Vital Self Care

 "We are matter, kindred with ocean and tree and sky. We are flesh and blood and bone. To sink into that is a relief, a homecoming." (Krista Tippett, Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living)

There is a common blessing offered at the end of a yoga practice: with hands together at the level of the heart, drop the chin to the chest, and bow in remembrance that the greatest teacher of them all, is the teacher within.  This gesture is a reminder that the wisdom gained through our hearts -through the challenges of living and loving - offer the deepest lessons and opportunities for self growth. 

Often the more subtle messages from the heart are translated through the body. We are familiar with the ways stress is transferred to tight neck or shoulders, or how anxiety often manifests in stomach distress or a sense of constricted breathing.  Through yoga practice - specifically the practice of postures or asanas - I have felt the sudden and intense release of physical/emotional traumas stored for years in my body.  Once, while dropping my head back into a back bending posture, I was suddenly gripped by a crying spasm shocking both myself and classmates stretched out upon their sticky mats.  My body was releasing a charge of intense fear, anger and loss lodged in the muscles and tissues of the upper spine as a result of a broken neck I sustained 8 years prior to that moment. I wasn't aware I had been holding on to all those repressed emotions until that moment of release.  But afterwards I felt my being shift into a new spaciousness and ease. 

More recently an illness brought about sensations of immense discomfort to my right lower back and hip. Gentle yoga postures brought about the only relief.  Returning to my asana practice after a long lapse, I could feel the neglect of my body through crazy tight muscles and restricted movement.  The simplest of poses elicited moans and groans of pleasure finding its way through stagnation and pain. My body quickly showed me the results of my neglect, but that was not the full story.  For a good month or so I would lie down on my mat to practice, shifting into a seemingly gentle posture, and then a tsunami of tears would rush through me.   Day after day this happened.  A part of me would be off to the side, witnessing this curious event.  This again? More tears?  

Baffled, I nonetheless continued with my practice.  Obviously something was ready and needing to be released.  What I gradually understood was that grief - gathered over the years, starting 10 years ago with the passing of my father -  had been steadily stored away in my body. And what's more, the unexpressed or acknowledged emotions were most likely the source of my body opening to an illness that would provoke me into facing these energies of loss, sadness, fear and regret.  

We can see the body as a burden (a perspective deeply entrenched in certain spiritual traditions) or we can forge a relationship with it rooted in the belief that we are, as Martha Beck has shared,  "Spirit awake to itself in Matter." The body as teacher, guide, best friend supporting a full and engaged  - an embodied - relationship to life and living.

"... the real practice is living your life as if it really mattered from moment to moment. The real practice is life itself." (Jon Kabat-Zinn in Becoming Wise)

This is the work I am immersed in; this is the work I love to share.  As part of my healing and embodied living - my daily prayer in heart, bones and soul - I work with yoga practices and teachings and yoga therapy which is rooted in the belief that we are already whole and our body is always moving towards healing and a re-membered wholeness. Or as Matthew Sanford shares " Your body, for as long as it possibly can, will be faithful to living. That's what it does." (Matthew Sanford in  Becoming Wise) 

There are so many simple practices and tools to support a nurturing relationship with one's body and in turn, an empowered sense of health and wellness.  Yoga, meditation, breathing practices are where I began but I have also found being in nature and creativity are core elements of my self care practice. More recently, I have found working with certified pure, therapeutic grade essential oils have augmented and bolstered all these practices. The oils have supported physical and emotional wellness in ways I am still surprised and delighted to uncover.  The greatest gift is how they fortify a sensitivity to intuition, allowing me to receive the guidance from my inner teacher who knows me to be already whole.  

The oils - gifts from the Nature  - magnify and quickly reconnect me to a wealth of inner resources. While the oils work on a physical level, I interested in how their aromatic qualities impact us emotionally through a direct connection to the limbic region of the brain. This means I can use the aromatic properties essential oils to impact and manage mood and motivation. Total wellness for me encompasses both physical and emotional health and in fact, the two are linked. When mood, stress, and emotions are acknowledged and addressed, the overall impact is vitality, resilience and an ability to manage the difficulties life presents whether it be physical, emotional or energetic. 

Right now many of us are suffering from dis-ease: the dis-ease of overwhelm, over-stimulation, over-scheduling and over-exposure to name a few. Conversely, there is dis-connection: with the natural world, community and our own selves. It can seem daunting to even begin to unravel all the confusion and dis-comforts and dis-ease. But I can tell you it is vital not only for one's well-being, but for the well-being of our world. Self care is is a revolutionary act in the sense that knowing we must tend to our total wellness, we are inspired to extend that care out into all of our relationships which includes how we interact with this planet, our home and source for life and health.

