Breath is essential to life…
Breath is essential to life -
connecting to it through movement & mindfulness deepens our connection to self.
Practicing moments of deep breathing and sitting in the present moment can significantly reduce stress and tension in the body - aiding in self regulation and overall wellbeing.
That’s why at the core of all of my offerings - whether it’s movement, mindfulness, or creative expression - I provide prompts to pause, breathe, and connect.
Join me sometime for…
🧘♀️Vinyasa Flow - Gentle & Supportive
Mondays 6:30 pm at POWER HOUSE Studios
Tuesdays 5:30 pm at Soul Aura Crystals and Herbs
🎨 Creative Alchemy Labs at Give Rise Studio
(T 7:30-8:30 pm & F 1-2 pm)
Mixed Media 2nd week of the month
Textiles 4th week of the month
✍️ Word Weavers: Songwriting & Spoken Word Meetups at Aya Cultural Arts Studio
1st Sunday of every month 1-4 pm
Be sure to check out all of my other offerings on my website including herbalism and essential oil workshops… ceramics, watercolor, printmaking, and book arts classes… and private 1-on-1 energy healing sessions and coaching - in person Catoctin Mountain Massage & Wellness Center in Thurmont, Md and via distance.
Reach out if you have questions - I love connecting with my followers.
#breathework #mindfulness #connectingtoself #creativemindfulness #marylandyoga #marylandart #marylandsongwriters #frederickmdyoga #frederickmd #frederickmaryland #frederickmdart #frederickcreatives #hagerstownyoga #thepowerhousestudio #giverisestudio #ayaculturalartscenter #laurengkoch #lgkart #laurengkoch_creativewellness #keeperoftheoldways #wayshowerofthenew
My Story
👇Read more 👇
I’m dedicated to aiding the collective in healing, promoting love, and fostering unity.
More about me…
♓️ My Sun, Moon, and Rising signs are all Pisces, making me deeply emotional, though balanced by earth signs in my chart. I have only 1 or 2 air and fire signs.
🎶 I’m a classically trained musician and vocalist, but I prefer songwriting and folk instruments.
🎨 My master’s degree is in Interdisciplinary Studio Arts, and I enjoy textiles, painting, ceramics, welding, and iron casting.
🐈 I’m a Cat Mom 🐈⬛ but adore all animals.
🍑 Originally a Georgia peach, I’ve been a Marylander 🦀 since 2017.
🌿 I love being in nature, whether hiking or painting.
🧘♀️ My happy place is cozying up with my journal, hot tea, candles, and yoga, accompanied by my cats, or exploring new places while traveling.
☕️ Chocolate and coffee are my guilty pleasures.
Integrative well-being brings me immense joy. I’m truly honored to share it with you. Explore the highlights and links in the bio to learn more about what I do…
So glad you’re here! In the comments, tag a friend who needs inspiration on their healing journey or introduce yourself. Share why you follow this account or a bit about your healing journey. I’d love to know more about you to curate content that aligns with you.
Many Blessings 🥰
Lauren
Ps. You can find all my videos under #keeperoftheoldways #laurengkoch_creativewellness
📸 @amandalucia_photography
DIY Dry Shampoo
So many of the mass marketed household items are doing more harm than good to our health as well as our planet - not to mention emptying our wallets.
DIY hair products are surprisingly affordable - especially if you already have most bulk ingredients in your home apothecary but they are easy to find - and take less than 5 -10 mins to whip up.
Recently, I decided to switch up my hair care routine to be low-tox and remove the detergents from my shampoo products to achieve more body and provide even deeper nourishing for my vibrant hair colors.
I did not use dry shampoo for most of my life - until grad school when I went to salon in DC and was immediately told I was damaging my scalp by washing my hair daily sometimes multiple times - when you’re a sculptor you get covered in all kinds of things.
