Your body is a temple.  The home of your sacred self.  The place of your soul.   When you come home to your body you connect with your soul’s purpose and serve a greater purpose for society.  But what does this mean for you?
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If you have ever attended a yoga class or private session with me you have probably heard me use the term “coming home to your body”.  This physical vessel that you may either love or loathe.  Maybe you have experienced both ends of the spectrums.  Perhaps you have not experienced either. 

This latter statement is often a result of being completely disconnected from your body.  And if you haven’t had the experience of either loving or loathing your body (or even both) then know that you are not alone.  There are plenty of people who have never experienced being at home in their body.  There are many who have never taken time to get to consciously know the physical structure known as the human body. 

Regardless of whether you love or loathe or have never known your body it is important to come home to your body.  NOW!
Society is on the precipice of opportunity.  An opportunity to redefine itself.  But how can society redefine itself if everyone is so far removed from their bodies?  And what is the reason society or even why you would want society to be redefined? For starters the body is a microsphere of society.  What happens in the external world is often reflected in our own personal world.    And if you don’t know the microsphere of your world then how can you make a contribution to redefining society.

Overconsumption, blatant discrimination, absolute disrespect, increased levels of poverty and continued environmental destruction contribute to the degradation of the health within society.  This includes the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of individuals within society and the overall constructs of society.   That is the health of society is felt in your body. 
Gosh who wouldn’t want to disconnect from that? 

We live in this society of existence and our next generation has to live with the legacy that we leave them.  “Fixing” society is our responsibility not only to ourselves but also to the next generation. 

In addressing these ‘diseases’ though we must work firstly on ourselves.  Mahatma Gandhi famously said “If you want to change the world, start with yourself”.   But how can we change ourselves if we do not know what we need to change?  You must come home to your body. 

To remain disconnected from the body means to remain disconnected from those bits of society we want to change.  When you remain disconnected you are giving power to others to control not only the world around but also yourself.  And if you expect someone else to fix your world, think again.  Everyone has their own perception of how your world needs to be.  They will only make of your world what you give them control of and by sitting back being disconnected you are allowing them to control you.
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So, if you want to make a difference in the world, take control back - reconnect with how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally.  Reconnect with yourself.  Come home to your body.   The legacy you leave society may not become evident to you directly but you will heal the world when you reconnect and subsequently heal yourself.

Do you like to acknowledge the changing passage of time?  Are you familiar with traditional celebrations of the Wheel of the Year?  Many people recognize the passing of the seasons with rituals and festival and there is no reason you shouldn’t get involved.
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Ostara is the pagan festival of the Spring Equinox which marks the time when day and night are equal.   In the Southern Hemisphere we celebrate Ostara in September bringing with it the perfect balance of yin and yang.  This year in Australia we recognize the 22nd September as the day most likely associated with Ostara.  Although some sources suggest anytime between 21st – 22nd September may mark what could be considered the official start of Spring.
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Traditional celebrations of Ostara was often based on the observation of nature and in particular agricultural.   The honouring of the fertility of the Earth and personification of youthfulness, maidenhood and the blessings of opportunity in renewal formed part of the once ancient celebrations.   Symbols of the egg, rabbits and flower blooms abound.  Setting intention for love, abundance and balance were set. 

As you begin to tune into the Wheel of the Year you too may wish to celebrate this wonderful time of the year.  Here is 7 ways you can celebrate Ostara:

Watch the Sunrise
What better way to herald the Spring Equinox and celebrate this day of equilibrium then watching the sunrise.  As you watch the first rays of sun light the day you may like to thank the Earth for the giving of abundance and role the Sun has in the bringing of new life.
 
Plant / Pick Spring Flowers
Take the opportunity to plant you own garden in honour of spring time.     Prepare your soil and plant seasonal flowers such as daisies, petunias and lavender can all be sowed. 

Australian Native Wildflowers are also beginning to bloom this time of the year.  So why not pick you own tribute to an Australian Spring. 
 
Wear Colours of the Season
 Traditional colours of green, yellow and pink are recognized during Ostara celebrations.  Wearing ribbons, scarves or clothing in these colours will lighten and brighten your day while honouring the energies of the season. 
 
Sponsor a Bilby
Rabbits are symbolic of Ostara however the Australian Bilby is the perfect substitute for the Southern Hemisphere.  The Bilby may not bring the same thoughts of prolific breeding to mind, they can still be a symbol of hope and renewal as we attempt to increase numbers of this native Australian species.  Making a small contribution would be a beautiful gesture of the energies of Spring.

