How about giving yourself a package of self care that improves your physical and mental health and makes you feel alive. ✨
Recently I taught a 30 minute mindfulness practice for a group of professionals. It can be a challenge for a teacher to know how to approach a short 30 minute session taking into account some people will know what mindfulness is and have practiced it, while others will know nothing about it except the word.
Offering a very brief explanation of the meaning of Mindfulness, as time is so limited I like to invite a practice or two, so people can experience what mindfulness feels like in their body and mind.
We set an intention of paying attention and practicing self care so that is what we started with. As I began the practice I noticed some discomfort and awkwardness in a couple of people in the group, this can be fairly common.
I observed how awkward and uncomfortable that can feel for some people and I saw their resistance. I felt their pain. One woman at the end told me how uncomfortable she felt at the start and expressed that she recognised her resistance to the practice of self care but then she had a memory of going to Yoga classes regularly for years and how great it made her feel. She experienced a moment of grief passing through her when she realised that she had let that slip away and quite a lot of time had passed since she had last attended a class. Her lack of care towards herself and the memory of the joy that it brought to her previously on a regular basis made her feel sad.
We are usually good at giving to others but there needs to be a balance between giving to others and giving to yourself, otherwise you ‘burnout’. A very familiar word in our language right now, used by 50 and 60 year olds who don’t appreciate that their body can’t be pushed to the limit anymore and they don’t have to feel bad or guilty about it, actually accepting it is a much better idea and asking yourself what can you do about it?
People feel burnt out yet still push their body and mind because they can’t stop their behavioural patterns and habits of a lifetime. We have conditioned ourselves with the help of our culture and society to help others in need when they are ill or lonely etc but we don’t practice self care willingly.
Perhaps you are saying to yourself ‘I do give myself some time to ground, replenish, laugh and play,’ but do you do enough? How do you feel generally inside? Could you be more generous to yourself? This doesn’t mean spending more money on yourself, just quality time. It’s not about spending more money on clothes or nights out, just simple things that you enjoy alone or with a friend that contribute to your wellbeing. A walk in nature, a breath of fresh air, a sensory experience, quality time with family or a friend, a tasty meal, when your body feels at ease, listening to a favourite piece of music, a hobby like swimming or painting or learning something new.
We undervalue and under appreciate these type of experiences for the amount of joy they bring us. We quickly let them slide by and don’t pause to let those good feelings sink in, we just forget and rush on to the next thing with the next worry in our mind. When actually these experiences create memories that we can reflect on again and again to lift our heart and make us smile.
Christmas is coming and not always in a good way! We can speculate on the negative things about Christmas time like the fuss, the stress, the difficult relationships, the cost. Recently I had been doing just that.
Practicing meditation is a practice of self care. It may seem that it’s enough just to do it regularly. Then recently when I was focusing on my breath, quietening my mind, the concept of generosity was offered and as I reflected on being more generous with my self care a huge space opened up for me to be present in, without a care in the world I just let go of all the Christmas quandary that had been hanging over me. I let go, let go, let go, and continue to let go. I know the universe will take care of it all.
Practicing meditation regularly has so many benefits for the body and mind but most importantly it feels like coming home. ”There’s a deeper recognition of a natural state within you that happens when you meditate. Some say it’s like finding out who you are for the very first time. While others say it’s more of a remembering, a recollection and return to a familiar sense of ‘being’ long forgotten or lost.’ (Amanda Gilbert)
Tension doesn’t just live in the muscles it lives in the mind too. So offer yourself a generous helping of self care and find ways to ‘let go’ that benefit your physical and mental health and make you feel alive. I’m not telling you anything new but we all need reminders. Hopefully in me passing this on to you, you will self care generously too.
Have a peaceful Christmas🎄 and health, wealth, blessings and more for 2023.❤️ If you would like to make a start on your self care❤️ or gift yourself and someone else for Christmas then take advantage of the Christmas sale on offer for my upcoming Meditation Course.
I am offering an online Meditation class in January 2023 called :
Self care and Wellbeing in 2023: 5-week Online Meditation Class
Click the link for more details and to buy at the Christmas SALE price available until 23rd Dec 2022. 🤗🤗🤗
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