Energetically Surviving the Holidays

The holiday season seems to get longer every year with parties, family gatherings, and endless other seasonal events. And as a stressful season for so many, we've compiled some tips to help you navigate the season and perhaps find more peace and joy along the way.

If you're looking for an energetic reboot or just want to set yourself up for a successful and enjoyable holiday season, sessions are available over the Thanksgiving weekend. And as always, if you're traveling, remember that distance does not mean you can't have your session when you need it. Please click through for details on scheduling with me and with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is leading a healing experience focusing on letting go of old patterns and creating and supporting new patterns. Please see the details below and click through to register. 
~ Group Healing, by phone, Tuesday, November 29, from 7-7:45 PM details here.

Physically:
Be aware of your physical body and listen to it. Are your shoulders tensing up? Are you folding in on yourself? Are you full? Our physical bodies are constantly giving us information that we often ignore. One of the simplest ways to respond to the body moving into holding patterns is to breathe and move. If this means stepping into the bathroom for a few minutes of belly breathing with your eyes closed, go for it. If this means standing up, rolling your shoulders and/or your head around, taking a brisk down the driveway and back (or even down the hall and back), do it. Sometimes this is best for you to do alone, but sometimes it’s nice to invite someone to join you. Listen and feel what is right for you in the moment.
 
Emotionally:
Be aware of your emotional self. If you notice some sadness or an old pattern pushing in on you, remember you are not your emotions. You can feel them and let them go without engaging. If this feels hard or is so unfamiliar that you’re not sure how to go about it, just breathe and notice the emotions as they move through you. Notice how your physical body responds to the emotions. And as you continue breathing steady, belly breathing, keep track of whether the emotions lift off or not. You can breathe imagining a soft pink light filling you up with each inhalation and all that does not serve you exiting with each exhalation. 
 
Mentally:
Be aware of your thoughts. If your thoughts are scattered, racing or sinking into patterns that are not helping you in the moment, you might picture a gentle rain shower moving through, washing your mind free, and allowing you some space to just be. Sometimes a mantra or prayer can be a way to keep the mind focused. Choosing something as simple as “Thank you for this breath/day/moment’” can help you get through a rough spot. 
 
Energetically:
Be aware of your energetic boundaries and your energy levels. The more you check in with your whole self, the easier it becomes to know when something popping up isn’t even your stuff. To shore up your boundaries and help maintain your energy levels:

Be sure to get plenty of sleep
Keep up your water intake
Move your body
Get outside for even just 5 minutes a day
Check in with yourself during the day
Say no when you need to

Energy Vampires

Kim's Thoughts

Energy vampires sucking you dry? Here are some tips to help keep you protected when around those hungry folks. To begin with, who am I talking about? When I refer to energy vampires, I’m referring to folks who leave you feeling either depressed, wiped out, or angry after spending time with them. They may be your coworker, a parent or acquaintance, they could even be someone whose company you used to enjoy. 

 Most people pull energy from others via the third chakra. To keep folks from doing this, you can place your hand over the third chakra; it’s the chakra that governs your self-will and personal power and is located just below where your ribs open up.  You have seen this done in situations where people go into a defensive stance by placing their arms across their chest. This is similar, but there are more subtle ways to do this. One is by resting your hand on your third chakra, another is by setting your intention that no one can drain you from this chakra, and a third way is to place essential oil on this chakra prior to having interactions with the energy sucker. I’d recommend cedarwood or ginger essential oils for protection.

 Another way to keep from getting drained is by setting a strong energetic boundary prior to your interaction.  Envision white light encompassing your entire body in an oval / egg shape. If white light is not your thing, envision that the clothes you are putting on are like Teflon, things just bounce off you and cannot take. Or another is to envision you are surrounded by a circle of pink bubble gum, nothing can get through this. Say the mantra “ I only take on what’s mine.”

If you are in the situation and all of a sudden recognize you’re feeling a little blurred on what is yours and what is theirs – take a bathroom break. Once in the restroom, take 5 deep breaths to remember your rhythm and set an energetic boundary for when you go back into the situation.

Cleanse your field afterward if you do feel like you’ve taken on someone’s stuff that’s not yours. This can be done with a shower, an espom salt bath or by smudging yourself.