I also started experimenting with dyeing my hair with vibrant colors but was having severe allergic reactions to the bleach and toxic smells at the solan - which lead me down the path of finding less toxic salon options all the way down to the bleach and colorants - but it wasn’t until working with @srk.hairmagic (who did such an amazing job cutting and coloring my hair in November) that I seriously started considering making my own dry shampoo. I just recently bought another can of an aerosol based brand - so I didn’t make the switch immediately - but now I have and of course I wanted to share the experience with you all - so far I’ve been loving it. I’m still perfecting my Merfolk Scalp Tonic as well as my Aloe and Salt Shag Spray but I’ll let you know how that turns out.
Have you tried creating your own diy hair products, before? How did you find the experience?
Be sure to check out Sam’s amazing work and @reformthesalon - a beautiful space in Westminster, MD evolving and elevating the salon experience to one that is low-tox, eco-friendly, sustainable, nourishing, and a safe-space for all. While there, I received such an education on the low-tox hair p
Stocking the Herbal Medicine Cabinet for Wintet
Many herbs we already have in our kitchen can easily be overlooked for their medicinal properties - but our ancestors used them for much more than adding flavor to meals.
They can be used to boost immunity, ward off winter bugs, relieve symptoms of SAD (Seasonal Effective Disorder) by relaxing us and elevating our mood, and much more.
What are your favorite medicinal herbs to use during the Winter?
Here’s some ideas on how to use to ones listed in this clip.
🍃Add a combination of these herbs to your favorite soups to unlock their nourishing & healing qualities for ongoing support or boost your bodies defense systems if you’re already sick
🍃create fermented garlic in honey - pop a clove in your mouth to ward off colds or at the first sign of a sore throat - or add into your favorite sauces and soups for extra flavor
🍃 mix up a batch of Thieves Vinegar or Fire Cider in late Autumn for ongoing support throughout the Winter
🍃 make infusions for warming, healing tea blends or use as a facial steam to clear lungs
And much more…
Head over to the Keeper of the Old Ways online Apothecary to grab some of my herbal formulas to add to your herbal medicine cabinet - or - become a Patreon supporter to access recipes and behind the scenes content - link is in the bio.
You can also learn more about booking a 1-on-1 herbal consultation to take a holistic look at which herbs may help support your wellbeing, on my website or message me directly.
#herbalist #marylandherbalist #frederickmd #marylandhealer #marylandreikipractitioner #winterherbalism #winterherbalremedies #herbalremedies #herbalapothecary #onlineherbalapothecary #herbalmedicine #folkmedicinals #herbalrecipes
I never knew how much essential oils and plant medicine would change my life. #herbalism #nature #ecospirtualism #marylandherbalist #keeperoftheoldways #plantmedcine #laurengkoch #creativewellness
Each healing journey is different but it’s great to have support and tools to make the experience truly meaningful and even fun.Have you experienced healing through creativity, mindfulness, and/or nature? I’d love to hear about your experience or even about what issues your still struggling with - drop them in the comments or feel free to share in a private message.#healingjourney #stopbreathefeelcreate #healingtools #marylandhealer #lightworker #reikimaster #intuitiveartist #keeperoftheoldways
Ohhhhh this only touches the surface of the wonderful time we had yesterday in community at the Drum & Flute Circle for the Summer Solstice 💕 my heart is so full!Thanks for coming everyone and to those of you who captured these great shots - and especially @lgreen.reikimaster for putting this reel together.#community #thurmontmd #thurmontcommunitypark #summersolstice #drumandflutecircle #drumcircle
You’ve got this - you can say no without your hype team!
Healing is messy - we can all attest to that!
Recovering from being a people pleaser can be difficult - lack mentality can cause us to jump and say yes to opportunities before we weigh the pros and cons of saying yes - which may be your mental and physical health taking a blow.
Remember NO is a complete sentence and if you find yourself frantically reaching for your phone to call or text your life line to advise you as to what to do - pause - look at your responsibilities first to yourself, then the rest of your todo list - if you have to bend over backwards to make it work - don’t! There’s your answer!
When you have to say no - it can be super easy to overthink and beat yourself up about “well I really should have done…”- nope - instead practice gratitude for the opportunity and the universe having your back - and move on with your day!
We’ve got this!
