Time to Look Back and Wrap It Up With Some of My Best Picks
Last post of the year. A bit of a wrap up, some personal highlights and super duper content to discover – all absolutely life coach advice free.
The year is coming to an end – a bit of goose, a bit of tofu, some champagne, and then, just like that, we're done. Goodbye 2023. Unbelievable. Time to look back and let me tell you, my year was quite a rollercoaster – a mixed bag of grief, joy, laughter, chaos, and plenty of new beginnings. Speaking of, you're reading one right now. Whoot whoot!
Launching this baby here was definitely one of my highlights. And as this is the last article of 2023, I thought I’d write an end-of-year round-up for you with some personal bits and, of course, a few recommendations to brighten up your holidays. And don’t you worry, I won’t throw any life coach tips for a more positive, better, holistic 2024 at you. You just get some stuff that’s made an impression on me this year.
Oh, and before I start, I’m cooking up a new format for next year. Alongside the longer pieces (personal experiences, scientific deep dives, reviews etc.) I thought a shorter format just with some hand-picked curated content would be nice to have. So stay tuned. But now, stop the babbling Katie. Here we go.
2023 Stuff That Blew My Mind…
🎬 This Documentary 🎬
Anna Halprin – Breath Made Visible: Anna Halprin was a way more than just a pioneer of postmodern dance, as Wikipedia would tell you. She was a visionary who saw dance and movement as a healing art. At a time when HIV-infected people were shunned by the world, she started performing with them. When diagnosed with colorectal cancer herself, she transformed dance into a healing art and developed the 'Five Stages of Healing', which supported her own recovery process. And she lived to the age of 100.
Who it's for? Anyone into alternative healing, dance, movement, or experimental art.
Lifetime investment: 1 hour 20 minutes.
📻 This Podcast 📻
Esther Perel - Where Should We Begin?: Maybe you've already seen her fabulous TED Talks. I'm just starting to dive into her books and incredible insights on human relationships, sexuality, and partnership. Because, gee, that’s my kryptonite. Each podcast episode is a real therapy session, where you're like a fly on the wall, learning from the challenges of others.
Who it's for: The ultimate eavesdropper (like me) interested in psychology, relationships, sexuality, and healing.
Lifetime investment: 35-50 minutes per episode.
🧊 This Experience🧊
My Wim Hof Ice Bath: I’m a Caribbean beach girl, I love the sun, the beach, the heat. So what got into me, I still don’t know, but this May I ended up taking a plunge into a bathtub full of ice-cold water. Freaking cold, icy water. It was insane, and definitely a highlight experience this year. But mainly because of the after effects on my body.
Did you know your body's got its own built-in blunt? That’s right, you can fly as high as a kite on your own supply. And I did. So if you want to know how to lite up your body naturally, stay tuned for January. This is where I’ll deep dive into natural highs – and no worries, there are other ways than freakishly icy water bath.
In the meantime you can check out my article on the orgasmic breathing technique I also learnt in this workshop. Gee, that was something.
But back to the ice bath. Here are some key information, if you fancy cold cold water.
Who it's for: Penguins – and everyone who wants to get out of their comfort zone. Far out. Very far out.
Lifetime investment: A workshop with a certified Wim Hof Teacher normally takes 3-4 hours.
Where to take a workshop: Official Wim Hof Website
📕 This Book 📕
James Nestor's Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art: Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but chances are high that you are breathing wrong! A lot through the mouth, a way too often, and definitely too shallow. The way how we breathe has an enormous effect on our physical and mental health, and a lot of diseases can be fixed by fixing your breathing.
This book totally blew my mind and is the reason I started sleeping with a mouth tape. No, it's not just a Hollywood trend, it's actual science, and it improved my sleep quality by a hundred percent. Thank you, James Nestor.
Who it's for? Anyone dealing with sleep apnae, asthma, bad sleep and related issues. Also a must-read for parents, doctors and health practitioner.
Lifetime investment: depend on your speed of reading. But you can also listen to it as an audio book. Then it’s “just” 8 1/2 hours.
Where to get it: Any local or online book store.
🧑🤝🧑 This decision 🧑🤝🧑
Joining Brainstorm Road: Starting this newsletter was one big decision I took, I’m very proud of. The other one was joining an online community for creative people working on their dream projects. It’s called Brainstorm Road and it’s hosted by
and . Amazing people, amazing community, and definitely for me the best surrounding to grow with Bodily Happy.🍷 This Taste 🍷
Minthy – a Rosé from Cyprus: I have friends living in Cyprus. Friends with a pool and a nice ocean view. So lucky me was spending three weeks in October with them, and a beautiful escape from grey grey Berlin. And who would have thought that this little island gave me one of the best rosé experiences I had so far? May I present to you: This is Minthy, a slightly sparkly but dry rose wine that tastes like strawberries with a spritz of lemon. For sure I will open a bottle on New Year's Eve. Maybe two.
That said, I wish you all a good slide into 2024. Yes, this is how we say it in German. Guten Rutsch = Good Slide!
Cheers, Katie
Great post. Wonderful closing for 2023.
I loved that book! I'm 100% more conscious of my breath and have been meaning to invest in some mouth tape. Also, my first experience with an ice bath didn't go as I'd hoped. It was at a wellness event and they had wayyyyy too much ice. As soon as I got in, immediate headache. So while I'm trying to focus on my breathing to settle my body, I also had to contend with a massive headache. Even when I got out I was still nauseated. The headache subsided, but if I moved my head too fast I would become nauseated again. It lasted at least a couple days.