29 - Namaste in Nature with Ceiara Cartony

Episode 29 - Outdoor Yoga, Nature Meditation & Micro Retreats in Asheville with Ceiara Cartony | Wellness in Asheville Podcast

What happens when you combine hiking, yoga, meditation, forest bathing, and the Blue Ridge Mountains into one experience?

In this episode of the Wellness in Asheville Podcast, host Travis Richardson sits down with Ceiara Cartony, founder of Namaste in Nature, to explore how spending intentional time outdoors can transform your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Ceiara shares how becoming a new mom unexpectedly led her to teaching yoga outside, eventually creating one of Western North Carolina's most unique wellness experiences. Today, Namaste in Nature offers guided micro retreats that combine mindful hiking, outdoor yoga, meditation, local history, and meaningful human connection throughout the mountains surrounding Asheville. 

Together, Travis and Ceiara discuss:

•  Why practicing yoga outdoors feels completely different than practicing inside 
•  The science and benefits of spending time in nature 
•  Meditation as a practical tool for reducing stress and finding clarity 
•  Asheville's unique connection to wellness and the outdoors 
•  How micro retreats provide many of the benefits of a traditional retreat in just a few hours 
•  Why community and shared outdoor experiences are more important than ever 
•  Beginner-friendly hiking and yoga experiences around Asheville 
•  Favorite Blue Ridge hiking trails and outdoor adventures 
•  How nature helps us reconnect with ourselves in an increasingly distracted world 

Whether you're an Asheville local or planning a visit to Western North Carolina, this conversation will inspire you to slow down, breathe deeply, and rediscover the healing power of nature.

Key Takeaways

•  Why outdoor yoga creates a deeper mind-body connection 
•  The benefits of meditation for everyday life 
•  How micro retreats fit into busy schedules 
•  The importance of community wellness experiences 
•  Forest bathing, mindful hiking, and movement meditation 
•  Favorite hiking locations near Asheville 
•  Why green spaces improve mental and physical health 
•  Practical ways to reconnect with nature every week 

Timestamps

00:00 – Meet Ceiara Cartony and the story behind Namaste in Nature

03:00 – Why outdoor yoga is different from studio yoga

06:30 – Nature, mindfulness, and Asheville's unique energy

10:00 – What happens during a Namaste in Nature micro retreat

15:00 – Waterfalls, mountain hikes, and guided wellness experiences

18:00 – Rebuilding after Hurricane Helene and what's next

23:00 – Why micro retreats are growing in popularity

27:00 – Community, loneliness, and meaningful human connection

31:00 – Favorite Asheville hiking trails

34:00 – Meditation, breathwork, and daily wellness habits

40:00 – Final thoughts and reconnecting with nature

Episode Links

🌿 Namaste in Nature
 https://www.namasteinnature.com/intro 

🧘 Yoga in the Park Asheville
 https://www.namasteinnature.com/yoga-in-the-park

🌐 Be Well Asheville
https://bewellasheville.com

🎙 Wellness in Asheville Podcast Archive
 https://bewellasheville.com/podcast

🤝 Join the Be Well Asheville Collective
 https://bewellasheville.com/collective

📬 Subscribe to the Newsletter
 https://bewellasheville.com/newsletter

🎁 Wellness Discounts from Podcast Guests
 https://bewellasheville.com/wellness-discounts

This episode is brought to you by the 9th annual Love, Shine, Play Yoga Festival, happening July 23rd through 26th in Asheville, North Carolina.

Join world-class teachers, inspiring workshops, live music, and a heart-centered community in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Whether you’re deepening your practice or just starting, it’s the perfect summer experience to reconnect and recharge.

Get your tickets at loveshineplay.com

The Wellness in Asheville podcast is produced by Be Well Asheville, your local news source covering health + wellness news + events in Asheville. Get the latest at bewellasheville.com or follow @bewellasheville.

Transcript

Travis Richardson (00:00)
so today we have Ciara Cartoni on the Wellness in Asheville podcast here to talk to us about all things related to yoga as it's done in nature, meditation, mindful connection, and a ton more. How are you doing today, Ciara?

Ceiara Cartony (00:17)
Hi Travis, thanks so much for the opportunity to be here. It's a pleasure.

Travis Richardson (00:22)
Yeah, this is one of my favorite topics, anything related to nature. I think I've found for myself more times of transformation and personal growth that have happened outside than ever inside. And I hate to say it, like that even is true of like classes that I've taken, even sessions that people are putting on inside. So like this is really near and dear to my heart and I am excited to.

hear more about how you came to this path yourself. Like, what do you love about being in nature?

