SumMEr of {Nurturing} Me

Photo: Quinn Dombrowski

I'm delighted to have been invited by Renee over at HappilyEverAfter by Renee Burke to participate in her 13 week SumMEr of ME - a calling forth of self-care project over on her blog. This is an exploration in self-care and self communication, a looking at what we each implement into our lives as part of our self-care and nurture regime.
I know from past experience that a sure fire way for me to feel calm, balanced and totally fantastic inside and out, is Yoga.
Back in 2000, Yoga was something that seemed quite an enigma, very mysterious and in truth just a little bit intimidating. So to overcome that, as is often my way, I decided to break through my fear barrier that was keeping me on the outside looking in, and signed up for a 6 month Yoga Teacher Training course!
It turned out to be incredibly transformative, and this particular style of integrated Hathya Yoga had us leaning some incredibly simple movements to begin with, so simple in fact, I remember myself and others asking "How can THIS be Yoga?" but it worked. And it worked to clear toxins and emotions that had become locked in the body, and all of this happened before we even got to beginning the asanas.
Anyway of late, I have been doing some asanas as part of a home practice, very gentle, using a few favourite DVD's to keep me inspired. But I've also become aware that some grief and disappointment (from some experiences in my life over the last couple of years, things that didn't work out quite as I would have liked) have become locked in my body, and I was finding it hard to 'access' into them, so I could release them and heal them fully. Then I woke up the other morning with the sudden realisation that going right back to basics and doing the very simple first routine I learnt all those years ago, can help me to break through these emotions that have gotten trapped in my cells and joints! It was a bit of a light bulb moment!
That is what I know I need and will be doing this SumMEr. Nurturing myself one day at a time, with a lot more time spent on the mat.

So Yoga Yoga on!

Catherine Athena xo

• • •My journey through the senses• • •

taste:: Simple pleasures - hot butternut squash soup and garlic toast on a cold, rainy evening
smell:: The heady honey-ed aroma of flowers in the hedgerow touch:: Rough bark of a silver birch tree see:: Picasso - Matisse on DVDhear:: windchimes playing on the breeze think:: where is the Sun hiding {at this time of year}? feel:: relaxed and drama-freeread:: The Four Agreements ~ Don Miguel Ruizintuit:: topsy turvy global weather patterns making folks edgy