feels unstable.

The Karena Virginia Podcast was created to be a cozy sanctuary where we soften when we feel contracted and where we come home to ourselves. It is a safe space where we find community amidst the storm.

You can listen wherever you stream your podcasts. 

I love this community so much. I love hearing from you.

How is your heart feeling? How do you endure the unseen forces that feel so forceful? How do you carry your grief? How do you hold your heart? What do you know to be true, and which path do you walk?

I long for deep connection and soulful dialogue. I hope to see you very soon in a workshop or a class. If you are joining me in Costa Rica, I look so forward to seeing you this weekend! Next year our annual winter retreat will be in Mexico.

With love,

Karena

PS: Save the date for a weekend with me at the Omega Institute: September 25–27, 2026.

Also, please join me at Sun Moon Yoga and Healing in Tinton Falls, NJ on March 22, 2026.

The root of the word courage is cor – the Latin word for heart. Living from the heart feels like Love. Love takes a gentle strength.

Courage now looks like love. Like rest. Like staying open when it would be easier to shut down.

I’m not choosing courage as a personality trait.

I’m choosing it as a practice.

Courage, for me, is not loud or forceful.

It isn’t about pushing through or proving anything.

Courage looks like love.

Like rest.

Like staying open when it would be easier to shut down.

These are 26 vows I am making to myself as I step into 2026.

26 Vows of Courage

1. Courage is not always battle; often it is love choosing to stay open.

2. My spirit is sovereign. While nobody else can govern my inner peace, I recognize that one of the best things I can do for my kids is show them that I take care of myself too.

3. Each choice I make leaves a spiritual imprint; nothing is wasted. Before choosing, I weigh the pros and cons for myself and those I love.

4. Rest is courage, not a reward. I can dare to rest without needing an explanation. I can read a book all day if I choose.

5. “No” can be an act of reverence for my soul. When I say no, it is often a gift to the other person too. Yes, even if they don’t feel that way in the moment.

6. I release the illusion that I must tend other people’s emotional storms. I cannot rescue others. I can change myself only.

7. We can never get time back. And yet, if I choose to play, scroll, or watch Christmas Vacation for the 20th time, I am not wasting time. Time is only wasted when I abandon what my heart needs.

8. I was worthy before I proved anything. I do not need recognition from anyone else. People may unsubscribe or look at me with confusion when my words go deep. That is okay. To thine own self be true.

9. Disagreement is not abandonment. Self-abandonment is the worst kind of abandonment.

10. God’s plan is designed. My nervous system feels rejection deeply. When the pain comes, I can recognize what’s happening, place my hands on my heart, and remind myself: this will not matter a year from now.

11. The quiet voice within me is trustworthy. I listen to that voice through stillness.

12. Perfection is not divine; presence is. My presence is worthy of celebration. I can walk away from spaces where I feel awkward or unseen.

13. I do not need permission to be whole. I can be silly, loud, quiet, goofy, too much, aloof, or deeply curious. If someone doesn’t like it, that’s okay. I get to be me.

14. My value was breathed into me. I do not have to earn it. Instead of doing, I choose being.

15. Love does not ask me to silence myself. Love asks me to share.

16. Emotions are messengers, not masters. My feelings matter. My feelings matter even when they don’t make sense. Even when I can’t figure them out myself.

17. Control loosens when faith deepens. I can inhale and let God inside. I can exhale and release everything else. Even if it’s just for a moment.

18. I can dwell with discomfort and remain held. I do not need to numb or disappear. I can rest in the arms of the divine wherever I am.

19. Faithfulness is found in small and steady steps. If I miss a practice or forget my inner work, I can return to it the next day.

20. Shame has worked on me before. It lands like a kick to the stomach. But I no longer allow others to shame me. And if they try, I can quietly say:

“Shame is not an effective way to control me.”

21. The child within me is sacred ground. My mama bear has always protected others. This year, she protects the little girl inside me too.

22. If someone calls me selfish, I do not have to panic. Or second guess myself. I can check in kindly with my inner parts and say, I am growing. Growth allows revision without shame.