Ceiara Cartony (00:58)
That's super special that you can appreciate that. So thanks for sharing that. ⁓ Doing yoga in nature kind of fell into my lap organically. It actually started when I was a new mom and I was a full-time stay at home mom. ⁓ I shortly after became a certified instructor and I didn't have the availability to accommodate a studio schedule.

So I started teaching with a group that was at the park ⁓ down in Florida. And it became my everything, being a mom and being within my community out in the park. ⁓ And it just kind of evolved from there.

Travis Richardson (01:45)
Yeah, and you do quite a few different things even around Asheville. You're involved in, you do a sunset yoga and what are all the things that you do currently?

Ceiara Cartony (01:57)
yoga in the park, Asheville was my first baby, in 2019. And I also became, ⁓ part of Namaste in nature, ⁓ back in the same time. ⁓ and it was really a passion to just pursue this practice outdoors. just being within the natural elements around us. ⁓

I'm also tonight teaching a class with Asheville Selt Cave for the first time doing a sunset on the deck ⁓ collaborative. And we have another one in October. ⁓ But yeah, any place that I can find to unroll a mat outside is the goal.

Travis Richardson (02:48)
So tell me more about that. know, like a lot of people do yoga inside, nobody, ⁓ or a lot of people I don't think consider yoga being done outside. because there's the elements of the weather, maybe too hot, too cold, or what have you. So I guess what do you find more beneficial or as beneficial to do it outside than you do inside?

Ceiara Cartony (03:12)
I think it brings a new awareness of our practice, having the element of nature kind of chiming in unexpectedly. Say we're in triangle pose and looking up at the sky and all of a sudden you see a butterfly floating across the glass. You can feel the rays of sun hit your skin on a colder day or you're underneath the trees and.

it's warmer out, you feel the breeze kind of breeze across your skin. And it really just adds so much more to the practice that is not available to you within the classroom. And ⁓ I feel like also doing yoga on the earth's surface, it's not always even, it's not always super solid. And that really

⁓ creates a whole different foundation to your practice and your strengths within your body. ⁓ I always encourage students to give themselves a lot of grace because we're not on even ground, ⁓ over the... How many years have I been practicing outside? So many years. Over 15, probably at this point, 10, 15 years, ⁓ my practice is just so solid and supported because...

of that incorporation of kind of going with the flow of what nature presents.

Travis Richardson (04:42)
Mm-hmm. Yeah, like, you know for me I've had experiences when I'm out in nature, especially when I'm being more inward focused where I feel that I'm ⁓ More like one with like what's going on in the woods like I feel you know, I'm looking around and I feel more a part of I guess just the earth itself, but it sounds kind of funny to say that but I There's such an aliveness outside the

There's birds and there's wind and there's sun and there's clouds and things are all everything is moving. The grass is moving, the tree leaves are moving, the ⁓ insects are moving and you're moving and it just feels a lot more. It's easier for me to sort of get in sync with my own rhythm because there's like this rhythm all around me as well, you know.

Ceiara Cartony (05:30)
Absolutely.

Nature is queuing you constantly to kind of slow down and disconnect and really be in your space. And it could be a challenge if you're not used to being outside and you get, you know, distracted by things that are outside naturally. ⁓ But over time, I think it really helps us ⁓ connect more with what we hold in ourselves.

because we come from nature and we have evolved in such an overstimulated culture of screens and devices and ⁓ being out in the woods on trails or within our park space really allows us to create time to craft around being within yourself and your breath and your mind and not everything else.

the

Travis Richardson (06:29)
Totally. What's your biggest aha moment that you've ever had? Have you ever had any pretty decent transformation experiences for yourself? Or is it just sort of a thing that you just do, low level? How does it show up for you?

Ceiara Cartony (06:44)
⁓ it's funny. I really can't pinpoint one moment. I mean, I have so many stories, but I think it's, it doesn't matter how often and how much time I've spent with my, mind and my body and my breath in nature. It never gets old. There's always something that comes up that I feel so glad I did that. So glad I spent.

Travis Richardson (06:53)
Hahaha

Ceiara Cartony (07:12)
the time and the efforts to get to where I was going and be with my mental space and my body of movement and breath. ⁓ I recently had gone, just last week, I was sick battling a cold and I had to go up to Craggy Gardens. It was recently open and that's one of our micro retreat locations.

