Why It's So Hard to Slow Down | Sydney Donaldson

Your body might be tired, but your brain is still sprinting and that’s the problem. We sit down with Palmetto Bluff yoga teacher Sydney Donaldson to talk about why sound baths have become a surprisingly powerful doorway into real rest, especially for people who struggle with traditional meditation. She explains what actually happens in a sound bath, from getting comfortable on a mat to experiencing crystal singing bowls, gongs, chimes, and vibration that can quiet the “monkey mind” and invite a deep exhale.

We also get specific about sound healing and the nervous system. Sydney breaks down the idea of shifting brainwaves from busy beta into calmer alpha, theta, and delta states and why that matters for sleep, recovery, stress relief, and anxiety reduction. Along the way, she shares how certain sounds can “shake things loose,” sometimes leading to emotional release that catches people off guard in the best possible way.

Underneath it all is a theme we keep coming back to: meeting yourself where you are. We talk about the masks we wear in daily roles, the pressure to show up the same way every day, and how mindfulness can feel uncomfortable at first but becomes freeing when you bring curiosity and a little “divine play” to your wellness routine. If you know you need to slow down, Sydney offers a starting point you can try today: take off the watch, put away the phone, and notice your breath with real attention.

If this conversation helps you, subscribe for more, share it with a friend who needs rest, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What’s one small way you can choose yourself today?

Transcript

Welcome And Why Sound Baths

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Are you ready to live an active lifestyle? Welcome to Behind the Bluff, where we believe every moment is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms. I'm your host, Jeff Ford, and today I'm joined by one of our yoga teachers here at Palmetto Bluff, Sydney Donaldson. Sydney brings a background in hospitality and a thoughtful approach to her teaching. She focuses on breath, presence, and creative movement. Sydney leads everything from all levels yoga to yoga nidra and our sold-out sound bath experiences that happen frequently around the holidays. She also has this incredible picture of her with a goat on her back from leading our goat yoga classes, which are always an absolute hit. Today we're going to be discussing sound baths in more depth. And Sydney is one of those teachers who is focused around bringing gratitude for the people that she has the privilege to work with. Sydney, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Yeah, I'm glad we can make this happen because right after our time together, you will be leading a sound bath experience to 25 of our members and their guests.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

Yes, I'm so excited. I absolutely love sound baths. From my personal experience, I love practitioning them and being a like holding a space for everybody to uh explore their body, explore a new experience. So yeah, I'm excited.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Yeah, yes. Sound healing and the use of instruments in yoga is definitely on the up and up. And it's something a lot of our listeners are not familiar with. So I look forward to exploring that experience here in a little bit. Before we get there, Sydney, you discovered

Sydney Finds Yoga Through Sports

SPEAKER_00 2:00

yoga at 17 years old. I pretty I'm not sure what I was doing at 17, but I did not discover anything like you did. Uh, what was it about that first experience that stuck with you and made you feel like this would always be a part of your life?

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Um, my first first experience with the yoga was um because I had been doing sports my whole life. Lacrosse at the time in high school had just ended, and I was never good at just working out on my own because I had um a coach always to lead me through something. So I went to the local gym and they offered yoga, they offered kickboxing, they offered all sorts of different group classes that I would try out. So me and one of my um friends on the lacrosse team decided, oh, yoga sounds cool and fun. So let's just let's go to yoga. And actually, we got our butts kicked. It was a gym yoga class and it was so hard. But we were active, we were always working out. So at the my first experience with yoga was actually this is a challenge, and it's a great workout at the time. That's where my mind was, and I wanna trying this because this was hard. Um, so that's where it started, which is actually really far away. From where you are where I am right now.

SPEAKER_00 3:24

It's it's funny you mention that because I feel like I know so many yoga teachers who have come into the practice because they wanted a workout, and then they make this complete transition into how they look at moving their bodies because of their experience with yoga.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

Yeah, it's really interesting because that's exactly where my mindset was uh when I first started of almost like I'm just here to kind of steamroll through my day. You know, this is a workout, this is fun, this is some way I can move my body and it's a challenge. Like, let's continue on. And even though I do appreciate everything I learned from that instructor, um it was really like that's all it was at the time, and there was nothing deeper there for me. Um, so yeah, it's it's really interesting how that evolved for sure. I went off to college, and that was my first experience with mindfulness in yoga.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

Yeah. Now, when you went off to college, is that when you started practicing yoga in a studio? How did it evolve?