23. What I resist persists. Kindly and gently, I allow unhealthy patterns to change. No more pushing. No more punishing.

24. Where my attention goes, energy grows. I choose to focus on what matters and release what doesn’t.

25. I listen to the higher-vibration voices of my parents:

My father’s voice says, Remember where you came from.

My mother’s voice says, You can do anything you put your mind to.

I release the generational voices they inherited as well. The voices rooted in fear, shame, and nervous system freeze. Words like Who do you think you are? no longer live in me. I replace them with:

I AM who I AM.

As I heal my thinking, I help my children claim their worth too.

26. I am becoming someone my soul recognizes.

I AM becoming me.

A Closing Blessing for 2026

May I enter this year unarmored,

not because the world is safe,

but because I am learning to be.

May I remember that rest is sacred ground,

and that pausing is not falling behind

but arriving.

May I release what was never mine to carry—

the moods of others,

the weight of old roles,

the belief that love requires self-erasure.

May courage rise in me as tenderness,

faith as steadiness,

and strength as quiet trust.

When fear speaks loudly,

may I listen instead for truth.

When urgency calls,

may I choose presence.

May I honor the child within me

with patience, protection, and wonder.

May I tend my inner life

as carefully as I have tended others.

And as this year unfolds,

may I walk gently with myself. Slowly too. Because slow is okay. And slow is often the way.

Awake and willing even when I am scared.

And I remember the words that my body feels. Hiding hurts more than showing up. Seeds are not meant to stay in the ground. God provides all the nourishment for a flower to blossom. The difference between a flower and a human is that we as humans have choices.

An Invitation for Reflection

As we step into 2026, I invite you to pause with me for a moment:

Which of these vows whispers to your own soul?

Which truths are ready to be carried forward in your life?

Do you have a word, a promise, or a quiet practice that calls you this year?

If you feel called, you can share it here in the comments, in reply, or simply in the sacred quiet of your own heart. 💕

Dharm shares five essential practices from the book that can be integrated into daily life as a steady foundation for greater clarity, vitality, and balance. He also guides listeners through the Miracle Breath, a simple technique that calms the nervous system and supports regulation in moments of overwhelm. Drawing from ancient yogic wisdom and lived experience, they reflect on why teachings once dismissed as “woo-woo” are now being validated through science, and how simple, consistent practices can quietly transform the way we feel, think, and move through the world.

👉 Buy Essential Kundalini Yoga

👉 Subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch more episodes in the podcast playlist!

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Inner Light: A Winter Solstice Offering

As a child, I was very different.

I was the child who cried in church… not because I was bored or restless, but because I felt. I felt the stillness in the room. I felt the prayers moving through the air. I felt the ache, the hope, the longing of the people around me. And I felt something else, too.

I felt the angels.

At an age when I didn’t yet have language for spirituality or nervous systems or intuition, my body knew. My heart knew. The tears weren’t sadness. They felt like sadness, but they were recognition. I was quite a sad child too though. Deep. Curious. A bit lonely even in spaces full of others. My system was open, porous, deeply attuned to the unseen. I carried so much sensation, so much awareness, and sometimes it spilled out as tears.

Reverend Vernon Dethmers was an inspiration to me. He was our church minister for many years. As a child I was able to ask him questions that many other elders couldn’t have answered to the extent of my curiosity.

I remember being nine years old, and sitting in a small chair in the drafty Sunday School class on a November morning when he walked in. While teachers often found me to be a nuisance, Reverend Dethmers found me endearing. I felt his presence as safety. I asked him why God would let people feel sadness. Why would God who loves everyone allow bad things to happen. I’ll always remember Reverend Dethmers response:

“If everything is happy, we won’t know it’s happy. We have to feel the sadness in order to appreciate the happiness.”

If we didn’t have such chaos in the world right now, would we understand what peace is? Or would we take peace for granted?

The winter solstice arrives as an invitation.

An invitation to slow.

To soften.

To listen inward.

This is the longest night of the year, a sacred pause where the world rests in darkness before the light begins its gradual return. And just like the Earth, we too, carry a light within us. A light that does not disappear in the dark.

The inner light will melt the darkness away.

Not by force.

Not by urgency.

