Slowing Down (Plus, 8 minutes of low back love!)

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©Nicole bratt 2024

Dear fellow humans,

Are you still settling? Me, too.

Here’s my $0.02:

Resist the urge to rush headlong into this new year, business as usual, without carving out time to slow down. Hurry and rush are self- and culturally-created habits. We have the power to unhook from that cycle, despite how it may feel or what others might be impressing.

Slowing down is also a habit. And, it doesn’t have to be a lot or some major time commitment. In fact, it’s much more potent if we can sprinkle small moments as we go about our day. Pause for even just one minute, take a slightly deeper breath (in and out through the nose), close your eyes if it feels right, stop doing and just be with your body/breath/mind/emotions for that one full minute, and then go forth with a bit more calm and purpose.

In that pause, maybe ask yourself, if there‘s a word or phrase you can take into your day? Your week? Like an intention/mantra/touchstone. (For the last couple weeks, mine has been: “I am rested and resilient.”)

~

Last week, I stayed at the Sou’wester for my annual solitude retreat. The weather was wild (complete with a thunderstorm!) and the tides were king, but I was cozy and warm in my little beach cabin, tucked within the coastal forest. I am always grateful for the opportunity to speak less, listen more, walk along the dramatic Pacific Ocean… and this year, to catch up on my yoga therapy program homework! :)

Speaking of – I currently have two slots left for yoga therapy practicum clients between now and July, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you are interested in that time frame. If you aren’t quite ready yet, there’s no rush: I will be accruing these practicum hours for the next 18 months. (Link to more info below.)

Last weekend, Michele and I offered another Restorative + Reiki event at Datza Studio for ten lovely beating hearts; it was incredibly sweet. Every time we hold one of these, I feel deep gratitude that I get to hold these spaces. The next one will be in June, near Summer Solstice, and I will announce it here (along with a discount code, as usual) when it’s open for registration. Stay tuned.

Last night, I went to an intimate community sound bath at the Seattle Sound Temple, and it was magical. I left feeling open, quiet, and grounded – and after, I had the most delicious night’s sleep. If you get a chance sometime, go. They offer them most Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as other events throughout the year.

Finally, two gifts for you today:

  1. Enjoy the beautiful poem below.

  2. Here’s a (free!) 8-minute low back love practice that I recorded this week. All you’ll need is a blanket and a block! No promo code needed!

Thank you for reading. Much love and settling as this new year unfurls,
Nicole

Clearing

I am clearing a space
here, where the trees stand back
I am making a circle so open
the moon will fall in love
and stroke these grasses with her silver

I am setting stones in the four directions
stones that have called my name
from mountaintops and river beds,
canyons and mesas.

Here I will stand with my hands empty,
mind empty under the moon
And if something
takes my life, if a sudden wind
sweeps through me, changing everything
I will not resist.
I am ready for whatever comes.

But I think it will be
something small, an animal
padding out from the shadows
on delicate paws, or a word
spoken so softly I hear it inside.

There is a way to live
that makes the angels cry out in rapture.
There is
a way to live that makes each cell a star.

Come stand with me here, it is
cold, I know, and silent,
nothing is happening,
the next breath, and the next,
is the new life.

― Morgan Farley

Interested in possibly becoming a Yoga Therapy practicum client?

Password: wellness

©Nicole bratt 2024

Lots of small bird prints in the damp sand

©Nicole bratt 2024