SPEAKER_02 4:30

Right. So when I went to college, it was kind of the same thing. I was in a really weird transition period. You know, you go off to college, you're like, who am I? I don't have parents here to like tell me when I need to be home.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

Don't have my sports teams that I'm a part of.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

Right. I'm not playing sports regularly. Again, I'm not a great um solo workout person. Like, I'm just not one of those. I need a class, I need instruction. And so I went to the um the college gym. And again, same thing. They had the HIT classes, the core, the cycling, the yoga. And so I was okay, let me go through and try all these new things and see what do I like, what do I not like? And I knew I liked yoga. So I went in, and that was my first experience with multiple um instructors, you know, like different instructor instructors would teach on different days.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

And at this time, were you able to experience different types of classes? Flow versus restorative. What was the variety?

SPEAKER_02 5:33

I wasn't really sure about any of that yet. Um, it was all at the gym I went to in Atlanta, and then at the gym in my college, it was all just labeled as yoga. So I would just show up and it would be different based on the instructor every time. And um, there was one instructor, I was like, okay, this is fine, not me. Um, went to the next one, and it was actually this guy instructor, I wish I knew his name, blonde hair, but he completely changed it for me because not only was I still being challenged and I was moving in a different way, but it was the first time that I was introduced to moving with your breath and even acknowledging that your breath was a thing.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

So it's fair to say this was the first time that it was just as much a mindfulness experience as it was a move your body fitness workout.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Exactly. And he did a really good job of even bringing, yeah, awareness to the breath and awareness to stillness. And that was really difficult for me. And during the transition period of that life, I was like, oh, well, that's interesting because that's really peaceful. And I am a go, go, go person. So this was the first time I had the chance to sit still. And even though it was peaceful, it was still really uncomfortable. I still, it still didn't completely land with me, but I definitely was introduced in college to hey, there's a mindfulness side as well.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Yeah. Yeah, there's more to this than just pushing through. And it sounds like during that time you became more open to where the practice could evolve. So tell us about the

Breath And Mindfulness Finally Click

SPEAKER_00 7:10

evolution here. You've been to Costa Rica many times at this point.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

You've led yoga on the beach at uh of beautiful Hilton Head Island.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

How did your relationship continue to evolve to the point where you decided to teach?

SPEAKER_02 7:26

So in college, I was going through those classes, and that was the first time I was like, wow, this is really interesting. I want to know more, and I want to learn how I've always wanted to be a teacher. So I want to learn how to teach people how to move their body, even though I still didn't have much of an understanding of my own. So I graduated college, I moved to Hilton Head, and um, Jiva Yoga is a studio down there.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

Outstanding.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

Yeah, and it was that that was the first time I realized, oh my gosh, there's names to different types of yoga. There are different types of yoga. And so I got to really explore there at that studio of what is Hatha, what is vinyasa, what is flow, what's power, what's yin. And I was really like cited because even though that was a whole discovery on its own, it's also very different instructor to instructor. So I realized, wow, a slow flow class with this instructor is a completely different energy, vibe, attitude than a slow flow with this instructor. So it wasn't, I wasn't just limited to yoga as a whole. It was, wow, there's so many different branches and types and instructors that you can explore.

SPEAKER_01 8:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:51

Um, so that's really where I started to be more inspired. And I was like, wow, I do want to teach this. This is exciting. And then COVID came. And COVID again, I was, it's a common theme of a transitional period, borderline like identity crisis going on whenever yoga would pop back in and kind of help out a little bit. Um, and you know, I never had routine in my life. Like I said, I was always go, go, go, and kind of just bulldozing through the day. And COVID was the first time I was able to have a routine and sit down and say, What do I like? What do I like to do? Like wake up. What do I want to do today? Because there's nothing else to do right now. And I knew I loved going to the beach and I liked doing yoga. So I started um every morning going out to the beach around sunrise. And I didn't know what I was doing. Again, I've always been instructed on movement, and um, I was just doing what felt good. And so, you know, I'm chatting with friends and they're talking, we're all talking about our different routines. And they're like, Well, can we come sometime and try it? And I'm like, sure, but I'm I literally don't know what I'm doing. I'm just doing what feels good. And they're like, that's fine. We want to do what you think feels good. And I'm like, okay, let's try it out. So um we all drove down to the beach, parked at a friend's house, and it started to become this regular weekly thing where we would all meet up and I would stand in front of my friends. They were so lovely to give me that space to explore and try something new, but they were also trying something new. So it was exciting to be together and do that. And I would lead lead them through what I what felt right to you that was right. And then we would go jump in the ocean, go swimming afterwards, and it was really freeing experience, I think, for me at least. I hope for everybody else, too.

