Traversing moments of unease
I struggled with what to write this week. I was feeling stuck. Nothing felt quite right as I paged through notebooks filled with my collection of ideas and musings. Perhaps it's the shifting of seasons. Perhaps it's the new moon in Virgo and the last hold of Mercury retrograde. Perhaps it’s the weight of the very visible & catastrophic effects of our shifting climate. Perhaps it's because I've been taking on a lot lately. Whatever the source, I find am feeling a bit weary and a bit out of sorts.
It would be easy to skip this week's installment. To wait until a spark of inspiration hits. However, these kinds of feelings and situations are precisely why I started this experiment of sharing with you. I've found there are days when the feeling of calm flows a bit more readily, and there are days when it can be harder to access. When stress or anxiety begins to pile up and push away the feelings of contentment and peace. And I know that sharing the difficult moments is as important as sharing the more easeful and inspiring ones.
Through the course of these dispatches, I have shared many practices that I've found to be supportive. And I didn't share them as a guarantee to avoid feelings of discomfort, unease or stress. Instead, I find these practices help me be with the moments that are challenging and support me as I move through them.
I've learned over the years that when I find myself in a bit of a funk, it can be helpful to revisit my practices. To consider the things that I'm doing daily, weekly, and monthly that help me feel grounded, connected, and nourished.
And so that's what I did. I looked over the previous entries I've shared over the years and unearthed a few practices that I'm using right now and thought I'd reshare with you all.
1:2 Breathing - A deeply soothing breathing practice. One of my teachers refers to this as the “anti-anxiety” breathing practice.
Sense Walk - Walks have always been a foundational practice for me, and this particular exercise helps me get out of my mind and into space around me.
Belly-down Burrito Pose - One of my favorite restorative postures. This is especially nice before bed to help ease any pre-sleep anxiety.
I'd love to hear how you're doing at this moment — are there any practices that you’re finding to be especially nourishing, calming or inspiring?