Self care's little secret
reflections of a recovering Ayurvedic Practitioner
September 1, 2024
As a forty something year old woman who has been fiercely trained that value and busyness go hand-in-hand, I've had to truly learn the importance of slowing down. In order to pay attention or relish any kind of curiosity regarding the here and now, it helps to move a little slower. I’m less likely to react impulsively and instead respond thoughtfully. Also the fact that I can extend myself any grace, because I can be all over the map with this, is a revolutionary act of self care. I know I’m not always in the flow. It’s a continuous practice to be here now. And somewhere else later.
In Ayurveda* self care is talked about constantly, if not ceremoniously. And is often ground zero in any sort of wellness plan. It’s step one. The required footings for a loving sovereign vibrant life.
The cool thing about self care is that it’s timeless and that it gets to change and adapt as you grow and age. Which thankfully, is fabulous. I’m constantly discovering or honing down ways that will either be supportive versus depleting. As I change, so do the intimate moments that keep me feeling well.
Just the other morning I wrapped myself in none other than presence and a few yummy beauty products. I began with my scalp and hair. A good brushing, a short hair tousle with fragrant oils, and then up into a clip. Bathing in the warm and tingly afterglow, I splashed cool water on my face, a rose geranium hydrosol, then some face serum and pomegranate oil. Done.
The shrill at which my nervous system seems to regularly pulse at, plummeted and the queen in me felt anointed, relaxed, and noticed.
This took maybe a total of 8 minutes. No phone, no music, no distraction. Just the morning rays streaming in, illuminating the bathroom and allowing a kind of spaciousness for me to scan my mind and body. Smile. Breathe.
Does self care elude you because it’s reserved to a specific time or place or act? I think it’s because many of us don’t have the slightest clue on where or how to begin. Likely over complicating or overthinking what, in essence, is terribly simple.
I’m feeling tired, so I’m going to sleep early tonight.
I’m feeling hungry, so I’m going to make myself a pot of soup.
I’m feeling lonely, so I’m going to call a friend.
We are guardian, friend, and lover to ourselves. May I remember to be sweet and kind.
Here’s the thing, self care is not some mysterious ritual. It’s valuing yourself, right now. Maybe it’s because the formula is so simple it’s overlooked.
Present moment [plus] loving act [equals] a reverberation of feel-good, expansive ripples
String a few of these together and imagine the effect.
Yours, Erin
*This is coming from someone who was an Ayurvedic Practitioner and though no longer practicing in the clinical sense with clients, the principle and practices are forever etched into the fabric of my life.
Along these same lines was the reason I created INTUITIVE ARRANGEMENTS – a means to experience quality, sensation, beauty, and artistry via hands on practices.
Or in the case of Intuitive Arrangements, flowers. It’s a mash-up of self care and plant art.