Recently I was looking at a photo of mine taken this summer for my website;
and, oh how she glowed! Yes there was make-up and a hairdresser involved, plus
sunshine and a little perspiration making my skin particularly shiny. I remember
it was a very hot day for a photo shoot. So it’s unfair to compare it to my
face mid-winter, pale skin, and bags under the eyes.
But I do find that on these dark gloomy days that I am
missing some radiance, and need to find that sparkle in the eyes. How do I do
that, I wondered, when it’s -20C outside and even my dog doesn’t want to walk
very far....going down south is not an option for another month. What to do?
My resolve this year has been to muddle on through winter,
especially January, when my body just wanted to curl up and sleep. I decided to
do just that yesterday, nap on the couch
with a book instead of berating myself for not having any energy. It’s that
time of year when you think you should be planning ahead, at least for this self-employed
workshop leader, it’s a good time to plan my year. However, my creative mojo
was way down in the basement, and pulling up my socks was not helping.
SoulCollage(R) card: Seeking words
I realized my energy needed more pumping up or plumping up,
like a duvet cushion that needs a good shake and thump. So I decided to attend
yoga class more often – bump it up to twice a week and also hired a personal
trainer to get me started with some cardio and stretching. I vowed to stick to my small daily practices
that I know work.
For me this means sitting down to meditate every morning,
first thing, while it’s still dark. Breathing into the silent mantra of breath:
rest, silence, breathing. Such a sweet (and sometimes challenging) practice
that fills me up from the inside. The
benefit is immediate, and leads me to appreciate and be grateful instead of
listening to the overactive whiney, critical voice. This morning in my
restorative yoga class the teacher had us do a few heart opening poses, and hip
openers, lying back on a bolster, breathing pranayama style, 4 counts in, 4
counts out. I looked at myself in the mirror once I got home, and I am feeling calm,
less frazzled than yesterday.
SoulCollage(R) card Tasting the New
Beauty flows from energetic presence, the Yoga Journal
article I’m reading says. And I believe. All of a sudden I have patience. I can
give attention to my work, to my dog, to my friends in need. I have energy to
share. Last week, I was a muddled mess of confusion. But after sleeping in,
napping and eating lots of home-made chicken soup and slow simmered stews,
pampering myself with good vibes and yoga, I am slowly coming out of that swamp
of emptiness into a pool of fullness again. Soothing oils in a diffuser like frankincense, lavender and rose also help
me feel good and keep the cold bugs away....
It is true that building energy with quiet, calming
practices like Creative Flow helps fill the well too. When I am really unable
to work, plan or think, I head to my collage table where all my supplies are
laid out: images, glue, cardboard. It helps that in an on-line class we had a
vision board project to make, and that deadline got me moving. But before the
vision could come, I needed to plump up the heart energy with some rest.
What do you do to find your inner spark?
