Nourish Yourself

 

“Where is your water? Know your garden.”
~ Hopi Teaching

Each and everyday, we feed ourselves. We feed our bodies. We feed our minds. We feed those around us. We fill our time. We feed ourselves in myriad ways:

food and drinkfamily and friends
quiet time / spiritual practices
hobbies and / or work
care of the body ~ exercise, massage, cuddles
time in nature
enertainment ~ movies, music, TV, reading

We take in a lot of stuff, but have we noticed the effects of what’s been ingested? How does the food feel in our belly? How does the workout feel in the body? How does the movie or the time with friends or the latest project feel in our hearts and minds? How do we feel when we’ve been boxed into our office for far too long, then make ourselves talk a walk just to get outside for a few minutes? How does it feel to do something nice for ourselves, like a few “stolen” quite moments or a spa day?

Everything we do throughout the day, everything we take in has an effect. All of it has an energetic effect. We send energy out into the world and we are bombarded by it all day long. But is it nourishing?

Have you been Nourished.. or merely just fed?

When my boys were little, they used to ask me to go to McDonalds or to make Mac-n-Cheese (I know, the ultimate comfort food). They used to resist eating their veggies or other healthy things. I asked them to tap into how they felt after eating junky things – vs – healthy things:

Did they want to take a nap or veg-out on the couch watching TV?
OR
Did they want to run around and play? Did their brains feel good?

This question became a sort of barometer for them. Life is more fun when you have energy in the body and clarity in the mind. They realized they would rather eat well – clean, healthy, high-quality food – because then they felt good; they didn’t feel good when they didn’t.
When we nourish ourselves, in any way, we haven’t just filled our belly or our time, we have brought something into ourself at a very cellular level. For me, if I am nourished by something, it makes me feel whole, feel loved and cared for; I feel inspired, grounded or expansive; I feel closer to Spirit – my own and the Great Divine.

I am writing this on the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. This evening, I will go and walk the Labyrinth with my husband, as I do each season. I am looking forward to introducing this practice to my son too, this time. Walking the labyrinth is a practice that has become very valuable to me over the years. How perfect that today, of all days, I have an opportunity to reflect on all the blessings that nourish me in some way and release those things that really don’t. It is a time for reflection, yes, but equally important is that it is a practice, an opportunity to re-enforce some of the habits that support me on my journey in this life: the actions and thought patterns that bring me peace and help me to grow.

Practice is, I think, intimately related to nourishment, to self-care and Self-care. We are nurturing something: our health, our belief system, a way of being in the world ~

How do we want to be in the world?

We eat good, clean healthy food because it tastes better and brings us vitality.
We do some sort of movement with the body – yoga, walking, dancing, or anything – because it feels better to move than to sit.
We may follow some sort of spiritual or religious practice so that our hearts can be both full and light.
We seek out the company of those who are close to us – family or friend – to connect with and share each others sorrows and challenges as well as joy, laughter and love.
We sleep. We dream. We work. We play. We create. We practice gratitude.

We recharge and replenish ourselves. We share our gifts with those around us, or those who need us.

“When you discover something that Nourishes your Soul and Brings Joy,
care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.”
~ Jean Shinoda Bolen

And what of the things that don’t nourish us? That’s simple, though admittedly not always easy:
We LET that detritus GO.

~ Invitation ~

What are the necessities for nourishment in you life?

How do you feel when you take care of yourself? How do you feel when you let yourself go?

What are the necessities? What are the luxuries?