Newsletter January 2024
Hello Friends,
Happiest of New Years!
May you climb those mountains, read the books, make the millions, craft your heart away and travel the world or your neighborhood. IYKYK, but I love naming my new year. This one is called “Connecting the Dots”, and in a new twist, she’s also called Dorothy. Someone misunderstood and thought I gave a first name to each year, which will now be a new tradition. LOL
The latest batch of BBB guided meditations (12 new ones, making 80 total!) is up and all of them feature majestic San Francisco. Special twist is that all meditations from this batch and the last one are UNLOCKED AND FREE until the end of the month.
Share this message with your networks, your schools, your friends in foreign lands- encourage everyone to try out a series of guided meditations, and reap the benefits of this health practice. So far, since last summer there have been over 2300 downloads on 6 different continents. Help me get to Antarctica. #newlifegoal
To boot, I’m adding more content for adults and started a series of guided visualizations in San Francisco micro neighborhoods. Tune in to this one on the Parkside, where I grew up, in English or French!
Today's newsletter features some goodies: the spectacular Dear San Francisco show, a librarian guy I’m recently obsessed with on IG and one of fave bands!
🎉Big Belly Breathing Newsletter 🎉
🌈 Theme & Breathing Practice 🌬️
Come along with me on the podcast this month as we explore ways to enhance our PATIENCE and foster a greater sense of appreciation and wonder. In these episodes, we'll dive into the captivating world of mindfulness by delving into our special HEART DIAMOND breathing technique. Get prepared to experience the transformative influence of purposeful breathwork. Let's cultivate a spirit of kindness and curiosity together!
🌿 Holistic Health Habits💦
Scribble Your Way to Wellness: The Health Benefits of Journaling
As someone who’s gone in and out of journaling phases since 3rd grade, it’s one of my greatest joys to find an old journal and reread past notes to self. What better time to reinvest or start a journaling practice than today?
Journaling can offer a range of health benefits, both for mental and physical well-being.
Here are some potential advantages:
Clarity and Problem-Solving: Journaling encourages self-reflection, helping you gain clarity on your thoughts and emotions. It can also aid in problem-solving by providing insights into challenges.
Stress Reduction: Writing about stressful events can be cathartic. It allows you to release pent-up emotions, reducing overall stress levels.
Improved Mood: Regular journaling may contribute to a more positive mood. Focusing on positive events and gratitude in a journal can enhance overall well-being.
Goal Setting: Writing down goals and aspirations in a journal helps clarify intentions and provides a roadmap for personal development.
Boosted Creativity: Journaling stimulates creative thinking. The act of writing freely without judgment can unlock creative ideas and solutions.
Improved Sleep: Establishing a nightly journaling routine, especially for "brain dumping" or jotting down worries, may help clear the mind and contribute to better sleep.
It's important to note that the benefits of journaling can vary from person to person! Again, I’m not a doctor, just a coach of Health and Joy. The key is to find a journaling style that suits your individual preferences and needs.
The one I’m into right now is the “5 Minute Journal” (thank you Michelle Nayfack from After-School Snack Attack for turning me onto this concept). It’s a gratitude reflective model that includes a morning and night time routine:
Morning: Write down 3 things you’re grateful for, 3 things that will make the day great and 1 affirmation
Nighttime: Write down 3 things that made you happy that day, and 1 thing you learned
If you’re into journaling or willing to try it, I’d love to hear from you about your experience.
📚 3 Things I’m Into These Days📚🎨
This section offers you a glimpse into a handful of things that ignite my happiness or inquisitiveness. Here are my most recent fascinations. What are yours?!
1) Dear San Francisco show
Several people recommended this extraordinary performance at Club Fugazi in North Beach, and they were all completely right to do so! My goddess, what a tremendous experience! We took the children as a special birthday treat to see Dear San Francisco, and in an always budget conscious move, went with the cheaper (and turned out to be the best) seats in the house by sitting directly on the stage. The performers were inches from us at times, and it was totally breathtaking to be so close to their acrobatics. One of them even used my daughter’s stuffed animal during one of his wild leaps, which tickled her to no end.
*Video of the amazing hula hoop performance by Chloe Somers @thechloesomers!*
There were several tearfilled audience moments as they shared personal stories and told us about their experience in San Francisco. This is a show created by locals (some from the original Pickle Family Circus) and all about the history of the CITY, from the 1906 earthquake to now, and in a quintessential San Francisco location (where Beach Blanket Babylon was performed for 45 years).
If you’re coming to town or live here, this is 100000% worth it!
2) Bands: Dehd
Seeing them next month for the third time (2/29 at the Great American Music Hall) because I’m obsessed with this Chicago indie rock trio. Bring on the giardiniera. They’ve got that sick stripped down pop reverb style that makes you want to scream the lyrics, dance, hug the person next to you hard and rage all night. Even this 45 year old mama.
We may disagree within my household about song preferences. “Loner” rules, as does their “Bad Love”, “Window”, “Desire”, “Empty in my Mind”....Gotta stop because I’m just gonna list most of them. Join me at their SF show on Leap Year at Noise Pop’s Fest for some rapturous good times.
3) Mychal the librarian
Looking for more uplifting people to follow on social media, to flood your feed with good vibes and make your heart sing? Check out Mychal, the awesome Solano County librarian with 562K followers on IG. Some call him the next “Mr Rogers”. In any case, he radiates positivity, inclusion and shares some awesome library stories. Oh, and he wears the best outfits.
Stay tuned for the next episodes of Big Belly Breathing, where we strive to spark creativity, mindfulness, and joy in our little ones' lives.
Thank you for your enthusiasm, in whatever form it has taken❤️
Subscribe, listen to the pod, spread the word, buy the merch and stay in touch~
Take BIG care,
Vanessa Hutchinson-Szekely
Host of Big Belly Breathing