If what I shared rings true for you, I would love to connect. I will be offering limited spots for working with me to develop a self care practice that draws upon all these elements: yoga,mindfulness, creativity, self reflection, emotional wellness, and essential oils. Leave me a message with a way to contact you and we can schedule a free 45 minute consultation (via Skype or phone) to explore the possibilities of working together (discounted pricing as I beta test my ideas) and in that session receive some ideas on how you might begin a potent and personalize self care routine.

thriving the holiday season

I was recently chatting with a wise friend of mine and we were bemoaning the challenges of the upcoming season. She pointed out how this is the time of year seasonally when we should be slowing down, resting, going within, nurturing ourselves in order to weather the coming winter months. Yet the holidays are anything but restful! Already Christmas music is playing on the radio and my neighborhood is ablaze with holiday lights. I take it as a sign of my success that upon seeing the latest lawn vignette of the 3 Wise Men (complete with cardboard camels) Cowgirl bemoans "We still have Thanksgiving People!" Oh yes, she is her father's daughter.

It is hard for me to balance my natural hermit nature (I am my mother's daughter) with the pressures that the holidays bring. Going out, gathering in large groups, feasting and celebrating ...  oh, I love all of that ... just in small and managed doses ... and that being on my good days, say days long with abundant sunshine. But right now? With the days short and the nights long and cold?  

So how to survive thrive in this season that demands plenty?  If ever there is a time for best practices to be implemented, it is now.  Here is my spin on making a list and checking it twice ... 

#1 Build into the day structured down time. It is law in this house that before bed, we read. As Cowgirl's bedtime is a few hours before mine, I have the opportunity to double the pleasure as I join her upstairs, in the big bed for a half hour of reading and snuggling before tucking her into her bed. And yes, often times I go back to the big bed, read for another half hour and slip into the land of Nod. Getting enough rest is essential for me physically and emotionally. My batteries need the frequent and lengthy recharge.

Both Cowgirl and I are in love with the Terry Pratchett books that chronicle the adventures of Tiffany Aching and the pictsies (or Wee Free Men) who assist her. Tiffany is The Best and most inspiring role model for myself and my girl. 

"This is the school, isn't it? The magic place? The world. Here. And you don't realize it until you look. Do you know the pictsies think this world is heaven? We just don't look. You can't give lessons on witchcraft. Not properly. It's all about how you are ... you, I suppose." (Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men)

#2 Mindful scheduling. I love my phone calendar but I still need a wall calendar. I need to be able, in a glance, to see how much white space there is in my week. If I see writing in those squares, I know not to add more. I've learned to accept I am an extroverted introvert: I enjoy being around people, but I need loads of recovery time. When I don't honor this about myself, I am not being kind to myself and I cannot be fully present and kind to the people I am with, especially my family. Cowgirl knows when I say out loud "I am feeling grumpy" her best move is to skedaddle and allow me space and time to collect myself.

#3 Hands on/mind off activity. Every day. Creativity is my form of meditation; it is how I empty out and how I check in with the inner chatter. I cannot and am mindful not to multitask so for me, knitting (or sewing or painting or sketching) is usually done in silence or with calm music playing. There is nothing more grounding for me than a good hour by the fire, a cup of tea by my side and my knitting to help me settle in. All the energy of the day pools away and I am always left refreshed and restored by a session of creative play. 

 
#4 Essential oils. The past few months I have been consciously working with certified pure oils. These are oils I know to be safe for my use and for my family's use. I have been slowly incorporating oils into my every day routines and introducing Cowgirl and The Husband to the benefits of essential oils in supporting natural immune function and wellness. My favorite tool is adding a drop of lemon or wild orange essential oil to my drinking water. Not only does the water taste yummy, the smell is uplifting and energizing and the oils beneficial in supporting healthy respiration and/or immune function. Now I have Cowgirl asking me to rub oils on her feet before bedtime and we love lavender and a calming blend to assist us in winding down after a busy day. 
{If you want to know more about using essential oils or the oils I prefer to use, please contact me  - lishofmann88(at)gmail(dot)com - and I would be happy to answer your questions or share more information!}

#5 Get outside. Even though the temperature has dropped significantly, I am still grateful to Moose dog for the incentive to head outside on a daily basis. When I walk him at night, I like to look up at the night sky and remember that I am a part of the vastness. There is nothing more nourishing for me than to fill up the spaciousness of nature: to pause and soak up the sound of trees dancing in the wind, the wild geese flying overhead or the sensation of sunlight or moonlight or starlight upon the skin. 

