On the airplanes they remind you to take care of yourself ((put your own oxygen mask on)) before assisting anyone else. without putting our own on, how many people can we help? ... maybe four? >>> but if we put ours on first, we can help limitless people! take care of yourself ••• so that you can take care of others.
If I’m depleted from the day, I need to re-nourish rather than patch up. Chocolate or screen time would be a patch. Whereas a shower and abhyanga (self-massage) would be a way to re-nourish.
First we re-nourish. THEN chocolate or screen time becomes a treat rather than a patch. After we re-nourish with self-care, we make our decisions from a nourished place, rather than a depleted place, and likely make more balanced and nourishing choices
s e l f • c a r e // If we do something that’s good for us 60-80% of the time, we’re doing well. really really well >>>
then when we wobble (20-40%), we won’t get knocked over ••• with 60-80%, we have a strong foundation.
We need to be able to handle a little bit of change. A little bit of stress. Otherwise we think “if i can’t do it perfectly, i can’t or shouldn’t do it at all”. Life changes. We can spend our life waiting for that perfect moment, that perfect time when it will all line up.. Or… we can do what we can do RIGHT NOW.
Life is going to happen: we’re going to have stress, somebody is going to die, we’re going to get sick. Daily practices build in a structure that we can always come back to.
They bring stability.
What are your 60-80% of the time self-care ritual(s)?!
Here are just a few on my list:
- tongue scraping: the tongue is the map of the entire body and its systems, so with tongue scraping its like pressure point therapy for your entire body at once! tongue scraping removes a filmy coat of what ayurveda calls ama, or toxins, created by undigested/indigestible food. This leaves your breath more fresh, your taste buds more alert, and your overall oral hygiene in tip-top shape.
- warm water with lemon first thing: perfect way to start the day. energizes! cleanses. gently warms the body and stokes the digestive fire. clears the channels. clears the skin ••• a little cuppa magic
- rose water in eyes: yes, IN eyes! the eyes have a tendency to overheat, making rose the perfect antidote for overused, undernourished, dry, itchy eyes.
- dry skin brushing: better than a cup of coffee! Super invigorating and stimulates the lymphatic system, increasing your immunity. It also increases circulation and thus oxygenation of tissues, bringing an overall sense of vibrancy and vitality to your body and mind.
- self massage with sesame (warming) or coconut (cooling) oil followed by a hot shower: super nourishing for the nervous system, grounding, and just lovely. Great medicine for business, anxiety, and “not-enough-time-for-me” syndrome. Can take as little as 5 minutes to apply oil, and the benefits are deep and transformative. Warm water (shower or sauna) then dilates the pores and allows the oil to penetrate deeper.
