From ME to YOU w/LOVE!
Personal Adventures & Experiences from . . . My Travel Journal.
Ok here we go, this is going to be a deep, rich and very personal few blog articles as I continue my process and path of healing and discovery while sharing the Pearls I find. These next few blog articles will be about all the incredible revitalizing environments these small California beach towns from Santa Cruz to Carmel have to offer when we are open to the healing ways of the ocean and surrounding communities.
I am currently in a complete life wellness "Rebuild" stage. This type of rebuild usually happens for people after a huge life change event. Sometimes these events can be joyous like marriage or welcoming a baby. While other times it occurs because of a divorce or a death. In my case it's from divorce. With any life change event it takes some time and attention to adapt, adjust and sometimes completely Rebuild.
My complete Wellness Rebuild began in Costa Rica (my last blog article) with the much needed emotional safety I instantly experienced as I stepped off the plane in Costa Rica, that was step one. This next step for me is a concentrated dedicated period of time (4 months) of intensive self exploration, reclaiming and ultimately blossoming and honoring my Gift, my "True Self". Often with the guidance and assistance of all the resources these healing communities have to offer and my complete LOVE of being in the ocean.
A little explanation about the "True Self". Your "True Self" is your inner light you were born with, it's intrinsically who you are...it's when you feel so empowered, balanced and at home with yourself. It IS Your CORE Internally. It's where Everything YOU comes from. It is a PRACTICE to keep it front and center, letting it SHINE so bright! As I describe this, I am thinking WHY would I ever minimize this or allow someone else to try to squash it. So crazy, right?!
It's your soul smiling and shining to the outside world (like this happy buddha statue). It is the feeling from your gut (soul) in synchronicity with your heart and mind, functioning as one. This is called your "Intuition". Listen... tune in, your "gut" intuition always has your back.
Sadly, we can find ourselves in relationships and situations where our gut is screaming "NO" this is not good and our heart and/or head is saying "Yes but" or "WEEELLL" usually accompanied with a million justifications to proceed even when our stomach is aching and screaming "warning" not good for you. If this is happening we are not honoring our "True Self". To do this once in awhile isn't harmful but to do this way to often becomes not only a harmful pattern but can be detrimental to your overall health.
Finally, I got wiser, chose "ME" and said NO MORE! This feels so GOOD! My "True Self" is happy and at peace and my light is bright
Your inner light - "True Self" is your GIFT to honor, nourish and let SHINE. A strong "True Self" feels good and GLOWS then you can Grow Your Glow and share it with those you invite into your inner circle, I like to call this My Shade Tree. Grow Your GLOW!
NEW ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
The Chick Award -
The Chick Award is...a list of The Places and Services "We" want to share with You as "We" Loved them so much!
LET'S BEGIN:
SANTA CRUZ | CAPITOLA | CALIFORNIA
WHERE TO LAY MY HEAD? Most Important!
For me, it always begins with where will I lay my head because "home" is where the healing begins. This is where I recharge for the next day's adventures no matter if I am truly at my home or traveling. The place I "lay my head" is key to everything.
Keeping my "Lay My Head" criteria in mind, this time I utilized FurnishedFinder.com.
What a fabulous resource for longer term rentals across the United States. They typically rent to traveling nurses and doctors but it's open to anyone staying a month or longer and all units need to be furnished to list.
Why Santa Cruz you might ask? I have been visiting Santa Cruz for years to see friends and family (nearby) and the "Be Free Vibe!" is so wonderful there AND I really like how accessible and gentle the surfing is. Plus, surf therapy is high on my Rebuild List. So I started checking out my options for housing and I found a wonderful resource and ultimately a lovely location through FurnishedFinder.com.
Santa Cruz also offers a temperate climate of hovering around mid 60's with lot's of sunshine sprinkled with rain storms here and there throughout the winter. (So bring your puffy, beanie and Uggs). I prefer hanging near the Pleasure Point area, 41st Street as you can meet all your needs by walking, biking or car (very European).
Activities for Wellness:
YOGA:
After securing my lovely, sunshine filled one bedroom ADU in a quiet neighborhood, I searched out a yoga studio. Yoga is a part of my life practice. It calms, strengthens and provides a community I mesh with no matter where I am in this world. I discovered Breath and Oneness less than a mile from my new home, so I can walk, ride or drive there + I get to walk past the ocean on my way. I chose this yoga studio as home base for my wellness Rebuild. Read below and you will know why I found myself here. And the bonus, it's totally true and even more enriching because of the environment they provide and the teachers and members they attract; a beautiful warm community.
Breath+Oneness is a wellness sanctuary dedicated to whole-being healing, growth, and prosperity.
All of our offerings support physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
And, the bonus, It's totally true and even more enriching because of the environment they provide and the teachers and members they attract. I can vouch!
Breath+Oneness
Through Breath+Oneness, I have learned about khundalini and somatic healing practices for wellness. Both of these practices emphasize reprogramming of your nervous system to a healthy balance of maintaining a parasympathetic state so your sympathetic "fight or flight" is in reserve for when it's truly needed. It is horrible for your health to live in a prolonged state of fight or flight, waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. You live in a more calm peaceful state so when you need to jump and run you are fully recharged and ready + you will automatically return to calm much faster because this is now your home state of being. You have removed and rewired the jitters to only as needed.
Khundalini Yoga- I have become a regular at Susan von Thur's classes as she is helping me reset to a "sympathetic" calm state. She also incorporates gong and sound bowl closing sessions for the class. Wow, an added "bene" my sleeping is truly like a baby, peaceful and restorative. So amazing, try Khundalini classes here or in your area, your health will greatly improve.
