Rituals for self-care #13
Shaking off anxiety, dosha-friendly breakfasts and compassionate listening: practices to attune to true needs of the self.
Hello dear reader. If you’re new here, each month I share practices and self-care tips to nurture and nourish your body, mind and heart. I open with a personal reflection and insight on the theme for the month.
Here’s this month’s quiet-time in a nutshell:
Compassionately listening to the body wisdom
Shaking and A Flock of Seagulls
Detoxifying oils
Dosha-friendly overnight oats
A beautiful ode to motherhood.
Here’s what’s coming up this month (see below):
Yin Yoga for Presence: 11th February, 9-10am (GMT)
Yoga Nidra for Anxiety & Fear: 18th February
Hearing your body’s wisdom
It was the title that caught my eye. Borrowing the copy of Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life sat on my parent’s bookshelf was the blue-touch paper for my interest in mind-body connection. The idea explored in the book is that your thoughts can influence your physiology, for good or bad, and explains how all physical symptoms of dis-ease are a language of the body.
It echoes ancient Eastern teachings, such as the Chinese medicine view that the “seven emotions”, when intense or prolonged, can disrupt the energy body and manifest as dis-ease. Often my rational brain wants to understand how this works but I’m equal parts faith too.
In a Cranio-Sacral Therapy treatment last week, the practitioner said: “do you listen to your body, Emma?”
How often do we actually listen to our bodies? The honest answer to the question when I was asked was “yes, but….”. Yes, but mostly when it comes to a crunch point. A crunch point like last month when, at one time, I had an ear infection, locked jaw, twitchy eyelid and eczema breakout. A picture of health! I sat and asked my body what was going on. And listened…
Symptoms have messages in Louise Hay’s view. For example, blocked ears are tuning out what’s being heard (internally or externally), jaw holds resentment. When these acute or chronic messages of emotion (e-motion) just aren’t heard, they become ‘stuck’ in the physical.
It was really interesting when studying breathwork modalities to read of Wilhelm Reich’s theory of segmental armouring. It aligns with the seven chakras and maps where these energies-in-motion (emotion) get blocked in the body, in seven “belts of tension”. Each of my anatomically “separate” symptoms, through this lens, would be seen in the cervical belt of tension - held back feelings and expression, stubbornness. (Relatable!).
These micro tensions are the things that can bubble up to the surface when we s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. Maybe that’s during a slower yoga practice like yin and restorative yoga, or in the still of the night. The practice is listening, compassionately.
What is trying to be heard?
Here’s the invitation for February: what does your body say?
Maybe this month you can find a practice that stills the body long enough for you to ask the question: what do you want me to hear? And listen with love.
I’m sharing some at-home rituals you can try this month to help foster a relationship of compassionate listening with your body.
Emma x
This month you’ll find me…
Practising this:
Shake It Out
If you’re feeling stressed out and your mind is racing, stillness can feel impossible. You might like to try moving that activated, charged energy out of your system first by shaking. There is no right way to do this - it’s just simply shaking out each of your limbs and then moving into your whole body. Even better to music. (I once did this at the start of a hatha yoga class to Flock of Seagulls in a break from our usual programming ;-) )
Using this essential oil:
Juniper Berry
Apparently, for many years French hospital wards “burned juniper and rosemary to help protect patients from limgering bacteria and infections”. As you might have guessed from that, juniper berry is a detoxifier and an immune-booster. I’ve been using it in a blend to apply to my unhappy skin.
You can read more on the uses, benefits and precautions of juniper berry oil HERE.
Recent favourites:
Enjoying:
I still think often about the gorgeous little pots of overnight oats which Bex from Mindful Kitchen made for our breakfast on a retreat over two years ago. I came back fully intending to be much more organised with food prep so that I’d take better care of my diet. As I, once again, make that same intention I’ve started preparing a breakfast bowl the night before.
I’ve been using this recipe here which you can adapt for your dosha - your constitution seen through the Ayurvedic lens. Overnight Oats recipe.
My dosha is pitta-vata so I’ve been making the Pitta Balancing Bowl with the addition of some greek yoghurt and cacao nibs. You can get a general analysis of your own dosha HERE
Reading:
Despite having a bit of a love-hate relationship with Instagram, it brought me belly laughs this week. I was in creases at a silly reel about socially awkward moments that haunt you for hours, days and, in some cases, years after. It was the comments that had me crying with laughter though - everyone sharing their most shame-inducing moments. If you want a giggle, it’s here
Listening to:
The folky, soulful sounds of Frazey Ford. This one dedicated to her son is beautiful: Saul She describes it as “simply about the devastating amount of love you have for a child”.
Diary dates:
Sunday Rest & Restore: This month’s class theme is Choosing Presence. This soothing yin yoga and mindfulness practice will be live here on 11th February, 9-10am (GMT) as well as in-person at 7.15pm (LA6). We will move through poses that focus on the inner leg, groin and lower back, as well as balancing the kidney meridian line. Zoom details will be sent to paid subscribers.
Yoga Nidra for Anxiety & Fear: A deeply restful guided meditation, this yoga nidra (yogic sleep) recording will be available on Sunday 18th February.