From Where I Sit ~ Self-Nourishing Rituals

I'm someone who loves self-nourishing rituals —regular, predictable activities that nourish me, body, mind and spirit.

These sorts of rituals (ceremonial acts) involve tender enactments—things we choose to do regularly to soothe our body; slow our mind, enabling us to focus on the present moment; engage our senses, allowing us to luxuriate in "me time."

The key to a ritual such as this is how the steps or key ingredients are performed in exactly the same way each time. This provides the comfort of "sameness" — the relaxing feeling of what to expect while knowing that nothing else needs be done other than to sit back and enjoy. As a result, we experinece the pure pleasure of savoring the moment for what it is—a moment in time where we can truly BE.

For me (no matter where I am) a nightly bathing ritual is paramount to my well-being. The simple ritual I have created is something I look forward to. It is a reward at the end of a busy day. And I enact this ritual whenever I need to, especially if stress sets in, or I am not feeling well. I set the stage with my reading glasses, the book of the day, a favorite bath or shower gel, and, of course, peace and quiet. This bath ritual takes at least 15 - 30 minutes. I may even drain and fill the tub so the water stays the perfect temperature. I forget the world outside the bathroom door and slide into a world of comfort.

Do you have a self-nourishing ritual? Anything—done regularly, to specification—that enables you to simply let go?

If you don't, you can begin to create one for yourself right now.

1. Identify what it is that truly gives you comfort.
2. What materials or props will you need?
3. What time frame do you have to work with?

Give yourself permission to be creative and devise a wonderfully delicious way to to enjoy YOU. Let your body purr with contentment; let your mind be at ease.

Whatever self-nourishing activity you create, do it regularly with the same intent, preparation, tools and setting. This predictable pattern, in time, will move your body toward equanimity—and all of you toward wholeness. You may actually begin to remember how it feels to be completely peaceful and free. As memory stirs, you will be moved to create the ritual again and again, until it becomes a "normal" part of your day and you cannot imagine your life without it.

That's precisely how I feel about my bath ritual. And I can hardly wait to move into our "new" cottage next week. It comes complete with a turn-of-the-century claw foot bathtub. Heaven on earth ...

I'd love to hear about your self-nourishing rituals ... Do tell.


(Image courtesy of www.guspa.com)

From Where I Sit ~ Soulful Travels

"EmBody Talk"

I'm blog hopping today, visiting Bliss Chick, where Christine Reed interviewed me about reclaiming the body as sacred. 

As you may recall, I posted here about my own ongoing journey with this— how I proclaimed this year to be "the year of my body." I vowed to re-engage it in healthy ways, especially through exercise, to treat it as the body temple it is.

Christine asked me some pretty tough questions about how I feel about my body and she posted the answers there. So I hope you'll stop in, say hi, and leave a thought about how YOU are relating to the sacredness of your body these days.

May we breathe on in self-acceptance and joy. We ARE enough. 

