I recently revisited the Yamas and Niyamas for the first time since my first yoga teacher training in 2014. For those of you new to, and/or unfamiliar with the Patanjali’s eight-limbed yoga path, the Yamas and Niyamas are the first two limbs on the path. They are yogi’s guides on social and personal ethics in daily life. When I learned about these ethics seven years ago, still quite young in my spiritual pursuit, I remember thinking of them as obvious knowledge and things I already did. As I revisit them with my adolescent aged spiritual perspective, I’m seeing how they can become much more intricate in the way that they weave into our everyday life, and especially the 10 Body Thrive Habits!

If you are unfamiliar with the Yamas and Niyamas, here is a quick description of each.

5 Yamas – External Ethics – Macrocosm

Ahimsa: Non-violence, freedom from harming
Satya: Truthfulness, being genuine
Asteya: Non-stealing, freedom from taking what isn’t yours
Bramacharya: Moderation, celibacy
Aparigraha: Non-grasping, Non-hoarding

5 Niyamas – Internal Ethics – Microcosm

Saucha: Cleanliness, purity
Santosha: Inner Contentment
Tapas: Self-Discipline
Svadyaya: Self-Study
Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender

The 10 Body Thrive Habits

As I was recently revising these internal and external ethics of life, I started thinking of each one in relation to the 10 Body Thrive Habits. Each Yama and Niyama supports all 10 habits if you really dive deep into it, but I thought it would be fun to pair each Habit with the individual Yama or Niyama that I personally see the most connection with at this time. If you are reading this, you are most likely already familiar with the 10 Body Thrive Habits, and if not, they will be listed below with my Yama and Niyama pairing.

5 Yamas + 5 Niyamas = 10 Body Thrive Habits.

Habit 1: Earlier Lighter Dinner → (Niyama) Tapas: Self-Discipline

Since this is the first habit, I paired it with Tapas. In the beginning, eating an Earlier Lighter Dinner, and all the rest of the habits take a lot of self-discipline to introduce into our lives, so why not make it a priority in the beginning to set us up for ultimate success? Throughout our lives we need to keep self-discipline cultivated deep within us to continue evolving. Once we light the internal flame of Tapas, the inner fire will continually be either fueled or damped by the choices we make in our habit evolution.

Habit 2: Early to Bed → (Yama) Asteya: Non-stealing

When we set with the sun in Early to Bed and get a full night’s rest, we will wake up with greater energy the next day. When we stay up late, we are stealing our energy and health from tomorrow. By practicing Asteya, we work with the energy and health we have in the moment, and honor it when it runs out by going to sleep.

Habit 3: Start the Day Right → (Yama) Aparigraha: Non-hoarding

If we Start the Day Right, we rise with the sun, hydrate, and eliminate the waste from the previous day. If we don’t do that, we are hoarding things we don’t need within our bodies. By making Aparigraha a priority, we let go of what is no longer serving us and move more freely and authentically in life.

Habit 4: Breath Body Practices → (Niyama) Saucha: Cleanliness, purity

Breath Body Practices are a way of cleaning our channels physically, mentally, and spiritually. This regular practice of Saucha that goes beyond our living/working environments, will leave us feeling our purest at all levels and ready for whatever life brings us.

Habit 5: Plant-Based Diet → (Yama) Ahimsa: Non-violence

With a Plant-Based Diet, we are consuming the more vibrant colors of plants and less animals and processed foods. Non-violence in the sense of maintaining a vegetarian diet in the yoga tradition is a common theme, so for that reason this was an obvious pairing to me. As we reflect more deeply on bringing more Ahimsa into our daily lives, we will naturally gravitate toward foods that bring more life and less violence, such as plants.

Habit 6: Self-Massage → (Niyama) Svadyaya: Self-Study

There is no better way to literally study ourselves on the physical level than Self-Massage. It’s like the 150-point inspection we can do from head to toe to discover leaks, corrosions, inefficiencies, and energy resources. If we look at Self-massage as an act of Svadyaya, we discover how much power we have in our own hands to maintain ourselves.

