The Grace Notes

January. It really is a time for some blue-sky thinking despite the interminable clouds. My mantra for 2014 is wellness. Just say it for a moment: “wellness”, “wellness”. Don’t you think that the word itself has a vibe of wholesome loving care? I for one, feel soothed just saying it so let me do it one more time: “wellness”.

My need for a wellness focus this year is inspired by the self-love focus on the Daring and Mighty programme. Admittedly it may also have been borne out of my family’s sickly Christmas but whilst wellness certainly is about health, it is so much bigger than that. Wellness is about cultivating and nurturing the self in every aspect. It is a focus on feeling healed, whole and vital.

Attaining and maintaining a wellness vibration has such knock-on effect in virtually all areas of one’s life that I know that this focus will be transformative for me. To be in harmony with wellness is to feel self- love; to feel self-respect; to nurture your body inside and out; to imagine healing on a cellular level and to subsequently really feel it. Wellness is a state of emotional balance, of being in the moment and feeling gratitude. For me the state of wellness is not achieved solo. In 2014 wellness means my stepping out of myself into something bigger. I no-longer wish to passively stand in wonder at the grandeur and beauty of the universe ‘out there’ but to actually allow myself to be held by it. Wellness is feeling and truly knowing that the universe has great love for me and that the universe and I are co-creating my wellness.

There are a number of things that I have begun to do and also intend to do in order to enhance the wellness vibration in my life.  I have a three-pronged approach:

Firstly, body self-care. After some cracking excess around the New Year period, I am now giving more thought to what goes into my body. I am thinking more about the colours of the food on my plate in terms of vegetables and making sure that I buy (and eat and cook more to the point!) greens such as cavolo nero cabbage and kale. I am also eating more lentils and pulses and generally thinking more about food for health.

I’ve gone back to the gym after a three month hiatus and boy did it hurt. It’s nothing too committed just a weekly weights class with my son in the crèche but it’s gotta be better than nothing right? I’ve also dusted off my a.m. and p.m. yoga dvd and have given it a burl once or twice. This one needs more work as I’d like to make it a much more regular habit as it feels so good.

I’ve had a reflexology session (gotta love someone tweaking the feet) which I believe helps to balance me more emotionally to deal with any hormonal swings.  I will def be signing up for more.

I am caring for my skin more by drinking more water. I’m interested in making my body more alkaline (to help with my crunchy hip – what a Nanna!) and ironically, drinking acidic lemon juice in hot water turns out to be actually alkaline producing. I have also started a daily spoonful of apple-cider vinegar to this end. Tea is alkaline producing but milk isn’t but I just can’t give up my cuppas with milk and sheesh green tea is an acquired taste. ..

I’ve had some moles sent to pathology and removed as they were playing on my mind and I wanted them gone. Although they were small and probably harmless, I do feel as if a weight is gone in having them removed so the latent worry was not health-conducive even if they themselves were fine.

My second approach to wellness is with respect to some mind self-care. This January, I am giving myself a generous dose of self-help reading. I have finally read Stephanie Hay’s classic You Can Heal Your Life which is a great reminder of the way thoughts can create dis –ease and also how thoughts can also create healing. I am re-reading The Artist’s Way and have Gabby Bernstein’s  May Cause Miracles on the bedside. I have taken up the piano on a Thursday evening- which is totally random and I am a complete beginner but I am loving that music is so logical and I am really enjoying practising in front of my kids.

Finally I am into a bit of soul self-care. I am going to bed listening to Abraham Hick’s Well-being mediation on Youtube.  I highly recommend Abraham Hicks meditations as they are so relaxing- almost like auto-suggestion and after hearing them I really do feel as though the universe has my back. They are brilliant for moving into a well-being vibration although nota bene: they are a little woo-waa as they talk about entering “the vortex” no less but hey ho if it feels good bring on the vortex I say!

Wellness, wellness. Guess what? On the back of all of this I am feeling great! More than great, I feel tickety boo and more importantly nurtured. When I am giving to myself (and none of this takes up that much time in my busy life) I can easily weather those trying times of pooey nappies, weetabix-encrusted high chairs, tantrums, school runs and work deadlines.

Wellness, wellness. What are you doing to increase wellness in your life?

Grace notes are written on a musical score. They are tiny musical notes written next to regular notes in smaller notation. Grace notes denote sounds which are shorter than the actual note and exist to embellish the music. Alone, a grace note has no meaning but coupled with a principle note they create a richer tone. This blog exists as an adjunct to Daring and Mighty – rather like a grace note.