Nourished

Trust that you are being guided.

Lean in to this trust.

Remember that you are held.

Always.

You are Source manifested in

this form.

Tend to this form of yours!

Your body yearns for attention

and care –

not “someday” but now.

Today.

There is time.

Trust that

all you are responsible for

will be okay while you

nourish you

so that you can hear

the whispers of Source

more clearly and trust

with deeper surrender.

Lisa McCrohan, (c) 2021, Your Light is Rising

I sat down this morning at the kitchen table with my copy of Your Light is Rising and a bowl of warm oatmeal that my daughter made for us. It is a sunny morning. I hear birds chirping that I hadn’t heard before in the dead of winter. I am quiet for a moment and I listen. Though it is still cold outside and we will go skiing this evening, I can feel Spring coming soon. I recently watched this video about Japan’s 72 micro-seasons of the year. Yes, 72! Micro seasons. I love this concept. I’d call this season right now at the very end of February: Birds Begin to Return, Hope Starts to Rise.

It’s been a long “winter” – it’s been almost a year of this pandemic. We’ve all had to adjust to a new way of being, deal with uncertainty, mitigate fear, figure out how to connect with people, and try to stay sane in it all. This all puts a demand on our nervous systems.

Right now at the end of February, many of us are tired and worn out. We need refueling. We need some nourishment as we head into spring – body and soul nourishment.

I am about “micro” – micro sacred pauses, micro mindful/compassion practices, micro actions toward bigger goals, micro moments of connection, micro gems of delight – in our everyday life to soothe our nervous systems, find balance, come back home to ourselves, and connect to what matters. Micro seems doable when our nervous systems are overwhelmed, taxed, and tired.

I’d love to share one of my micro mindful/compassion practices (it’s also a micro sacred pause, a micro moment of connection, and can turn into micro gem of delight!). It’s so simple and yet so nourishing. I teach it to just about everyone – integrative coaching clients, psychotherapy clients, participants in my courses. It’s weaved into my podcast episodes and it’s included in my books. You’ll find me doing this practice when I’m listening to you! It helps us get grounded, it soothes our nervous system, and it helps us connect to what matters.

The Hand on Heart Practice

Throughout the day, take a micro moment to

pause

put your hand on your heart

soften or close your eyes

feel yourself fully exhaling

feel how you naturally take a fuller inhale

take another few breaths like this

arrive right here in this moment

softening, breathing, opening

feeling your feet on the earth

feeling the muscles in your body softening

feeling the gentle aliveness flowing within you

 

In this micro moment of “softening and arriving right here,” you might notice how you start to “come back home to yourself.”  You might start to notice the beauty around you – the way the light enters through the window, the birds chirping in the background, the hum of the heater, the smile lines around one of your dear one’s eyes or face, the softness of the blanket around you….all supporting you in a micro moment of appreciation, gratitude, and delight.

You can do this several times a day.  It’s such a simple yet powerful way to be nourished.  It’s available to us any time. (You can try it even right now as you are reading this!).  You can do it lying down, standing up, or sitting down.  You can do it when you are stressed, when you aren’t stressed.  You can teach it to your children – little ones and big ones (Years ago, I taught it to a group of Montessori teachers.  A few years later, a student told me, “You walk down the hallway and you see kindergartners walking down the hall with their hands on their hearts!”)

Our nervous systems need this micro pause, this softening, this gentleness, this connection with our breath and this moment, and this nourishment.  It will help us go into spring with a feeling being more grounded, nourished, and opening to hope.

I’d love to hear how this micro practice nourishes you!  Drop me a line!

__________________

Want more soul nourishment?  I have some lovely resources for you:

For parents: My popular course, Regarding Our Children, is available again!  It’s now self-study and you get an instant download of all nine audio podcast-style lessons + my 60-page workbook.

Meditations: meditation is suuuuuch a body-soul-nervous system nourishing practice.  I put a sweet twist on meditation – I weave poetry into them for an easy-to-follow guided experience of nourishment.  Check out my Calm in the Chaos poetic meditation series.  I started off creating this series for morning meditation, but plenty of listeners have told me that they use it in the evening, too. Listen to them whenever you want (remember: micro sacred pauses!).

When you need to hold an actual BOOK in your hand:  Check out my latest book, Your Light is Rising, which is filled with poetry and embodiment practices that’s divided into five times of day.  Check out my first book, Gems of Delight, for stories for the mama soul.

Need 1:1 support?  I have a few spots open for Integrative Coaching.  Grab a free consult if you are interested in working together.

 

Blessings,