Friday Love-In

1. Mornings

The other night Andrew and I were walking George in the park after work and the dusky light was so beautiful - the sun was golden and was bathing the trees and ground, turning everything into a green and lush postcard.  I was telling Andrew how much I love that time of day - magic hour - but then I also added that mornings are also my favourite time of the day. There is a certain stillness in the mornings which is reserved only to the select few who get up early to seize the day. 

I love getting up early and going downstairs by myself to enjoy some time to myself before the rest of the household wakes up.  I also love taking George out to the park early in the morning, and sharing that moment with other dog walkers, or people crossing the park on their way to work.  It just feels like such a special and treasured time.

2. My dog

As I'm learning to find more presence in my life, instead of spending most of my time caught up in my thoughts and ignoring the here and now, I am taking a lot of lessons on being in the moment from my dog.  Observing her behaviour both at home and out is really insightful. For example, whist on a walk she'll spot a squirrel and become completely obsessed with it...until I drag her away on her lead, and after a few pulls she carries on walking with me and does not look back.  That's it, that moment is gone and she's moved on.  Same goes for when she gets upset at the cats outside in the garden it's a struggle to get her back indoor, and when she comes in she'll be restless for a while wanting to go back outside, but once that moment has passed she has moved on to something else. Some might could see that behaviour as primitive and blame it on short term memory,  but in my opinion we could learn a thing or two from them about truly being present. Dogs (and most animals) are very much living in the moment: there is no wallowing in their own pity, no resentment for events that have taken place, no worrying about the future or bringing up the past. And as I observe my dog running around the park, care free and enjoying every second of her walk, I am reminded that we too should unplug from our thoughts and worries and just enjoy the moment we are living in.

3. Susun Weed

What an incredible discovery I have made this week!  Whilst listening to an online webinar, I came across an interview with Susun Weed about nourishing herb infusions for fertility.  Her spirit shone so bright and her talk was so compelling and I had to look into her teachings. Susun Weed is a renowned American herbalist and the author of the Wise Woman guides. She believes in simplicity when it comes to health, and looks to nature to provide herbs which can help women heal.  She believes that one of the keys to health, in addition to moving your body and eating nourishing foods, is the simple daily ritual of drinking nourishing herbal infusions.  I have started to make a herbal infusion of red clover a day, and will be experimenting with nettles and red raspberry leaf. Whilst listening to her archive of weekly podcasts, I have empowerment and hope about my health journey, and have resolved to stop looking at supplements for healing but focusing on what can be found in nature and what women have been using for centuries to heal. And what is more empowering than taking your health into your own hands instead of believing that you need a pill to get better! 

4. Yoga

Yoga and I have had a relationship since I was 18 years old and was dragged to a yoga class by my mother's friend who I was living with in my last year of high school.  Over the decades, we have been together on and off, and whenever I rediscover it I wonder why the hell we lost touch for so long.  I will admit that I do not have the discipline to practice yoga at home and therefore rely on classes to get my practice in.  Sometimes money and time constraints will force me to give up this activity for months on end. I have recently started attending yoga classes again and I hope this is the beginning of a long lasting relationship again.  Whenever I finish a class I feel so grounded, so peaceful, so light, and feel like I can face anything that comes my way.  

I plan to complete this 30 day yoga 'challenge' - a series of 30 x 20 minute daily practices which you can access online for free.  Last year I started it but did not get through the whole 30 days.  I love the beautiful instructor Erin Motz, a self defined 'bad yogi' because of her love for red wine, cheese and red meat...a girl after my own heart!

Have a blissful weekend!