The world rests in the night. Trees, mountains, fields, and faces are released from the prison of shape and the burden of exposure. Each thing creeps back into its own nature within the shelter of the dark. Darkness is the ancient womb. Nighttime is womb- time. Our souls come out to play. The darkness absolves everything; the struggle for identity and impression falls away. We rest in the night.

(John O'Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom)

It is easy for me to get overwhelmed and depleted this time of year, so hauling out my wellness tool kit and reminding myself of best practices is one way I can ensure that rather than merely surviving the holiday season, I actually thrive ... and stay healthy, strong and sane to boot!

{I am a veteran of many online courses and I have to say, this season I've kept my course load lite and am slowly working through and enjoying Scribble Art over on Jeanne Oliver's Creative Network ning site.} 

    

what i want (what i offer ...)

Oh my ... I believe we are in full Autumn swoon over here.  

With the temperatures dipping into frosty numbers at night, the leaves have deepened into a rich palette of garnet, amber, and golden.   Mornings are hot cocoa events and the knitting needles have been pulled out and are clickety clacketing me into a meditative space. Even Cowgirl has found herself a relaxing pass time with this home made Lil' Loom for Rainbow fishtail jewelry (thank you Maya D for the heads up!) 

This past weekend we sat at the kitchen island puttering: me working on yet more mandalas ... 

(my life interpreted through the mandala circle is quickly becoming an obsession) 

and Cowgirl working a necklace. Taking advantage of this still time, I put on an audio file of a folk story Ivashko Medvedko performed by Tom Hirons and Rima Staines (found on her wildly inspiring blog, Into The Hermitage) We both were transfixed listening to this Russian folk tale that involves the wild and memorable  Baba Yaga  (look at this new collection of Baba Yaga stories!) 

There is something so grounding about an afternoon spent deeply immersed with imagination.  Even though we each were lost in our own internal visions of the story, there was a closeness and intimacy as we step out of time and into the timeless.

This was the kind of day I aspire to nurture more regularly for myself and my family.  The qualities I seek to weave into my world and what I find myself craving:  intimacy, connection, engagement, curiosity, and celebration. Thinking about this day ("It was a day from a book, steeped in its own warm juice, heavy with smells of growing ..." a favorite line from an Alastair Reid poem) I find myself recommitting to the reasons for this grand experiment that is my current life.  To be more present.  To be of service.  To live with purpose which for me, means expanding the sense of what is possible.

If I were to boil down all that I wish to offer - which is to say, all that I wish to experience in my own life - I come up with this:  radiance.   I want to know the feeling of being lit up from within and shining brightly my truth, my essence.  I have felt the sparks of this radiance which is the energy of being fully alive with every cell turned on and vibrating, glowing with warmth, with brilliance and with love.  I know this is my truth and I know it is the potential of all to wake up and be this fully plugged in, charged and powerful. This is not something another can give to me, create within me or sustain for me.  I alone must find my way to my inner source, my inner light, my inner sun.  Just as I connect with the cooling, intuitive energies of the moon, I must activate, feed and nourish all aspects of my being. 

And I want company!  Because I have journey long into the darkness, because I have been at the edge where I was ready to release my final finger hold and embrace nothingness, and because I know weariness and greyness and hopelessness, I know the impossible miracle of igniting one's inner radiance is absolutely possible.  It is a thrilling proposition.  It is the challenge that has as its prize my very life.  To discover I can nurture and care for myself and through my actions show up as a beacon of love and light for the ones who matter most to me and in turn, watch them discover their own inner flame of goodness,  brilliance and beauty ... that is a magnificent  Wow.  A soul-stirring Wow.

I am always beginning anew.  Each day I visualize wiping clean the mental and energetic debris that all-too-quickly accumulates in my mind and my heart. Each season has its own flavor and Autumn is my time of harvesting, pruning, composting and preparing myself for the long nights ahead.  It is my favorite time and my most challenging.  So I cycle back around to the practices that I know work for me.  I snuggle back in with some important self care, with time for reflection and grounding and smoothing out the rough edges in my life.  If you are wanting some support in stoking your internal fire, tuning in to your inner radiance, I would love to circle around the fire with you and enjoy a virtual retreat.  

Shameless self-promotion, but there you are.  I am proud of this work ... I know it is vital and important and I offer to others knowing that we each must tend our own fires.  And it is lovely being by the fire together.

