Expats are inspired to move to lakeside for a variety of reasons, yet how many actually make the move solely from an inner “calling,” without ever haveing been to the area?
Joely Nicole, a 46-year-old holistic practitioner and healing arts teacher, experienced this calling, which inspired her to close up her offices in Portland, Oregon, sell her car and buy a one-way ticket to Mexico in October 2017, knowing that she’d made the right decision.
Nicole first got light of lakeside from her Portland friend, James Twyman, a local spiritual practitioner who had been living at lakeside on and off for a few years, having recently become a permanent fixture in Ajijic.
“Without having been to lakeside, I knew this was where I needed to be,” says Nicole. “Portland, being fast paced, dark and shadowy, no longer met my needs to do my energy work. I knew it was time to live in a softer, lighter place. So far, lakeside, with its beauty and unique kind of magic, has more than met my expectations.”
Another thing that factored into Nicole’s decision to move were four significant people in her life who died within 16 months of each other.
“First, my father died, then my spiritual teacher, then my first client – a young woman with cancer – and, lastly, my grandmother, who died three months before I moved to lakeside. I got to spend her last night with her.”
Nicole started her healing practice six years ago, specializing in pain-body issues. “As an acutely sensitive woman, I was feeling a lot of bodily discomfort due to my sensitivities.”
Before beginning her practice, she met a teacher/doctor friend who took her under her wings. She also met a physiologist who became her mentor, then went on to receive trainings in a variety of healing arts, such as reiki, meditation and nutrition.
Nicole focuses the majority of her energy work by phone, but also conducts in-person sessions. “Working ‘virtually’ allows me to work from anywhere, connecting with people all over the world.
I offer tools and guidance to help these clients navigate their personal journey so that they may heal and flourish.
“Our bodies get stuck in pain, possibly from a childhood trauma, and we then feel terrible. Clients often tell me they don’t know what’s going on with them. That’s precisely when breakthroughs tend to happen. I help create an opening to allow in a little softness. I ask them questions and act as a mirror to help move them out of their rut.”
She adds: “When we lead by physicality rather than from our inner knowing, we may or may not be conscious of the ability to choose or lose an old narrative or idea of Self. Cycles and patterns repeat and we can become trapped in a belief of limits.
“Here’s an example I give to my students: We have a choice to be the hand or the brush. The hand needs to control the movements and strokes that we create; rather, a preconceived idea of what needs to happen next. This can be our own ideas or the ideas that society has created for us to live from.
“When we choose to be the brush, we have surrendered control and have activated the consciousness, or frequency, that allows us to know we are always held, led and wholly activated in the highest possible experience. With this surrender comes new color, new vitality, new abundance.”
Describing herself as disciple of the “mystical” Christ, following the Gnostic tradition, Nicole recognizes how her spirituality is not separate from her healing practice. “How can one separate from their spiritually when doing healing work? My spiritual practice allows me to let go of walls and boundaries of how I serve clients. All of the major religions are trying to give us tools that connect us to something true and radiant, if its done in a way that allows us choice and free will.”
Along with her healing work, Nicole is also committed to supporting and promoting people, products and services that nurture and encourage health, joy and radiant wellbeing. One such person is Nora Maval, owner of Luna Cacao, who recently opened her new café in Ajijic, La Casa del Cacao.
“Meeting Nora, we immediately hit it off and I felt moved to support her in spreading her passion and knowledge about cacao, not just in Ajijic but beyond,” says Nicole. “I want people to know about the good work she’s doing and the quality products she’s creating.
“As human beings, we’re always birthing new cycles, entering into new transitions. Because each day we’re different, we need to be able to reset ourselves. Learning to be compassionate with myself in all my transitions has allowed me to be compassionate with others; to offer healing and support on a deeper level.”
Contact Joely Nicole at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">.