Read more ...

~~~~~

Tomorrow I'm heading to Englewood, Florida to lead a women's gathering. Join me there?

Thursday, March 18, 6:30-8:30 pm
Cultivating Compassion for Ourselves

Women today are often expected to "be it all" and "do it all." Yet, trying to be everything to everyone can take its toll and wreak havoc upon our physical and emotional health. Together, we will explore how to shift our focus from other-care to self-care as an act of spiritual care. Learn practical strategies and exercises to slow down and "gentle" your life, including the use of "lovingkindness" meditations.

Location: Mystic See, 411 W. Dearborn St, Englewood, FL

Cost: $20

Register: By calling Mystic See: (941) 473-3816

And if you can't make this event, how about the next one in Englewood at Mystic See?

Thursday, April 15, 6:30-8:30 pm
Opening Our Hearts, Blessing One Another

A personal practice of blessing others—opening our hearts and sending well wishes of love and kindness to others (even difficult others)—can transform our relationships and contribute to the healing of humankind. Together we'll explore various practices of blessing, powerful acts sourced in the world's wisdom traditions that can connect us with our truest selves and the divine essence of others.

Same time, price, format, registration process. :-)

From Where I Sit ~ These Shoes Are Made for Walking

I made a vow when January 1st rolled around to dedicate this year to my body. To tending it better, especially giving it more exercise. To fully reclaiming it as sacred. You may want to read about that here. 

I'm proud to say I'm keeping my vow. It was a bit of a rough start though. Here's my story:

I told myself I would walk everyday. Every SINGLE day without fail! I started out strong, beginning by buying a new pair of tennies. (I hadn't had a new pair in over 10 years!) I also convinced my beloved he needed to walk too, that way I'd have a partner to keep me accountable. And we're off!

Day 1 was great. I was winded, but felt energized. I knew I'd have to go slow, especially after the last couple of years of minimal exercise, so I paced myself.

Day 2 was good, too. We walked and talked and marveled at Florida wildlife.

Day 3. Poop. No walking. The excuses started and I listened and didn't get out the door.

After that, intermittent walking. No consistent pattern. Excuses dominated.


'It's too cold. He doesn't want to go. I don't want to go alone. I'm too busy. It's too windy to walk on the beach like I want to. I should do all these other things first because they are much more important. I waited too long and now I am tired.' It's getting dark.'

A whole litany of excuses starting singing themselves in my mind.

And then I remembered. Voila! I remembered what I recently learned from a productivity coach.

When we begin any new habit, Day 1 - 10 are vital. We must do the new activity every single day in this early period or we will go nowhere. He likened Day 1- 10 to pushing a boulder up a mountain. Literally, you must push yourself to do it. There is so much internal resistance in this early stage (old habits do die hard and their ego voice like to talk loud!) that without pure discipline and sheer will power nothing new will happen.

He's right.

So now I am past Day 10. I pushed. I made myself walk. Woo-hah!

And guess what, I am loving walking again. In fact, my body is starting to feel weird when I don't go for my fast walk each and every day. Even twenty minutes of hoofing it feels like a pure shot of energy. I'm sleeping better, too.

I don't know that I have lost any weight, but my legs are feeling stronger. My stomach is getting just a teensy bit flatter. My posture is better. My stamina is building. I'm congratulating myself that I'm being faithful to my commitment to honor my body more and give it what it needs for optimum health—for longevity, not for appearances.

I firmly believe our bodies are sacred. And if are to fully live as the sacred—holy and whole—beings we are, we cannot grow our minds, nurture our spirits, and ignore the body vessel. That just doesn't work. It keeps us lopsided, unharmonious, and ill-at-ease with our whole self.

So how are YOU doing these days with any new commitment you've made to your health? To being good to your body and treating it like the temple it is? 

I'd love to hear ... 

And remember, if you haven't done so hot, that's ok. Every day is a new day. We can always begin again!

~~~~~

And if you'd like some additional support for your journey into the sacredness of your body, visit my friend, Christine, at Bliss Chick. She's dedicated much of her blog to this healing journey and is currently featuring interviews with women who are reclaiming their bodies as sacred. She calls it "EmBody Talk." Today, one of my other dear blog friends, Lisa, from Mommy Mystic, shares her story of traveling into and through her body. Enjoy!

(Image courtesy of clickmailmarketing.com)

From Where I Sit ~ What's Up with This Women's Spirituality Stuff Anyway?

For the next few days, I've joined Mommy Mystic in a lively discussion on the topic of Women's Spirituality. 

She interviewed me to launch her yearly celebration of International Women's Day on March 8. I hope you'll join us there because by the looks of the early comments, what I share has already sparked a few fires. Wanna dance?

Join us, please. We'd love to hear your voice. Click...

~~~

This wonderful image, by the way, is from the hand of one of my favorite artists, Mara Friedman. She is an amazing purveyor of images of the Feminine. This one is "Prayer to the Sea."

Visit www.newmoonvisions.com.