#83: Erla Sól
“Exercise the freedom you have in your life. Wherever you are free, live it and love it.”
Erla Sól (@erla__sol) is a healing arts practitioner and herbalist working within the systems of traditional Japanese Reiki, somatic breathwork therapy, flower essences, and women’s bodywork. She runs the healing community, Soul Sanctuary.
#83: Erla Sól
Leo/Libra/Virgo
Reykjavík, Iceland
What does health, or being healthy, mean to you?
True health is experiencing a lightness of being that feels both buoyant and rooted, with the capacity to be kind and compassionate to oneself and all beings. The healthiest people are thoughtful, present, and attuned to the people around them and their ecosystem. Vital beings have a capacity for noticing and creating beauty, sustaining intimacy, and connecting with inner wisdom.
My path is living according to the way of my natural energy, honoring the energy available to me in any given moment and taking appropriate action from that awareness. This is the best way to cultivate long lasting healthy energy flow. We create the conditions for vitality when we allow ourselves to move in accordance with the patterns of our own inner nature, the seasonal rhythms, and the movement of celestial bodies.
On a practical level, this means if I’m feeling clear and active, I keep it moving. If I’m feeling emotionally dense and lethargic, I lean into that and allow myself to slow down and expend my energy wisely. Health comes from the awareness that we are fully vulnerable to the energies of the cosmos and nature at all times.
How would you describe your current lifestyle?
Upward spiral but down and in, deep into the body. Each week feels like a new cycle, bringing deeper layers of growth, awareness, and connection. My life right now is centered around being social, building community, and nurturing my friendships. I build my schedule around when I can connect with daylight, move my body, and the time I can spend with loved ones. I have crafted a lifestyle where I can devote myself to tending to my vessel to be of service from a place of lightness and connection with myself, nature, and spirit.
How do you start and end your days?
Living in one of the coldest and darkest places in the world, I’ve learned to love the constant turn of extremes in external conditions and lean into long flowing rituals to keep my energy warm and my spirit shining. The cyclical movement from beaming twenty-four hour sunlight to complete withdrawal into darkness means auditing my routines and habits regularly to ensure they align with the seasons and my inner realm. I try my best to not hold on to things I think I “should” be doing and rather trust my own body cues as they are constantly changing with the light.
In this season, I rise in complete darkness and light candles in the bedroom and enjoy the warmth. I move into the living room to light candles there and drink an overnight infusion of lymphatic herbs with lemon. I rinse my face with warm water, face massage, braid my hair with oils, and tongue scrape. I sit on the couch for an hour to read, study, and journal as I sip the herbs. If I’m in a period of cleansing and integration, I’ll fast for the first part of the day sipping warm lemon water with Hawaiian black salt, cayenne pepper, and raw honey. Then I make breakfast and coffee, often listening to positive programming or tending to work tasks. Once I feel nourished and awake, I may choose to meditate, stretch, head out for a brisk walk on the beach, or go to the gym for infrared hot yoga, circuit training, or a mat Pilates class.
After movement and stretching I dry brush, sauna, steam bathe, swim a few laps in the salt pool, and soak in the hot tub. After showering I do a full body gua sha and cupping regimen with lymphatic wild herbal oils which feels invigorating and nurturing to my nervous system. I try to keep my womb (and my entire body for that matter) warm at all times, especially during this time of year.
Daily movement is and always has been an incredibly important foundation for my wellbeing. I grew up as an athlete, dancing, swimming, and running. I have an inner fire that needs to burn freely and my mother knew early on to cultivate this in me, for which I am incredibly grateful. I’ve tried just about everything to find that I feel vibrant and whole when I incorporate a variety of movement styles into my week, but always coming back to my yoga practice and intuitive stretching as often as possible. The time spent on the floor just listening to my body and giving what needs unwinding extra tending is where my highest healing emerges.
