Awareness of the nature around us seems like an easy task. We open our eyes and we go outside to notice the trees and sky. We may briefly notice the temperature, but do we ever really sit and immerse ourselves in nature? Nature provides solace, it offers no judgement, and it offers sacred space. It nourishes everything including us, by giving us oxygen to breathe. Nature provides medicine and a wonderful playground for all, but do we really notice it? Do we notice the subtle embrace of this entity? Nautre is sacred ground. It has been here before humanity and will continue to thrive after us. May we all truly become aware of the beauty not just above us, but below us. May we walk barefoot and dance in the cleansing rain. Perhaps when we say we're too busy, nature will whisper to us and help us feel grounded and whole. Pictures on post taken by: Briana Kiefer
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Have you ever had a desire to buy a coloring book? Maybe you wanted the piece of clothing that most people would think is "too young" for you? Perhaps your inner child wants a bit of the action in your life. When you find yourself drawn to having more fun and relaxing more, your inner child tends to be more at the forefront of our thoughts. Our inner child is thought to be our true selves that is hidden away when negative experiences attack our spirit.
When we indulge enchanting moments in our lives we become more susceptible to the magic that is all around us. The more we view the world in childlike wonder, the more we appreciate what is happening in the present; we acknowledge the gift of another day and another moment. Sure we can be silly and play Twister with paint and maybe do silly things in public places, but the main goal is to check in with our inner child with causal, "hey." Self doubt can be cruel. It feels threatened that you won't need it anymore and it will do whatever it takes to make you feel unworthy. Some self doubt only whispers, but sometimes these whispers turn into crippling screams and we are left feeling powerless. There is always a way to deal with self doubt and that is shadow work. Knowing that we possess qualities that may not fuel our life's purpose forward is half the battle when dealing with self doubt. Creative peoples especially suffer from self doubt strongly, but our true character comes out in resilience. Acknowledging we all have demons, but that we are in control is critical in thriving. To ease self doubt immerse yourself in your community and be around like minded positive people. Do things you love that ease your emotions, maybe watching a movie or going on a hike. Some people find journaling their fears on paper allows those fears to leave their mind. Remember, millions have come before and millions more after you that have fought the same battles as you and won. Trust yourself and know self doubt is more afraid of you because it knows you have the power to silence it.
Shadow Work according to Carl Jung consist of energy patterns, known as selves or sub-personalities that were disowned — pushed down into our unconscious in childhood, as part of our coping strategies. In order to be our best selves we need to embrace our darkest parts and allow them illuminate. Owning every ounce of our being is self love and promotes mental and physical wellness.
In order to heal ourselves we can use coping strategies such as indulging our inner child or journaling and scrapbooking our dreams or ideas. Working with our shadow selves gives us an opportunity to reflect without judgement and gives us moments of stillness. Silence and being alone with our thoughts can bring up our trauma that may be distressing, but dealing with it and accepting it will ultimately lead us to inner peace. Yoga can be a great tool to start this process as well. Trust the process and remember to love yourself. Whenever we conjure thoughts of how we should practice self love, many of us come up with the answer that we need more time. We don't want to give up our normal routines to do something we feel doesn't achieve anything, but what if it did? Indulging in ourselves allows our central nervous system to restore itself and ease our stress levels. When we experience less stress we tend to be more productive.
Here are some ways you can integrate self love in your daily life: 1. Bath with some herbal goodies 2. Exercise or a yoga practice 3. Eating something very decadent (preferably vegan lol.. Nothing feels better than cruelty free lol) 4. A massage or other spa experience 5. Time outside with yourself or loved ones This is a small list to get you started, but the idea is to focus on yourself and allow your worry about other things to drift away. |
AuthorBriana is a married mother of two. She is a published author and has a masters in educational leadership. She is a certified yoga teacher and strongly believes that anyone can do yoga. She believes yoga meets you where you are and that anything is possible once you connect with yourself and embrace your shadow side. Archives
October 2016
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