Inspired anew by this Tedx talk by one of my mentors, Maya Corinne.  I am a plate spinner, gathering queen and what I hold in my basket I offer to you with sincere intentions that it empower you. 

video ♥

I've been crazy busy recording interviews for my upcoming offering The Gift of Practice.  I am having so much fun!  The opportunity to delve into juicy conversation around creative practice, spiritual work, integration of daily life with soul-full purpose has been an immense gift for me and I am excited to be sharing these conversations as a weekly component to the course.  Some of my favorite and most inspirational people have generously agreed to speak with me over a variety of practices including painting, art journaling, drawing, writing, poetry and photography. 

It is hard this working for oneself, but at the end of the day I fall into bed exhausted in a good way - exhausted because I've emptied myself out, but exhilarated because I am also being filled repeatedly day in and day out. As one of my guest interviewees put it: I've found and am following my yellow brick road.

I would love to have you on this journey with me.  As an added incentive to join, I am offering 45 minute one-on-one Skype or phone counsel sessions with me so that we can tailor the offering to align with your interests and needs.  If you know anything about me, it's that I am a master plate spinner and at any given moment have a number of practices I rely upon to support me in being fully engaged with my self and my life.  I would love to work with you to craft a practice uniquely suited to support you in finding your center, your spark of joy and source of connection to deeper purpose and meaning.  To qualify for the counsel sessions, you must register before midnight on August 24.  For more information and to register, go here.  I'm eager and itching to begin!

butterfly girl (August Break)

A summer tradition now ... The August Break ... pictures snapped amid the breezy days of August ... our last gasp of summer (school starts in two weeks - how can that be?) and there just isn't time to linger ... fun to be had ...

friends visiting and the requisite trip to the zoo 

the butterflies were rioting ... 

 

everyone of us receiving butterfly kisses and while I've never heard of this said, I'm choosing to believe that every butterfly extends to us a wish ... 

 

we were granted many, but mine will be for summer to live on in our daily pace and in attitude as we prepare to shift gears all-too-soon ...

I have something I've been incubating for some time now ... you can take a peek over here to find out more ...

yes, many butterfly wishes ... many, many, many!

my early Valentine

I am cross-posting here ... (ah, the confusion of multiple sites!) but for those of you who may not know my alter ego (no not Wonder Woman although I could do so much with  those indestructible bracelets and lasso of truth!) I have been experimenting in online offerings over here.  I think of it as my little playground ... or laboratory of dangerous thoughts? 

I have something new which is really exciting me as I am not certain What will manifest but I do know Why I am compelled to be leaping anyway.

 

I just feel it in my heart.  I feel and trust this intense desire to have a space to gather and share the stories of the heart, exploring the lessons and challenges of loving wide open and the power and wisdom gained by aligning ourselves with our hearts. 

My notebook is filling up with ideas. I am stepping into this flow and allowing it to carry me and damn!  it feels good! 

I love making soup.  I often have only a basic recipe in mind when I start cooking.  The intention is always to make something nourishing, tasty, warm and filling. As I add the first ingredients, other items seem to offer themselves up. Flavors, colors, tastes and textures magically come together.  Truly, the binding elements are love and magic.

Each of us is a unique ingredient necessary for a hearty bowl of love soup.  Can't you just taste it?  

I'm already bubbling with excitement ... must be careful not to boil over!

All the details are here.

Further enticement (2 minute love letter): 



password: heartfull 
direct link to video here

I promise to return to regularly scheduled programming next week :) Lots to share regarding monopoly games, knitting adventures, painterly messes and other mommy moments. I certainly could use those killer Wonder Woman boots!

what self care looks like ...

The benefit of offering a course on self care is the constant awareness to practice it!  I am so very grateful I've learned to trust that when an idea comes to me in a flash, I am follow it forward despite the almost immediate ruckus of doubts and obstacles tossed my way by the shadow-loving gremlins of fear and insecurity. Certainly the best course for me to lead is the one I need most in this moment.

I've been in building mode: creating the course, planning some local offerings and new adventures and projects.  It has been invigorating but it also has been exhausting. The shorter days have also taken their toll and in the interest of modeling exquisite self care, I have found myself scaling back, doing less, resting more.  The unexpected core of my self care practice has been slowing down, doing one thing at a time and being mindful as to who, where, or what I am directing my attention towards.  So far, the result has been I am feeling less scattered, more focused and energized. I am finding a reserve of patience, kindness and loving care that sometimes falls by the wayside when I am frazzled or stressed.  I am seeing relationships reinvigorated.  Time with my girl has become more creative and playful despite the fullness of our day and schedules. And - knock on wood - so far our entire family is staying healthy while colds and viruses run through our respective schools/workplaces.  

