Breath of Fresh Beginnings: Vision Boards and Spiritual Synergy to Nurture Your New Year

The new year brings 365 blank pages to write your story, and we believe wellness beautifully weaves its way into every chapter. To get to know your true self and unlock your full potential, it’s vital to prioritize your well-being in a way that resonates with you—and you alone. To help you do so, we spoke with two of our expert healers and practitioners, emphasizing the idea that wellness takes on many forms.

From physical connection to energy medicine, our licensed spiritual healer at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay gives us a closer look at the individualized approach that characterizes Within Journeys, giving your mind, body, and spirit the space to harness their natural healing capabilities. To infuse this ethos into your daily routine, she shares some of her favorite methods of nurturing your physical, energetic, and spiritual health through mindful, cleansing breathwork.

In true Day 1 spirit, our vision-board practitioner at 1 Hotel West Hollywood invites you to embrace new beginnings at any point through creative outlets such as vision boards. She offers practical techniques to continuously enhance your self-efficacy, grasp new opportunities, and recognize gentle reminders that you are in control of your future, and that’s a beautiful, empowering place to be.

We hope these conversations inspire you to start and continue through your year by nourishing your needs, aligning with your authentic self, and uncovering unexpected opportunities to embrace holistic well-being along the way.

ASTA RACKAUSKAITE, LICENSED SPIRITUAL HEALER AND MEDICINE WOMAN, 1 HOTEL HANALEI BAY

How do you incorporate spiritual healing and energy medicine into Within Journeys, especially considering your background as a Licensed Spiritual Healer and Medicine Woman?

Spiritual healing is an integral part of my practice. I bring in my experience as a Licensed Spiritual Healer and Medicine Woman to infuse sessions with a deeper level of connection. I leverage energy medicine based on the quantum medicine model and spiritual dowsing to align and balance energy fields. This not only contributes to physical well-being but also supports the client's spiritual journey. It's about addressing the person as a whole, emphasizing the importance of consciousness in the healing process.

Could you provide insight into your philosophy on healing? How do you believe the body's natural ability to self-heal can be guided and encouraged in your sessions?

I believe in creating a space where the body's natural healing processes can unfold. I incorporate various techniques, pressures, and speeds tailored to each individual's needs. By holding the space for energy to flow, clients often experience a deep sense of peace and healing. It's about allowing the body's intelligence to take over and facilitating a state of heightened equilibrium and balance.

Can you describe the concept of engaging and disengaging simultaneously during a session? How does this contribute to the healing process?

When I mention engaging and disengaging simultaneously, I'm referring to creating a sacred space where the client and I are connected energetically, yet allowing the client's natural processes to unfold without interference. This balance often leads to deep and profound transformations. It's about creating a synergy where the client feels complete and whole, and the therapeutic process becomes a collaboration between their body, mind, and soul.

How do you integrate various techniques, from Mana Lomi to Chinese Medicine, into a cohesive and personalized healing experience for hotel guests?

Each client is unique, and I approach sessions with a holistic perspective. I assess individual needs and preferences to tailor the session accordingly. Whether it's Mana Lomi, Deep Tissue, Swedish Massage, or any other modality, my goal is to address physical, energetic, and spiritual aspects. I draw upon my diverse training to create a personalized and integrated approach, combining different modalities to optimize the healing experience.

Can you share your perspective on the significance of practicing healing arts in Kauaʻi? How does the island's energy and beauty contribute to your work at 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay?

Kauaʻi is a truly magical and abundant place, rich in beauty and mana. The island's energy enhances the healing experience, creating a unique and powerful backdrop for my practice. I feel blessed and grateful to share the healing arts in such a special environment. The natural surroundings align with the intention of healing, fostering a connection between individuals and the divine energy present on the island. It adds an extra dimension to the therapeutic process, making it a truly transformative experience for both myself and my clients.

How is breathwork incorporated in your practice? What are the benefits?

Breathwork has been very instrumental in my practice as a yoga teacher, therapist, and a health professional. It all begins and ends with the breath - our day, our practice, our exchange with the world and the balance of our internal and external cycles. I always call my students to return to their breath when they try to get ahead of themselves and often witness the sympathetic nervous system switching back to sympathetic when my clients connect with their breath on the table. There's been so much research done on the benefits of meditation and breathing in balancing your mind and emotions and connecting deeper with your heart.  You can talk for days about the importance of breath, but I think it’s only when you feel it and embrace it with your heart, true magic happens.

Pranayama-yogic breath has also been instrumental in calming down the body and turning the attention inward, regulating the life force and teaching students to go deeper in their practice. I tend to think of it this way: “the goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with nature", said Joseph Campbell. When the mind is disturbed, breathing becomes disturbed as well. By bringing our attention to the breath we return to our center, by training our bodies different techniques, we can achieve steadiness of mind and reach higher states of awareness to overcome physical limitations and many types of disease in the body caused by an overreactive mind and sensory overwhelm. 

LEAH MARSH, VISION-BOARD PRACTITIONER, 1 HOTEL WEST HOLLYWOOD

As we embrace new beginnings, could you share how you first encountered the concept of vision boards and what inspired you to incorporate them into your journey? 

New beginnings are a great time to self-reflect on what is behind us and look forward to the next steps ahead of us. According to psychologist Albert Bandura, the self-efficacy theory says that individuals who believe in their ability to achieve a goal are more likely to do so. By creating vision boards, we enhance our self-efficacy by offering a consistent reminder of our capabilities and aspirations. 

What unique benefits do vision boards have in helping people achieve their goals?

Neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart explains: “Looking at images on a vision board primes the brain to grasp opportunities that may otherwise go unnoticed. That's because the brain has a process called ‘value-tagging’ which imprints important things onto your subconscious and filters out unnecessary information.” 

What do you consider as the essential elements for assembling a vision board that resonates successfully with an individual's goals and aspirations?

Think about different areas of your life and what habits, feelings, or experiences you'd like to incorporate in love, career, travel, wellness, and sustainability. Maybe you'd like to challenge yourself to go zero/low-waste, eat less meat, or grow your own food. 

Are there specific sustainable art supplies or materials you can use to bring your vision board to life?

Look around the house before you buy anything new—cardboard from a box to repurpose is a good place to start, ask friends for old magazines to reuse, and we suggest using a non-toxic rubber cement glue because it is a natural rubber. 

Stepping into the new year, what singular piece of advice would you offer to someone embarking on the creation of their first vision board?

First, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and imagine what a positive future would look and feel like. Vision Boards can help you clarify goals and shift your mindset to be intentional in all areas of your life.

REJUVENATE YOUR ROUTINE

Whether it’s aligning your energy through spiritual healing or channeling your internal goals to craft an inspiring vision board, we invite you to open your heart to new opportunities through exciting and enriching wellness events across our properties. We hope you feel inspired to make any day your Day 1, as you hold the power to create new beginnings at any moment.