If it is a coworker that’s got you down, place things on your desk or office that help ground you and refresh you. Maybe it’s a picture of the forest, or a crystal to clear negative energy or a healthy plant.

If possible decrease the amount of time you spend with them or start a conversation with them about how much time you are comfortable spending with them. 

Maybe you’re reading this and saying – what, no one can make you feel depressed if you’re not already depressed, but this has to do with field entanglement. What we do influences others, it is how when I do a healing, you experience an energetic shift. Here’s an interesting podcast talking about physics and how interconnected we are- Entanglement.

Wondering why people suck energy from others? Usually it’s unconscious and they are not aware they are even doing it. When they get filled by sucking energy from others, they are not actually satisfied and then they need more, it creates a vicious cycle.

We are ultimately responsible for our own happiness, so instead of demanding the energy vampire to shift, shifting yourself can bring you more satisfaction.  The situation may also be an opportunity for you to learn how to hold better boundaries or that a situation is not working. If you have other suggestions on how to protect yourself from energy vampires, please share. 

Elizabeth's Thoughts

As everything is energy, there is a constant flow of energy in and out of our beings. We both give and receive energy in many forms. When we are in a balance point (ongoing, I know) we are receiving as much as we are giving. This sounds like a simple mathematical process, but real life is far from simple. One big energy draining concept to be aware of is energy vampires. Often these are people, but they can also be groups or intangibles like your work or an organization of some sort. I’m sure you know some: those who are needy and take, take, take; people who or situations that leave you exhausted even when you didn’t seem to do much.~ Read more

Disconnect from Work

Our energy bodies take on and carry around stuff that's not helpful to us and get pulled or pushed out of center just like physically our bodies take on and hold many of the tensions of day to day life. This is one of the reasons why you might consider regular energy healing. As a way of maintaining clear and aligned energies, instead of waiting until there's so much gunk and everything's so off kilter, you will be a brighter you all the time. A change of seasons is a great marker for you to schedule some energy healing especially since the energies of the seasons change, too.

We'd also like to welcome you to our 2nd Community Healing, this one is focusing on Grief and Loss. Wednesday, November 2nd from 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM at Ix Art Park. More details here.

Kim's Thoughts  

Ever had one of those experiences where you’re supposed to be doing something fun with someone, maybe going to hike, out to eat, seeing a show and they can’t seem to stop checking their phone or maybe you can’t? I was recently talking to a friend about how to disconnect from work and then be present for our families. Here’s what I’ve come up with from an energetic perspective. 

Five ways to shift your energy from work to play

1) Change your clothes. This may seem like it’s not a big deal, but if you come home from work and change your clothes, instead of starting to make dinner or diving into other tasks, you will experience a difference. I challenge you to try it to see what you think. I did this when I worked a very stressful job and energetically could feel like I was shifting from work persona to weekend persona.

2) Clear your field. You can do this with water either by stopping in the restroom before you leave work and washing your hands – envision an egg shape around you and filling it with white light. If you work in a very stressful environment or feel like you pick up other people’s energy or stress, I’d recommend taking a shower or a bath when you get home. You will be intending the water to be clearing your field, if taking a bath also throw in some Epsom salt. If you work from home, putting away your work items and clearing the space with a chime or bell can prepare it for the next day. You can also use essential oils to clear your field or to signify a shift from working to relaxing. If you want to invigorate or uplift your field, I’d recommend peppermint or orange. Put a few drops in a spray bottle and use in your office or car. You will be using the scents to signify the shift.  

3) Clear your desk – when I was working in HIV Case Management we had a co-worker we jokingly called “Boundaries Gone Bad” because she had very rigid boundaries about almost everything. Joking aside, one of her boundaries that I found to be very helpful was that at 4:45 PM on the dot, she would begin to clear off her desk, put her files away, get what she needed for the next day in order. She would not start an intake or a yearly assessment or make a call to social security; she would clean up so that she would be able to walk away from her desk exactly at 5 PM. I encourage you to enforce a rigid boundary whenever your workday ends. 