Get Crafty with Eggs
Traditionally eggs have been associated with Ostara.  In the Northern Hemisphere, Easter falls near the Spring Equinox.  Chocolate Eggs are widely exchanged at Easter.  Because we celebrate Ostara in September doesn’t mean we forget the symbolism of eggs with its hint of new life. 
Hollow out you own egg and get creative with paints, dyes and craft materials.  Create your own talisman or symbol of fertility and renewal.  You can use this is other rituals or celebrations.
Baking is another way you can honour eggs as a symbol of abundance and Spring.  The cracking of an egg for an omelet or a quiche is a perfect gesture for the kitchen witch in all of us.  Murmuring words of thanks for putting food on the table and acknowledging renewal of your energy from the sustenance given from this food as you stir the eggs into the bowl becomes a modern honouring of spring. 

Spend time in Nature
The days are warmer and obviously getting longer.  Spending time in nature seems like the perfect activity to get moving and enjoy the energetic connection at this time of year. 
 
Take time to Spring Clean Mind, Body and Soul
Winter is a time for resting and turning inward.  Spring invites us to move outside.  The energies are more uplifting.  We turn our dietary habits from warm, comforting foods to fresh, lighter eating.  We open windows and air out our previously locked up houses.  Spring Equinox reminds us to embrace this new energy and clean out the cobwebs from the previous season. 
In order to bring in new abundance it is necessary to clear out and welcome in with fresh intentions.  Make time to clean your external environment (house, garden and/or office space), undergo an internal cleanse (dietary change if its indicated for you or book a massage to move fluid and Ki) and spend time reaffirming your daily practices that nourish your soul such as yoga or meditation. 
 
Regardless of whether you acknowledge the pagan associations of Ostara or wish to acknowledge that the Southern Hemisphere is about to find its equilibrium for the season of Spring, there is no denying that the days have gotten longer and the temperature is warming up for us here in Australia.  There is no reason we should not be out enjoying the brilliance the season has to offer.  

Spring is the “new yang” energy of the Wood Element.  New life springs forth and proliferates rapidly.   Trees, plants and vegetables grow upwards and outwards expanding from where life began.  The resilience seen in nature of trees to lie dormant in winter months and then to spring back to life and grow after these quiet periods or after times of great stress or being damaged, such as what we have witnesses here in Australia following the bush fires, is also observed in the human body.
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The liver, being one of the bodily organ systems corresponding to the Wood Element, has an amazing ability to regenerate itself after being damaged.  In a normal healthy liver, the cells will go through a stage of dormancy, where minimal energy is given to reproducing cells on itself.  However, when the liver is injured the cells will divide and grow.  This phenomenon occurs in all mammals and this knowledge has had a profound affect in the medical research particularly in the liver transplant arena.  But just because it is possible to ‘regrow’ a liver does not mean you should not be living your healthiest and most connected life by nurturing your body. 

This time of year give you the perfect opportunity to connect in with what your body needs and make a new resolution to cultivate a healthy connection to it.  Spring and the Wood Element is all about new beginnings.  Take some time to practice mindful eating and eat more simply based on what nature is providing.

As the days warm up you may wish to turn to a rawer based diet.  Raw foods is a reminder to the body of its youthfulness.  But keep in mind for some constitutions lightly cooked food is easier to digest and softer for the health of the liver.  

Green Foods nourish the Wood Element so increasing foods such as dandelion leaves, spinach, kale and baby salad leaves such as rocket, sorrel, mustard greens, parsley and other herbs can be highly beneficial for the liver and your body.

All Vegetables but particularly those from the Brassicaceae family are also a wonderful addition to a spring-based diet.  Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage can still be enjoyed in early spring but best grown throughout winter.  If you enjoy growing your own vegetables, you may like to preserve excess late winter crops of cabbage (and other vegetables) by a process known as fermentation.  Eating fermented foods helps to improve digestive health and therefore supporting liver function. 

Eating light regular meals and stopping before your full is one of the methods for moving Liver Ki Stagnation, a condition that causes many symptoms of disharmony in the body.  Spring time is the perfect opportunity to change eating habits when you are more likely to participate in outdoor activities.  You are more likely to be more active and less likely to overeat – you will want to be more ready to move with ease and not weighted down by heavy foods.

Increasing your water consumption is easier in Spring but adding a routine of drinking lemon water or water with apple cider vinegar may help digestion, nutrient absorption and could support moving Ki more freely. 

