|
I want a little sugar in my bowl I want a little sweetness down in my soul -Nina Simone A recent conversation with a mom and dear soul reminded me of this song written by Nina Simone. Our conversation began with the topic of "losing weight" and ended with the assertion that many moms need more sweetness in their lives and often turn to the most available sugar - food. In my role as a supporter and cheerleader to spiritual freedom I have never wanted to support a person's desire to lose, especially women; who are bombarded with the drumbeat of "be small". This recent conversation highlighted in my consciousness the sacrifice that becomes second nature in motherhood. I, like many mothers started putting my son first the moment I found out he was growing inside of me. This was not a conscious decision, it was instinctual. The conscious effort comes in deciding to cultivate joy and sweetness for myself, pushing against the guilt that says I'm a bad mom for wanting something for myself, for divorcing my husband and redesigning our family. Mothering has been the greatest gift of my life, but not my only source of Joy or sweetness. The gift has come not only in experiencing unconditional love in a way that I could not have imagined, but also in the inspiration to fully embrace life that grew out of that unconditional love. The conversation around the relationship between food, fulfillment, sweetness and joy brought this paradox of motherhood to the front of my mind. The Joy and sacrifice that comes from loving and managing another person's life. I can easily get caught up in keeping track of all of Max's activities and worrying about his internal state (not to mention fighting the guilt of what I might have done to disrupt or disturb his mind and heart) that I forget to check in with what TRULY makes me happy. I succumb to what THEY and THEM say I SHOULD be: young, skinny and having many possessions with lots of money to buy more. In this state my mind is in the confusion described in Yoga as kshipta (disturbed), attached to a non-reality and attempting to escape that non-reality at the same time. This avidya (ignorance) causes me to reach for the most available sweetness in an attempt to fill my soul and avoid my mind at the same time. The recent conversation with my fellow traveler and my own journey into the Spring Cleanse has inspired me to recommit to listening and honoring what my spiritual heart is calling for. This has meant more present moments with Max, less scrolling on SM, more mindful eating and more play! Letting go of "should" and embracing what my heart says yes to is a gift of this privileged life; my gratitude for this privilege is expressed in my actions of Joy and Love. 
0 Comments
 Why do we do our big cleanse in the Spring and not the New Year?
Holistic Medicine is guided by the principles of harmony and integration. Your body, mind and spirit is more likely to integrate a release and rejuvenation in the during the very late winter and into spring than it is in the middle of winter. Our bodies respond to the temperature and light cycles that we are living in, as the light of the day increases and temperatures warm, our oxygen uptake increases, our production of D3 increases which elevates mood and supports robust digestion. This Big Spring Cleanse takes about 3 weeks and is the only time that fasting may be recommended for health. Fasting is not appropriate for all constitutions and is only included in the cleanse if it is appropriate and and an individual is beginning the cleanse at optimal health. The Holistic Cleanse is not about losing weight, getting skinny or depriving yourself in anyway, the Holistic Spring Cleanse is a mind body spirit clearing of what no longer suits you, to make room and set a foundation for the practices that nurture and align your body mind and heart. Here is a general format of the guiding principles: Week 1 Nutrition to prepare and fortify the liver Pranayama (breath work) to fortify the liver and mind Meditation to soothe and fortify the mind Movement to rejuvenate Prana and prepare the body for release Week 2 Nutrition to gather and release what is no longer needed from the intestines Pranayama to warm, stir and release what is no longer sustainable in the mind and heart Meditation to foster the friendship of mind and breath Movement to warm and expel what is no longer valuable to the body, mind and spirit Week 3 Easy nutrition, allowing the body empty (may include one day of fasting) Pranayama to balance and harmonize the subtle layers of being Meditation to nurture the friendship of mind and breath Gentle movement to harmonize the body, mind and spirit The details of nutrition, pranayama, meditation and movement are specific to each individual’s constitution, level of health and present need for change or development. Nutrition may include specific foods, or behaviors such as consuming only broth after dinner if hungry. Pranayama may include such practices and Nadi Shodana or Agni Sara. Meditation is always breath centered and aimed at embodiment but may also include mantra or affirmations (these are two separate tools). The movement of the Holistic Spring Cleanse is guided by what your body and mind enjoys and your level of practice, may include walking, yoga, dancing, biking, etc. The most important thing to remember about this Holistic Spring Cleanse is to cultivate an inner landscape of love, compassion, fortitude and courage to joyfully let go of what no longer suits you and powerfully stride towards your best life.  Image courtesy of Jill Wellington on Pixabay This Thanksgiving Holiday is so often fraught with conflict, pressure and stress. The burden placed on the already laden shoulders of the matriarchs, this burden yet another symbol of the patriarchal dominance idolized by our society. The origins of this holiday told as a story of love, generosity and community in order to whitewash and cover up the atrocities committed by white colonialism, by my ancestors. The food worship just one more example of our pornographic obsession with consumption and gluttony.