4) Clear your mind. This can be done through meditating, drawing, stepping outside and walking or taking a yoga class on your lunch break. Do something to engage both sides of your brain. At the start of the week 

take 15 minutes and do a mind dump. This is basically where you write down everything you need to do for your job, family, house, etc. Then you know all your to do’s are down on paper and can be addressed accordingly. It frees up more space for your brain to be creative. 

5) Work less. There has been research done about how folks who work less hours and have more time for their hobbies are actually more productive. Check out this interesting article about what happened when a owner moved his company to a 5 hour workday. 

Elizabeth's Thoughts

Work comes in such a wide variety of shapes and sizes and textures. Some of my work is hands on bodies. Some of my work is by phone from the comfort of my home desk. I love that I get to connect and explore with amazing beings of all sorts. But no matter how much I love my work, I do need some separation between work and the rest of my life. So how exactly do I do that?  ~ Read more

Season's Changing ~ Are you?

Kim's Thoughts

Is your body trying to tell you something? Often times it starts with a whisper or a thought, “I should buy fish at the store,” or “I’m really thirsty,” or “I need more sleep.” If we listen, we find that sometimes it’s really easy to meet our needs, and other times we know what we need but it feels crazy hard to listen or do anything about.

Do you notice when your body resets itself? I have recently become aware of this. It often starts gradually and at first I didn’t even realize it was happening. I have been working on healing a health condition and as things have been improving I dismissed some of the “side effects” as random or coincidence, etc. It wasn’t until I was at my doctors office relaying all these strange things that she brought up the possibility that my body was engaging it’s ability to heal and as a result “resetting” the pattern. For me it started with a complete lack of desire for my second cup of coffee. Before, I always knew where my coffee was, how much I had consumed and if I didn’t have it, I got a headache. Now I was finding an almost full cup hours later and also finding I had no caffeine withdrawal. My body had readjusted. I have a client who told me after a few sessions of energy healing she realized she wasn’t craving sugar or eating from the communal candy dish all the time at work. For me it also showed up in my sleep pattern, I had for years gone to bed early and been awake by 5 am with no alarm. I started finding myself staying up later and struggling to wake up early. Perhaps you’ve heard that being outside can be helpful for resetting your sleep? Check this article out. 

Have you heard that sometimes when your body craves something like chocolate, it possibly is an indication that your body needs a particular mineral or vitamin? Here’s an article talking about what your cravings might indicate.

One thing I craved during my reset was beets – yes, roasted beets. J Sometimes it can be hard to listen to our bodies, because we feel like our boss or spouse or kids won’t understand. Sometimes we need a mental health day when our bodies are overtaxed. One thing I’m certain of, whenever I ignored my back pain and didn’t address it with exercise or rest, my back pain did not go away, in fact it became incapacitating to the point where I was forced to come face to face with it. I think that’s the interesting thing with following what our bodies are saying we need in the moment.

Sometimes we also go through people or job resets as well. Where that friend who you used to enjoy spending time with feels like a person you have little in common with, or your job no longer challenges you in a way you enjoy- almost like you’re bored. What I've found to be most helpful during these times is to listen to yourself. Your body and your energy field let you know when things are out of sync or changing.   

Elizabeth's thought's

Rhythms fascinate me and are something I like to pay attention to. In my morning walks, there are fresh cooler morning paces or wet morning strong smells paces (walking with a dog sometimes determines the pace). With different paces, there are different rhythms our 6 feet create hitting the ground. There are internal rhythms like breath and heartbeat. There are external rhythms like woodpeckers drumming on a tree or branches rattling in a breeze. The rhythms in and of work and play, the rhythms in and of movement and stillness, the rhythms in and of waking and sleeping can all be felt in a day, in a week, in a month, in a season, in a year, in a life.~ Read more

What is healing?

Community Healing at IX Art Park.

With the events of this summer feeling like an unending series of one-two punches, it can feel so hard not to fall into overwhelming helplessness. This is a clear time for healing. Often energy healing is seen as such personal work, but joining together and creating a space for healing others and the larger picture is just as viable a piece of energy healing. Our goal for this event is to create a space for people to stand together in a time of tragedy rather than be divided.
 
