Latest / Tone It Down / Calmness Is Possible: Karena on Retreats, Signs From Above & Surviving a Bear

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Calmness Is Possible: Karena on Retreats, Signs From Above & Surviving a Bear · Tone It Down

• 0:00
  Just allowing yourself that grace and that moment to just enjoy it all and know that you deserve it and don't feel any guilt. This is your weekly girlfriend chat, the kind that we all crave, where we can show up exactly as we are, laugh until we cry, get honest about the things we're navigating and all the private girl talk that we need more of. No pressure, no perfection, just real women like us sharing real stories with real connections.
• 0:28
  Over the years of Tone It Down, I've learned that the most transformative moments don't always happen in a workout. They happen in those conversations before and after. When we realize we're all going through something, when we feel seen. And that's what Tone It Down is built on. My intention is simple, to help you tune back into yourself, to quiet the noise, and to remind you that you're allowed to evolve. This is Tone It Down.
• 1:00
  Welcome to Tone It Down. Tone it down on a Tone It Up Tuesday or Tone It Down Tuesday. Whatever you're feeling today, we got you. You can tone it up, you can tone it down. Right, Des? Always. Your girl Des is here hanging out with us today. We are sitting where we just filmed a whole bunch of new workouts for your app. And Angela was here. She did five workouts today. And don't forget, in your app, every Monday, new content.
• 1:29
  every single Monday, something new, something fresh, and ready to start your week off. I know Angela's workouts today, how would you describe them? They're so strength-focused, but you're going to build muscle, you're going to build strength, you're not going to be bored. You're going to be progressively getting stronger and stronger and better and better, and that's kind of what we've been seeing over and over. I've been trying to listen to the community more, seeing a ton of comments about just more progressive overload, more strength, more heavy weight, so that's what you got. Yeah.
• 1:57
  Yeah.
• 2:17
  I'm like, well, what's medium weights? And then I asked you. You said eight. Eight. Different than her medium. Her mediums are 15. I'm like. Right. And I'm like a 12, 15 for medium. And then if I'm doing like glutes and mind you. Yeah. When I say this, it's my own personal workout. When I'm filming, I use lighter weights because you're doing a lot more reps and more workouts. I mean, Angela, she's like still doing her 15s, but we're going to get comfy.
• 2:46
  So to each their own, what your light, medium, heavy, and in between. Always listen to what your body is telling you it needs. Yeah. I just got back from a retreat. Yes, you did. Which was crazy. And I wanted to talk about that because I got a lot of DMs saying, what are you on? Like, this sounds amazing. Do I need this? All the things. I don't even know where to begin. Yeah.
• 3:13
  We talked every day. I was on a retreat. A wonderful summer vacation. You may be in Europe, spritzing, I always say that, which is great. And I don't think I'm going to make it there this summer, but I did make it to the Panchakarma retreat, which is an Ayurvedic retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains at Sohang Healing Resort. Going back there, I just want to talk about a few things.
• 3:37
  I want to say the why. It came at a point where, and I think a lot of us feel this, the burnout. The me bawling my eyes out. What am I doing? Being overwhelmed. Overwhelmed and overworked and doing things and just needing a break. And I found this place, Soham. And I was like, Bobby, can I go? And he's like, of course. No, I can't. He knew I was going to go anyways.
• 4:06
  Happy wife, happy life. There you go. So the other thing about me is I love challenging myself and trying new things. I've dipped my toes in Ayurvedic practices. But this was, I had never heard the word panchakormas. You and me both? I'll drink panchawada?
• 4:26
  So it's seven days. So in India, you do it for three weeks because the week before, there's like a preparation, which I did at home, which was eating the khichri, which is like lentils and Indian spices and bastami rice. Yeah.
• 4:44
  And any veggies you want to add. So you ate that as your meal because you're creating this like base in your digestive system to be able to then move forward and start this like full detox. Yeah. I'm going to say like research panchakarma because I could go into it and so much. But then like you move that to detox to you start having warm ghee. Have you ever drank warm ghee?
