During this unique public health crisis, how do you recommend women take care of themselves and stay in tune with their bodies and emotions?
My first recommendation is to always first find your breath and tune into your very own heartbeat. From this space you may begin sensing how it is you are really feeling and what is needed. When we are truly present, all of our senses come alive and share their insight with us.
This practice of presencing is essential for tending to our own wellbeing and cultivating balance in our lives. As we listen to this inner knowing, we are in effect slowing down and allowing our innate wisdom to lead the way. Creating this kind of sacred space on the daily is imperative, and may even be practiced multiple times in an hour. All it really takes is one single breath to return home to oneself.
In these and all times, I also recommend a steady protocol of self-massage to tune into our bodies and provide nurturing care. All of our bodies - mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and beyond desire deeply to be heard and held.
Beyond this, a daily practice of movement and time in nature is essential! While being mindful of hydration and nourishment, and if possible a daily and or nightly bath. Steeping in all things nourishing is the only way to stay resourced, filling the depths of our reservoirs so that we may meet what comes our way with the most grace, clarity, courage, and compassion.
How does an individual who is on a healing journey experience the world differently than someone who has not done the work of healing their spirit?
It can be said that an individual who is consciously cultivating their own healing journey experiences the world from a more grounded, reflective, and receptive place. Depending on how integrated their own healing is, they may be characterized as less reactive and more expansive. They are likely more skilled in their communication and in taking responsibility for themselves as well.
Essentially, a healed person is one who has journeyed through a path of remembrance, and has returned to their original state of wholeness. Therefore there is a level of spaciousness they have created within, and from this place they experience the world. Instead of being uncentered by challenge, they rather view it as an opportunity for learning and growth. Truth, forgiveness, freedom, compassion, and awareness are their close friends and allies.
Those who walk a healing path may be described as being more sensitized as well. This may mean also that while they are less reactive to the perils of the world, they may grow increasingly more sensitive and thus find the need to create healthy boundaries and new ways of being in the world.
Oftentimes, as one walks further down their respective healing road, they will experience shifts and growth. This may manifest as changes in their identity, occupation, relationships, residencies, tastes, and preferences. Old ways fall away, and new ones emerge. A simple way of being and living is that of the healing road.
The more we heal ourselves, the more space we have to hold for others and the world. In time, the narrative shifts from the micro to the macro. I believe that the most fulfilling and rewarding path we can walk, is to devote ourselves to our own healing and to be of support to others along the way.