Permission to "Be"

Are you the type of person who feels guilty when you aren't being productive or constantly DOING something? I am. I struggle to sit still and relax my mind without thinking about all the things I could be doing (taking a yoga class, calling my grandparents, dusting, writing a blog!, etc). And while I appreciate that fire inside myself to "do" so much, the wiser part of me knows there is a lesson in the beauty of stillness.  

Recently I gave myself permission to truly practice "being". This spiritual practice (because it is a real daily effort!) has shown up as prioritizing "doing" less in terms of my agenda in order to create space for daily rituals that ground me. I need to tell myself it is okay to let go of fear (what will happen if I don't check my email first thing upon waking up?!) and to dive into taking care of myself even at the expense of sometimes accomplishing less. 

So what does this mean? For me, creating sacred space means cultivating a daily seated meditation practice and focusing my mind on a mantra using my mala beads. I have been carrying my mala beads with me wherever I travel in NYC as a visual reminder to connect to the Divine.  It means keeping my phone away from my bed, and getting in to bed earlier.  Sacred space has shown up as spending hours rereading my Ayurvedic cookbooks, and finally making some new recipes (millet/red lentil kitchadi, coconut cauliflower and ginger-sesame carrots pictured above) that nourish my body, buying  beautiful flowers to keep on my altar at home, and using my tongue scraper each morning. 

These are not flashy, complex acts. These are "non-negotiables".  Healing acts as daily gestures reminding us of our commitment to love and heal ourself.  So I invite you to consider what daily rituals you can invite into your life that allow you to be, to find breath, to enjoy spending time with yourself and keep taking the journey into to your heart.