“When you rest, you catch your breath and it holds you up, like water wings…” ~ anne lamott Keeping Up Our Self-Care
We’re Worth It! Hi beauties! How are you today? Truly. How are you? Have you taken a moment to pause? To check in? This is the time in the summer season when I begin losing track of days. And, I have to be super conscious to build in moments of relaxation and rest. Here’s something I am really beginning to understand. If I don’t have solid infrastructure in place that supports my relaxation and rest? I’m apt to let all that goodness slip away into busyness. Summer in Saugatuck means there’s always another art opening, an outdoor show, an opportunity to get together with friends, etc. And, I love it! I’m super grateful to live in a place where people come for vacation. It delights me to support my friends in their creative endeavors. I’m never going to say “no” to an opportunity to sail or swim. But, when you are one of the people not on vacation? Things can feel a little different. I certainly don’t want to just “show up for work.” Every time I teach a class, I understand it is a privilege. No matter where I am leading a class, I view it as sacred space. Whether I am with my long-time, regular yogis (thank you! 🙏🏽), or I am meeting someone on the mat for the very first time (thank you! 🙏🏽), I want everyone to have an enriching experience in their brain, body, and being. So, my own self-care is even more important when I am busy. Here are some ways I make sure to keep up (and maybe even double down) on active self care:
Example:
Got a self-care tip or routine you want to share? Drop me a line, or send me a text, so you can help me and others! 🥰 💡& ♥️, ~m
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"If I could give you one thought, it would be to lift someone up. Lift a stranger up - lift her up. I would ask you, mother and father, brother and sister, lovers, mother and daughter, father and son, lift someone. The very idea of lifting someone up will lift you, as well." ~ Maya Angelou Adjusting Our Own Lens
Lifting Up Others | Lifting Up Ourselves Hello, my beautiful friends! Honestly? I looked at my calendar this morning in disbelief. How are we already cruising into the second half of July? 🫢 In some ways, it seems my summer is just getting started. Even though our boat went into the water in April, Mike and I are JUST beginning to sail. Time on the Big Lake is one of my happy places; it helps me reset and refill my own well. I consider Lake Michigan to be our wilderness, and exploring it is always healing and regenerative. While I hope for many more opportunities to sail away this season, there is a lot that needs my time, my energy, and my love. And, I want to continue showing up as a source of light. For myself and for everyone else I connect with. (I love, and believe in, the Maya Angelou quotation up above ☝🏽) Sometimes, lifting up others flows easily. Other times, I have to remember to pause and check in. I appreciate the questions that were written on the white board at Satya a couple of weeks ago: What am I doing? How am I being? The answers, posed in pairs, helped me simplify within myself. Some days are very busy for me, and I find myself feeling rushed the entire day. But, why? Sure, I have a schedule, and commitments, and a timeframe . . . but that’s all in place. Could I move through that same day feeling calm and patient instead of rushed? What would it take for me to make that internal shift? I’m thrilled to report that this shift is possible, and it is SO DARNED HELPFUL! When I can be patient, and settle into flow (not shifting my schedule at all) I enjoy myself more all along the way. I have stronger connections with people throughout the day. And, I have more energy left at the end of the day. With that much payoff? I’d say that’s a shift worth paying attention to! The other one off the list I have been spending time investigating is: Proving? Or, Secure. Wow! I have made gains in this area, and I know there is more digging and unpacking to do. As we enjoy this week’s New Moon energy, I’m curious:
~ m ♥️💡 
“The grass may be greener on the other side, but gratitude reminds you that you are standing on the only side that matters. This is life right now. The grass is greenest where you water it, so water this moment with your love and appreciation. You will be amazed at the results. You will grow a garden of incredible inner peace” ~ Ian Lawton Shifting the Narrative
Broadening Our Understanding Hello, beauties! Throughout the summer months I have the joy and privilege of meeting so many new people on the mat; I absolutely love it! Showing up for a class, workshop, or retreat takes courage. Especially with an instructor you don’t know. I am aware some people who join me have never taken a yoga class. I also understand many folks have discomfort, or fear, or anxiety around yoga. While I don’t know the specifics surrounding each of these apprehensions, I do understand they are real. So today, I offer encouragement and assurance. Being proactive about your self care, no matter what form that takes, is fantastic. I believe there are so many beautiful paths that lead to greater health, vitality, and joy. Yoga is the one that has become my moment by moment, breath by breath guide on this journey. If you look at the magazine covers, you might think yoga is really complicated. Or that it’s only for super flexible people. Or, it’s required that you wear super tight shorts and tiny tops if you are planning to attend a yoga class. I’d love to shift all of that right here and now. For absolutely everyone if I could. Because? None of that is true. I often hear statements like, “I can’t do yoga because I hurt my wrist.” Or, “I’m not any good at yoga because I can’t touch my toes.” I also try and switch those narratives when there’s space for conversation. The physical postures, the asanas, are simply one aspect of yoga. Breath work is yoga. Meditation is yoga. And so much more . . . is yoga. When people say to me, “I ride my bike. Play tennis. Go hiking. I don’t need (have time for) yoga added into my fitness routine.” I suggest they think of yoga as something completely different than the exercise they enjoy. Yes, yoga can be very physically active and challenging. If that’s what you want from it? Wonderful! But, yoga can also be:
Yoga can gently help us become more flexible. Better maintain our balance. Enjoy more restful sleep. Yoga helps us know, and love, ourselves better. And, I don’t know who doesn’t benefit from that?! No matter where you are on your journey with yoga, I hope you remain curious. Continue your exploration. And enjoy it every single day. Here’s to each one of us expanding the narrative of yoga so that more may delight in its benefits, ~ m ♥️ P.S. Creativity and Cocktails on Monday was SO MUCH FUN! Truly? A dream day for me! Funny that Theresa and I were enjoying it all so much, neither of us took a single photo. Whoops! Guess that means we’ll have to do it again. 😉 
“Doing those deeply unfashionable things--slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting—is a radical act now, but it is essential.” ~ Katherine May Becoming Unavailable
Spaciousness For That Creative Spark Hello, my friends! One of the newsletters I love reading is written by Lizzie Lasater. This week she really inspired me. She talked about being unavailable. Intentionally. In fact, she builds it into her schedule. Several afternoons a week she bikes to a nearby pool, swims laps, and then lays in the grass afterwards for 15 minutes simply to read or daydream. For that one hour, she leaves her phone at home. She is unavailable to the external world. Of course, this means she is wholly available for her internal world. Lizzie explained she often has her best ideas during this down time. Ideas for her work. Her parenting. Her practice. The next meal she needs to cook . . . whatever! It’s precisely this spaciousness that is the creative spark. As summer heats up, and schedules grow increasingly complex, I aspire to to carve out chunks of time where I am unavailable. Doing something that helps me reset and feel renewed. Gifting myself that spaciousness to wonder, and dream, and refill my own well. Something by myself, for myself. This act of self-care is a direct benefit for me, which means it is beneficial for my connectivity with others. I hope you’ll join me in making yourself unavailable?! I can’t wait to hear what you do and how it goes! We’re worth it! ~ m ♥️ |
AuthorMichelle Shaw: Archives
September 2023
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