Yoga and Somatics - I have been taking yoga classes and somatics classes with Alisha Slaughter as well at Breath+Oneness. I have also taken a series of private Somatics sessions with Alisha in her studio to continue the healing. This is another nervous system reset practice.
MASSAGE | BODY WORK:
Santa Cruz Therapeutic Massage with Alex Weber
After all your surfing, hiking and walking on the beach you may find yourself needing some body work and Alex is phenomenal. The best approach is to share with her what ache or pain brought you in for a massage and let her do her magic figuring out the story of your body health and she will gently work you into a better place of healing. Alex has a true gift for healing.
HIKING:
One of the things I really enjoy about Santa Cruz is the that you have the gorgeous Santa Cruz mountains filled with big beautiful redwood trees within biking distance to the ocean. So crazy cool! There are numerous hiking and biking trails nearby
Land of Medicine Buddha (Trails) are an absolute treat to experience. There are many offerings, the one I enjoyed last minute on a misty morning was the Eight Verses Pilgrimage Trail. Short and relatively easy. It was a loop with 8 stations to read, learn and sit on a bench in the forest to meditate for a moment and move on. Wonderful!
SURFING:
Traveler Surf Club & Coastal Outpost they provide ALL the equipment, like the member club I mentioned in my last blog in Costa Rica. Pay a daily, weekly or monthly fee for boards, wetsuits, showers, bike to the beach and storage if necessary. Super cool and located on the way to the ocean.
The Reefs @ Pleasure Point are such a pleasure for a number of reasons. First of all, there are multiple breaks to play in based on your skill set and it is really important to underestimate your skill set so you are safe for yourself out there and all those around you. It is a large area and this is predominantly a rock reef area with a little sand on the shore when the tide isn't at peak. You decend a rock cliff to enter the ocean via stairs, so watch the tides. If you are at more of a beginner level, you will want a lower tide to surf. This is a fabulous place for viewing, walking and enjoying the sunshine on the cliff promenade sprinkled with plenty of benches for viewing and doggies to pet. The other fantastic component to Pleasure Point is the surrounding dense kelp forest floating in the ocean. There is a ton of it, mostly far out. framing this little cove. The kelp forest acts like a buffer to smooth out the ocean from windy chop for these perfect softer waves with power underneath to carry you in and not crash on you. These kelp forests are so great for the more friendly marine life as well and keeps the larger creatures out to sea.
Jack's Reef is my favorite near my home away from home and the surfers are mostly beginners and pretty chill there. There is a convenient market on the cliff called The Point Market - so great for post surf burritos and coffee. Just bring CASH only.
Cowell's Reef is my other favorite location on the West Side by the famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with the roller coasters. Cowell's Reef is mostly a sandy bottom reef just in from the famous Steamers (where the surfer competitions are held). This area is a liitle more sporadic with consistent waves but when it's going off here, these are like "hero" waves. The ride is long and everyone has a beaming smile on "party waves". This is a very beginner friendly forgiving place to learn and grow your skills. Plus, down the way to the point where Steamers is located (you can walk) is a yummy cafe called Steamer Lane Supply a definite hang out. Best Smash burgers!!!!
The Point (one end) and The Hook (other end) are for seasoned surfers and as a visitor you will want to proceed with caution until you get in the groove out there.
Provides up to date surf conditions, stories and general surf education information. There is a free version and a paid version with Live camera feeds for surf reefs, super helpful if you have to travel to a location.
CYCLING:
There is a huge cycling community here for road, mountain and cruising complete with coffee stops and bike lanes.
Ebikes: Santa Cruz Cycle Sport. or Gazelle Bikes
DINING:
Gayle's Bakery & Rotisserie is so divine. It is like out of Seinfeld where you take the number ticket and you better darn well be ready to place your order or you will mess up everything or be skipped. There are so many delicious warm dishes, specials, sandwiches and salads down one side and the bakery items are magnificent an so hard to chose just one. They also offer many items already packaged in a grab and go section not needing a ticket if you are in a hurry. Oh yes, plus an espresso bar. It's glorious!
My Thai Beach in Capitola Village is family owned and operated. Absolutely authentic and delicious and reasonably priced.
Suda in Pleasure Point is a local's and visitors gathering spot for sure. Fantastic outside (with heaters) and inside seating. Diverse menu from tacos to steak to wings to hearty salads.
Adorable French Bakery & Wine in Soquel (tiny town right next to Capitola) delicious everything in their title plus they have music and trivia gatherings. It is truly a neighborhood hang out!
COFFEE:
This area is definitely a bread basket region as tons of fruits and veggies are grown here in California plus there are so many creative souls here selling items they have made. Click on the link above to get the downlow on all the markets in the area as there are a number of options.
Other Hotel Options:
Hotel Capitola is a luxury boutique 10 room historic hotel on the esplanade in the heart of Capitola. Each room is uniquely decorated reflecting a beach destination around the world. So quaint, luxurious and close to both everything Capitola and Pleasure Point Santa Cruz.
SHOPPING:
There are so many unique shopping experiences here. Three of my favorites for clothes, art and home goods are the following. You will just have to come and find your favorites.
Zen Island (41 Street)
Lumen Gallery (Capitola Village)
Clementine & Co. (Capitola Village)
I hope this information provides a good beginning for you as in case you have considered a California Beach visit to the Capitola / Santa Cruz area. As I continue to Luxuriate in Santa Cruz and Capitola enjoying every experience to the deepest level, lingering and savouring every moment to gain the most healing and growth, I will keep adding to "The Chick Award List" with links for your ease in research and planning.
Until next time some pictures for enjoyment!
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