And I had to go, I had no choice but to go that day while I was sick. And I'm like, well, we're going to do this. I'm going up this, this hike. It's, it's a short but steeper hike and certainly not something I wanted to do when I had a head cold going on. And I felt so good in my body after that. And it kept with me to the point where I was laying in bed and I felt like I had too much coffee.

that day, but I had not changed my caffeine intake or anything. And it was clear that that natural being on the mountaintop, especially in that area, was so invigorating and so beneficial.

Travis Richardson (08:08)
Mm.

Well, that's the,

I'm told there's like an energy vortex somewhere up and then around there. Is that, maybe that's part of your, the vibes you were getting, huh?

Ceiara Cartony (08:33)
Absolutely. Yes, Kraggy Gardens is known for falling within the space in the mountains. There's these what they call lay lines and they're intersecting lines that go around the earth and through landscapes. And when they intersect, they form like energy pockets. And this energy is said to be at the Kraggy Gardens, ⁓ specifically where we do our meditation on

⁓ at a gazebo that's about halfway up the trail. ⁓ But that space is absolutely special. There are ⁓ natural quartz pieces sticking up out of the ground. We've had some really beautiful ⁓ micro-retreats in groups there ⁓ that have felt that beautiful energy of connection.

Travis Richardson (09:27)
Yeah,

very cool. And just for the listeners, quartz is kind of like a conjunctor of frequency. It really amplifies and resonates ⁓ with the Earth's frequency. So I guess the idea is being around quartz, you're ⁓ sort of getting the main benefit. Now, we also are on the same ley line, I think, as Sedona, which is a really very well-known spiritual ⁓ place out there. So I think, is that right? Am I right about that?

Ceiara Cartony (09:50)
Yes.

We've had people come and say, we've been to Sedona. Now we want to come over here and try our experience at Craigie Gardens. Yeah.

Travis Richardson (10:04)
Yeah,

cool. I have a quick little story I heard the other day. This is some lore of Asheville maybe a lot of the listeners haven't heard. ⁓ Pretty interesting. And that is we have, so a little off topic, but it's sort of still there. Dr. Vasant Ladd who ⁓ owns Aryaveda.com is the guy that brought Aryaveda literally to the West in my opinion. I think they used to be out his organization in Santa Fe. Well, ⁓ the story goes, I was told from somebody

amongst their ⁓ organization is that he, when he was looking for a new place to locate, he wanted to find a place that was sustainable for his mission, spiritual mission, ⁓ health and wellness mission, yoga. mean, he's got a pretty sizable international ⁓ presence and could have went anywhere. I mean, literally could have went anywhere and set up shop. But he chose Asheville because when he got off the airplane, he's like,

⁓ This is it. Like it was said that he knew right away. This is it. So his team had went on ahead of him and figured out like, you know, where are the spots to go? And like, all right, we think we found one. It's in Asheville. And he comes out here. He's like, yeah, you're right. ⁓ So, so Asheville, like the truth is we got some stuff going on. It's maybe it's the courts. Maybe it's something else. But there's some sensitive people that feel it.

Ceiara Cartony (11:29)
Absolutely, it is a beautiful place. mean, like I said, I've done specifically one of our tours hundreds of times and I look forward to it every time like I've never been.

Travis Richardson (11:42)
Yeah, so tell me more about the micro retreats because and then how also like, how do you run the the I mean, if I were to go on ⁓ a hike, a hike and then do yoga afterwards, how long is the hike? What is the terrain like? Like, how do you weave that in such that it's mindful and not going to be too like overwhelming to do all of it? I'm just curious how the whole thing gets ran.

Ceiara Cartony (12:07)
Yeah.

Well, that's exactly the goal with Namaste Nature is so that it is all people that are most able-bodied accessible. Our tours, we have three different options, locations with four different tour options. We have our Kraggy Gardens location. It actually takes place right now starting from the

Craggy Gardens Visitor Center. It was formerly starting at the picnic area, but that is still under construction with post-Hillene damages. So we hope by next, I think the end of next year, it should be ready. But it's basically the same experience that tours two hours and we incorporate our hiking with surrounding history and wisdom of the area of the surrounding.

⁓ trees and flowers and all the things that just make the Blue Ridge Mountains so beautiful. And then we incorporate in all levels friendly yoga session separate from a meditation. So there's a meditation piece and a yoga piece. ⁓ We have a team of 12 of us, ⁓ guys, certified instructors.