SPEAKER_00 10:56

No, I'm sure it was just building connection through doing what feels right. I think a lot of times in fitness, we get lost in the programming, we get lost, and it has to be a certain way. And you brought your friends together through a journey that you were experiencing yourself of falling in love with yoga and kind of playing around with it, which makes so much sense when it comes to mindfulness. Mindfulness doesn't have to be a rigid thing, right?

SPEAKER_02 11:25

And I think that's what really stuck with me, but I was still learning is that um I

From COVID Routine To Costa Rica

SPEAKER_02 11:30

think I'm in a current training right now and they call it divine play. And I was like, that's so fun because we always forget as adults to to live a little, to play, to let go. And so that was a really cool thing to kind of learn and lead friends through, hey, I I think I'm doing this right. Like, tell me what you think. Let's play around with it. And after COVID, I, you know, I I work in the food and beverage industry. And again, go, go, go. I went through a big burnout period, and I always said I wanted to travel. So I, after the summer season, I'm like, it's time I'm going to go to Costa Rica, and I felt like I almost needed an excuse to go. So I found a yoga training there, and it was my 200-hour training, and I was like, this is an excuse. I don't know why I thought I needed an excuse to go, but it was, I'm going to Costa Rica and I'm going to learn how to teach yoga. Um, so that was really exciting, really empowering. And I went and um I ended up staying for three months, but my training was one month, which is wild to me because I'm in a 300-hour training now and it's one weekend a month for a year.

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 12:48

And I can't believe that.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

But you did it two hours in one month?

SPEAKER_02 12:52

In one month. Because, you know, we were talking about the divine play, it doesn't have to be so rigid. And when I left, even though Costa Rica was a beautiful experience personally, and I learned so much in yoga, I almost learned too much to where I felt when I left there, I'm like, I'm a fraud. I some imposter syndrome was setting up. Yes. And it was like I used to be like, yeah, put your foot forward and and reach your hands up and in training, it might be well, somebody could get injured doing that. And then it was, I was all in my head all the time of how things were supposed to be and how the postures are supposed to look. Um, even though I had really great instructors, I think, you know, they almost have to tell you the other side of things as well, you know, while you're learning.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Yeah, there's a there's a balance to it.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

I think what I've always enjoyed most about participating in yoga is that everyone's always going to look a little different, depending on the pose. No one's gonna be in that perfect tree like a person next to them. And I think that's the beauty of this practice is there isn't necessarily one way. Yes, you're learning sequences and you're learning different flow to go through a practice, but I think the coolest thing you began with with your journey as a teacher is let's just see what feels right and let's be in this together in this space. And how cool you began with your friends on a beach like that and then took that step to go to Costa Rica. I think um, you know, signing up for something gives you confidence to then go branch out and um, you know, just hearing your story a bit more, you weren't the type of person who was super routine, and almost yoga brought this new realm in where you could be a little bit more routine, but in a way that works for you.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

Right. It's yeah, it's really interesting just how everything came about, you know, it's like work out and then oh, what feels good? And now it's like, okay, how can I learn how to introduce that intuitive movement to others? Because I feel like at least when I was growing up, I had really supportive, loving parents and family, but not everybody had that, um, including a lot of my friends. So a lot of times, you know, it was no crying in baseball, you know, we don't do that. Um, therapy's not okay for you. Right. And that was all when we're we're growing up, and um, you know, your feelings kind of would get pressed down, pressed down, pressed down. It's not normal to show your feelings so outwardly. Luckily, my family was super supportive with all of that, but um, that's kind of what I like to focus on in my classes is the unlearning of what we should be doing and the relearning of how does this feel for me? How do I even feel today?

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Yeah, I understand that, Sydney. Allowing individuals the space to be more intuitive with themselves, with their feelings, with what they're what energy they're bringing. And that almost translates over to outside the studio walls.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

And exactly.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

As uh I thought about our time together, something kept coming up just in in your history. You have this phrase where you say, Meet yourself where you are. What does that actually look like for someone walking into your class for the first time?

