How to take care of YOU
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening sweet ones!
I wanted to share my intention for this week as I (and likely all of us) continue to shift into fuller schedules. When I sat down in quietude and contemplation this morning, I wrote out what sort of commitment to self-care I was able to honour this week and what came up for me was simple so maybe its accessible and resonant for you as well. It goes a little something like this:
- Wake up
- Drink clean water
- Write I love you (insert name) five times and feel the feeling that the statement generates
- Cultivate an intention/focal point for the day
Yes, this is seemingly simple but when practiced with intention, these acts of self-love have the potential to be very powerful in setting the tone for the day. I love to set a theme or check-in with a guiding thought throughout the day to keep me feeling grounded amidst relative chaos.
We are all navigating change in a way that feels constant these days and due to that, it seems all the more important to practice flexibility and agility with our self-care. As much as parts of me would love to take on all of the rituals (like meditating, getting out into nature, reading and lalala whatever positive practices tickle your fancy), it just is not plausible for this return to busy living! I am here to remind us that we mustn't make that wrong. Dance with the change and work in your yoga on the mat when possible and off the mat when that is more available.
I am choosing to focus on the peace that exists within the pauses. Think of sitting at red lights in traffic, waiting in drive thru lines, skipping commercials on youtube or TV, waiting for the kettle to boil as moments to relish in rather than gaps between activities that you can bypass or fill with something mindless.
Let each pause in your day be an adorably sized gift, encouraging you to drop into the present moment and maybe that will prompt a check in with your days guiding thought. This may appear to be off track from yoga but in my belief system and as yoga teaches us, the practice of yoga is not confined to the asanas but instead, it is a lifestyle to be practiced and embodied.
If you too are feeling fresh and new in the land of transitions, can you be forgiving with yourself? (CUE MHN)
"Let yourself ask "what does forgiveness look like in this space?"
And then, remember grace, unmerited favour wrapped in every exhale,
A practice in surrender when so much is left unsaid,
Breath by breath, be reminded you are free to let go and start again"
- MHN
Forgive yourself and those around you constantly for we are all fighting our own unique battles. Life is exquisite and turbulent and part of yoga's magic is the ability to extend its teaching far beyond the mat so my invitation to you is to embrace what you're currently undergoing and to remind yourself of forgiveness when frustration and or stress tempts you. With my vulnerable share to write out "I love you" repeatedly in my journal as a practice of self-love, what will you now commit to in light of self-care? Whatever you choose, I love that for you and I encourage you to stay disciplined in how you choose to take care of yourself this week.
Breathe Well & Be Well
Marlies
