SUMMER 25
5 THINGS OF FOCUS: FOR JULY
I'm sharing with you: a life lesson I learned recently, some music I've been vibing to, something for you to try in your yoga practice, a workplace tip and photos from El Tunco!
How do you appreciate your flowers, after you've planted the seeds?
I'm still working on it! I've had lots of life changes in the past 1.5 years: new apartment, new job, the ending of a 5 year relationship, graduating from yoga school and a loss in the family. For a bit, I lost sight of myself, just trying to get through the day and maybeee eat
I picked myself back up, with the help of my community of course. Life now: teaching 3x weekly classes at Newport Fitness in Jersey City, overseeing national advertising for 8 alcohol brands, being a better friend in the group chat…. very kindly asking people “are you trying to get by?” when I get rammed into in a crowd.
I'm on a personal side quest to educate the public to say ‘sorry’ and ‘excuse me' in crowds again! I used to push back, but now I'm trying to set an example
I'm also discovering a new version of me, growth is uncomfy but I hate staying still
THANK YOU for letting me share my lil chaotic light with you, and maybeeee sharing your light with me. with love, monica
PLAYLISTS: Forest-Inspired, May, June, July. Listen at monicameas.com/music
1. LIFE LESSON
“WE ARE NOT WHO MADE US OR WHO RAISED US. WE ARE THE ECHOES OF LEARNED BEHAVIOR”
I started seeing someone, for real, recently. One night, I asked “what do you want to watch?" and he replied “whatever you want”. I found it very strange that he genuinely looked so happy to watch what I wanted to watch. Why was this a red flag to me?
Looking back, with my ex, I always watched what he wanted to watch. Sometimes, our past will cloud our natural response. I'm embracing a new definition of ‘love’
How did your mom love you? How did your dad discipline you? How supportive was your “friend”?
We naturally put up defense mechanisms. Weave through that trauma, and uncover your natural response
2. EDM MUSIC
DEAD HOUSE: Born to Grateful Dead parents, LP Giobbi is a DJ & classically trained pianist. Vibes are house-y with the classic sounds of the sax and piano
small town in Oregon to headlining festivals around the world, LP is also the founder of Femme House, a 501C3, fostering more equitable opportunity for women & gender-expansive individuals in music. Femme House releases weekly sets on SoundCloud, each set brought to you by a woman in the EDM world
HOW I FOUND HER: 2023 - we made eye contact in the Forest and she howled at me. I wandered into her Dead House set at The Grand Artique stage at Electric Forest, had no idea who she was before. My friend, Janda, saw on Reddit that there was some legendary DJ playing a late night (2AM) set at the GA stage. As my tired feet shuffled into GA, after a day of side quests, I looked up and saw a pretty girl playing in a big tie-dye Grateful Dead t-shirt and covered in glitter. Her hair was in a loose ponytail and her hands were moving like a magician: from the turntables, to the keyboard, to the microphone, to the little dances across the stage. To this day, I've never seen another DJ match her crowd control the night. She matched the crowd's energy and amplified it. In love
3. ON THE MAT
URDHVA HASTASANA: low-lift cues to help you level up your practice & strengthen your mind-to-body connection
Reach up your arms, palms facing together, fingertips piercing the sky
VISUALIZE: The space between your ribs are vents. With each exhale, your ribs are being aired out like an A/C turning on for the first time, in a long time
A block, between your hands. Arms parallel
FEET: Shoulder width apart. Peel your right 5 toes off the ground, stable through your right heel. Spread out your toes, like you're getting a pedicure. Drop them back ground, balancing evenly on all 4 corners of your right foot. REPEAT ON LEFT SIDE
CHIN: Parallel to the floor.
VISUALIZE: Full glass of water on your head
INHALE, EXHALE: to soften your belly
DROP: your shoulders
RELEASE: tension below your ears & front of your neck
RELEASE: front of your upper thighs and kneecaps
SOFTEN: your face and jaw
REACH: your fingertips up, piercing the sky
STAND: A little taller, a little prouder
MORE ON THE POSE: monicameas.com/urdhva-hastasana-upward-arms
4. AT WORK
FEELING LOST IN THE SAUCE? Go back to basics: your to-do list.
Ditch the pen and paper, old timer. Use Excel!
Useful for: those work work on multiple lines of business or with many humans!
Conversations & emails are our bread & butter… and let's be honest: people get amnesia; so we need to Remember & Recap it all
Working across 8 alcohol brands, there are lots of humans and workstreams for me to keep track of
I've shared this template with people over the years & have had a solid success rate! <3
…and now, I'm sharing my Excel baby with you!
DOWNLOAD MY EXCEL: monicameas.com/excel
5. IN THE WORLD
EL TUNCO, EL SALVADOR: Surf City, home to surfers from all around the world
HOSTEL: Sunset Surf Villa
HOTEL: Boca Olas Resorts & Villa
YOGA: Balance Surf & Yoga @balancesurfyoga
SURF SCHOOL: El Tunco Surf School @eltunco_surfschool
BAR: Michela's! @michelabarcosv
HIKES: Volcan de Santa Ana, Las Sietes Cascadas (7 Waterfalls)
TO DO: Coffee farm tour at Conception de Ataco. Fun fact: El Salvador is the coffee capital of the world!
Thank you for letting me share my light with you,
Monica Sor Meas