#healingispossible #noisacompletesentence #healingismessy #boundariesarehealthy #burnoutrecovery #peoplepleaserinrecovery #frederickmaryland #marylandhealers #energyhealing #processingtrauma #thurmontwellness #thurmontmaryland #frederickwellness
About Reiki Share
A little bit about Reiki Share and what to expect when you get here.
We offer this complimentary service to our community on the 4th Sunday of every month from 2-4 pm. Come see us sometime at @catoctin_mountain_massage
#reikishare #reikienergy #communityhealingcommunity #thurmontwellness #thurmontmd
Musings on Unity Consciousness
Some musings…
We are meant to live in harmony, bringing light, love, and unity - Let’s stop worrying about separation - the whole I’m right and you’re wrong mentality - and focus a little bit more on spreading peace, love, and kindness.
It doesn’t matter your background or what you believe in to be able to practice those three things.
That being said reiki and other healing modalities have been used for millennia - they are open for all to receive and benefit from regardless of who or what they believe in.
#marylandhealer #lightworker #allyouneedislove #openyourself #unityconsciousness #reiki #energyhealing
So grateful I was able to help this wee little honey bee…
I was packing up my artwork after the @red_dirt_studio open studio tour today and saw the poor dear sitting waterlogged on my back door. I grabbed paper because I was afraid to harm it with my fingers and as the paper fell apart in the rain, it climbed right up on my finger and started drying off.
It was hard to part with my new little friend but alas I was able to coax it off my finger to safe spot out of the rain on the window ledge. Mission accomplished - here’s hoping it stays safe for a while.
#honeybee #savethebees #honeybeerescue #keeperoftheoldways
John C. Campbell Folk School has shaped my life in so many ways.
The past few years I’ve been fortunate to teach printmaking at this wonderful place, but this week I was able to enjoy some much needed rest, fellowship, and music that heals the soul while taking a fiddle class, with Susan Conger.
Though my time at the folkschool @s quickly coming to an end - I won’t be gone long because I have more printmaking & book arts classes on the schedule this winter, that I’ve been asked to lead.
Can’t wait to take all of my new tunes and fiddle techniques back home to my own little mountain valley in Maryland.
#johnccampbellfolkschool #singbehindtheplow #northcarolina #brasstownnc #fiddlingaround
What will you get?The crystal, essential oil, and art machine was a big hit as the holistic expo - when you come in for a reiki session don’t forget to see what the “Blue Machine” has for you!!! You can come try your luck anytime at @catoctin_mountain_massage See you there! #marylandbackroads #crystalmachine #frederickmd #thurmontmd #keeperoftheoldways #catoctinmountainmassageandwellnesscenter #downtownthurmont #thurmontwellness
Day 23 #marchmeetthemaker2023 RealityWhen you’re a small-batch, handcrafted business - you do it all. And no matter how much you prepare for events there’s always going to be last minute things you’re preparing - just like me this week - labeling all new products and fresh batching - plus upgrading and improving labels on a few things. It’s a work in progress always - the key is to remember “baby-steps” and “imperfect action” keep the wheel going. Come check out the new releases in person this weekend at the Divine Collaborations Holistic Expo in Gettysburg! #frederickmdsmallbusiness #keeperoftheoldways #smallbatchapothecary #smallbatchskincare
Day 17 #MarchMeettheMaker2023
Creative Space
I’m the most inspired when I’m outside - in nature.
But most often my creative spaces are inside - dinning room table, my music & design studio, the couch, coffe shops, etc - anywhere I go has the potential to become my creative space.
#marchmeetthemaker #artist #intuitiveartist
Day 15 #MarchMeettheMaker2023
From idea to product…
My ideas usually start with a problem I’m trying to fix or a form of pleasure I’m trying to bring into the world.
One of the most popular items in my apothecary is the “Ache Away” Rub - I created it because I have tendinitis and super tight muscles - the store bought products just didn’t cut it - thus one of my first products was born.
Find all of my problem solving products in the online apothecary or come find me at upcoming holistic expos and makers markets in the Mid-Maryland and Southern PA area.
#meetthemaker #ideatoproduct #frederickmd #thurmontmd #apothecary #folkmedicine