Habit 7: Sit in Silence → (Niyama) Santosha: Inner Contentment

To those new to Sitting in Silence, it may currently have the opposite effect of Inner Contentment. Those with a regular sitting practice can probably vouch for experiencing inner contentment, whether it be slight flickers of it or a very deep and relaxing experiences of it. As we become more comfortable practicing stillness, we will naturally find more Santosha.

Habit 8: Healthier Eating Guidelines → (Yama) Satya: Truthfulness

If we are not following Healthy Eating Guidelines, we are not being truthful to our digestion. Eating too much, too little, things that aren’t good for us, and/or in an inconsistent rhythm is lying to ourselves. As we make deep Satya a priority in our daily lives, we will listen to the truth our body is telling us and feed it in a more authentic and nourishing way.

Habit 9: Come to you Senses → (Yama) Bramacharya: Moderation

As Come to Our Senses, we find a deeper connection with the information we are taking in and putting out and can regulate it in a more sustainable sense. While Bramacharya often focuses on the moderation of sex, it also extends into what we are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. When practicing Bramacharya, we discover an energetic balance of input and output through all senses.

Habit 10: Easeful Living → (Niyama) Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender

The deeper and more refined we get into all the habits, the more Easeful Life becomes. It’s truly an act of surrendering into this ease, by trusting the deepest truths to surface in life. As we make Isvara Pranidhana a focus we let go into the natural flow around us and trust that our body, mind, and spirit will lead us into deep alignment.

Conclusion

Those are my pairings to make the 5 Yamas + 5 Niyamas = 10 Body Thrive Habits, but I encourage you to make your own connections as you decide which ones resonate together most in this moment for you. While this is my current adolescent understanding and translation of my experience, all levels and perspectives are legitimate! There are no wrong answers!
What I found interesting about my pairings was that Habit 1 started with Tapas, or Discipline, and Habit 10 ended with Ishvara Pranidhana, or Surrender, which are opposites. It aligns with the idea of spanda, or the pulsation of life that happens between opposites. As we continue to work with the 10 Habits and perhaps the Yamas and Niyamas, we can trust that the opposites we experience in life, whether positive or negative, healthy or sick, fortunate or tragic, beautiful or ugly etc,… will be exactly what we need to experience spanda in its most raw form. This is life.

This is my personal story about my identity evolution through Healthier Eating Guidelines.  As a Vata-Pitta, I’ve never had trouble keeping my weight managed and have always “looked” healthy, but my energy levels were another story.  I used to manage my energy in the typical SAD (Standard American Diet) way, feeding lulls with sugar and calming highs with alcohol.  I would often get “hangry”, which people close to me can vouch for.  Some colleagues even called me “the crier” when I would get emotional over stressful work deadlines.  If I started crying, they would recommend I eat a snack and my emotions would usually improve.  On top of the mismanagement of energy levels, I also had acute inflammation expressed by skin issues and pain in my joints, as well as a super irregular pooping schedule.

When I first read Body Thrive, I started noticing my meal habits through Healthier Eating Guidelines and made simple adjustments.  I stopped snacking, and I made sure any desserts I ate were with lunch.  The hardest thing for me was avoiding all the donuts that were often around my work environment, but I made great progress.  The immediate benefit was that my hangry-ness faded away as well as “the crier” in me.  My energy levels were more stable.  I felt happier and lighter from more regular digestion.  I coasted on this for a while, making small refinements with starting to meal prep and use better quality ingredients, but eventually my entry level Healthier Eating Guidelines were not enough…

In 2018 I was living my basic version of Healthier Eating Guidelines and the other nine habits fairly well.  It was during an exciting, but stressful time of my life.  I was in the first semester of Yoga Health Coaching, I had switched my Interior Design Career of 14 years to move more into the wellness field, AND I was leaving my home and relationship of 12 years to live on my own for the first time.  With all this going on, I slept enough, my diet stayed descent, I moved and meditated, I had a daily oil massage practice, and I was overall healthy and balanced.  I still had some adult acne and some pain in my SI joint, but nothing that was too bothersome.  Then, I started getting a rash around my mouth.  It was painful and it also looked pretty darn gross.  

