[#3] Olivia Hughes: Reiki Master, Yoga Teacher, Spiritual Mentor & Mama
Olivia Hughes
Reiki Master
Yoga Teacher
Spiritual Mentor
Mama
Meet Olivia Hughes (@yogaliv) certified Reiki Master, yoga teacher, spiritual mentor, and mama. Born in the Bay Area, her presence is that of nature, nurture and truth. She has helped numerous individuals, couples and families all over the world tap into their inner potential, self awareness and self forgiveness. She’s the co-creator of The OM Experience & Yoga in the Park, a weekly yoga class with Live Music, played by her husband and musician, Matt Hughes. Together they create retreats and healing experiences locally & internationally. Liv teaches Reiki trainings – level one, two, and three & finds a great deal of fulfillment in empowering people to connect with their energy and the energy that is a part of all of life.
Olivia, thank you so much for showing up for me and this interview series! It’s an honor to have you. Let’s kick things off with how you became involved with yoga…
My journey as a yoga student began in 2000. A friend took me to a heated yoga class and I was hooked! I decided to take my first yoga teacher training in 2010 and then another one with @elkayoga in 2011. I began teaching little by little after that but dove in heart first in the beginning of 2013 and started building my schedule towards teaching full-time.
What does a typical day look like for you? Or if you follow a morning or evening routine, what does that look like?
Right now, in this current season of my life, my days are focused around my almost 2 year old daughter. Motherhood has been the biggest blessing in my life and I’m soaking up every minute as much as I can. We pull cards in the morning and take nature walks together but my personal routine is done at night once my husband and I have put her to bed. It usually consists of a long hot “spiritual” shower. The time where I consciously wash away the day and come back to myself and my heart. I love taking my time after applying sacred oils, lotions, or creams to my face, body, and feet. I love using essential oils before bed as well as reading a little or listening to mantra music. Or I go sit outside in the garden. And honestly, some nights I fall asleep with her as I am tired some days after connecting and playing with a toddler all day.
My greatest lesson in motherhood at this moment is taking wonderful care of my mind, body, and spirit so that I can show up in a healthy and balanced way for my daughter and family. The foundation of her nervous system is being built off of mine and my husband’s so I want us to be in a space to handle the daily ups and downs without getting thrown off our centers.
You recently journeyed into motherhood and shared about your experience on @aPodcastforMoms. In this season of motherhood, what would you say has been your greatest lesson/opportunity?
My greatest lesson in motherhood at this moment is taking wonderful care of my mind, body, and spirit so that I can show up in a healthy and balanced way for my daughter and family. The foundation of her nervous system is being built off of mine and my husbands so I want us to be in a space to handle the daily ups and downs without getting thrown off our centers. For me that means giving myself some alone time each day to connect with my breath and heart, it means spending time in nature, eating real foods from the earth, drinking water, and sleeping well. Big lesson that I know in my head but and deepening in my heart is taking care of me is taking care of my family not the other way around.
You have received your Masters in Spiritual Psychology…
what led you to pursue this route for your higher education?
I felt called to enroll in my MA in Spiritual Psychology because it felt like a natural extension of the work I was already doing in my life at that time. A few years prior my Noni had passed and that brought up a dark period in my life, from that dark space I starting seeing a woman named Katherine every other week. She was previously a Buddhist monk so she was sharing with me new Buddhist perspectives, ideologies, levels of consciousness, a new way of being and thinking that I found deeply healing. I thought my time at USM would be an extension of that and it was in some ways. I was very curious to learn about spirituality and myself and so it was worth the monthly drives to Santa Monica, the tuition, and energy I put into it.
Tell us a little more about The OM Experience.
How did it come about?
The OM Experience @theomexperience came about through my relationship with my husband. His name is Matt and my name is Olivia so he suggested the OM (Olivia & Matt) experience when we were thinking for a title for our business. He saw it on a vision board I had hanging in my bathroom at the time. I wasn’t in love with it at first but it stuck and I really love it now because I feel like our classes of yoga and live music really are an experience and so are our retreats in Mexico so it actually feels very true to us and fitting. He’s always been the visionary to be honest.
My husband and I teach a donation-based class on Sundays at 11am in Balboa Park. Join us each week for outdoor yoga and live music!
What is your personal yoga practice like these days?
My personal yoga practice looks very present and connected to my breath these days. My breath is my best friend. I consciously tune into it as much as I can. The actual physical time on my mat each week is around 3 hours give or take right now and that’s ok. I’m practicing lots of yoga off my mat these days. But love that I have balboa each week as that gives me a space to flow and prepare for.
Aside from yoga, what fills your cup?
Nature fills my cup. The ocean specifically right now! But I love the mountains and desert too! Alone time fills up my cup. Deep friendships and sound healing as been a beautiful place for me to receive lately.
We love featuring local businesses! Do you have a favorite shop, restaurant, or business that you’d like to share with us?
Goddess of Avalon is where I purchase most of my oils, herbs, & tinctures from. I love healing and adorning myself in all things Mother Earth and Antoinette’s are made with deep love and intention which I feel in every product.
Is there any particular resource or practice that has been especially instrumental in your personal or professional growth?
I think self love is the most important quality to cultivate in one’s life. I believe deeply in and practice self forgiveness, self compassion, & self study. Our relationship with ourselves is the longest one we will ever have and I believe it mirrors all of our other relationships as well so a healthy relationship with oneself ripples out into everything we do and how we perceive the world as well. A great place to start is by spending some time alone without your phone so you can tune into your heart without distractions. Make you a priority without guilt. That been huge for me in this season of my life – so much so that I’m currently offering a 5 week online program called “Authentically You”. It’s a deep dive into oneself. Like I mentioned above, our relationship to self not only mirrors all our other relationships but it’s also one that is lifelong so finding peace within that space is life changing. Self love isn’t a skill most of us where taught so it’s powerful to come together with like minded individuals who want to evolve and grow as well. → You can find more info on my website under Olivia’s Offerings or by clicking the graphic below.
Connect with Olivia:
Website: theomexperience.com | Instagram: @yogaliv & @theomexperience