SPEAKER_02 16:21

Right. So I think of it as every day we wear masks, right? And these masks, you have your friend mask, your work mask, your mom or dad mask, family mask, you know, and we become so accustomed to putting on these masks or these personas for these people in our lives. And sometimes, and it's a lot easier said than done, but like we have to take off that mask and really see like, who am I? What do I like? What am I feeling right now in this moment? Because even every day we say, Oh, hey, how are you? I'm good. Thanks. Are you though? You know, and that's where we are. It's like meeting ourselves where you are. I hope in my class I can create a space where people can come and sit down and we close our eyes, drop into our breath a little bit, and they can ask themselves, How am I today? And they can genuinely tell themselves they can actually answer the question. Yes, I feel really good. I feel really crappy today, I feel sad, I feel really energetic, or a mixture of all of it, and no matter what, it's okay. And to take that judgment off of it instead of being like, Oh, I'm not feeling very great today, but I should, because I should feel we should on ourselves way too much. Right, exactly. And it's that it's an opportunity to really level with yourself.

SPEAKER_00 17:53

Yeah, it what's coming up for me is just breaking out of our roles and knowing what our true identity is. We we have these different masks as you describe, and the synonym I'm using is we all have different roles, right? But who are we truly? And can we ask ourselves those bigger questions just on a daily basis of how are we actually feeling?

SPEAKER_02 18:17

Yeah. Like can we take off that mask and

Meet Yourself Where You Are

SPEAKER_02 18:20

say, you know, who is Jeff? Who is Sydney? And I think meeting ourselves where we are, it's kind of a loaded statement because we change and show up different every single day. You know, I was in a training in Oregon, my instructor Bonnie, she said, You can teach the same class for an entire month, and every time your students step into that room, and you and as an instructor step into that room, you show up differently, and the class will be a completely different feel each time. So, you know, one day you might be having a really solid, strong day. You show up and you take the class and you feel good, accomplished, and strong. You show up the next week, it's going to be different. Maybe you really struggle in that class. Maybe you kind of got a little lost. So when we meet ourselves where we are, it's not really a this is who I am, let me meet myself here. It's more asking that question and sitting with the answer, honestly, because we're ever changing. We're never the same person every day. And I think that's why we put on those masks because it's a lot easier for us to show people this is um this is who this is who I am. Yeah, and this is who I think you think I am, which is so I mean, bear with me, it sounds a little crazy, but it's just a little bit easier that way.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

Um No, it makes sense. We we try to show up as the same exact person every day, and we need to be accepting and understanding that our states are always changing. Right. And that's okay.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

Yeah, we're ever evolving. And that's when life gets really exciting when we realize that, accept that, because we get to relearn ourselves every day. And it's different because you know, we interact with so many people all the time. Um, so it can be a little uncomfortable. One learning us, who we are, and then also introducing that new us to um people who have only known that mask forever. So that's why I really love the um meet yourself as you are, because every day's different, every day's changing, and it's an opportunity to sit with that and just acknowledge like who is Jeff today? Who is Sydney today? Like, who am I in this moment could be different after a glass? Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Sydney, this is deep, and I'm glad we've gotten below the surface in this conversation.

Sound Bath Basics And Instruments

SPEAKER_00 21:05

I want to go ahead and switch gears into sound baths now.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

And I I think we can come back to this theme of meeting yourself where you are, taking the mask off uh as we close out later today. You've done multiple sound bath events here. I've been pleasantly over the moon surprised how popular these are. Because when you introduce something that's foreign to folks, especially a community that I don't think uh is necessarily as yoga forward as like if we go out on the West Coast or we go to Asheville, North Carolina, where I used to live. Yoga is a different experience for a lot of people who've moved into Palmetto Bluff, and introducing an experience like a sound bath is is very innovative for many of our members. So for someone who who's hearing that and thinking, what is a sound bath? How would Describe what it actually is?

