FULL MOON FEVER

Zuzanna von Salm’s lunar gatherings and meditations bring calm and clarity.

BY NANCY KANE • PHOTOGRAPHY BY DIANA FRANK

By the light of the full moon, a group of women, dressed in flowy dresses, gather in a circle at a private home. There is sage smudging, rituals, candlelight. In the next few hours, they will meditate, move, create, share. They will laugh, cry, connect, heal. Welcome to Ceremonia Meditation’s Women’s Circle/Moon Gathering, a monthly convergence created for connection to oneself, to others, to nature.

At the center of the proceedings is Zuzanna von Salm, a former professional athlete turned successful fashion model, who, at the age of 26, made a commitment to change. So began an introspective wellness journey that continues to this day. She became a certified aromatherapist in 2015, and a meditation guide the following year. After the birth of her first child in 2017, she added certified meditation and HypnoBirthing teacher to her credentials.

Ceremonies and retreats are a natural extension of her life’s work and her mission: to create “containers” for change, growth and healing.

Von Salm began modeling at 15. It was way too early. Her mental health suffered with the pressure, and she struggled with eating disorders, anxiety and panic attacks.

“I started experimenting with various healing modalities,” she says. “Out of many things I tried, regular meditation practice was the thing that helped the most. After a few years of meditating, I quit modeling and became a facilitator at a meditation studio. Ceremonia Meditation is the marriage of the lessons from my personal healing journey, my incredibly insightful meditation teacher training, my creativity and love of beauty and bringing people together.”

Von Salm offers individual meditation courses, group guided meditations, curation and facilitation of intentional events—think baby blessings, wedding rituals, corporate gatherings—in addition to the monthly moon gatherings.

HypnoBirthing holds a special place in her heart. “When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I knew very little about pregnancy and childbirth and needed some answers,” she says. “In just five sessions of the HypnoBirthing course, I had the confidence to go for an unmedicated home birth. I remember thinking, ‘Every woman needs to complete this course!’ and soon after that I added HypnoBirthing to my teachings. I wanted to be able to offer an effective meditation method for my pregnant clients and HypnoBirthing is that and so much more.” Von Salm used HypnoBirthing to have a successful, unmedicated, natural, hospital twin birth.

With three children under the age of 6, her days are “intense and chaotic,” but von Salm makes time for wellness. “I often wake up before everyone else to meditate and stretch my body. The day is filled with kids’ activities and responding to their needs. I use the moments in between to catch up on work or for selfcare. Most days I take a break around 5PM to meditate again. It’s a big balancing act of making sure everyone is OK without getting overwhelmed and keeping my nervous system regulated. I am far from being a master of this act—I have no words for the wild, wonderful and challenging adventure of motherhood!”

Holistic health and spirituality are of paramount importance. “We live in a pandemic of stress, suppressed trauma, loneliness and disconnection. On top of that, the systems we live in are set up to keep us weak, scared and separated. To me, the new meaning of success is being healthy and interacting with the world with presence, love and compassion.”

Amid the chaos of the day, von Salm finds joy in the simple things: being fully present with her children and fully engaging in play with them, observing nature,

Happy Holistic Well-Being Tips

Start by asking yourself: what can I be doing better, with more presence and intention and set realistic goals (baby steps!) to get there

Eat clean, whole and real food, ideally local and seasonal

Spend lots of time outside and observing nature connecting talks with friends, exercising, a really good dance session, learning new things, and dressing up (she still loves fashion).

Von Salm offers mindful options for deeper healing, such as meditation courses and spiritual retreats.

Von Salm’s women’s retreat “Between Chaos and Stillness” takes place in Morocco from September 29 to October 5, with three days in Marrakech and three nights in the Agafay desert. ceremoniameditation.com

If possible, wake up with the sun, greet it and move the body

Take moments of silence and stillness throughout the day

Keep a strong meditation practice Nurture loving relationships (that means checking in on your family and friends a lot)

Be of service and perform regular, unconditional acts of kindness

Have a gratitude practice—even as simple as writing five things to be grateful for each day

Talk less and listen more

Buy less and create more

Replace screen time with reading

Maintain a breath work practice. A simple way to do this is to find reminders for the practice. For example, I take three deep breaths every time the light turns red, I take three deep breaths every time the phone rings, I take three deep breaths every time I have to type in a password.

Zuzanna von Salm