And we all have an authentic offering. Some of us offer Oracle card readings. Some of us bring essential oils or even crystals. Hot tea ⁓ depends on the time of year, but a lot of the times for our mountaintop because it is significantly higher. Once you get to the bald, it is 5,600 feet. So it's usually at least 20 degrees colder up there than it is in the city of Asheville.

So we like to provide hot tea, but just all really the opportunity to disconnect from your day-to-day agenda. We even take pictures throughout the entire tour and the guests receive that 48 hours after their hike in an email so that they can be completely immersed and not worried about capturing the moments. That's part of what we do. ⁓ Our other two locations, we are at Tom's Creek Falls in Marion.

Travis Richardson (14:22)
Nice.

Ceiara Cartony (14:29)
And that location specifically has an old Micah mine ruin. ⁓ The entrance of the mine was actually accessible, well, not to actually go in it, but to see it, view it, and take pictures in front of it. But right now it's currently covered in trees from Storm Helene. So we're hoping that will be unveiled once again, checking it out during the winter months. ⁓

but that is a really cool location. There's not actually a lot of information on that location, but it ⁓ was an area that was used for mining mica. And the flood that happened in 1916 shut down that ⁓ structure for good and they no longer used it, but there is remains of what is believed an old water wheel alongside the waterfall. And there's

Travis Richardson (15:25)
Mmm, cool.

Ceiara Cartony (15:29)
An area where we bring our guests that I call it the private oasis and it's you get up to the top of where the waterfall comes down and it's like this private little Cove and we sometimes do our meditation there and then depending on your group Sometimes we go beyond and there's a private waterfall a little bit further down ⁓ that trail is Under a mile to the actual 60 foot waterfall

Travis Richardson (15:52)
space.

Ceiara Cartony (15:59)
and there's locations within the woods that we do our yoga sequence ⁓ alongside the river. And then our third location is Catawba Falls, which is one of the most popular waterfall locations in Western North Carolina. ⁓ This is 1.2 miles to the 100 foot waterfall. ⁓ Absolutely spectacular. ⁓ There are all

many different water elements throughout the trail leading up to the actual waterfall. ⁓ And there's an old hydroelectric system building that remains that used to power the whole town of Old Fort back in 1920s. Yeah, there's the remaining dam and there's a few old structures that still remain super cool.

Travis Richardson (16:44)
Ooh, that's cool. There you go.

Mm.

That's fun,

Ceiara Cartony (16:56)
Yeah, so that those the waterfall tours are three hours long because they're a little bit longer. Yeah.

Travis Richardson (17:01)
Okay.

⁓ How many people are from ⁓ like Asheville, Ashevillians versus how many are from out of town?

Ceiara Cartony (17:13)
So the majority of our guests that attend our visitors are people that ⁓ I think it falls into most people frequent the area ⁓ and visit every year, but some people have never even been on a hiking trail before, have never experienced yoga before, which is again why we make our experiences all levels. You don't need any.

hiking gear or any special shoes or anything, we recommend closed shoes, but ⁓ you can certainly be comfortable in what you're doing with us. ⁓ we are all ready to accommodate the absolute beginner to ⁓ experience practitioners as well.

Travis Richardson (18:06)
Well, I think it's really cool that you kind of hit a lot of, few birds with one stone, I guess, which is that you, I mean, you're connecting with the nature piece, you're connecting with each other. So you're solving for what I would say is a lot of the loneliness that we have. And some of the most powerful modalities that you can bring to bear on loneliness are going, is spending time in nature. One, number two, spending time with others.

And three, spending time with yourself and really checking in with yourself. And that's via yoga. And you also are providing a bit of a history as you walk on the hike as well. I feel like, and I really love that something I really like about Asheville in general is the way that we're so creative here. We have so many people that are doing such cool things like that, where they're taking this modality and that modality and this experience and that experience and combining them and trying to figure out ways to create a

Ceiara Cartony (18:44)
absolutely.

Travis Richardson (19:04)
Wellness in a way that's you know unique I don't we have a really unique culture around all this and I think it's and Namaste nature is all part of that. So I think it's it's really awesome what you're what you're doing. How do you see your business? Expanding I know we had the hurricane obviously I as has all wellness related and other Tourist related businesses have suffered of course ⁓ How have you recovered? What's your?

