Dear Friends,

As many of you have read, last Friday, I made the decision to close Everyday Zen Relaxation Studio. I notified you immediately with an spontaneous email.  Now, that I am feeling more grounded, I can tell you what's going on in a more authentic way.  This is not the whole story, but it's a little bit of it.  I'll send out another email in a couple of days with more details about how to redeem gift cards, use up your massage packages and receive great massage from qualified therapists in the comfort of your own home.

Most of you know that I sold EZRS in 2013.  It was my intention to free myself of the hustle of managing employees and marketing the business to meet the $10,000+ monthly overhead so that I could focus on coaching.  Everyday Zen was a thriving business, but it took ALL my attention to keep it that way.  Although I loved everything about running the brick-and-mortar business, coaching women and facilitating their transformation felt more vital and life-affirming.  I decided to sell so that I could live abroad while focusing on my passion and the clients and supporters of EZRS would still be able to get massages, facials and waxing at a beautiful place they loved.  I was hoping for a win-win situation.  OMG!  I was so excited that someone was willing to take over the programs, nurture them and love them; and even more excited about the prospects of sitting in a cafe and sipping tea while putting together my coaching modules, hosting group calls from my Parisian apartment and writing my novel in the wee hours of the morning. The thing is, right when I was in the throes of selling the studio, my mom was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.  RIGHT AT THE SAME TIME!  I got a buyer-- my mom was diagnosed. I was utterly devastated. I had never lost someone so dear to me and I had no idea that losing her would send me on a deep journey to the center of my very own being.  Actually, it was letting go of EZRS AND my mom that sent me spiraling.

2014 was as heart-breaking as it was powerful.  Many of you followed my adventures and I'm really grateful for it.  You'll know that I found myself in New York, Montreal, Indonesia, India and France.  Moving every two to three months, every single place was unplanned and unexpected.  The universe was offering me great beauty and showing me that I was fully supported in all things at all times; and I was surrendering more and more with each day.  But the first part of the year was purely terrifying for me. Mom's death and the absence of family, being far away from my friends, no work to ground me or distract me... I had never felt more alone and frightened; I had never been so physically and emotionally sick.  I locked myself away for the winter in gray Montreal and simply dealt with it.  I was suffering from severe anemia and a depression so low that I called a suicide hotline.  I even slipped on the ice and got a concussion.  But through lots and lots of prayer and meditation, I became stronger emotionally and then my body started to follow. 

In November of 2014, after learning that the purchaser of the studio was not going to be able to continue running it, I begrudgingly decided to return to Long Beach to assess its condition. I was welcomed home heartily, and it felt good to be relaunching the old programs and even setting up new ones!  But something was desperately wrong.  I felt enthusiastic, but I was watching something that felt doomed to fail.

I liked what I was doing well enough, but there were many key areas of contention.  I won't go into all the details, but the most important thing was that I was too distracted to focus on my passion.  Instead, I found myself managing employees who couldn't make it in to work, juggling inventory and schedules, doing maintenance and hemorrhaging mon ey.  Because things had happened so fast, I didn't realize that I had put myself in the middle of starting a new business without any capital.  RULE #1:  To start a new business-- YOU MUST HAVE CAPITAL!  Trying to relaunch this business in a half-ass manner was not a good idea.  My bank account didn't like it and neither did my soul.  
How did this happen???  I was in France taking long hikes, enjoying the peace that comes after the emotional storm I had experienced in Bali and India.  How did I find myself in a business that had been run down and neglected without a good plan for rebuilding? 

Well, the thing that I realized is that just because the business was still open, it did not mean that I had to keep it open. I needed this time from November until May to realize exactly what it is I DID NOT WANT.  And then I needed from May to June to realize all the possible ways in which I could STOP DOING WHAT I DID NOT WANT TO BE DOING.  On June 26th, I realized it in a flash; and that's when I wrote the email saying that I was going to close the doors and sell all the beautiful furniture. 

Healing touch is one way to offer love and service to women, but it isn't the key to unlocking their souls.  My sacred work is helping women peel back the layers of self-doubt, even self-loathing in many cases, and to re-awaken a tremendous fearlessness that exists inside of them.  I LOVE THIS WORK and I am freaking awesome at it.  This is what I want to do for the rest of my life-- helping women prosper, grow and thrive.  I want to help them awaken their creativity, their desire.  I want to help them see what's holding them back from achieving their dreams.  I want to help them heal their wounds and MOVE ON from the old paradigms of guilt and unworthiness.  I want to help women thrive.

This is where I want to put ALL of my focus and my energy.  I love my employees; and I would rather have lunch with them, than to try to manage them.  I love Everyday Zen; and it takes $10,000 a month just to meet the basic overheads. I want to put my attention where it feels right-- empowering women.  That's what I'm going to do all the time.

You've seen that I am offering workshops and retreats.  Those are all part of my work through Spiritcentric.  We will be hosting our last few events at Everyday Zen, but we will be finding other locations around the city once the studio is closed. I will keep you posted. 

I do hope that you will keep in touch with me.  You can reach me at CrystalLynn@Spiritcentric.com.  I am currently revamping the website at www.Spiritcentric.com and revamping my blog at www.CrystalLynnBell.com.  You are invited to check them out, but they are both under construction.  I hope to be rolling out all of my programs by September 1st.  Please join my Spiritcentric email list and I will keep you posted on upcoming workshops, retreats and opportunities to travel together. 

I am still gathering schedules and bios for the massage therapists.  I hope to have that ready tomorrow.  I'll write you details of how you can hook up with a great one this month and then have their services in your home in the future. 

OH!  Lastly, this Saturday and Sunday afternoon, I am going to open the doors to start selling the studio furniture.  In order to be out of here by the end of the month, I need to start now, so if you want to make some purchases, please come over this weekend.  Both days, I'll be open from 12:00-4:00, just for sales.  Please come on by.  Email me if you have any questions! 

Wishing you all the joy of a sensational summer,
Crystal Lynn