The joy of slowing down is choosing carefully what best nourishes me in any given moment.  And as this building phase winds down, (well, maybe ...  I have since been invited to contribute to two other projects!) I find myself returning to the practices I had to let rest while I worked elsewhere.  My life feels like an English cottage garden: from a distance a bit random and haphazard, but upon closer inspection there is an order and logic present to its layout.  While one bed rests fallow, a bit of manure heaped upon it for nourishment, another requires weeding while a third may be in full bloom and a fourth, ready to seed.  

 


So this past week I tended to some favorite beds, turning up the soil, getting my hands messy, creating, destroying, preparing.  This is how self care appears in my life.  

 

 

I bow my head in gratitude for this jumbled, sometimes frustrating, always in process and always vibrant existence.

 

I guess I am more like a whirling dervish or a plate-spinner than I care to admit. But I'm in good company. ♥

The drawings are part of a go-at-your-own-pace course called Capturing the Essence by Katherine Dunn of Apifera Farm.  The course is still open and there is plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful lessons which center upon the colorful hooved, webbed and paw-footed residents of the farm.  It has been my sanctuary to visit there, albeit virtually through my laptop screen. 

Energy Rx (an offering)

I wanted to offer this practice that has been so soothing for me and for my students and family.  As I surf the wild waves of the season, I am mindful that I have a whole arsenal of tools at my disposal ... it's just being mindful and remembering to use them!

I briefly discuss the concept of subtle energy channels or nadis as they are described in yoga.  This breathing practice is working with the Ida (the left channel, often described as cooling, soothing, lunar or feminine aspect)  and the Pingala (heating, active, solar or masculine aspect).   These two channels run up the center of the energy body, crisscrossing at key points in the Chakra system.  In some texts it is said they end at the nostrils (not the forehead/crown as I state in this video) and in others they are described as terminating at the level of the third eye chakra, the left channel merging into the right brain and the right channel merging with the left brain.  There is a third channel, the Sushumna, that runs up the entire length of the energy body which does run up through the crown of the head.  For anyone wanting more information, there are many good articles. 

What is of use is understanding that we want a balance of these two energies.  We want access to sun and moon, feminine and masculine, right and left brain function.  These two channels represent sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.  These two systems make up our autonomic nervous system - in other words, the part of our nervous system that controls involuntary responses such as heart rate, digestion, circulation to name a few.  When one aspect dominates, there is imbalance, stress and if left unchecked, illness.  A popular analogy is our body is a car and the brake and gas pedal are the autonomic responses.  So this breathing practice helps the body and the mind return to a state of balance where we are neither pushing the pedal to the metal nor riding break.  

I invite you to try this simple practice out and measures its effects upon the body, mind and breath.  I've actually used this practice when having blood drawn to assist blood flow (we say in yoga, where the mind goes, energy and blood flows) and studies have suggested it may positively impact blood pressure.  If nothing else, I hope you find it is a welcome pause in a busy day!






password: breathingbreak

For more practices and ideas for slowing down and making time for exquisite self care, visit my ecourse InnerGlow Self Care and learn how you can enjoy a four-week home retreat!  

fear tripping on itself ...

I am scared I'll make the wrong move ...
I am scared I won't move ...
I am scared that taking a chance will result in disaster ...
I am scared that playing it safe will mean missing out on opportunities to love, shine, and grow ...

I am scared my time has passed ...
I am scared to believe so much of myself ...
I am scared to believe so little in myself ...

I am scared to imagine coming to the end of my life and finding I failed to fully inhabit my life.  I am scared to think I might miss out on witnessing all the wonder of Cowgirl's childhood.  I am scared, and I am sick and tired of feeling scared.

I am tired of fear and how it holds me back from unfolding my wings and taking up full space in the sky.  I am tired of letting myself down by yielding so often to fear and uncertainty.  I am tired of questioning my right to creating the life I want to inhabit.

I am scared and tired, but I am also ready.  Standing on the edge, ready to leap.  I am casting my vote for LIFE and JOY, daring to say and live my dangerous thoughts.  One of which is that I have something of value to offer and share.  I have gifts and I am ready to share them.  I am ready to shine because, well, why the hell not?

I am extending a personal invitation to you to join me in a gathering I am hosting here.  

InnerGlow Self Care 
A 4 week online home retreat 
October 29 - December 1, 2012

I am pretty thrilled to be dreaming out loud. 

 

 


I would love to circle with you.  Imagine the intensity of our light joined together? The glow of love, possibility and inner fulfillment spreading out into our world?  I say we dare!