Trying to keep up in today’s world can be exhausting both mentally and physically. We are compelled to believe that if we take time off for ourselves, we are selfish and lazy. It’s clear that as we get older, we are tasked with more responsibilities, thus making us more overwhelmed and burnt out.

It’s a sad notion to note that we only focus on our mental and physical health, but tend to ignore our emotional and spiritual health. But have no fear, I am here to name people and places in Jersey City and Hoboken that will help you take care of yourselves.

Having an open mind in life is a gift, bare in mind that some of these will work and others won’t. It depends on you and how much you want to help yourself. I’m not saying this is for everyone, but I do know that these have helped me and others greatly in understanding how to take care of our overall being.

 

1. Mehndi (Henna)

I’ve always been extremely captivated by the mehndi my friends wore in high school. It was beautiful, intricate art that someone had given time and energy to create. Mehndi or as many call it, Henna, is mostly used during wedding celebrations on brides, but has been known to be used in other cultures for girls that are coming of age and to celebrate holidays. In the West though, Henna is done for many reasons and not always for celebration purposes. I’ve always found it to be a peaceful and spiritual moment when I’m able to sit down, relax, and see an artist create a beautiful work of art that will be stained onto my body for 1-2 weeks.

Here are two ladies who create henna masterpieces in Jersey City.

Swati Rastogi

A visual and culinary artist with works all over the Jersey City area, Swati is truly an amazing creator of unique artwork. Every first Wednesday of the month, she goes to the Modern Sage and does henna. All of my recent henna designs have been done by her and I love each one. Check out her Instagram and Facebook pages!

Mobina Mahida Patel

I have not met Mobina before, but she is also a mehndi artist in Jersey City. She was the bridal henna artist of the year 2015, and does hair and makeup as well as training to teach the techniques of mehndi design. Like I said before, there is something spiritually healing about wearing henna that I love. Check out her Instagram and website pages.

2. Holistic Healing

I have always been an open-minded person since I was a child. My mother is a Wiccan and taught me to respect nature and understand that there are unseen forces that we need to take care of around our bodies. Auras and Chakras have played a huge part in my life; they’ve taught me to listen to my body and take extra care of it in different ways. I always remind myself that holistic healing is just another step to reach health and happiness, it isn’t a replacement for western medicine and they both can work together.

Modern Sage

If you’re looking for a place that has all your spiritual needs, Modern Sage is it; from Sage bundles, to Palo Santo sticks and even Aura mists. I’ve been going here for quite some time to find chakra crystals and attend the meditation sessions. I think it’s uplifting to be able to have a cute little store where you can just destress from the stressors of busy life. Leah, the owner, always has events that are open for everyone to explore, create, and unwind. To find out more information, check out her Instagram and Website!

TSM Healing Center

I have not been to this healing center but now that I know about it, I am definitely going to explore it. They are located in the Heights of Jersey City, which is really cool since I live in that area, and they offer some intriguing services that I have never even heard of. For example, Crystal Bed Chakra Healing Light Therapy, Sound And Vibrational Healing with Himalayan Singing bowls and cell-cleanse ion foot bath. Check out their website!

3. Reiki Healing

Reiki is “a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by ‘laying on hands’ and is based on the idea that an unseen ‘life force energy’ flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s ‘life force energy’ is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words – Rei which means ‘God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power’ and Ki which is ‘life force energy.’ So Reiki is actually ‘spiritually guided life force energy.'”

I’ve always been intrigued by Reiki, the idea that there is more to us than our physical selves made me want to learn more. I wanted to know how one could even channel this spiritual self, so last year I went on my own spiritual journey to find out my truths and in that year, I became a reiki level 1& 2 healer. Becoming a reiki healer was probably one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. It not only enabled me to listen to my body, but it made me finally feel comfortable in my own skin.  I’m always going to go back to the idea that open mindedness is necessary to understand this post, so be open to different ways of healing. My reiki healer was extremely down to Earth (no pun intended, haha!) and I’m not just saying that because he taught me. He knew his purpose in life, and there are not many people that actually find their purpose as quickly as he did. I wanted to add him to this article because I believe everyone should experience reiki at least once in their life.

James Bene “Bene Mudra Wellness”

James now lives in Los Angeles, CA but used to live in Hoboken, NJ. He now travels to the East Coast and still hosts many different events. To find out more information, be sure to check out his website and his calendar to keep updated on his time in the East Coast. 

Now go out and be spiritual. Happy finding friends!