the subtlety of selfcare

When you spend most of your time tending to others, selfcare can look like scheduling a quick walk around the block, grabbing a nutritious beverage on an errand run, or sneaking in some self-massage when you’re applying lotion after your shower. What rewarding ways to turn your attention to your physical body—you get a gold star!

But taking care of yourself can happen in other, less visible ways: bringing your awareness to the solid ground beneath your feet when you’re feeling anxious, noticing the sacred quiet of a dark sky, or honoring those values you feel are most important to you—maybe by making use of the word “no.” These actions might not bring your heart rate up, but they are just as important to your wellbeing.

Oxford Language’s definition of subtle is beautifully written: “so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe.” “Noticing the energy shift from holding my hands together” is harder to explain to someone than “heading to the gym for a workout,” so subtler forms of selfcare can be easy to overlook … and also quite do-able for those of us with limited time. They can be woven throughout your day, between routine tasks, and become part of who we are as we move through the world.

Try taking a moment right now to focus on the sounds around you. Not just the loudest ones, but the ones furthest in the distance, and the ones that form the soundtrack to your household (the hum of your refrigerator, passing traffic, or muffled conversation from the next room, for example). Keep at it for a few moments—without engaging with any sound in particular—and maybe you’ll notice that you’ve unhooked from taking information in via your eyes, your heartbeat has slowed and you feel just a bit more calm. Enjoy this form of open awareness meditation—giving your mind a break from it’s usual gymnastics and perhaps allowing your emotions to settle.

There are lots of ways you can create beneficial energy shifts. I created the subtle selfcare workshop series so we could explore some of these forms of selfcare in 2022, with a variety of topics:

hand postures (mudra-s)—March 30

moon cycles—June 29

energetics (chakras, meridians, koshas, etc.)—Aug. 31

the eight limbs of yoga—Nov. 30

Here’s more info on this series ..

click here for more information on “Subtle Selfcare: wisdom & practices to nourish your soul off the mat”