August 25, 2016 6-8 pm

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Elizabeth’s Thoughts
The root of the word heal is whole. Just sit with that a moment. Is there only one way to remember, know or feel you are whole? Of course not. Healing can be a warm, strong hug when you feel lonely or even when you feel happy. Healing can be sitting with your dog or cat snuggled up by your side. Healing can be someone listening when you just need to let it all out. It’s also a wide variety of options on the eastern and western health fronts. Often, I find the word healer is used and/or taken in a fashion that puts some ego in there. There is also a belief that there is a problem that must be fixed to be whole again and that the healer is the one who fixes the broken person. Everyone is whole just as they are. Everyone has the power to heal, to heal one’s self and others.
 
All of this is pertaining to healing and humans, but what about healing and the earth and healing other animals? Gardening, composting, keeping your trash output low, stream buffer planting are just a few examples of what healing the earth can look like. Working to preserve habitat for wildlife, using farming techniques that work with animal life rather than against it are a couple of ideas of healing and animals. And you can see how clearly connected everything is when you see that healing animals, humans included, is also healing the earth and vice versa. So as you move through your day, let the word heal sink into your awareness and notice what it means to you. I’m always interested in hearing people’s thoughts and experiences, so if you want to share, remember you can do so here.
 
One of the most profound experiences with healing I’ve had in recent years has been a daily gratitude practice. I have two different groups with a gratitude practice, so I start my day with two emails listing what I’m grateful for. Almost 4 years into this practice, the layers continue to unfold. I am sharing a taste of this amazing experience with anyone who’s interested. Starting August 14th, I am offering a free 15 day gratitude challenge. Check here for details and to sign up. Please share this with anyone who might like to try something new.
 
On the in person group healing front, I do hope you will join us for our community healing this month.

Elizabeth can be found here.

Kim’s Thoughts
What is your definition of healing? From the dictionary: noun – the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again; adjective – tending to heal; therapeutic.
 
Healing can come in so many different forms, from hands on to remote, nutrition, essential oils, body work and from Western to Eastern approaches. Sometimes healing comes about alone. Other times it’s with another or within a group. Speaking of groups, I hope you will attend our community healing on August 25th, 2016 at IX Art Park.   
 
This past month I’ve been doing some things that I consider healing, but aren’t in the traditional way I usually offer my services. I have a friend who had a flare up of her Multiple Sclerosis symptoms and as she is a mama to two youngsters, one of the things I offered was to make and drop off food. I realized that her accepting the help was a healing for me too. I was able to experience my gifts being accepted. Sometimes just being a really good listener is healing. Or smiling at a stranger can make their day. I remember one day running into a friend and telling her how beautiful she looked and she started to cry, she had been feeling unseen by her spouse.  Sometimes what seems like a small thing to us can reach further than we can imagine.
 
This summer I spent a few days at the beach receiving healing from being at the ocean. Watching the waves come and go as I sat there I felt my energy field being cleared by the ocean and then I felt the joy of the unexpected sight of dolphins. From this experience I also started doing a meditation when I needed space from something, of breathing in and out and feeling as the waves went out I had more space with the situation or person that I was getting agitated by.  
 
I was led on a rain walk by my 3 year old. Kids are great at giving you a lesson on presence. They are not done being in the moment, until they are done being in the moment.  Feeling the rain and giving in to getting wet and being in the moment was a gift of peace. I could see how I could chose to connect or chose to separate.
 
On August 25th we will be at IX Art Park at 6 PM. From 6:00 – 7:00 PM we will be offering various free healing services and social time: there will be music, chakra readings, intuitive card readings. There will also be light snacks and non alcoholic beverages. At 7 PM we will begin the community healing, which will include guided meditation as well as energetic clearing. The healing will end promptly at 8 PM. We will have an altar for the focal point of all we wish to heal: hope for all the recent tragedies at home and abroad; the earth; racism; an emotion you want healing with – grief/ resentment / anger; or perhaps you or a loved one needs some physical healing . If you are not able to come in person, please feel free to connect in through your energy field at 7 PM when we start the healing.
 
If you would like to donate your own healing in the form of snacks for social time, or services if you are a body practitioner or healer, or assistance with set up or break down, please contact me to make arrangements. 

Ready to schedule a healing? I now have online scheduling here.

Upcoming classes: 
 
Womens Wellness Series

September 8th 2016, 6:00 - 7:30 pm 

Session 1 - focus will be on your reproductive system. We will discuss tips for managing PMS, fertility, pregnancy, menopause and getting your libido back on track.