SPEAKER_02 22:02

Yeah, so it is really immersive experience, I think. Um, you come in to the space in your comfiest clothes, you don't have to dress up nice, you don't have to come with any expectations, you just leave it all at the door, and we'll have um mats and everything set up, ready to go. So you pick a spot that feels the most connected to you, and you lay back. And my job as a practitioner is to play these really wonderful, powerful um instruments: crystal bowls, gongs, chimes, bells, all the good yummy stuff. And um, it's a mixture of just sounds and vibrations that kind of wash over your body. It helps promote relaxation. It helps shake things up a little bit, depending on the on the instrument. Um, it can help just your mind. We have these um monkey minds, is what they call it. You know, you might lay down and um, if you're a regular, like a normal meditation, you may say in your mind, you're like, oh, I have to still go home and do the dishes. I have a meeting to get ready for tomorrow. I have your mind is just swinging from thought to thought. And um the instruments I find are a really helpful tool to one, have something to focus on other than your breath and the busyness in the mind. But two, the vibrations, the frequencies, the sound really help calm the mind, calm the nervous system, and can aid you in dropping into a more, I like to call it um in between. It's more of a dream state. Um, you're in between asleep and awake, you're still here, you're still conscious.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

But you don't have that busy monkey mind going, going, going like some folks may experience if they're doing traditional meditation.

SPEAKER_02 23:59

Right. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:00

Yeah, yes. So, what's happening during a sound bath, physically or mentally, that allows people to get into this relaxed, downregulated state as you describe?

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Right. So, on a scientific level, um, we're basically lowering the brain wave activity. So in our everyday brain waves, right? Beta um brain waves, it takes in our everyday brain waves, our beta brain waves, um, you're active, you're alert, you're aware, right? And then we drop into the alpha brain waves. That's a more of a flow state. You're still aware, but maybe you're kind of like in yoga or painting, running, that flow state, cooking. Um, and then you drop into the theta and the delta brain waves. And when you're in that state, it's almost like you're, you know, when you're sleeping, you go into REM sleep. It's in, it's kind of like you're dropping yourself into that state, in that in between a sleep and awake, more of a conscious sleeping. Um, and in the that state there, the body produces human growth hormone naturally. So it can help promote healing on a more cellular level.

SPEAKER_01 25:24

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 25:25

Now it's also really good for rest. So we are so over-stimulated in our life with technology, with the grind culture of work, the go, go, go, that we um actually on average get two

Brainwaves Sleep And Recovery

SPEAKER_02 25:40

hours less asleep a night than we did 60 years ago.

SPEAKER_00 25:43

Mainly due to how we're living during the day and the inability to get into these deeper brainwaves.

SPEAKER_02 25:49

Right. So because of our active lifestyle and everybody has so much access to us at all times, we don't get to rest like we used to. Um, so our sleep is being compromised even unknowingly. It's a lot harder for our bodies to hop into that REM sleep space. So doing something like this is giving the body the opportunity to be in that um theta brainwave state to actually rest and recover for 45 minutes instead of just a couple minutes here, a couple minutes there through the night.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

You're basically teaching people how to rest through sound healing.

SPEAKER_02 26:32

Yes, exactly. And you know, I I like to say like I don't heal anybody. Like I'm just your guide, and the instruments are my tool to help you relax and restore. And the instruments and sound waves themselves can help move things. So um, you know, if you're feeling stuck, specific instruments like the gong, they can shake some stuff up, get things moving. The crystal bowls, they really help you kind of quiet that monkey mind and drop into a more relaxed state. So sound baths, they can help reduce anxiety and stress. They can help you rest a little bit more, sleep a little bit better, um, but they also can bring a lot of emotional release, which can be a little scary for some people because you know, you don't go to a sound bath and you're not like, I'm gonna cry today. But sometimes it just happens and that's okay.

SPEAKER_00 27:36

It come over comes over you very unexpectedly. I I've seen that through different meditative breath yoga practices, and it it seems like sound bath is one of those same types of practices that can unleash and uh bring up these types of emotions that are unexpected.

SPEAKER_02 27:55

Right. Because you don't even realize that they're there anymore because you push them down, and then when the sound comes through, kind of lifts everything back up, and you're like, whoa, what is this?

SPEAKER_01 28:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

I actually went to um a sound bath with a friend of mine, and she had just gone through a breakup, was going through a lot of stuff, and we finished the sound bath, and she was like, I was uncontrollably crying, and my lower belly, the sacral like area, she's like, was just buzzing. And my uh friend and and sound practitioner, she goes, Oh, well, I was playing the crystal bowl that's connected to like your sacral area. And I was like, That's crazy, but powerful, yeah. Like different points of your body hold different energies, and and different instruments have different intentions.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

I'm more so familiar with different types of breath cadences, for example, like square breathing for focus, four, seven, eight breathing for deep relaxation. And it's it sounds like these instruments can potentially target different emotions.

