'i teach self-care'

"I teach self-care. I create environments for people to investigate themselves. I give them permission to touch their wounds, their blindness and numbness. I believe that deep self-knowledge is the path to healing and repairing the places where we've turned our backs on ourselves, where we were ignorant of our own body biases within our tissues and therefore our heart and soul. I help people find where they have unknowingly been at battle in their bodies. I teach this across fractured party lines. I teach people to empower themselves through body sensing and body-relating practices. And I believe that embodied self knowledge fosters compassion, understanding and better inter-relating to other humans. I want to know my neighbor, even if we disagree. I am prepared to do my part in repairing this country. I chose to not be at war with my own body a long time ago.

To my movement educator friends, let's continue to hold space for people of all ages and stages, let's honor them by hosting environments where they can find ease and peace. May we unify inside ourselves in order transform the anxiety and fear within society."

-- Jill Miller of Yoga Tune-Up

Ina Chadwick Wilde, from “The World Traveler.”

week 8

Free your head.

This weeks challenge is a movement meditation and one of my favorites from Mary Bond over at Heal Your Posture. It's also is a nice follow on from the whole 'getting rid or your pillow rant' from last week as it's something to help restore mobility at the joint between the top of your neck and your cranium, the area that so often expresses stress as rigidity.  It will be particularly useful if you have to spend long hours in front of a computer screen. 

Like most of the challenges I'm posting, this is not a one-time exploration, but rather a practice to incorporate into your self-care routine and it can be done anywhere. The meditation asks you to “draw” circles and figure 8’s using your uvula (that strange bit of flesh hanging in the back of your throat) as a stylus, and rather then make you read a long badly written post by me you can check out Mary's video below, she describes it wonderfully!

Enjoy!

yoga tune up

belly massage

I am a BIG fan of this technique.
It helps when I have period pain, low back tension or indigestion and I always feel so relaxed afterwards. Highly recommend finding a pliable squishy ball and having a go.

Jill Miller explains more of the benefits here.

Best Practice

“Best Practice” is a letter to oneself. A pseudo-dream where reassurances and self taught coping mechanisms intersect a shuffle of memories. It is an adventure of self care, by cartoonist and painter Joshua Jarrett.

(via The Rumpus)

the year of letting go.

“the year of letting go, of understanding loss. grace. of the word ‘no’ and also being able to say ‘you are not kind’. the year of humanity/humility. when the whole world couldn’t get out of bed. everyone i’ve met this year, says the same thing ‘you are so easy to be around, how do you do that?’. the year i broke open and dug out all the rot with own hands. the year i learnt small talk. and how to smile at strangers. the year i understood that i am my best when i reach out and ask ‘do you want to be my friend?’. the year of sugar, everywhere. softness. sweetness. honey honey. the year of being alone, and learning how much i like it. the year of hugging people i don’t know, because i want to know them. the year i made peace and love, right here.”

― Warsan Shire

Found here.