A Pocket Guide to Self-Renewal
By Natasha Currah, 889 Living Yoga Faculty & 889 Teacher
“Self-care is not about self-indulgence, it is about self-preservation” – Audrey Lorde
Having a baby is life changing. It brings up so many questions and insecurities many of us didn’t know we had. After having my first child I blogged about how my yoga practice changed and shifted. Now six months after my second child I am still figuring out how to carve out less time and give more of myself. How to keep prioritizing self-care while at the same time a day can scream by and my teeth/hair went unbrushed or all I ate was a banana and it’s 4 o’clock, let alone drink enough water to make a trip to the washroom (alone, if I’m lucky)…Ahhh, I didn’t have time to sit down anyway!
Yet, I would never imagine denying anyone I care for of sleep or nourishment.
Regardless of the choices you have made to dedicate yourself to your career, your passion or raising a family, we live in a culture that does not necessarily support downtime. Giving permission to do less is more work, but it’s sustainable. This is the only body, mind and soul I’ve got and it needs to be cared for.
Below is my list for basic survival self-renewal. You may read a few suggestions that you have heard before. They may serve as reminders to you or some may not resonate at all. Whatever the connection to this list, perhaps let it clarify what your renewal needs are.
1. Sleep more. No nap is too short or long.
2. Eat thoughtfully. Make this also a practice of presence.
3. Get on your mat. Meditate or move. It will replenish you.
4. Ask for support when you need it. Others will find it inspirational. Yes they will.
5. Find ways to say “no” politely without explanation to things that are not a priority to YOU. Get really good at it. (Not sure where to start? Clear off anything that is a ‘should’)
6. Be compassionate to yourself. You are doing a great job. You’re doing a great job despite the lack of rest. You are doing a great job despite the meals missed. You are doing a great job despite whatever kept you from your mat today. YOU are doing a great job. You are doing a GREAT job. Really. You are. It’s all practice.
LIFE is practice.
It’s starting a new every day. It’s unplugging every night. It’s breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s grocery shopping. It’s commuting to and from work. It’s kissing. It’s crying. It’s smiling at strangers. It’s acceptance. It’s finding comfort in vulnerability. We’ll never perfect any of this. We’re not supposed to. You can make yourself the most extravagant breakfast, eat it with a silver spoon or choose your hands and eat off the floor. It doesn’t change that it’s still breakfast. Push the excess off your plate and tend your garden, nourish the potential of the seeds that are within all of us and pray for good rain.