September 29th 2016, 6:00 - 7:30 pm 

Session 2 - focus will be on self confidence and managing anxiety and life's stresses. We will go over stress reduction techniques and how your diet can support you in difficult times. 

October 20th 2016, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Session 3 - focus will be on our heart. We  will focus on what we can do to bring in heart health both nutritionally and how we can feel aligned with our relationships with our significant others. 

$25 per class or register for all 3 and pay $60. Classes held at Hara Studio in Crozet. Email Kim to sign up.

Health Coach, Tricia Lucas and Energy Healer, Kim Lohan are collaborating to provide you with information about nutrition, mindfulness and lifestyle changes to improve your health.

Mindfulness and Kids September 17th 2 -3 PM
Join us for an active class where kids will practice listening to their body, learn about tuning into their senses to bring awareness and regulation to their system. This workshop includes movement, breathing practices, listening to self and others, a meditation and other fun sensory activities. This is for kids ages 3-6. We request an adult stay with children during class.  $20 (one child + 1 adult) $7 each additional child. Register here. This class is held at A Place to Breathe Yoga and Meditation Studio.

Find Kim at Hara Studio

teeter totter of life

Come join us for a community healing.

Elizabeth and I were inspired by Retreat Week to create a opportunity for people of all walks to get together and focus on healing the community. The plethora of tragedies in the world at the moment cannot be ignored and this is one way we are choosing to respond. This is not to ignore the personal level of suffering, bring what you will to this healing. This is a free event and open to the public. It will be held Thursday, August 25th 2016. Details will be in next newsletter.  

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Elizabeth’s Thoughts

Life is all about change and thus, full of ups and downs. These ups and downs appear on global and local scales as well as personal and internal scales.  It can feel really hard sometimes to even stay balanced amidst all this shifting especially when something big drops you down. Often it feels impossible to affect positive change and growth when there ís such a struggle to just find balance let alone maintain it. With the politics of an election year in the U.S., the Stanford rape case, the mass shooting in Orlando, the floods in West Virginia, there ís plenty happening on the bigger scale. On the more personal scale maybe your best friend is getting a divorce, you've lost a loved one, made a big move, or even just broken off with a long time friend. Wherever your focus is there are times when overwhelm or helplessness is so close. 

Sometimes the size or emotional weight of an event might make it feel as though you are too small to affect change. Sometimes your empathy is so strong you can't separate yourself from an event which can lead to feeling trapped in the event rather than feeling able to act outside of the event for a positive shift. Knowing yourself as a whole being, knowing where your physical, mental, emotional, and energetic edges are, and knowing what unseen support structures are always available can go a long way to finding balance and affecting growth. By maintaining this self awareness and leaning on those support structures, we can focus on the powers we have. 

When we simplify the ups and downs to light and dark (not the only or always the best way to see these, but helpful here), Martin Luther King, Jr.'s words: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that," fit right in. If we equate love and light, we have a powerful force at our very core. As electro-magnetic beings, the electro-magnetic field (EMF) of our hearts is far greater than the EMF of our brains. We are made of lovelight. Add in the focus of intent and we can use lovelight like a laser beam and send it to the places of darkness in this world. 

When I first wrote this, the floods in West Virginia had just happened and since that event (which was already following some other big scale events) there has been one tragedy after another. While religion and race are leading to mass displacements from home in other regions of the world, here in the U.S., racism is a central issue. When we remember that we are all one, it is even more important to use our voices and stand with those who are not in the privileged segments of society. As a human, I consider it my duty not just to say I believe in equality for all humans, but to do something about it. As Elie Wiesel said, "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." At this time in the world this is something to really let sink in. We can send those laser beams of lovelight all over the world and it can make a difference, but that is not the only way to use our energy. We can use our voices to join with those groups standing up for change. We can use our prayers and presence to join with public prayer groups bringing attention to where we all as humankind need change. And I will say here, because it needs to be said in all situations, Black Lives Matter.
 
Creating change can be hard, but by creating small bits that build into bigger pieces, we can affect change on so many levels. On that note, Kim and I are hosting a community healing event at Ix Art Park and we hope you'll be able to join us.