• 5:09
  What do you think? What do you think about it? Give it a whirl. Yep, I haven't. I haven't gone on the ghee train yet. Yeah, so that like cleanses your insides and getting ready for the full detox. And you start out with three tablespoons. Is ghee like, it's what, like a vegan butter vibe? No, it's from the cows. It's clarified butter made primarily from cow or water buffalo milk. Okay, haven't done that yet.
• 5:38
  Using the milk of other dairy animals like goats and sheep. And by the day I was at Sohum, I was up to 12 tablespoons in the morning. 12. And then my body was ready for the next step. Just the next step of detoxification. Yeah. There was castor oil. I did animals for the first time. I've heard great things. I was so nervous. I was the girl who was like, how do I find my...
• 6:08
  Instinct as I got it. Instinct? How do I find it? But at this retreat, prior to the retreat, we had two group calls. And then one with your Ayurvedic practitioner. And for my case, the week was with Joni. She's incredible. And then I randomly found out on the second group call that Kelly Gores is going to be there, which was so fun.
• 6:30
  It's only nine people that were there. She was on the big silent. Yeah. We love her. Yeah. So it was really fun hanging out with her. I mean, this surgery is like you have morning, sunrise, meditation session, gentle yoga, three meals a day that are delicious from their chef there. And then you have your different treatments, too. But nothing other than when you have a practitioner. It's all free-flowing. If you don't want to do something, don't do it. Mm-hmm.
• 6:56
  And then while I was there, I got all these supplements and that were for my dosha. And the focus was resetting my nervous system and working on my sleep. So I have all these supplements. And then Joni discovered, you guys, I'm not even going to be embarrassed about it because we all, a lot of us have it. She realized I have parasites. We mostly do. Most of us, if you're a sushi girl like me. Yeah, there's something on your tongue where you can tell and it's called crummy.
• 7:25
  And it's like, let me see your tongue. Wait, let me see the side of your tongue. No, I don't think you, Crippie. Oh, I ate a lot of sushi. I know. She's like, do you eat a lot of sushi or sleep with animals? I'd like both.
• 7:40
  But it was honestly, there's a cedar tub there and forest bathing, all the things. It was really incredible. I went from being highly stressed and overstimulated, you know, to then just waking up and being at ease and at peace and being like, this is okay. And having tea every morning and tea every night and just...
• 8:04
  I mean, you could hear it in my voice when I talked to you. I was like super energized. Super. Yeah, I get voice notes every morning. She's feeling great. She's doing it. It's every morning. I'm like, hey, guys. Hey, what's up? It's me. She's going on a beautiful day. She was zen. She was happy. She was content cleaning. She was doing a good job. But then it's like figuring out like when you come back into the real world. Yeah. How you take those practices and implement them. And I'm only like.
• 8:32
  shoot three days into the real world yeah and I would say that what I brought back with me is bring that calmness and that it's okay slow down not everything is urgent bring that calmness back here and stop freaking out about everything amen yeah yeah tell the next nervy breakdown yeah
• 8:59
  But, yeah, so one of the interesting things there was something called Sheridan. Wait, okay, I had to write this down because Sheridharda. No, Sheridharda? Hara? Sheridhara? Sheridhara? This one's good. Sheridhara. So every day we had this massage massage.
• 9:22
  And you have two people there massaging you in sync. And it's like a very light lymphatic massage to create, like to continue the detoxing of your body. And you didn't want to push too hard because you don't want to push the toxins in your body. You just want to move everything through the eye crack.
• 9:38
  So it was a massage with two people. And then you go into either a steam or a sauna for like 10 minutes. And then you have this hot oil dripped on your forehead for 20 minutes. And it's on the third eye. Okay. So you're wondering. Is this the story? Is this the story? And this is six days in a row I get this treatment.
• 10:05
  So this is supposed to detox you, open up your pathways and all the things. And so the first three days, I was just like in and out of like resting, sleeping. And then the fourth day, afterwards, I had a meeting with Joni, the practitioner. And I went to her and I said, it was the end of our meeting. And I said, Joni, has anyone had a psychedelic experience?
• 10:33
  With the oil on their forehead. By the way, this is my first time hearing this as well. Yeah. I made her wait to tell me.
