MY SOUND BATH EXPIERENCE

Typically I am not a meditation type girl, I pray in silence but ultimately i prefer background noise… even during brainstorming. However because I am this way i tend to consistently have something going on. My mind is always thinking I need to do something. After a while i overwhelm myself and decide I need a chill day where i do nothing. 1 day turns into 2, then not only am I not working, I am disappointed in myself for not working. I wish I could say I could pray myself out of a funk but for me it doesn’t work that way. 

I heard good things about Sound Baths and how it was a great way to set intentions so I decided to give it a try. My first experience was amazing! I went in for a mind clearing and to be able to find ways to be more productive in my business and I left with knowledge on how to do exactly that. Before the session the instructor (who is also the owner) Laurie, really set the scene for intentions of healing, productivity, and overall wholeness. She gave a great explanation of how the course of meditation would work and guided us through the sounds. After her explanation we were off! 

I enjoyed it so much i found myself having ideas flowing to me so effortlessly, I thought to myself “I need to write this stuff down”, however i just hoped I would remember them when I got up. It was a 45 min session so I did catch myself drifting to sleep a couple times while I was laying down with a bean bag over my eyes. I  would literally spring back awake because they have a strict no sleeping 

 policy. If you are snoring you will have to sit up for the rest of the class and I did not want to be that girl!

This past session i rejoined the Sound Bath session for a different reason. I did not know what was wrong but everything seemed off with my body, it was the holiday season  around the time covid was at a high  and my work hours were very crazy. I was exhausted and felt issues with my pelvic and vaginal area. I carry all of my stress in that area so naturally I can tell when its off.

While on a date to the museum, I asked my date if he would be into doing a sound bath together since i knew he enjoyed meditation. He agreed and we set a date. It was his first time doing a sound bath so we were both super excited. 

We had a different instructor this time and although she did not set the mood as well as Laurie, she did get the job done(In her defense she sounded a little under the weather). This time I focused on healing. As instructed I focused the vibrations to each part of my body feeling lighter and lighter as I made my way down from my head to feet. I remember rubbing my leg to make sure I wasn’t tripping because I felt so light. We are instructed to sink into the floor which somehow gives off a weightless feeling 

Here’s where it got crazy, I focused on my pelvic and vaginal area. I imagined it at its healthiest most perfect version of itself and in that moment i started to feel a sensation I have never felt before. It is hard to explain but it was a intense sensation; so intense that I knew it was not just in my mind. I immediately wanted to take my mind off that area and sit up but something told me to lay in it. As the vibrations echoed though-out my body I felt an uncomfortable but not painful feeling. I would say it felt like it was echoing for about 5mins then i decided to move down to my legs and feet. As soon as I moved on the sensation slowly faded away. 

When the session was complete I got up and felt like nothing ever happened. Obviously I could not ask my date if he felt the same sensation because *penis* but don’t think I didn’t google it as soon as i got home! 

To my surprise they actually have online sound baths that focus not only on vaginal health, but sounds that aide in clearing bacterial infection, relieving vaginal itching and burning due to hormonal changes, and get this; sounds for intensifying your orgasm.

My recommendation is definitely try a Sound Bath. The benefits are endless! I know they have online options but Im sure it pales in comparison to an in person session. Below is the studio I go to! I really don’t want to share the information because it is not a huge studio and I don’t want you all blowing up my spot… but for the greater good I will.

Unwind Studios

3222 Mercer St.

Houston, Tx, 77027

Book:  https://unwindmeditationstudio.com/sound-bath/

Cooking with The Heiress: Baked Chicken and Basil Mashed Potatoes

OMG I am so excited to welcome a new segment to the blog and IG. I would not necessarily call it a cooking segment but more of a truth segment, featuring some cooking. 

I am currently in the dating phase of my life, so far, here is what I've learned; Houston has a great dating scene. There is a sea of men who are both established and cultured. They are into designer fashion, and traveling the world, overall a bunch of great catches. They also have 1 thing in common, they want to know if you can cook. 