These simple tips:

• Lightly cooking or eating raw foods
• Eating Fermented foods (particularly fermented brassica like cabbage)
• Increasing green leafy greens
• Eating regular small meals
• Adding lemon or apple cider vinegar to water

can help you tap into the energy that Spring brings.  But the best tip I can offer you to lead a healthier life throughout the whole year is to connect with mother nature, observe her ability to heal and listen to how your body responds.   
 
 

Are you too busy for a daily practice?  Finding it too difficult to turn your mind off?  Lacking core strength?  Lonely? Feeling disconnected?  It is so easy to make excuses for not showing up to the mat everyday but what if creating a daily practice was more than just exercising or meditating.  What if creating a daily practice reinforced showing up to yourself every day?

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The benefits of creating a daily practice for yourself are numerous but I have experienced (as well as heard) many excuses for not showing up to your mat.  Generally I hear for people not showing up to a regular yoga practice is “life got too busy” or “I had so much to do something had to give” or “I was going to do it but then I had to work” or “there was this thing I had to do for so and so (insert mother / kids etc)”.   I would like to add some of my own excuses here – “I do not deserve to look after myself”; “I am a lazy twat today” or my favourite “I am not worthy of being healthy”.  And yes, I do hear myself saying these things to myself only its often disguised as “I am too busy”.
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I have been spending the last twelve months unpeeling a few layers away to reveal some home truths.  My home practice has almost been non-existence for this time as I focus on taking in the studies, I signed up too.  It has been challenging in so many ways as I watch repeated patterns and behaviours unfold.  Yet I denied myself probably the most important thing of all.
 
Showing up to the mat had become engrained in my body.  Yet here I was being invited to ‘show up’ and embrace new information and all I wanted to do was run, run, run.  Showing up had suddenly moved from being comfortable – I mean I did it mostly every day and I was feeling great for it.  But I knew something was missing.  The moment I found what was missing by having to create a practice based on the teachings from the beautiful Nat Love and the Institute of Feminine Arts I just couldn’t do it anymore.  So I neglected my daily practice.  What did that result in?

Well beside the fact that it resulted in me exploring and really listening which was the end result, I put on weight, the voices in my head got louder and I think I got a little bit more obnoxious.  Until I realised I was just repeating the patterns and behaviours my previous practice had managed to hold at bay.  It was at that point I realised the number reason we need to maintain a daily practice.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons to show up to your mat and here is my top 5.  Creating a daily practice will:

1. Support and improve your health
Developing a physical practice like yoga or even a daily cardio regime, like walking or jogging or going to the gym will improve your physical fitness and build your core strength.     Along with this there is something about daily practices that can improve you mental and emotional health.   So all around you find an all over strengthening of your health.

2. Develop a stronger immune system
This relates to the above benefit of creating a daily practice.  In oriental medicine there is a correlation with improved oxygenation to the body, lung Qi and Wei Qi (immunity / protective system).  When we have a flow of unobstructed oxygen moving through our body and we create harmony of the lung Qi our immune system is sufficiently strong enough to protect us from external pathogens.  Daily pranayama practices, yoga and even cardio fitness will support our immune system.

3. Developing a healthier relationship with what we feed our body (nutritionally and socially)
A daily practice can support a healthier outlook which in turn can lead to a natural tendency to want to feed the body a well-balanced diet.  As we feel better about ourselves there is a natural desire to lean towards what will support us.    Its not unusual that our unhealthy cravings – scrolling through social media, gossiping, eating sugary or unhealthy foods begin to fall away as we recognize how good it feels to be healthy in mind and body.

4. The connection to others and self deepens
Working our body develops an awareness.  And if we remain conscious in that awareness we begin to feel and sense ourselves which leads to a greater connection to others.  Yes it might be painful in some circumstances to see some ugly truths about ourselves (and even others) but if we keep feeling into it we find it drops away and all that is left is this beautiful deep connection to who we are.   This leads to forging deeper and even more loving connection to those around us.  But do be prepared for some relationships to fall away.  Not everyone is going to understand or even appreciate you connecting to yourself on this new level.  That is the power of a daily practice – your life will change in so many ways.  And this brings me to the number ONE benefit for showing up to your daily practice…

5. YOU START TO SHOW UP TO YOURSELF
Those patterns, behaviours and habits your have been avoiding will reveal themselves.   It will be hard work some days.  But if you keep showing up you begin that process of connecting deeply with yourself which means you no longer want to change for others – you begin to just want to be YOU.  The relationship you have with the authentic you soften and create space to be all that you are!  The affirmation “I am” develops a brand-new meaning.  Your decision-making process changes, you develop boundaries and you show up to yourself.