But through presence, care, and remembering.

One small flame can illuminate an entire dark room.

Self-Care: Tending What Is Sacred

Self-care is not about doing more.

It is about listening more deeply.

In winter, this might mean extra rest, warmth, or quiet. It might mean honoring the parts of us that still feel everything so deeply, intrinsically and sometimes emotionally.

Our sensitivity is not too much. We have been conditioned to believe we are too much as a mechanism to keep us tame and easy to control.

Our senses are our lanterns. We dim our lanterns to give others the space to shine. We hide our light deep in the cluttered world of distractions.

What if our light is needed now? How can we come out of hiding?

One step at a time.

Holding hands with trustworthy friends and support systems who are not threatened by a bit of another’s shine, but instead celebrate it. Lanterns lighting up the path. Together.

On this solstice, may we remember the child within us who knows how to feel the sacred.

May we trust our sensitivity as wisdom.

May we rest in the darkness without fear.

The light is already returning.

The illumination lives in our body, our breath, and even in our tears.

Light is authenticity.

✨

As a child, I was very different.

I was the child who cried in church… not because I was bored or restless, but because I felt. I felt the stillness in the room. I felt the prayers moving through the air. I felt the ache, the hope, the longing of the people around me. And I felt something else, too.

I felt the angels.

At an age when I didn’t yet have language for spirituality or nervous systems or intuition, my body knew. My heart knew. The tears weren’t sadness. They felt like sadness, but they were recognition. I was quite a sad child too though. Deep. Curious. A bit lonely even in spaces full of others. My system was open, porous, deeply attuned to the unseen. I carried so much sensation, so much awareness, and sometimes it spilled out as tears.

Reverend Vernon Dethmers was an inspiration to me. He was our church minister for many years. As a child I was able to ask him questions that many other elders couldn’t have answered to the extent of my curiosity.

I remember being nine years old, and sitting in a small chair in the drafty Sunday School class on a November morning when he walked in. While teachers often found me to be a nuisance, Reverend Dethmers found me endearing. I felt his presence as safety. I asked him why God would let people feel sadness. Why would God who loves everyone allow bad things to happen. I’ll always remember Reverend Dethmers response:

“If everything is happy, we won’t know it’s happy. We have to feel the sadness in order to appreciate the happiness.”

If we didn’t have such chaos in the world right now, would we understand what peace is? Or would we take peace for granted?

The winter solstice arrives as an invitation.

An invitation to slow.

To soften.

To listen inward.

This is the longest night of the year, a sacred pause where the world rests in darkness before the light begins its gradual return. And just like the Earth, we too, carry a light within us. A light that does not disappear in the dark.

The inner light will melt the darkness away.

Not by force.

Not by urgency.

But through presence, care, and remembering.

One small flame can illuminate an entire dark room.

Self-Care: Tending What Is Sacred

Self-care is not about doing more.

It is about listening more deeply.

In winter, this might mean extra rest, warmth, or quiet. It might mean honoring the parts of us that still feel everything so deeply, intrinsically and sometimes emotionally.

Our sensitivity is not too much. We have been conditioned to believe we are too much as a mechanism to keep us tame and easy to control.

Our senses are our lanterns. We dim our lanterns to give others the space to shine. We hide our light deep in the cluttered world of distractions.

What if our light is needed now? How can we come out of hiding?

One step at a time.

Holding hands with trustworthy friends and support systems who are not threatened by a bit of another’s shine, but instead celebrate it. Lanterns lighting up the path. Together.

On this solstice, may we remember the child within us who knows how to feel the sacred.

May we trust our sensitivity as wisdom.

May we rest in the darkness without fear.

The light is already returning.

The illumination lives in our body, our breath, and even in our tears.

Light is authenticity.

✨

Through the lens of nature, ancient yogic wisdom, and her own spiritual insight, she offers grounding tools to help us regulate and reconnect. Karena discusses the deeper rewiring happening on both personal and global levels, the importance of community, the power of early sleep and conscious breathing, and how to protect our energy when the world feels loud. If you’re sensing change but aren’t sure what it means, these insights offer steady reassurance and a reminder that you’re not moving through this transformation alone.

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