So today I need to do something different. I’ve been burning my candle at both ends lately, and while the light is bright and vibrant and flickering against the walls and the sky, every second that goes by, the wick gets shorter and shorter until there might not be anything left. If you’ve read my earlier musings, I struggled to repair both wick and light in the darkness of the winter months. To do that again, to have to do that again, would mean missing out on this magical place called Earth. And I don’t want to leave any of you or the little voice inside my head that begs to stand on her stepstool and shout to the heavens of her worthiness. I’m doing so many writings and creations over here that sometimes my mind gets lost. And when my schedule gets out of wack and the plates are spinning a little too fast for comfort, rather than burn out and disappear I want to respect myself and you enough to step back. Even if it is just for today.

In my planner, I wanted to write about chia seeds today. Then my mind was plagued with fear that no one would be interested or that we have seen enough of those black little seeds to last a lifetime. It didn’t matter that I wanted to write about it and share an exquisite kitchen staple. Which is wrong and just shows how I planned myself into self-doubt – a low vibrational energy that just simply doesn’t need to have a presence in my life.

There is a different kind of nutrition far too overlooked. And that is the nutrition of the mind and soul. And when the elements taken in by the body – be it food, outside influence, etc – are tainted, the mind and soul become dull, just like our skin when it isn’t hydrated or not filled with vibrant leafy greens. And with a dull mind and soul, we burn our candles out too fast; forget to take chances; live in fear and envy and anger. We forget what it means to be a child; to laugh, color, and play. We become stuck, and we become a lesser version of ourselves, because it is easier to withdraw.

Well I’m standing beneath the moon to see the shining halo that surrounds it in a sea of darkness. I’m standing beneath the moon to see hope and truth and existence in tranquility. And I turn that within myself to recharge my good vibes and radiate out only sweet intention. I’m going to spend my morning getting ready for a lunchtime adventure, enjoying my classes even if they are exhausting, finding peace in the time I give myself to work, and imagining recipes to display on this site I call home.

Maybe it isn’t what the blogosphere expects, but it is what I need. It is the different nutrition that I have been craving all week but have been adamant against. I will be back with my fingertips sliding across the keys tomorrow… maybe even tonight. But right now, chia seeds and traditional ideas of sustenance must be set aside. And you know what? I bet they will be all the better for this break.

Liza Rae over at There’s Beauty in Recovery (click on the image under Musings Elsewhere in the sidebar) will be adding my newest contribution to her site today if you are interested and would like to explore the depths of yoga as a tool of healing.

I love you all infinitely more than you could ever imagine.

xxoo

[image found on Tumblr]

Hi Loves! How did Tadasana go for you yesterday? Comment below and let me know ;) …

Last week we talked about Maca Powder and the amazing, super duper, fantabulous ways it can help our bodies. I just thought I would check in and see if anyone had gotten maca and tried it out … I just had some in my breakfast! YUM. Later I am going to post a recipe for a delicious snack – dorm room style. It uses a brown paper bag and the microwave… what do you think?

But now I want to do a little mental wellness check-in.

I love you, I do. Know that I am surrounding you with love and peace and hope and wellness.

THURSDAY CHECK-IN || use these questions to reconnect to yourself and your joys

How are you feeling today? How did you feel yesterday? How do you want to feel tomorrow?

What have you done this week to make yourself feel strong and empowered?

What was your favorite meal of the week that made you feel like superwoman (or man)?

What are you looking forward to this weekend? Next week?

What will you do today to make yourself feel magnificent?

Do you know that you are loved, cared for, and protected?

PEACE PRACTICE || center and love yourself with the following practice

Starting at your toes, wiggle them and feel their movement and freedom. Move up to your ankles, rolling them clockwise and counterclockwise. Drift up to your calves, flexing and feeling the alertness. Find your knees, maybe rock your legs slightly left and right, up and back. Feel them loosen. Clench and unclench your thighs. Notice how strong and powerful you are, and how your longest and strongest bone, the femur, lies beneath this incredible muscle. Move to your hips, sway them left and right, circular, drawing in your beautiful energy. Breathe space into your tummy, your abdomen, and feel how with each breath you fill your lungs with air, widening your rib cage and stomach. Feel how your body moves with the breath and pass no judgement. Breathe into your heart space. Notice how your collarbones smile open, and little joy-filled sprites race down to your toes. Move up to your shoulders. Hunch forward, thrust them back, rotate them around in circles. Draw them up, back, and down, straightening your spine. Extend and draw in with your elbows, shake them around. Roll your wrists, circular to the left and then the right, maybe moving one hand in the opposite direction of the other. Flex and squeeze your fingers, recognizing the circulation starting to pick up. Notice the beauty in the lines of the palm, the past and present melded in a series of stories for you to discern. Move up to your neck, your throat, and hum. Activate your expressive throat chakra, speaking your truth both to yourself and others. Find your jaw and move it left and right, maybe in an oval shape. Move to your lips and smile big and wide, ear-to-ear. Realize that when we feel silly and child-like, we can be happy. Scrunch your nose, shutting your eyes tight. Open your mouth and your eyes really wide and surprised. Scrunch all the features of your face like you just ate a lemon. Smile. Wiggle your eyebrows. Feel loving energy and happiness float through all of your limbs, your heart, through to the top of your head.

Feel free to do this anywhere and everywhere. Like the title suggests -- all over the damn place :)

Stay tuned, you amazing souls, for a yummy post...

xxoo

[picture drawn by Kristen Hedges and colored by yours truly]