Self Care Mastery

Self care is not being selfish—rather self care is being self aware. Have you noticed though, that many of the fundamental cues our body communicates are often ignored, discounted, pushed to the side or completely overridden? We invite you to consider your self care practice as an opportunity to listen and respond to your body’s messages. And to recognize how cravings, ideas, movements, even pain, tightness, and feeling stressed are invitations to do something good for yourself!! For some, giving or doing something good for ourselves may be entangled with selfishness, childishness or complete impracticality. What if instead, self care was a declaration of your alignment and connection with yourself, nature, and all your relations!?!  

The Story of 3 Brothers

Three brothers finally reunite after studying with three different masters. As they were catching up with one another, they began to share the incredible feats of their masters. The first brother declared, “My master is so great, he can balance upside down on a single finger—with a wild mountain lion perched upon his feet! Why he is truly a great master!” The second brother proclaimed, “Why my master is so great, he can walk across the great Ganges Rivers without a single droplet of water touching his feet! The man walks on water! Surely he is a great master.” Not to be outdone, the third brother shared, “Why my master is so great: she drinks when she is thirsty, she eats when she is hungry, she sleeps when she is tired. This is truly the life of a master!” 

Drinking when you’re thirsty, eating when you’re hungry, and sleeping when you’re tired might not sound so miraculous, but how often do we actually live up to these seemingly basic investments in our self care?

Now is the time to answer the calls of our body. What messages does your body want you to hear? When we do listen attentively, we feel better, perform better, and are available to connect with the world around us and the people in it in nourishing ways. Simple and sacred acts of self awareness leads to a masterful practice of self care that provides far reaching benefits for yourself and for all those you help and care for.

Read full article in Massage&Bodywork Magazine July/August Issue