• 10:40
  And mind you, the oil that they choose that they put on your body and through your drip on your third eye is based on the herbs that they prescribe you for the week. So mine was, again, all like ashwagandha and some other like just nervous system settling herbs. Yeah. And so that day I was laying on the table with this oil dripping on my third eye. And all of a sudden I like was floating. Okay. Okay.
• 11:08
  And I'm like laying there, what is happening right now? And all of a sudden, eyes closed, there's music playing and I start seeing rainbows and like clouds. And I felt like, I was like, what is happening? Because you all know my history. Like I've done some psychedelics back in my teens and early 20s and I'm,
• 11:34
  I'm like, what is happening right now? So then all of a sudden to my right, through these rainbows, I see this young man, I would say 30s to early 40. But I couldn't quite see his face. He had dark blonde hair. And I couldn't quite put it together. I'm like, why is this person here? And so I spent some time. They were kind. They were...
• 12:04
  Happy, like the energy I felt was gentle, kind, happy, wanting to say, like, spend time. But I was like, I don't know. I can't see the face. I don't know this young man. Then I move to the left. There's more rainbows and shapes. And then we're going into this, like, greenery, like a forest and grass. And there's a picnic table. Okay. And I see these paws.
• 12:34
  And I get emotional when I talk about this. I see these black and white paws. And Skunky leans her head under. And smiles at me. Tongue out. But it's a younger version of Skunk. And so as she leans her head under and looks at me and smiles. And then like the song ends and I come out of it.
• 13:05
  When I went back to my room and I called Bobby and I was like, I just figured this out. That was your dad. That was a younger version of Big Bob. Oh my gosh. The dark blonde hair. Him with Skunky. He loves Skunky. Oh. Y'all might not believe in all this. And like, even Bobby, who doesn't all the time, he's like, that was my dad. Oh my gosh.
• 13:35
  That like Bobby's been trying to connect with his dad in some way. And like he wasn't able to and he was getting frustrated. But it's like one of those things where you can't look for it. You know, you can't look for like connecting with someone or having someone present. And I think it brought a lot of peace to Bobby. Yeah.
• 14:00
  And peace to me, and for those of you who don't know, Skunky, T-I-U-POM, OG POM, she passed away about five weeks ago, maybe six, and Bobby's dad passed away, you know, from diagnosis to passing eight months maybe, but last November.
• 14:22
  And then that was just like when I was talking to Joni, the practitioner, and she's like, through all of this learning to be present and this detoxification of all the toxins that we naturally carry, environmental, whatever, from eating, your pathway is open. And you're able to just be more present and see more, understand more, be welcoming and just open hearted to what is there and more aware.
• 14:51
  And that was just like one of the experiences I had there. And it kind of like opened up a door but closed something of, they're together. Aww.
• 15:06
  I mean, I figured something like that would happen there. Yeah. Whether you believe in that kind of shit or not, it kind of just comes right at you. Yeah. I've had some kind of similar, like when my grandfather passed away, I was the least spiritual and touch. I was very just like, I don't believe in anything. Life's crazy. And then was just like sometimes like forced to see these things. And it's just so odd.
• 15:27
  personal and obvious and you're like all right you just have to let it happen and I mean I think anyone that's lost anyone hopefully has had some kind of experience like that and like it comes when you need it the most.
• 15:39
  Even if you don't realize. But you can't just look for it. No, you can't. It's always if you're not trying. It's being able to be in that present moment where you can welcome anything and anything is possible. And being in the least stressed I've been in so long to open those pathways and have an open heart to feel connection. Whether it's those who have passed or even those who are present.
• 16:07
  What I take away from this retreat is calmness is possible. Because why one week I can be so stressed and then one week I allow myself space? Because you're in control and you have to like,
• 16:22
  Take the time. It's not going to just happen. I don't have to. No, you don't have to. But you're feeling things. Experience. I even told you I was going to do this, this, this, this. But then I was like, I don't think this is the right atmosphere for me to spend time doing that because I need to do this. Yeah. And it literally was just such a reset. Yeah. Yeah.
• 16:39
  But it's not easy to get that reset. Like there's always so many excuses why you can't or why you don't have time or you're too busy. And you feel guilty like to take a step back. But I think it's really important. And it doesn't have to be a seven day retreat. It could be a couple hours. Yeah. Just to yourself to breathe and like reflect at any kind of time you're choosing yourself. And it can be anyone with any time commitment, any anything you can do to put yourself first, even for 10 minutes.
