🌹It's been a while...

Usually at this time of the year I'm busy posting about upcoming courses, registration, advertising upcoming events, but not so this year. This summer was my first summer not teaching yoga or mindfulness in a little over 10 years... I knew I needed a break to pause, rest and reset.

As most of you know, my mum passed away in March, and although I felt I was coping fine, I now realise I wasn't really. I knew I needed to step back because when you teach slow mindful practices, you're giving of yourself, your time, your energy and your empathy, so if you're not careful, your cup can run dry.

I realised a little too late it was time to turn my attention inwards. I didn't expect that on one hand I would feel better not to be teaching, but then to feel the impact that neither was I practicing. The daily yoga and mindfulness that was so ingrained in my life, had fallen away completely, and this was affecting my emotional health.

Movement and mindfulness are a very effective way for emotions to move through the body. When I stopped the practice, I found I was being less mindful, and more mindless... my mind wandering to loss, grief, sadness, and I wasn't helping it to move through me. So much like the poem The Guest House by Rumi, although I was open to letting these emotions in, I didn't have the pathway open for them to also leave.

Last weekend this came to a head and I realised I really needed to return to the mat and my mindfulness. I restarted a class with the lovely Sylvaine in Lusk (gifted to me by the gorgeous Nikki). A beautiful practice in a church in the heart of Lusk. I also launched Insight Timer and tapped into beautiful guided meditations by Ciara, as well as other mindfulness teachers I studied including Kristin Neff and the wonderful Sharon Salzberg. I mean I leaned right in... doing guided meditations a few times a day. Once upon waking, once on the train to work (new job back in tech which I'm really enjoying), maybe again on the way home, and then as I go to sleep. I have also been blessed to experience a Rose Healing with Clodagh, gifted to me by Magda... how blessed I am among all these amazing women.

As a result my heart has softened, the tears have eased. The sadness is still here but it feels more like love now than profound loss. Waves, they come and go, so I'm just finally walking my own walk and doing what I know helps. Sometimes you need a reminder so thank you to Dave, my kids, my siblings & dad, the wider family, and all my friends, for holding me, and for helping me to remember all will be well.

Maybe this is a little reminder for you to reconnect with any tools you forgot that help you, to bring them back into your daily practice. 🙏🏻💞🌹