SPEAKER_02 29:05

Right, right, exactly. Or bring some stuff up you weren't quite expecting.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

Yeah, man, we all push stuff down, and that's it's great to know that this is one of those experiences that can can bring things back up because we all need that to happen.

SPEAKER_02 29:18

To work through it, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

Well, you've you've shared a moment in one of your friends' um experiences when they were at a sound bath. Can you share another moment in either yourself where this practice created a real shift?

SPEAKER_02 29:31

Yes. So it was my first sound bath I'd ever been to. Um I was really interested. I had been to yoga classes that had um different instruments played at the end for savasana. And I was like, okay, I saw a flyer, and I'm like, well, I feel really stuck in my body. I feel really stagnant. Why not? Let me just try something new. Why not?

SPEAKER_00 29:56

The flyer was calling your name Sydney. Go, go.

SPEAKER_02 30:00

Yeah, exactly. It's like I've never done this before. Let me try something new. So I go and I lay down, and the sound bath was phenomenal. They were playing the bowls and the chimes. I'm like, this is beautiful, this is lovely, I feel good. And then it was my first time ever experiencing the gong, that it's a really um profound instrument designed to shake some stuff up. Um, and I just didn't know that that's what it was going to do. And I didn't realize because I've been, I grew up with music, I love music. I didn't realize how powerful sound could be and how it could actually sometimes be overwhelming. So I was feeling really stagnant, really stuck. And she starts playing the gong, and I was overcome with this. I don't even know how to explain this sensation, other than like my whole inside of my body under my skin was being shaken up. Like I was being just released. All the stagnant energy in my body was like finally moving. And um, it was very overwhelming to the point where I was getting like I was a little worried. I was like, oh my gosh, I've never felt this level of overwhelmingness in my life. And um, so at the beginning of class, she said, you know, some some sounds can be really lovely, and some sounds you're might trigger something and it might bring some stuff up that you don't love. But I invite you to find your breath, focus on your breath and and breathe through it to explore that sensation.

SPEAKER_00 31:43

It's almost like welcome the energy and sensation in.

SPEAKER_02 31:46

Right, because there's a reason it's happening. And that's what I was there for

Emotional Release And Energy Shifts

SPEAKER_02 31:50

to get unstuck. And here I am, physically getting shaken up by this gong. So I was able to drop into the breath and really breathe through that sensation. And instead of letting that almost um like shock come over me or a little bit of like worried, like I don't want to say fear necessarily because I was totally safe. Like I'm I'm having a great back. Yeah, like I'm laying down, you know, relaxed kind of. But um yeah, I I was really able to breathe through it and explore that sensation of and kind of talk to myself and be like, this is just a lot of stuff that I've been putting down coming up. And I just need to breathe through it because when you're breathing through it, that's how you can physically release it. So the gong is shaking it up, but it's my job to let it go. So that was a really cool experience. And then the whole thing wasn't that way. It was just the gong. And towards the end of the practice, I couldn't get enough of it because it felt so good to release all of that built-up energy that by the time it was it was gone. I was like, gosh, I want to do that again. I need to clear all this stuff.

SPEAKER_00 33:01

It's almost a parallel to life in a way where we all go through challenging situations that we sometimes stuff down. Right. And whether it's a friend or whether it's the banging of a gong, it feels so much better when we finally look that challenge in the eyes, that experience in the eyes, and and let it release from our bodies. Can't just ignore it.

SPEAKER_02 33:26

No, you can't push it down, you can't go around it, you can't ignore it. It'll just come back even heavier. So it's like you have to make that choice to go through it. And it was kind of that real, that's what the realization I was having that.

SPEAKER_00 33:40

It feels like you had that in that moment.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

Yeah, I was like, wow, this is my chance to choose to let this go. And I was able to, and then afterwards, you know, they followed it up with a bunch of beautiful like bells almost like celebration. I'm like, this is amazing. So after that sound bath, I got up my first one ever, and I was like, I need to learn more about it.

SPEAKER_00 34:00

You instantly wanted to become a teacher.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

Yes. I was like, I need to know like what's going on here. I need to learn this.