• 17:06
  Two hours, a day, five days, like whatever you can manage in your life, do something like self-care wise. Yeah. I mean, I even felt guilty like being like, I'm going to retreat for seven days. But then I was like, that's probably why I say, could have been vacationing, but I chose this. But it's a choice. And I don't know, it was fantastic.
• 17:27
  And because I have so many DMs and friends and toted up gals and beyond, like, what is this place? How can I get there? How can I go? It is pricey. Like, it's definitely up there. So I asked Sohum for a discount for you. And if you want to go call them, email them.
• 17:48
  The rooms are beautiful, by the way, too. Like everything is just pristine. It's all inclusive. But for $500 off, you can use code KarinaPK. KarinaPK. So you can call them to book it. Say KarinaPK, $500 off. If you can do it, it's so healing. It's a beautiful experience. One more other like...
• 18:17
  spiritual thing the bear girl the bear all right y'all so I went on a hike every single day the last day I went was a Saturday and I left on a Sunday and I'm just no thought of a bear on my mind I'm in North Carolina by the way okay Blue Ridge Mountains
• 18:42
  Okay. So I'm walking. I walk down to a certain point that I walk to every day and I turn around and there's like these curves all around. And I'm on the phone with Bobby. I see a head pop around the curve. And I'm like, Bobby, there's a bear. Oh, yeah.
• 18:58
  I would freak out. I don't, you, I just went into this zone of survival. Okay, what do I know about bears? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I think I saw something on Instagram where you're supposed to stand still, but I'm like, this bear is walking towards me. So I was like, maybe I'll just turn around and peruse the other way slowly. And I was looking over my shoulder and the freaking bear was speeding up. And I was like, hmm.
• 19:25
  Okay. So on the phone with Bobby, he's like, car, car, stop. And I stopped. I turned to the bear. I'm like, Bobby, I got to go because I'm like, you're not going to save me on the other line. He's like, don't hang up. Don't hang up. I'm like, Bobby, what are you going to do? And so the bear is five feet from me. I dialed so up because they definitely had the place I was staying. Was he just staring at you? Yeah. Staring, sniffing. He was like...
• 19:52
  Oh, yeah. Like, it's very curious. It's all right, but no, I would die. I dial so no one picks up. My hands are shaking. My heart is pounding. And then the bear goes, no. Like, it was like a hissing moan. And this thing, like, let's talk size-wise. If it stood up, it was at least my height.
• 20:16
  And like big pause. It was probably, I found out later, it was a year and a half old. So they don't answer. And then Kelly Gores, my friend, was there. And I dial her phone. She's on D&D because she's at a freaking retreat. My phone's on D&D too. I call Bobby back. I'm like, no one's answering. What do I do? I'm just standing there. The bear's five feet away. And I'm like, okay, I'm calling Soam again. And then in between hanging up, I'm like, well, might as well take a video of my last moment.
• 20:46
  So that's that little bear video I have. And then someone answered. I'm like, hi, it's Karina.
• 20:54
  They're like, yeah. I was like, I went on a hike, took a left at the end of that one path. And there's a bear in front of me right now. They're like, okay, stay calm. Clap. So I clap, clap, clap, clap, clap. And I was like, it's not moving. They're like, okay, roar and scare it. Like, make yourself big. And that's what it- Only you. Only you. This is terrifying. This would only happen to you. Not really, but like, I would die. I don't even-
• 21:23
  I get a pack. So I was like, I would have frozen or run away and gotten eaten. Yeah, literally. So I'm like, okay, I'm going to become bigger, larger than life. And I roared so much. My throat hurt for 24 hours. But the bear started backing away and slowly backing away.
• 21:40
  and going up the side of the hill and I kept roaring at it and staring at it and roaring so it kept backing up enough where I started backing up and backing up around that curve where it came from and then once I saw I was like there and kind of scared of me I just like booked it and then Zachary from so I saw him like five minutes later because I was further out than I thought and he was like sprinting down to he's the maintenance guy there they don't want a bear
• 22:10
  Yeah. So anyways, I made it out of that situation. Number one, I think the key thing when you're in a hard situation like that, think fast. Don't freeze. Like you have to be solution based. Yeah. And that was because otherwise it like literally I was in the middle of wilderness, me and a bear. Will you do the roar you did once? No, I would hurt your. Do you really? Yeah, I'll cover them. Okay, it's going to peak the mic's.
