Self-Care - Part 2

Our minds and our ability to align with our true self is quite remarkable really. I was thinking that it would be good to review and reflect on how these past few weeks have gone in relation to self-care and the different ways I can bring myself in better alignment. So I can listen more closely, more clearly, with less judgment and less expectations.

From a not so conscious space I have been connecting with the idea of journaling, the attempt at an honest encounter with myself, as another means of coming into alignment. It has been my intention to read ‘The Artist’s Way’ for at least a year and after it sat in my Amazon basket for months, I finally hit the button only a few days ago. Literally the next day I found myself listening to a talk from someone who has been working from this book for decades and was advocating its power, especially of journaling.

As part of my reflections on self-care I went back to read last month’s blog on the intentions of self-care. I realised that somewhere along travelling through August I forgot to welcome myself every morning – why is that? – but I also forgot that one of my suggestions was to actively start to journal. It feels I have come back to where I started.

Despite this week’s long awaited heat wave and Summer’s last goodbye, Autumn has been arriving for a while now, and as the two seasons overlap we slowly come into a point of perfect balance, the Autumn Equinox only a few weeks away now. An equal day and night, and a point where we can have a moment of pause, to stop and adjust, to plant the seeds that will sustain us into the darkness of winter.

I like being organised – organising myself is a way I care for myself. I reduce tension and stress by giving myself the experience of being prepared, where I can. Self-care as I move into winter translates into reading more, finding creativity inwardly and creating more spaces of quiet. I already have a stack of books waiting to be read, and a number of knitting projects on the go. I still have a daily practice that gives me a space to check in, even when I forget my original intentions, for example of welcoming myself and cultivating the relationship with myself that keeps my soul nourished and my mind at peace. It is remarkable how many times we circle around the same spot, each time thinking that we have arrived there for the first time.

Despite the meandering, the forgetting, the re-starting, I do feel closer to myself, more connected and more aligned. I remind myself it is all ‘work in progress’ and with each circle and spiralling in I perhaps digest something more fully, and understand myself a bit better. My intentions might not have manifested as I originally envisioned but they still journeyed me somewhere where I can sit a bit better with my whole self.

I hope your self-caring practices are still with you even if they have changed shape and form along the way. If you are looking for some support and inspiration come and join us for a day of wellness and self-care on our next yoga day retreat, Sunday 17th of September.