Ceiara Cartony (19:10)
Yeah.

Travis Richardson (19:34)
kind of go going forward plan and where do see yourself expanding into in the coming years?

Ceiara Cartony (19:41)
I love that question. actually, no, yeah. So when Helene hit, were like, God, like Catawba Falls had just recently opened from renovations ⁓ and it had only been open so long. And so we were just getting excited to be back on the trail with that. ⁓

Travis Richardson (19:44)
It was a lot. I apologize for three questions.

Ceiara Cartony (20:06)
And craggy gardens is also a seasonal we do our waterfall hikes year round but craggy gardens was seasonal so it was about that time where we were done ⁓ at that location. We were really just waiting to hear from the Parkway Service ⁓ of updates and we're really excited we get to utilize this space a little bit longer this year. ⁓

It was really just about waiting, waiting and letting nature heal ⁓ and respecting what will be of the new tours if we needed to change anything due to any damages. But for the most part, everything kind of picked up where we left off and we were very fortunate. I have a very patient team waiting of ⁓ just kind of.

waiting for Asheville to bounce back and be on the rise. And that's exactly what's happening. I know that there were a lot of businesses lost and it's been a slower season naturally, but we're looking forward to what's to come. We will pursue yoga in the park till the end of ⁓ October, sometimes through mid November. ⁓ But during the winter months is the

slower time of the season naturally every year and it's a really good time that we regroup. ⁓ I have something that I can't actually talk about just yet but something very exciting.

Travis Richardson (21:34)
Yeah, those are my

favorite. You can allude to it though.

Ceiara Cartony (21:38)
I'm like, so I really, it's like not 100 % legit, but it ⁓ set, so I can't say anything just yet, but we do have, I mean, partnering with Asheville Salt Cave, for instance, having opportunities like that, it's just so wonderful, because that's ⁓ a local event. So I'm really excited for that. ⁓ Even though weather is...

looking a little weary, that's always our main concern with weather. And I didn't talk about that yet, but really what we like to do is learn how to dance in the rain. It's not about what the weather's looking like, it's about what you're wearing and being prepared for it. So we do our micro retreats and classes, all weather accommodating, ⁓ unless it's threatening, ⁓ flooding or.

lightning thunderstorms we will cancel but usually we wait until last minute as our weather is very shifty.

this hopeful, super exciting thing coming up will be incorporating micro retreats in the local community. Not just, I mean, everybody's always welcome, but the demographic for micro retreats just happens to fall into people visiting and not.

living here and so we have some things that we're going to expand. I mean, I do have various talents on our team and I've been all year thinking about how we can bring more diverse options to what we can do within our spaces of sound healing. We have

Travis Richardson (23:04)
you

Ceiara Cartony (23:28)
various wellness and healing practitioners of their unique crafts within our team.

Travis Richardson (23:38)
Nice. Well, you're using the inner resources that you already have and that's always easier to do than to go out and find someone else that's not on your team. So that makes sense. And also I have seen that there's a lot of business owners, you're not the first to say that there's been a turning ⁓ back to the community of Asheville to... ⁓

sort of revamp or reframe some of their offerings so that it's a little more appealing to the local crowd just because there's less of the non-local crowd. And I think that's a smart move. And I think that it's appreciated too because the, you know, people here are hungry for experiences that are especially outdoors. I mean, we have a huge, I mean, lot of the people that moved to Asheville specifically do here because it's such a no.

amazing place to do outdoor activities. So I think you're really in alignment here with what you're what you're saying if that comes to fruition. And of course, by the way, let me know how I can help because I love supporting that kind of thing. And micro retreats. Can you so those are these like half day events, you probably are maybe you said that earlier, they're like half day events, like how are they? Why would somebody so pitch that to a local who's listening? Why would they want to come to a micro retreat?

Ceiara Cartony (24:41)
I love you.

Well, that is, it's an excuse to get out in nature and not have a commitment of two, three, four plus days of traveling, of spending a ton of money.

Travis Richardson (25:13)
to restart.

Ceiara Cartony (25:14)
So our micro retreats are intended to be like a micro dose of wellness. So you're not over committing your time. We start our micro retreats first thing in the morning to avoid crowds, to create that serene environment for the experience. And you've done your yoga, you've done your meditation and your movement after two or three hours and you still have time.

for the rest of the day. You feel really good in your body because that's how you started your day.