• 22:39
  You're going to do like this thing. I just want to hear it. Oh, my God, my voice. Oh, you know, that's, I get it now. Yeah. Okay. I just was like trying to picture the roar. So I needed like a little bit. I don't even know if that was as loud as it was. I was a beast. It was definitely loud. When I got back to someone, the front desk was like, I was on the phone with you and like you were roaring. Like, I would be scared of you too. Yeah.
• 23:03
  But so Zachary comes and I show him a video. He's like, oh, that's blue blue. And blue blue blue blue. He was like, OK, we were worried that you were with mama bear because he's like, oh, I'm not a bear territory. She has three cubs right now. Shut the. Yeah. Thank God it wasn't mama bear. He's like, OK, that's blue blue. He's just curious. He's a year and a half years old.
• 23:26
  I'm glad we got Blue Blue. There's Blue Blue, there's Mama Bear, and there's Mange Butt. Mange Butt. I'm glad it wasn't anyone else. Mange Butt was cute. And then when I left, the next day was Sunday, and I had an Uber pick me up in the parking lot. And Blue Blue. Yeah. What's the significance slash meaning of a bear? Okay.
• 23:48
  I feel like if you see a bear or buy a bear, it's like scary, but maybe a good thing. Like some kind of good thing. I looked it up. Meaning of seeing the same bear twice. Symbol of strength and courage.
• 24:01
  And bravery. Yeah. Yeah. You're a morning girl. Encountering one may be a reminder to tap into your inner strength and face challenges head on. Okay. Instinct and intuition. Listening to your inner voice. Seeing the bear twice could encourage you to trust your intuition and pay attention to your instincts in your life decisions. Which is interesting because the last day of my third eye oil thing, I had another, like the fifth day, nothing. Sixth day, I was...
• 24:30
  firing off ideas, which I think I told you and Bobby, I have so many ideas for Toner Up that I was making after that treatment. I just journaled everything. Okay. Transformation and change, cycles of life. Bears hibernate and emerge anew, symbolizing cycles of life, renewal and transformation. This may suggest that you're entering a period of personal growth or change. Seeing the bear twice might indicate that there is a lesson or message you need to reflect on.
• 25:00
  Spirit guide. And some spiritual beliefs, black bears can represent spirit guides. Their presence may suggest that you are being watched over and protected. Great. And it may serve as a reminder to trust your instincts and reflect on personal growth. All hail blue, blue. All hail blue, blue.
• 25:20
  But that's the gist of my experience. Sounds incredible. And just like nine perfect strangers. I love it. Staying there in this beautiful place. And we all just got along. And it was so amazing. All right. Let's go into SpeakPipe. We just announced this morning that we were going to be answering your questions. So we had a question on SpeakPipe, which is if you go to KarinaDawn.com slash message. Mm-hmm.
• 25:49
  You can leave a voicemail and I'll answer your questions. It can be anonymous. Questions, concerns, comments. Anything you want. Say hi. Whatever. Just say hey. All right. So let me go to Speakpipe and play this. This is Alexandra.
• 26:08
  Hi, Karina. My name is Alexandria. I feel like I know you because I have been doing Tone It Up since 2014, when I was about 21. And now I'm 34. So thank you for being such a big part of my fitness journey. My question today is about an upcoming solo retreat. I booked a little tiny writer's cabin
• 26:34
  in the mountains in California where I'm just going to be alone and unplug and do yoga and read and meditate and draw and write and be creative. But I've never done anything like this before. And I've never been to a wellness retreat that's official and organized. And I'm not going to have
• 26:57
  any sort of structure or anything like that because I'll be completely alone. So I'm wondering, based on what you learned at the recent wellness retreat that you were at, what can I do to really get the most out of this time? All right. Thank you so much.
• 27:15
  Thanks, Alexandra. I love that question. One of your favorites is solo travel, retreats. I know. This was my first one this year. Yeah. Usually I like to do it a few times per year, but it's just been cray cray.
