Nourishing Your Soul

When you recover or discover 
something
that nourishes your soul and brings joy,
care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life
Jean Shinoda Bolen

Everything in life has a rhythm and life continually brings us opportunities for fresh starts. A new morning, a new season, a new year, a new love – all times when we can choose to be more real, more authentic, more loving. I am inspired by each person in my life who chooses to make room for what nourishes them.

For some of us, we may not know or can’t remember what nourishes us.  This can happen when we go through extended periods of overwork, trauma, stress or just too much on the plate. One way to rediscover our joy is to go back to the basics.  We can detox or clear the body, mind and spirit so there is space for new inspiration, ideas and insight.

Clearing the body, we simplify the diet, and practice slowly eating clean whole foods.  Slow mindful eating is the most important way to improve diet, digestion and metabolism.  Focus on eating seasonal vegetables, dark leafy greens, legumes, gluten free whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, barley), nuts, seeds and cold expressed oils with only small amounts of probiotic yogurt, free range eggs, deep-sea fish and organic meats/poultry.

Clearing the mind, we commit to gratitude and not complaining.  In her infamous book The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron suggests that you write three pages as a stream of conscious writing every morning as soon as you wake up. Write anything and everything that comes to you without editing.  The idea is to get it out of your body and into your consciousness. Don’t worry about what it says or how it reads. Burn it after if you need to. This practice is simple and powerfully transformative.

Clearing the spirit, we look for ways to turn inwards and settle into stillness.  A practice of yoga, tai chi or meditation helps us calm the stirring within us. Helps us learn to be present without being reactive. In the settling, we are refreshed, clear and wiser.

With a clean clear body, mind and spirit, we can better know what makes our body sing and our soul nourished.

May we care about and for ourselves.
May we all recover or discover what brings joy.
May our joy and nourishment, nourish others.