I also want to mention that I am hosting, via email, a 15 day gratitude practice in August. Please keep an eye out here or here for details on how to sign up.

Elizabeth can be found here.

Kim’s Thoughts
Riding the teeter-totter of life I’ve felt pretty blown over by what’s been happening all over the country and world. Hearing about the events led me to notice my emotions. Initially I found all I could feel was detachment, a numbing sort of way of moving through life. Then there was the sadness, the fear and then depression. I also noticed my relationship to fear shifted and I was aware my focus was self not community.
 
While we were working on this newsletter we were confronted with the shootings of black men by the police. These unfortunately are not new or isolated incidents. We were once again asked to look at the implications of white privilege in our society. We also had to deal with the equally horrific ramifications of misplaced retaliation. I now worry, will my friend’s little boys be the target of profiling when they are teens, and will anything be different in 10 years? I worry about my family members who are police officers and raising families.
 
I’m also trying to understand my own role in continuing to perpetuate the cycle of racism? How are my unconscious biases affecting my actions? What is it that I can do to help diffuse the situation?
 
There has been no shortage of rhetoric- some insightful and inspiring but much of it that feels to me to be divisive and shortsighted. To me there has been very little presented that has felt like it offered a constructive and pragmatic path forward. That is why this recent podcast about two policemen who transformed a highly racially polarized situation in their community seemed like a ray of light in a dark time. I would love to know what you think: link. 
 
I normally find that I can easily go up and down on the teeter-totter, but what about when energetically it feels like you don’t have the hope or energy to push back up? It started me thinking how the fear I had been experiencing also created this narrow perspective, focusing on self rather than others. I would rather focus on how to build community than how I need to protect myself. I wondered how we could bring about healing to the community and raise our personal and collective vibration. As a result, Elizabeth and I have decided to host a community healing event at IX Art Park, we hope you can join us.  
 
 

Free Community Event

Elizabeth and I are joining with lots of wonderful folks presenting at the first ever Retreat Week at IX Art Park. From June 12th through the 19th, there will be a variety of mindfulness offerings for everyone, from those just starting their explorations to those with practice under their belts. Please check the schedule and you can follow it on Facebook. Click here to like Elizabeth's page or here to like mine where we will also be posting schedule updates. 

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Elizabeth’s Upcoming Classes

Explore Your Inner Realms
This same presentation will be offered on two different days.
Sunday, June 12th, 6:00PM-7:00PM
Thursday, June 16th, 5:00PM-5:45PM

Join me for a different perspective on meditation as well as some guided meditations. With my guidance you will journey within to explore the landscape of your heart space, and discover your elemental support structure specifically finding your major and minor elements. This class is for all who are interested in knowing self in different ways. No experience necessary. If you have already worked with me and experienced these meditations, know that repeating them is always helpful and can sometimes be very different. Please join me for this special gathering and to meet some wonderful folks.

Elizabeth can be found at here.

Kim’s Upcoming Classes
 

So many fun opportunities coming up in June.

Therapeutic Benefits of Essential Oils ~ Tuesday, June 14th, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Crozet Studio
Tricia Lucas will discuss the practical application of medicinal plants for common everyday complaints, illuminating the wisdom behind this lost yet reliable tradition. I will teach about the body's chakras, and which oils can open, stimulate, and bring them back into balance. Please RSVP tokimberlohan@gmail.com

Mindfulness for Kids ~ Saturday, June 18th, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM IX Art Park Charlottesville
It's never too early to teach your children about self awareness. Join us for a fun active class where children and their parents learn to develop body awareness through a variety of exercises that utilize all of our senses. This class is designed for ages 3-10 but all are welcome. Following the class, kids can make a calm jar ~ supplies provided. 
 

Chakra Readings ~ Sunday, June 19th, 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM IX Art Park Charlottesville
Come get a status update on your chakras. Chakras are gateways that regulate energy flowing in and out of the body. When these flows are unbalanced we may experience problems on a physical, emotional or spiritual level. Self awareness of your chakras can help you bring them back into alignment and provide important insight into your life. If you know someone who has been curious about what chakras are, please send them down for their own chakra assessment.  

Find Kim at Hara Studio