I just returned from leading our summer retreat in Beyul and I want to share with you some of the practices that we enjoyed at the retreat, so you too can nurture yourself with the goodness we experienced.
The Somatic Summer Camp was a week filled with nourishing nature, delectable local food, group and individual somatic practice, sweet connection, and working on the Nest Portal which will stay as a permanent installation in the Hidden Lands offering people who retreat there a space to feel held and protected.
As you read and imagine engaging with the several practices I share below, see which ones call to you. I encourage you to make one or more of them a part of your day, remembering that nature and connection are both available you – all it takes is to support your body to reach out for them.
Start the day with a morning altar
Take a stroll around your neighborhood, your garden, or if you can’t leave your home – around your house, letting your senses lead you. Notice what small objects attract your eyes – a shiny rock, a small flower, a yellow leaf that has fallen off a tree. Or perhaps your hands want to explore an interesting texture – that fluffy bottlebrush bush flower, the center of a sunflower, a pine cone…
Pick up several objects that you enjoyed during your foraging to arrange together on a small clear surface. I like to limit the size and number of objects to several which fit in the palm of my hand, keeping it simple and spacious. As you create your morning altar, set an intention for the day and arrange the elements in any configuration that brings your senses enjoyment.
Sometimes I arrange them on my desk, the dining table, or at the entrance of my home, you get to choose where you wish to create your art.
The idea is not to make something perfect, but to mindfully connect your senses and your intention, engaging your eyes, your kinesthetic awareness, mindful movement and the unfolding of your day. Here is one I just created this week with the intention of structure and flow.
Some of the altar prompts we had for our students this week as they foraged in the meadows and forest: 1) Find something in nature that feels just like you and place it on the altar 2) Find something that represents spaciousness 3) Bring two objects and only leave one on the altar – making a choice with your senses.
Listen to your food
This one might come as a surprise to you, but foods make a sound which we all hear from the inside. Choose a meal in your day during which you can focus on the sound the food makes. You can do this for a few moments with each food, noticing how one bite differs from the next. There is no need to push yourself or strain yourself to pay attention throughout the whole meal, it’s enough to listen to a few bites of each kind of food. What do you discover about yourself in this process?
Yield with a supportive surface (or person)
Yielding is one of the 6 developmental movements which support meeting our needs, including how we nourish ourselves with food. When the body knows how to yield (as the tissues actively let go into something or someone), this capacity ends up supporting the ability to experience satisfaction, contentment and satiation.
Find a comfy place in your home where you can create a comfy nest. This may be on the floor, with cushions, bolsters, and blankets, on the couch, on your bed. You can also lie in a hammock, or float on a paddleboard (this is what we did at retreat after practicing on the ground first the day before).
Become aware of the surface under you, and notice that it’s there to support you. Begin by paying attention to parts of your body which are already held and supported, and note how your body is already letting the surface hold it there. Little by little let other parts of the body become aware of the support being available, and with gentle inner attention see how you respond to the holding of the surface.
If you have a friend or loved one who wants to do this with you, you can practice yielding into support by sitting back to back. Sit on the floor on cushions or on two stools and lean your backs together – finding the sweet spot where your spines can rest into each other. Allow yourself at least 15-20 minutes to do this, inviting deeper and deeper layers of your body to rest into support.
You can try the psoas release from my book, which invites gentle yielding here.
Digest the day
Make some time at the end of the evening to remember the events of the day – moments of goodness and connection, things you accomplished and enjoyed doing, and also moments that might have been difficult. If you set an intention for the day, or the week – how did the day relate to your intentions? Notice any body sensations, images, emotions or thoughts that may be lingering and asking for your attention. If you are able to offer yourself care through touch, movement, gentle stretching, journaling, give yourself the gift of this care, even if it’s just for 5 minutes. If what you need requires you to connect with a trusted person, so you can share or perhaps receive professional support, note that and make the arrangements the next day, reassuring yourself that you are aware of your needs.
Shift to rest mode
So often we go, go, and go – rushing from one task to another and then we collapse exhausted in our beds. For many of us, just like we help our kids with a bedtime routine, taking some time to transition to a parasympathetic, rest and digest mode is really key before going to bed and enjoying the restorative benefits of sleep. At retreat, we had a different group activity each night – from humming songs together around the fire, to offering each other co-regulating touch. It doesn’t take a lot to shift, and here are some easy to do at home ideas: hum a tune that is relaxing and gentle, such as Faith’s Hymn by Beautiful Chorus, massage your hands and feet with lotion, give yourself a warm eye mask, and rest your eyes for 10-15 minutes.
I complete this post-retreat email with so much hope.
I have seen once again the power of open hearts and the power of community to support the nervous system to dramatically increase its capacity, to allow the body to choose, enjoy and assimilate the right foods, to experience life-changing shifts with mindful intention and guidance. We return from retreat different, but more like our unique selves, filled with goodness that will continue to unfold in our lives.
If you are ready for life-changing shifts and real lasting peace with food that comes from your own biology, you don’t have to wait till next summer.
Our next 6-month small group program is now open for enrollment.
You can schedule a call to find if a group is right for you.
You may have read my book or seen the intro workshop, or maybe this is all new to you. No matter at what stage of your learning journey you are reading this, you can come on a call and I look forward to seeing you!
In peace with food and with love:
Galina
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