Travis Richardson (25:45)
Yeah, think that, and so you have other modalities too, like would you have like maybe the sound healing, some sort of restorative processes that you'd have people go through as well.

Ceiara Cartony (25:59)
Yeah, ⁓ we have some people on our team that offer sound healing options if it's requested by our guests. ⁓ I always encourage everybody if they want to bring a singing bowl on their hike with them, like a smaller one, not our crystal larger ones. ⁓ And absolutely.

We strive to teach a yoga practice that is complimentary to our hike because we're moving, we're working up, you know, our heart rate, we're using our legs a lot. So we're certainly not going to go into the woods, get on our mats and do some crazy vinyasa power flow. It's purposefully.

all levels accommodating, but more of like a slow, mindful movement of let's be in our bodies. Let's observe the nature around us and unravel all the movement that we just did through our hike.

Travis Richardson (27:01)
Here's another question I've been curious about just in general. And I love asking these kinds of questions because they speak to something that I think is really important right now, which is that of ⁓ we have an epidemic of loneliness and depression and we all are so connected and because we're so connected, we're very disconnected. If you know what I mean. Have you seen an increase in demand and desire for more

wellness related events like what you do that are done in groups and in communities. Like you've been doing this for at least what five, six years now. Have you seen any changes over that over the course of five or six years, even in that regard?

Ceiara Cartony (27:42)
I've actually received, I see a lot of solo people, which I love. Like for a minute we had contemplated on maybe not allowing single bookings. is, know, ⁓ sometimes people don't want a one-on-one experience. We really want to incorporate like group experiences, but.

We've had both and we love offering one-on-one, but we also love the fact that people solo travel and wanna incorporate wellness or getting out in nature, but they're not familiar with the town or whatever it may be. And they have that opportunity to join in on a public tour. And I've had people just one-on-one tell you their life story and you have this connection. We always say,

every guide ends up with the group that they're meant to be with because some of the people and the reflections of the experiences from the guides and the the guests are just Transformative ⁓ I I can say for me this I did this hike with this one Person and they said I felt like I left with a new best friend like it was that kind of connection and they were able to be

Travis Richardson (28:55)
Mmm.

Ceiara Cartony (28:58)
vulnerable because they didn't have other people along the trail with them. But then there's the other group experiences where people make friends and end up connecting the rest of the time of their time in town and maybe reconnect years to come because they had the opportunity to meet with strangers and feel supported and comfortable.

Travis Richardson (29:21)
Totally, I honestly think that's the best place to meet people is on hikes. I mean, for me, there's something special about moving through the woods and it's sort of kind like you're just like on a mission to do some things together. And it feels like, you there's a little bit of, you have to support each other too. ⁓ Maybe this person didn't bring water. Well, this person has water or.

this person gets a cramp in their leg on the way and you have to stop and be like, hey, it's cool. I'll stop with you here. And so there's just so much to talk about. And it seems like words come out so much easier and even things that are sometimes hard to talk about just come flowing right out on a hike. It feels like it's this natural permission that we all give ourselves to just be ourselves. And I think that's a really important thing. So thanks for offering that to people. really, I love that what you do. ⁓

Ceiara Cartony (29:47)
Great. ⁓

Travis Richardson (30:16)
By the way, one of my best friends I ever met was on a hike. It was the craziest thing. I hike. like, and I say to him, say his actually was his wife. said, I was just speaking in general. said, Oh my God, look at this view out there. I like it. It was around the Arboretum area. I said, look at the view here. And she's like, Oh my gosh, it is. It's really amazing. Isn't it? And all of sudden she's like, you know, we start talking about some hikes and things and she's like, Hey, you should, uh,

you should meet my husband. And so he comes over and we start talking and pretty soon we're scheduling a bike ride together. So those are the cool stories I think that can happen. ⁓ Yeah, so okay, about you, I'm curious, which you have, as far as you're curious about your favorite personal hikes or outdoor things that you like to do. ⁓ When you have time, of course, if you're doing everything for others, it's always

sometimes challenging, like what hikes do you like to do around Asheville?

Ceiara Cartony (31:17)
there's so, there's so many.

Travis Richardson (31:18)
I know,

like, as soon as I said that, I'm like, I just asked probably the hardest question so far. if somebody asked me that, would say for me, it's Black Balsam Knob. I love it over there. And it's such a rewarding hike to see the vistas, you know, once you're up there.

Ceiara Cartony (31:31)
Yeah.