Now I can cook, but something about skipping over my education, career, impeccable fashion sense, and reputation for being very poised at all times really annoys me. Y'all worried about cooking and cleaning but no one asked me if I can check my own oil (which I can... thanks to my dad) or if I can lift my left leg up to my face... which I also can do.

Anyway, I am bringing back the assumption that black millennial women can and do cook 1 black woman at a time. I will be making quick and delicious dishes that I enjoy and handing out the recipe while doing it. This first recipe is one of my favorites that I like for my mother to make me when I am in town. although I am only making about 2 servings, I think the more servings the better it taste. 

Baked Chicken

Chicken Ingredients

4 Chicken Thighs

1.5 Table Spoons of Cooking Oil 

.5 cup of whipping cream

.5 cup of whole milk

1/4 of an Onion (Chopped)

1/4-1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Chicken Seasonings:

Seasoning All

Garlic Powder 

Instructions:

I start with washing the chicken in Lemon Juice, Vinegar works as well. Not too much of either and rinse when done. When I say rinse i mean like a drizzle of water... You know what if you don't usually wash your meat just skip this.

• Preheat oven to 350 Farenheit 
• Season Chicken- Make sure the chicken is well seasoned
• Add Oil to baking dish- the oil should coat the bottom of the baking dish so if 1.5 TBSP is not enough to coat the bottom of your baking dish, use a little more. 
• Add the chicken to the baking dish and cover with aluminum tightly.
• Bake for 20 mins then remove Aluminum 
• Mix your Half of a cup of Whipping Cream with your Half of a cup of Whole Milk
• Add the Parmesan Cheese to the Mixture *I did not add Parmesan to my mixture because I forgot it but it does tastes great!*
• Stir then add to chicken 
• Bake for another 15-20 mins until Golden Brown
• Remove and let it cool

Basil Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:

3 Medium Russet Potatoes (Any kind of potato will do)

2 TBSP of Butter

1/4 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

Basil Seasoning

Salt and Pepper

Instructions

• Chop your potatoes into cubes
• Boil them until you can easily pierce them with a fork (About 12 mins)
• Drain the water and return potatoes to heat. Start breaking the potatoes up with a potato masher or a spatula ( I couldn't find my potato masher, it must have gotten lost during the move) *If the potatoes are mashing easily, you can remove them from the heat*
• Add Salt and Pepper to your liking
• Melt your butter while you are mashing your potatoes
• Add Butter and spread throughout the mashed potatoes
• In a Pan add the Heavy Whipping Cream and Basil Seasoning, Allow it to heat(not boil)
• Stir then add to Potatoes
• Fold mixture into potatoes until completely combined

Plate and enjoy!  

Ladies, this is a simple meal! If you are trying to impress a new boo, or having some girlfriends over I would suggest adding a vegetable side, but really that's it! You can whip it up real quick and look like you cook all the time. Good-Will Cooking

-Mariyah 

The Black Lady Sketch Show: Gel it like it is

 Check out one of my favorite sketches from the black lady sketch show. They did an amazing job and the pure talent is unmatched. If you have not started watching The Black Lady Sketch Show please do, as both seasons are currently on HBO max.

How the Diva Cup Changed My Life: Diva Cup Review

 

    Randomly at the beginning of the pandemic I decided to try the Diva Cup. A Diva Cup is a menstrual cup that is placed inside the vaginal canal and is made to catch your discharge(I know I just lost my male audience). I thought about how much money I could save getting off tampons and night time pads and was sold. I also heard good things about it on youtube. None of my friends had tried it yet so I was going in somewhat informed and somewhat blind.

    

    I made a trip to Target and found a whole aisle worth of menstrual cups. In true Mariyah fashion I went for the "designer" version and started to compare the 2 Diva Cup sizes. I remembered hearing that the size 2 was for women who had given birth so I grabbed the size 1 and checked out. 

