Following Grandparent Guidance

Updates on Qi Gong, Moon Circles, & Breathwork

I’m back online after 4 days unplugged for the Qi Gong retreat, I attended in Ubud, Bali. I’ve been living in Bali, Indonesia for 7.5 years and this is one of the retreats capitals of the world, but this was my first full-fledged retreat that I attended. I’ve done yoga classes, breathwork classes, and helped to run workshops at retreats, but this was the first time I fully unplugged and let someone else hold that much space for me.

My body and my soul did a deep exhale on this retreat. My biggest intention was to develop a better connection to my body. My late grandmother, Grandma Mary was desperately trying to get me into Qi Gong in my last few visits home to the US before she passed. I never put much effort or thought into it while she was alive, but in the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of ancestral work (more on this later this month) and she is one of my most active ancestors. Although we aren’t blood related, our souls were karmically linked and the deep connection I have to her continues on. I felt her nudge me to sign up and I could smell her vividly during the retreat. For those that didn’t know I am clairalience & claircognizant. I’ll be talking more about spiritual gifts and the clairs throughout the year in my moon circles.

These are a bit different from my previous offerings- the Reflection workshops, intentions setting workshops, and my unlocking creativity workshops. These are all about building consistent community in times that can feel a bit wobbly and shaky. These are a way to anchor our intentions into the threads of our everyday lives by witnessing each other and sharing in celebration and sharing in grief. Often, we can feel lost in the sauce, and this is my way of creating a bit of a lighthouse for those that want a bit of a refuge to break up the choppy waters of the month.

✨ 2025 Monthly Moon Circles: Sacred spaces to connect, explore your intuitive gifts, and unlock your creative flow. Every full & new moon! We will explore different themes, we will journal, do guided meditations, and tap into our inner wisdom. These are interactive workshops so live is always better, but replays will be available.

Our next circle is on the Full Moon- Monday, January 13th at 8 PM Bali time (7 AM EST) - this is in like an hour and some change- teehee- I meant to remind people sooner, but the replay will be live in a day or 2 for those that wanted to join but this. Also, I’ll send the New Moon one with a bit more time in advance.

So, you may or may not know, but I have been on an Alcohol-free journey since November 11th, and I was meant to conclude this little pause on January 11th. This cleanse was also a bit of a nudge from a recently passed Ancestor, my late grandfather Grandpa Wilburn. One of my favorite memories of him and my grandma was back when I lived with them in DC in 2010. It was right after I finished undergrad, and I still thought I wanted to be in politics. It was a normal night for us, grandma and I playing scrabble, drinking red wine, and listening to Shirley Horn. And grandpa was sitting in his chair doing his own parallel play- not fully engaged but not fully disengaged either. Drinking his coffee. I swear, the height of my coffee addiction was when I was living with them. I think I was averaging about 6-8 cups a day. But anywho, he was joking around with us as he loved to do and asked, “can you two ever just have a sober night with me?” and we just giggled and sipped our red wine- we both loved a pinot noir! I’ve done these little alcohol-free journeys in the past and even wrote a letter breaking up with alcohol back in the summer of 2019. But alas they have always been short lived, and I always felt like I would come back to it at some point. The journey has been drastically different this time around.

I’ve felt anchored in my decision and the nudge from my grandpa was much more subtle than the one with my grandma and the qi gong. I mean for her I literally had a dream about her and then woke up to the ad for the retreat. Where with him, it wasn’t until halfway through the break, that I realized I may become sober before him. He always proudly shared that he stopped drinking at 40 and I’m halfway through 37. It was a gentle competitive chuckle that brought me back to our night with grandma and I felt a warm sensation that made me feel like this is the right path for me at least for the timeline I’m on right now. I deeply grateful for the grandparent guidance that I’m receiving in this season.

I’m anchoring these intentions, of doing a daily Qi gong practice and to continue on my alcohol-free journey along with a few other intentions I set for the year, with my free annual 45 with ease challenge.

✨ The 45 with Ease Challenge (Jan 15–Feb 28): Cultivate sustainable habits with flow and simplicity. (75 hard, but like not hard, and we help you to create a plan that is aligned for you) - free access, just reply or send me a dm with your email, and I’ll add you the group!

Let’s co-create miracles together.

With love and magic,
Esty 💖

P.S. Have questions or need guidance? Reply to this email, and I’ll be here to help!

Also, I have a lovely friend in Koh Samui who is leading her next virtual conscious connected breathwork session. I went at the end of last year and I am so grateful I did, I think I wrote about the experience in one of my recent newsletters! If you are keen to join find the details in the image below.