The Art Loeb

Trail and John Rock is awesome. The trail out in Montreat is slipping my mind right now. ⁓ It could be short, gosh, why am I forgetting? It could be a short loop of a mile or it could go like seven miles. And I accidentally hiked it one day.

Travis Richardson (31:51)
I know what you're talking about. That's a good one too.

Ceiara Cartony (32:05)
That day I went to the ⁓ lookout trail down the street from there. I forget what it was called. It was only like a mile to the top. And when I got to the top, there were so many people up there and I was like, I really wanted more connection in nature. was just, it was a very crowded trail. So I went down the street and did accidental seven miles because I didn't read the map very well and it was my first time and I...

Travis Richardson (32:24)
Hmm.

Yeah

Ceiara Cartony (32:36)
I came back down and it started snowing and it was my first time on this trail and I did not see the trail. So I started getting anxious, but I was like, I'm tuning into my surroundings and really just like getting connected with nature's cues. And that's how I felt my way back to the actual entrance. because by the time I got back to the ⁓ lower area, it was completely covered in snow and you just couldn't see anything.

Travis Richardson (32:57)
Yeah.

⁓ dang. Those are some of the best stories, though. Those make the best best stories later on. It's when you accidentally go somewhere where you probably shouldn't. ⁓ I did that out at Joshua Tree, and that was a no, no go. That was like not good because I was out in the desert, man. I was like freezing and I had a GPS call my my buddy. Thank God it worked because I lost my I lost my way because trail there was no like, you know.

Ceiara Cartony (33:06)
Thank you.

was beautiful.

Travis Richardson (33:33)
trail to really fall. So I was out there and I'm like, surely I'm like, I look back, I'm like, surely I'm to be able to remember this is what it looks like from this perspective. So I am like, I'll just keep going straight. And I did for a while. I looked back and like, you know what, for the life of me, I have no freaking idea what I was looking at before, but I don't see how to get back from where that anybody, if anybody's been out West too, you don't want to get lost in Joshua tree or

Ceiara Cartony (33:36)
no.

We love you.

us.

Travis Richardson (34:03)
Death

Valley or whatever it is out there. It's like not really amazing. So ⁓ one wellness ritual for you like that you swear by like what do you do you do anything else that you that you love wellness related?

Ceiara Cartony (34:19)
I mean, it's not unique to what I love to offer is meditation. mean, I think that meditation practice is so important and it's so underrated. ⁓ It's a hard discipline, but it doesn't, if you're very connected with the routine of getting into a meditation that it becomes effective, it is...

the balance to everything. And it's really just understanding how to get there. And it's not that hard if you let it in.

Travis Richardson (34:57)
So here's my and you can help me here. So here's my two things. So I used to do transcendental meditation back like literally 30 years ago. It was a long time. And I did it pretty seriously. I it twice a day, 20 minutes was the prescription for that. And I, and I really actually was really transforming quite, quite rapidly as a person. I was much more calm inside and just kind of had a better, more serene sense of self. Like I just kind of was like,

I floated through life a little bit differently than I had before I started meditating. And I had gotten out of it. And I haven't really meditated since. I'm 49 years old now. And that was like when I was 20, 22, 23, something like that. And I don't know. I don't know what my sticking point is, but it feels like taking the time to meditate when it feels like it's not going to result in any tangible outcome.

That's where my brain goes. That's where my mind is totally trips me up. How would you tell somebody like me to start back or to start a meditation practice ⁓ in the easiest way that would feel good to make me want to do it? Because it feels like to me, it feels sometimes like a chore. I'm just be honest and I don't like that about myself. don't honestly wish I could change that. I'm ⁓

Ceiara Cartony (36:17)
money.

Travis Richardson (36:22)
But even then, that's like not even amazing, right? The fact that I even just said that. But I don't like that about myself. ⁓

Ceiara Cartony (36:27)
No,

I think that ⁓ meditation really helps us find clarity. Again, we're in a world that is just so overstimulated all the time. It's so many expectations and tasks and agendas and when do we stop? When we sleep? I mean, if we're consciously trying to check out but still be here, that is truly the way to go. have...