• 27:31
  Alexandra, I know you don't want structure, but I always love a little bit of structure. You wake up, meditate, journal, like a little bit of structure, get your movement in in the morning, kind of map it out. Just so you don't wake up and feel lost, in my opinion. You have a map of what your day looks like, but you don't have to follow it.
• 27:51
  So if you ever get lost, you're like, oh, okay, let me do this. Like a list of things that you want to do each day, even though no structure is good. But at the same time, what are you there to accomplish and make sure that you just feel connected to your mission? And then the other thing is allow yourself a couple days to drop in.
• 28:13
  Because being hard to adjust from like real life schedule, work, the kids, husband, noise, pets, responsibility to go into this whole like place of Zen. It doesn't just happen. And feeling the worthiness of it and the permission for it.
• 28:29
  So give yourself that permission, a little bit of structure and that you don't have to follow. I like structure, but not following it. You know what I mean? And just allowing yourself that grace and that moment to just enjoy it all and know that you deserve it. And don't feel any guilt. And a writing little solo retreat. What are you writing? So fun. I want to know more. My one...
• 28:53
  or my first like kind of wellness retreat is our trainer Jackie. Yeah. It sounded like a fun vacation to Mexico and anything Mexico I'm always in for. So I was just like, yeah, let's go. When I tell you I got there and we started, you know, the journaling, the breath work, these like meditation circles, the movement and like,
• 29:12
  I was, I just had never allowed myself to really like emotionally connect to myself and like just decompress. The emotions I felt that I had no idea I was really holding on to, the tears, the just, it was so crazy. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was not expecting that. I thought I was just going on some like fun little vacation with friends. Yeah. Yeah.
• 29:30
  allow yourself to feel, feel everything. Like if you're bottling things up and you're just go, go, go and overwhelmed with life and you just don't think about these things, like sometimes it just forces it out of you. And it was such a beautiful experience for me. And so life-changing and it just made my, I don't know, I just, I look at these retreats as just time for yourself that you really need. Yeah. And it goes back to allow yourself to open your pathways and be there and be present. Yeah. Because then integrating into the real world is like,
• 29:57
  We're back. But that is what I would also say is make note of what you want to bring back with you, what you learn while you're on that solo trip, and how you become gentler when you come back. And also be able to take your creativity and how do you find that space to write and then bring it back to your daily life. And bringing that feeling and that purpose of the solo retreat
• 30:25
  and finding a space in your home. Like one of my things from Sohum is I bought the same teas in their little tea kettle that you warm up. And I'm creating a little meditation space because I kind of fell off on my personal meditation. Not too much, but a little bit. Really like in the morning, having that routine of making tea and sitting and reflecting and meditating and giving myself that permission that I gave on my retreat
• 30:52
  permission to do it here at home. Yeah, you take these practices home and it almost like brings you back there and you just keep carrying it and it's a beautiful thing. Yeah. I love that.
• 31:03
  Well, I think that's it for today's time. I'm down. We've overcome fears of being in wildlife and learning how to stand tall. Oh, while I was there, I also overcame my fear of claustrophobia. Yes, claustrophobia. Sitting in a little steam box. You did a lot of conquering. I did. You did. And that's good. I'm proud of you. Good job. Because then you can go out there and go back to not having fear of failure.
• 31:34
  I think that'd be great. Try it. Yeah. Survive the beer. The beer. Survive the beer. Survive the beer, y'all. Survive the beer. All right. That's it for Tone It Down. Love you. Remember, you can always leave a voicemail at kareinadon.com slash message and share this app with any friends that need to hear it. And also community conversations. We love to have...
• 31:58
  If you are a TIU girl, you've been around, you're new, whoever you are, you're in this community, we love to hear from you. We love the stories. We love your experiences, how Tone It Up changed your life, how you found fitness when you chose yourself, when you finally opened that door and the friends you've made along the way. So any community conversations, send us a DM, email toneitdown at toneitup.com. And yeah, we're here and we love just bringing everyone together and continuing the community.
• 32:26
  to be able to open up. So we'll see you soon. Tone it up and then tone it down, whatever you're vibing.