    

    My period was set to come that day so I figured I could practice a

Becoming: Why I loved this read

I have always had a fascination with Former First Lady Michelle Obama. I always try to peg what type of “Black person” people are by listening to how they speak about their life as a youth. Do they understand the black plight in America, are they so far removed that they have no desire to understand. Up until the book and attending the Becoming Book Tour, not very much was said about her upbringing and her experiences in life leading up to present day that I could gather. It was not until I read her book that I was able to get the full picture.

Her story filled me up with so much inspiration. From telling us about her first fight, her first job post law school, to her first love then her current love. Her memoir was an open love letter to the ever-growing black girl inside me and I wanted to share her story with every women in my circle.

I will elaborate on some of my favorite parts of the book without flat out giving the book away, as this post is to inspire you to buy the book or finish it, if you have not already. It is pretty long but a few of my friends were able to listen to the audio version of the book and they enjoyed it just the same after a few listens.

From a youth Michelle was always an overachiever. What I loved most about this fact is that no one required her to be, she just naturally was. She tells a story about a time when she received piano lessons from her Aunt Robbie. Michelle was a new pianist but after a few lessons she decided; on her own, that she was ready for a more challenging piano piece. During one of her lessons she skipped to a advanced piece of music in the piano book and begin to play for her Aunt Robbie. She thought Aunt Robbie would be impressed because she was attempting such an advance piece, however Aunt Robbie could not have been more displeased. Robbie felt Michelle was not ready for a piece as such, but Michelle did not back down and voiced her opinion about how she felt there was nothing wrong with advancing herself to the next level. I laughed because this was me as a child. I always wanted to go into learning something on the 10th level. In ballet I wanted to be in Pointe, in track I wanted to run hurdles. I have always had to enjoy a slice of humble pie because of it as well. Michelle got a small taste of that popular pie as well in her book.

Michelle’s family made sure that she spoke proper English. As a family it was agreed that they would put their best foot forward when it came to being outside of the home. Her family valued education because of how hard it was for some of her elders to obtain it, as well as a decent job. Unfortunately, speaking and acting proper is not a wildly accepted art in the majority of African American Neighborhoods. Especially amongst children. This made Michelle the point of interest to one girl in the neighborhood. Every time Michelle came around this girl would act like Michelle was just the absolute worst, and Michelle really could not understand why. I understood why, because this was me at just about every single move I had to endure having a Father in the Military. I would go to the playground; Different, because I was “the only black girl there” and would be stared at, thrown sand at, and just all around mocked. I was too Black for the White Kids and talked too White for the Black kids. The difference with me though is my parents adopted the hood approach when it comes to bullying and they let me know I was well within my right to knock anyone out who wanted any altercation with me or my siblings. Once the kids realized I was about that life, somehow they managed to play in a more friendly manner. The sad truth is I am still pre-judged by people to this day, but I am use to it. Sometimes I peel back a few layers to show them we have more in common than they think, other times I don’t and keep it pushing, it’s a coping mechanism that I am in control of at this point. Michelle also found her footing in dealing with people with adversity’s towards her in her book.

When Michelle started her career she was “That Girl” the epitome of Black Girl Magic (or whatever that translates to back then). She worked in a High-rise, drove a Saab and had a wine subscription. She had it all! She stayed social and frequently went to Happy Hours. When Former President Obama joined her firm, she definitely did not slow down for him. I loved this so much about her. Granted she was worried about whispers that would occur if she did date the new superstar intern, however even when she did decided to take him a little more seriously she stayed true to herself. She gave President Obama a chance to prove himself worthy to her which didn’t seem very hard for him. Reading how their love blossomed constantly had me saying things like “man I wish this book existed prior to my last relationship”. I caught myself smiling and frowning while reading about their love story, that alone to me is worth the read. I learned lessons in patience, understanding, and so much more. The way they carried themselves during their stay in the White House was a pure reflection of their Love and their awareness to how they were viewed to the world.

If I have not convinced you to read or finish reading this book by now I don’t know what will. It is definitely your loss if you don’t! Let me know some of your favorite parts of the book.