As a Home Watch provider, we want each of your return trips to Sarasota to feel as refreshing as the first. Our "Piece of Paradise" newsletters provide a brief glimpse into Florida homeownership, followed by a featured activity for your next visit.

Homeowner Insight

Last month we mentioned avoiding the national news... but this month the national attention was for great reason! Sarasota County lifeguard Mariano Martinez has become a hometown hero after rescuing a family of 7 from a rip current at Lido Beach. NOAA has a great video on what to do to avoid a rip current, and how to get out of one. The quickest summary is that if you get caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the beach to get OUT of the current first, and then swim back to shore.

A crowd of nearly100 people gathered to participate in June's "Full Moon Meditation."

Your Sarasota home is a place where you escape to rest and relax. (Hence our "Peace of mind for your piece of paradise" motto.) But occasionally everyone's homeostatic reset button benefits from a bit of coaxing. In the last month, we eased into several new scenarios for finding internal harmony. Our favorite was the Reiki and Shamanic Full Moon Meditation with Sound Bath. If you aren't familiar with theories of energy healing, you might be inclined to take a step back from that event title. But here's what it means and why we recommend checking it out.

The sage cleansing is optional.

June brought a record crowd of over 100 people to beautiful Venice Beach for this meditation. Each arrived in a state of respectful peace-seeking, and was gently welcomed by scents of sage and the ocean; by the sounds of crystal singing bowls against the cries of the gulls and lapping of the waves. That serenity on its own was a gift.

The "shamanic" portion of the event consisted of a gentleman who offered to cleanse participants within the subtle smoke of a smoldering sage wand. This man also gave a blessing/invoked his ancestors at the beginning of the meditation, although with such a large crowd it was difficult for us to hear what he said.

The "reiki" aspect was an invitation from the facilitator. Any participants who wished for her to lay her hands on them during the meditation, need only cross his own hand on his chest.

The full moon, which occurs when the sun and moon are on opposite sides of the earth, symbolizes conflict (being pulled between two forces) and is regarded as a time for releasing the thoughts and behaviors that cause tension in our lives. Accordingly, attendees were encouraged to pull a card and set it aside until after the meditation.

As it happened, the card this gentleman pulled told him to "Surrender to Joy. Look for the joy in every situation, and let joy guide your decisions. Make joy a priority in your life." Laughingly, he told the group that his wife (seated beside him) is named Joy.

The facilitator also passed out dissoluble rice paper and pencils. She explained that we would use them once the meditation was complete. Then everyone was invited to be still, breathe, and listen to the meditation cues.

A notebook for recording any meaningful thoughts, a "Surrender" card with message face-down, and a piece of rice paper - ready to meditate!

The guided meditation probably lasted 20 minutes. We wouldn't have been upset if it went longer...my sister and I closed our eyes while we listened. My daughter watched the clouds. There is no right or wrong. At the end, participants were encouraged to use the rice paper to write down the thoughts, feelings, or activities that they were feeling compelled to surrender. Those papers were then given to the Gulf. When we returned to our spaces we flipped our cards, curious to see how the card's suggestion might align with our intentions.

The crowd makes their way to the water to surrender their rice papers..

Nearby or Similar Considerations

Our daughter with the instructor, Delphine, doing a yoga pose in front of the manatees.

You've probably heard of goat yoga (a yoga session in which goats tarry about and on top of you). It's less likely you've heard of lemur yoga (a yoga session in which lemurs tarry about and on top of you). But can you even imagine manatee yoga?! Don't worry, there are no underwater yoga skills (or any yoga skills) required. It's more of a guided stretching session while viewing the manatees at The Bishop Museum. Watching those gentle giants rise and fall in the water definitely helped to soothe our breathing and movements.

But we did go underwater as part of a different therapy... Purify: The Sweat and Chill Lounge has locations in Lakewood Ranch, downtown Sarasota, and Venice. We opted for the Sweat + Chill combo to get the full experience. The recap in short: the Far Infrared Detox Treatment (sweat) made the females in our group want to run away and hide. The Cold Plunge made us all want to jump and scream. I wouldn't call any of it relaxing... however, it was a great test of our individual willpower and a trauma-bonding exercise!!! We're feeling inconclusive about the post-therapy effects. Lots of laughter with our friends, but probably not something to which Miranda will be rushing back.

Purify provides a t-shirt, sweatpants, and socks as part of the Far Infrared Detox therapy.