SPEAKER_00 34:09

So well, I know our listeners are gonna appreciate the details that you've described here. And I've always been of the perspective that the best teachers are people who have had personal experiences with the craft or the class that they're leading, because it has us with a different outlook that we can bring to different people because we've we've had that visceral experience ourselves. You know, you gotta you gotta walk the talk. If you're leading a sound bath, you know what sound can do for you.

SPEAKER_02 34:41

Right.

SPEAKER_00 34:42

Yeah. Now, what most excites you when you step into a space now and lead a sound bath?

SPEAKER_02 34:52

I think what excites me is the amount of people willing to try something new and trusting me in that space to give them that opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 35:06

It's somewhat vulnerable, right?

SPEAKER_02 35:07

Right. And I just get excited for them because I know how much it's changed my life and helped me on my own healing journey through different parts of life. So I'm excited for them to, if it's not their beginning, or even if it is, like it's it's another step forward and choosing themselves.

SPEAKER_00 35:30

Now we're getting towards the end of our time together, Cindy, S Sydney, and I like to I like to get tactical here. So shifting away from Soundbath and maybe this is yoga in general, specific to members at Palmetto Bluff, what are most people looking for when they step into your class and and how does that evolve over time as they spend more time with you or more time with our other incredible instructors here?

SPEAKER_02 35:58

Yeah. So I think it's kind of like what we talked about in the beginning. How I think when I first started, um, a lot of people, depending on the on the class, you know, power, people are coming in to work out, you know. Um stretch, I do PB stretch. It's like I'm coming to to stretch because my hamstrings are tight. Um, you know, and I think that's originally what some people kind of just like I was, walk in thinking. Um, and I love it because I feel like in my classes, I love to bring creative movement and

Creative Movement For Everyday Bodies

SPEAKER_02 36:40

almost somatics in a way, like that intuitive movement and give people the opportunity to explore different ways to move their body, whether it's power, whether it's PB stretch, whether it's slow flow. Because if we continuously move in the same way all the time, one, it gets boring. But two, our bodies get used to that. And you can set yourself up for injury if you're moving the same way always and your body's not used to exploring. So in my classes, I like to introduce different transitions, um, creative transitions of things that are like, um, what are we right now? What are we doing and why are we doing it? But there's always a method to the madness. And I think that's the best part because a lot of times people can get used to um just doing instead of actually listening to what instructors can be saying. Um, so when you are moving more creatively, like they can't jump ahead because they don't know where we're going.

SPEAKER_01 37:45

They don't know what's coming next. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:46

So, and I think I've seen that evolve because now when I have um people come into class, like they're excited to move differently. Or after class, like I've never tried it that way before, and I feel really strong today, you know, or you know, it's a constant practice instead of showing up, I'm working out, showing up, I'm stretching. It has turned into more of a consistent practice and a more mindful experience because we're moving more creatively. So you're learning more about yourself and your body as we're moving in those different ways.

SPEAKER_00 38:24

Yeah. You're shifting mem members out of the mindset of it just being a workout and shifting it into an actual practice where it's okay to explore, it's okay to be creative and to be in poses that we're not in all the time. Right. Because this is a different day, it's a different class and you're a different person.

SPEAKER_02 38:41

Yeah, exactly. We're we're changing it up every day.

SPEAKER_00 38:45

So I know our members really love that. So, Sydney, if someone listening knows they need to slow down but doesn't know where to start, what would you suggest as a first step?

SPEAKER_02 38:58

So I think the first

First Step To Slowing Down

SPEAKER_02 39:00

thing I would say is to take off the watch and put away the phone. I think a lot of times, uh, especially nowadays with the watch being so um accessible, you can put your phone away, but you're still connected.

SPEAKER_00 39:15

It's so funny you bring this up. I just got my watch replaced, and I used to not have notifications on it. And Siri just pops in all the time now. And texts are coming through my watch, and I'm literally gonna take the watch off right now.

SPEAKER_02 39:28

And you're like, Box in it, and someone's texting you, and I see it all the time. Everybody pulls their watch up. Why we're supposed to be relaxing, and they're reading an email, and I'm like, we have five more minutes.

SPEAKER_01 39:41

It's a different world, but you know what?

