What are you working on, where are you from and where do you live?

My name is Maryam Ajayi, I am an Energy Healer and business growth strategist on soul’s mission to merge the healing and modern business worlds. I founded Dive In Well, a practice that aims to help socially conscious people and companies grow into their full potential. My passions include advocating for inclusive spaces for underrepresented communities, de-stigmatizing the wellness industry, and using my voice to empower and uplift others around the world. My likes include giggling, tacos, mango sorbet, and executing high kicks on dancefloors.

I was born in Nigeria and raised in the land of “crabcakes and football,” Maryland. Currently I am nomad, the world is my oyster and my body is my home, However, you can frequently find me between NYC and my hometown when not on an adventure.

Share with us some of the self-care rituals you practice:

Daily

I’ve recently let go of trying to have a daily practice because when I failed to do everything to a T, my inner critic would go wild. I’ve let go of what my day is “suppose to look like,” and instead focus on what my body needs.

I truly believe the  greatest gift you can give yourself is to “know thyself,” so I try to move as slowly as humanly possible because it puts me in the flow for the rest of the day. Typically, cause I’m not perfect, that means no email or social media in the morning to avoid “I should be’s” and compare and despair anxiety. I say a quick prayer and hello to my angels, ancestors, and spirits guides. I lay in bed for about an hour, I then do tongue scraping before brushing my teeth and force myself to drink water. I’ll then meditate in silence, using mala beads, or Insight Timer. I’ll then enjoy a cup of tea or decaf over some tunes and some sound healing by either listening to classical music or solfeggio frequencies while I kick off my day.

All day, every day, you can find me 1) lathering myself up in essential oils–I religiously use blends by my teacher David Elliot that work with the chakras and recently have been loving Fertile Alchemy’s Aromatic Oil to help balance my hormones 2) connecting with my breath, which for me, is vital and a constant to bring myself back into my body and 3) practicing energetic hygienic. Since I am an empath, I try to take cleaning showers daily and have started to carry a selenite palm stone with me.

Weekly

I’ve been a nomadic for the past 6 months, so finding a weekly self-care practice has been hard to stick to. However, when I am in back in Brooklyn, where I used to be full-time, my weekly ritual consists of seeing my chiropractor, Dr. Mike Fenster, because I subscribe to the fact that a clear spine = a clear mind, connecting with my community, treating myself to a chai latte at one of my favorite local coffee spots like Oslo, Black Brick or Variety (ok, this one may be daily) and taking myself on a date. Dating myself, which is a form of practicing self-love usually entails a very luxurious meal, because 1) a girl likes to eat and 2) if I don’t treat myself like a Queen, who will!

If I am on the road, I will find time to cook because it’s nourishing to my soul and way to connect with multiple senses. I’ll also ground by connecting  with nature by finding a park or beach to put my feet.

No matter where I am in the world, I will practice color therapy by either buying myself flowers or getting a manicure in the color related to a chakra that I either feel blockages in or want to greater connect with. I will also spend an entire day not speaking to another human being – only journaling, reading, writing, giving myself Reiki, watching TV, exploring, no clients or “work,” just getting back in tune with myself.

Monthly

I travel a lot, not just for work but for personal growth. Once a month I like to get away and explore a place I have never been. I am in a huge transition from leaving a full-time flexible job to working for myself. I know I have to be more financially frugal, but also since I can work from anywhere in the world that has a strong internet connection, this is one thing I can’t see myself giving up. Traveling forces you to shift your perspective, which means growth, and I am obsessed with growth.

I’ll do breathwork and/or rituals around the moon, so for the new moon, setting intentions and the full moon releasing, It’s something that has really affected the way I manifest.

Working with other energy healers as a way to connect with the divine is also important to me. I love going to breathwork circles (my favorite circle facilitators in NYC are Regina and St. Foxie), or doing one on one work with people who I trust with my energy, such as one of my Reiki Masters, Crow Mother or Christina Lovely, or get a nice massage.

Annually

Again, I like to do a big 2-week vacation once a year. Most of the time when I am traveling I am never really off, but once a year I really like to unplug and rest and truly just be present, which for me is a life lesson I am always working on.