As a child, this holiday could be the delightful smell of buttery potatoes and the pleasure of being with the adults that I loved and craved, it is also the anniversary of my mother's first trip to America, adding to the sense of hope and possibility that occasionally showed up around this time of year. As I learned a well rounded history (thank you Philadelphia Public School) I understood better the horrifying historical implications of this holiday and soon it wasn't just the food worship that repulsed me, but also the betrayal that this holiday was founded on. I spent many of my tween and teen years attempting to rebel by sulking in my room, or at the table scowling through my consumption of delicious food prepared with love by my Aunt. Eventually addiction took over my life and most of my choices were taken away, including having the luxury of contemplating the moral ambiguity of this holiday. My entire purpose was now bent on avoiding myself by whatever means necessary; all of my decisions and actions were motivated by this end. A little over 18 years ago I was brought into utter desperation and was able to surrender, giving up the fight against myself and turning towards recovery. At 30 years old I restarted the process of growing up, slowly regaining the power to make choices and decisions based on my own morals and values. This Thanksgiving Holiday still stirs up conflict in me: guilt, rage and defeat mixes with love and hope and determination. This mix is the beautiful, complex tapestry of my life fully lived. I am grateful to be able to choose what I do with this day, this life and how I celebrate (or don't) this Holiday. I choose to take this opportunity to gather together the people that I love in celebration of OUR LOVE and OUR community. The ideals of this holiday may have been promoted over a foundation of lies and betrayal, however the ideals are real to me and put into action of truth by my own demonstrations of generosity and love.  My body is the home of my spirit, this is what is meant by TEMPLE. Just as the church, Mosque, & Shrine are sacred spaces that hold and symbolize the energy of the Divine, the source of our creation, so my body is a physical space that contains an energy that is limitless. The spirit is in my body, but not of my body. This unseeable, immeasurable spirit is my connection to the Oneness, the Oneness that is everything and nothing.
Trauma and addiction necessarily disconnected me from by body's wisdom, severing the communication between spirit, mind, heart and reality. The journey back into my body has been and continues to be integral to my mental and spiritual health. Moving with my breath activates and strengthens my parasympathetic nervous system (the branch of the autonomic nervous system often referred to as "rest and digest". Slow, undulating Yoga (if you've ever taken a class with me, you've experienced this coordinated movement) combined with the effort of coordinating my breath to movement built my somatic awareness (somatic:relating to the body) and retaught my relaxation response (rest & digest) how to work. Over time with regular practice, I have fortified my inherent resilience and strengthened my ability to come into a peaceful state of being by connecting to my present experience in my body. My breath is the most powerful tool I have to positively affect my overall wellbeing, both through movement and stillness. This is experience reinforces my assertion that each one of us has what we need inside of us to realize our fullest potential and fully inhabit our lives. The path to our best reality is laid out in our own consciousness, we just need a lighthouse to guide us there. This is the inspiration for the name of my practice and for the services offered. I am honored and humbled each time I serve as lighthouse, illumination what is already there, for the spirit that shines through me, is the same light that shines through you.  I have a tendency towards all or nothing thinking and behavior, which lends itself to both perfectionism and procrastination. I will put it off, whatever “it” is until I believe I can do it perfectly. This is why I’m a late bloomer, I put off participating in life and trying new things. Once I was beaten by a devastating drug addiction, I started to learn the value of harm reduction and good enoughism. 18 years later, I’m still learning to embrace these ideas and finding ways to use them to support my overall health. These are the principles behind my assertion and encouragement to make daily contact with the pillars of health to create a holistic lifestyle that brings peaceful vitality to your everyday.
The pillars of health are: food, movement, rest, and mindfulness. Every day I make healthy contact with all four of these pillars. This does not meant that every single meal I eat is 100% appropriate for my constitution and the season that we are in. It means that once daily I make a choice to eat food that is purposely nourishing to my body and mind. Some days it’s every meal, some days it’s that green smoothie that supports my liver. The same goes for the other pillars. Every day I move, some days it’s my morning warm up, light stretches and undulating movements to greet the day, other days it’s more intense and longer. I’m much better at rising from rest than going to bed, but each day I take a few breaths to become aware of my body and my mind’s need for rest. I meditate every day, some days 5 minutes, some days 40. It’s the daily contact with these practices that gives them their strength, each time I make contact, I build the longevity and resilience of these pillars that support peace and vitality in my body, mind and spirit. I would guess that you are making more contact with these pillars than you may be aware of. One of the first things we look at in a Yoga Therapy session is where you are already supporting your health, we then take what you have built already and cultivate the growth through accessible, measurable steps. I invite you to notice the ways that you are supporting your pillars of health. Photo by Faruk Kaymak on Unsplash There is no magical or scientific formula for breaking the grip of addiction. I believe that the moment that an addict surrenders is direct contact with the mysterious force of our creation. It is truly a miraculous meeting of universal conspiring, and a moment of willingness by the addict occurring at precisely the right time to create a spark of transformation. This is how it happened for me.
Read the full article on Elephant Journal Read the full article here of a how a trip to Ikea leads to freedom from an old, outdated belief system.  Read the full article here, the story of how becoming a parent led me to divorce and committing to a fully realized life.
|
BlakeyMother, friend, servant, mystic, yogi. Navigating this rocky, beautiful life with an open, grounded heart. Archives
April 2022
Categories |
RSS Feed
Photo used under Creative Commons from pstenzel71