SPEAKER_02 39:43

It's like we're human, so it happens. Like I am also not perfect. So that would be my first thing. Take off the watch, put away the phone, and notice your breath, you know. And I say that, and everybody's like, what are you talking about? But actually close your eyes, notice what the temperature of the air is coming into your nostrils, and then the temperature of the air as it exits your mouth or your nostrils, like those little details while you're breathing. Notice when you breathe in, like where does that breath come from in your body? You know, how long are you breathing in? How long are you breathing out? And can you you mentioned the box breath or square breathing? Like, can you practice? Can I breathe in for four? Pause for four, breathe out for four, pause for four. Just doing little mindful things with your breath to be like, I have an instructor who says this, and a good friend of mine who says this all the time, and I love it. I am breathing in, I am breathing out. And it's just like we never acknowledge our breath.

SPEAKER_01 40:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:56

So yeah, put the phone away and notice how you breathe.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

So in an occupied day, we have the notifications coming out at us left and right. Watch goes away, phone goes away, slowing down just starts with noticing your breath, paying attention to it, and then as your guru, instructor, friend, yeah, just acknowledging it.

SPEAKER_02 41:19

Yeah, acknowledge it. I am breathing in, I am breathing out. And you know, it it can take just a minute.

SPEAKER_00 41:26

Simple but powerful.

SPEAKER_02 41:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:29

Sydney, this has been wonderful. Final question. What does wellness mean to you?

SPEAKER_02 41:36

To me, I think wellness is the active uh

Wellness As Choosing Yourself

SPEAKER_02 41:40

choice of choosing and showing up for yourself every day. Because I feel like, you know, we talked about every day we're changing, but every day we're feeling a little different. So if your body needs to rest, don't shoot on yourself. Allow the rest. Maybe go for a walk instead of the workout class. If you're lacking discipline, you know, and you're feeling a little sluggish, like maybe go to that workout class and show up for yourself when you're eating. Is this going to nourish my body? And how is this going to help me, you know, grow? You know what I mean? So it's the active choice of showing up for yourself, I think is what wellness means to me.

SPEAKER_00 42:27

Appreciate you, Sydney. This has been so much fun. And I I I just couldn't be more grateful that you're on this team and you're able to share your energy, your inspiration to our members every single week, especially these new experiences. And as we go into this next chapter of Palmetabluff Wellness, there's going to be more and more yoga classes, which is exciting. Um, so thank you for sharing today and being on the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 42:54

Well, thank you for having me and creating this space where we can do that.

SPEAKER_00 42:59

Yeah, you're

Healthy Momentum And Closing

SPEAKER_00 43:00

very welcome. Listeners, feel free to hang out with me for a few more minutes and get some healthy momentum for the rest of your week. As I was running back the conversation with Sydney, one idea stayed with me. Every day, we wake up as a slightly different version of ourselves. That doesn't mean we've become a totally different person overnight, but we learn something. We experience something, we interact with different people, we carry different energy than we did the day before. Life is always shaping us. The challenge is that many of us expect ourselves to show up exactly the same every single day. If you're like me, you have that expectation of yourself, and you maybe even have told yourself to push through. It's just one of those days. Ignore how we feel, stay productive, keep steamrolling through the day. You'll get it done. Sydney talked about how uncomfortable mindfulness felt when she first started yoga. I think that's true for a lot of us. Sitting still can feel unfamiliar because we're so used to the doing. But mindfulness isn't about becoming someone else. It's about noticing who you are today. My favorite phrase from this episode was divine play. There was something freeing about that phrase. It reminded me that life isn't meant to be so rigid, even though I'm always trying to make it rigid. We don't have to force every day to look the same. Some days we're energy we're energized, some days we're tired, some days we're confident, other days we feel uncertain. But the reality is none of those feelings make you broken. They simply make you human. Maybe part of growth isn't trying to become a new person every morning. Maybe it's learning to meet the new version of yourself that's already there. To sit with how you're feeling, to acknowledge it, to accept it, and to do all of this without judgment. Because once we stop fighting where we are on any given day, we can respond with intention instead of simply reacting. So here's your healthy momentum for this week. Tomorrow morning, before you grab your phone or rush into your schedule, pause for just a moment. Ask yourself, who am I today? What do I need today? Not yesterday's version of you, not tomorrow's version, just today's. Meet yourself there. You might be surprised by how much lighter the day feels when you stop trying to force yesterday's expectations onto today's reality. That is a wrap on this week's conversation. I want to thank you for taking your time today to join, and remember to actively participate in life on your turns.