Again, so many stories of finding clarity and balance in my life. And it's always because of meditation and movement, not necessarily like yoga, yoga, just movement and allowing things to surface. And that's what meditation does for us is we are becoming witness to what is, and we're being put into a place that

feels uncomfortable. And that is the first step in releasing what we don't need. That is the first step of facing these big things that we hold on to. And ⁓ meditation just helps us find that truth and stay connected to that over and over. It's never going to be, I'm sorry, it's never going to be a... ⁓

Travis Richardson (37:45)
Do you know keep going

Ceiara Cartony (37:51)
solid, it's not like, okay, I've done that, I'm gonna check this off my list and move forward. It's always something that needs to come back, like changing your socks, like drinking, drinking water every day, it has to be replenished.

Travis Richardson (37:56)
Yeah.

I feel like sometimes just when even like I'm focusing on my breath, like it puts me into a meditation that is spontaneous. And sometimes that's what I'll do. I'll just be aware. It's like being aware of your posture. Like right now I'm like, I should sit up straight. And then I'm like, I should check in with my breath. And already that's getting me into a different like level of consciousness. And I think for me, I guess I do a little micro, I call micro meditations, I guess that are probably 30 seconds to maybe a minute long. ⁓

Ceiara Cartony (38:21)
it right.

Travis Richardson (38:37)
so like with meditation for me, I sometimes also will go on a walk and that seems to be, I don't know if I would call it meditation, but it definitely clears my mind. What kind of meditations do you do? Do you do walking meditations? Are you more seated? Are you lying down? What do you consider meditation?

Ceiara Cartony (38:58)
I, it's funny you should ask, over the years of experience, meditation practice has changed a little bit, but for the most part, finding a clear, quiet space, clearing my environment around me, sitting and being in a quiet meditative space with my mala beads, ⁓ but not always utilizing mala beads. That was one thing that I really needed to help me.

stay on track with embedding myself in meditation. But if I work through Dheerga breath, which is the three part breath starting from the low belly to the midsection to the chest and then back down, just going through a few rounds of Dheerga breath to get my mind connected to stillness and quiet and then just surrendering to that and trusting in that. And I think that that's the biggest key.

And something that I live by over the past decade is to trust and let go and trust and let go over and over.

Travis Richardson (40:06)
Hmm. I love that. And I have one thing I also have learned too, is you don't need a thousand different modalities and you don't need to search out for what is the best one. Like I have that tendency to kind of do that. What you really need to do is find one that you like and repeat it over and over again. I think is that's what came up for me when you, when you just said, the process. It's like, find something you like. It's like exercise, find the thing you like and do it. And don't worry about researching. Is it the best thing? Or it's like, nah, you like it.

Ceiara Cartony (40:31)
Absolutely.

Travis Richardson (40:35)
It's the best for you. Go with that. Yeah. Anything?

Ceiara Cartony (40:38)
Yeah. And with

the moving meditation is you're keeping your mind focused on your drishti, your focal point ahead of you and your breath and how it's moving in your body and keeping your breath regulated and not heightened or becoming erratic. And that is a pretty key part of moving meditation.

Travis Richardson (41:00)
Yeah. Yeah. Thanks for that. Thanks for that. Well, is there any other words of wisdom? I think we'll get ready to wrap it up for today. It's been an awesome conversation, like really finding out more about you. But what else do you have to share with the audience? What words of wisdom do you want to lead people with?

Ceiara Cartony (41:20)
I keep bringing it back to nature. mean, it's such a big part of my life. So I feel ⁓ it's interesting to even think too much about it, but it's ⁓ such a beautiful place that we live in. No matter if you're in a city or a beautiful mountain space, find green.

find a green space, is scientifically proven that it brings wellness into our body and better sleep and improves blood pressure and all the things. It's just an endless list. But keep bringing it back to nature. Don't let the weather be an excuse as to why you're not going out in nature. ⁓ Even throughout the winter, we are out on our micro retreats 30 degrees out and we are doing yoga in the woods and it is the

most invigorating and beautiful experience. Just layer up.

Travis Richardson (42:17)
Who needs a

cold plunge when you're with Namaste in nature in the winter?

Ceiara Cartony (42:21)
Right. my gosh. I feel like one of my favorite

hikes is I am so on top of the day and in my thoughts when I've just done that experience.

Travis Richardson (42:30)
Yeah.

That's awesome. Awesome. Well, thank you for your time, Ciara. It's been really, really fun. do hope to, you're welcome. And I do hope to ⁓ come out onto an experience with Namaste in nature. absolutely. Thank you and have a great day.

Ceiara Cartony (42:38)
Thank you, Travis.

Yes, please let me know. We'd love to have you.

Thank you too.