The first step I took was to see my general practitioner, who I hadn’t seen for years.  She was overscheduled, as always, had no answers in the five minutes we talked, and passed me on to an allergist.  I was excited to see the allergist to find out about possible food allergies.  After meeting with the allergist for about 10 minutes, she discovered in our casual conversation about my rash that I used coconut oil mixed with lavender essential oil to ease it.  After hearing that she dismissed further discussion or protocol to test for any allergies.  She told me to stop using coconut oil and essential oils and that they were causing the rash.  I left super upset, having no answers, and still had my painful rash.

I went through the next year experimenting and trying to heal the rash on my own. I tried to pay attention to what I was eating that might be flaring it up.  Sometimes I thought it was tomatoes, then spicy foods, then eggs, then coffee.  I would go through weeks giving up one of those at a time, but then there would be an intense flareup out of nowhere.  I had given up petroleum and bees wax based lip balms, which helped a lot, but it would still flare up randomly for no rhyme or reason.  I even listened to the allergist who left me in tears with no answers and didn’t use my oils to ease it. 

This self-study went on for at least a year. It was through the Cabral Concept Podcast that I heard about some functional medicine lab tests that might find me answers.  It was a simple finger prick test for blood samples, sent in the blood samples to a lab, and I finally got my answers!  I can drink my one cup of coffee, I can eat salsa, and eggs are okay too!  The test revealed that I had a sensitivity to gluten and dairy.  The two things that I never tested giving up on my own… 

Seemed so simple and some friends even recommended giving them up during my personal experimentation phase, but it wasn’t something that this Wisconsin beer and cheese lover would give up without scientific proof.  Now I had it.  So now what? 

The lab test came with a session with a health coach who gave me the recommended protocol which was a 21-day liver detox, and elimination of dairy and gluten for A YEAR!  I had friends in the YHC Community that participated in the Yogi Detox, but I never even thought of taking a detox route, since I thought it would make my Vata-Pitta constitution wither away to nothingness.  Well, now that I had my scientific proof and doctor recommended protocol, I was finally open to try something new.  I just wanted this rash to stop happening.

It was a long 21 days, and it wasn’t easy by any means.  Each of the three weeks started with two fast days, which I only had nutritional shakes and liver detoxifying herbs, followed by five days of clean eating.  By the end of it, I didn’t wither away to nothingness, but I did lose some bloating, I had clearer skin, my SI joint pain went away, my eyes were whiter, AND my rash hadn’t made an appearance the whole time! 

So, did I eliminate gluten and dairy for an entire year after the detox, you ask?  No is the short answer, and it hasn’t even been a year yet, but I surely don’t eat it like I used to.  I eat pretty clean through most of the week, and it’s worth it because it makes me feel better than I ever have before.  I have a weekly cheat meal day, where I might indulge in some dairy or gluten and then feel the effects of sluggish digestion the next day or two.  While the cheat meals used to be worth it for the pure enjoyment of eating, they are happening less as I become more in touch with what really feeds me.  I also do a 7-day detox each season to give my whole mind body and soul a reset. 

This fall will mark the one-year anniversary of my taking the food sensitivity test, completing the 21-day detox, revamping my eating habits completely, feeling better overall, and NOT HAVING A RASH AROUND MY MOUTH!!! The moral of my story is to not let yourself plateau because of your old identity.  If something isn’t working or you are not getting results, keep searching.  When you are not finding them where you expect to, reach out to the community.  Looking back, I had the answers all around me (Yogi Detox, YHC Community, friends, etc.), but I just wasn’t ready to listen to them.  I gave into my Vata-Pitta, Wisconsin beer drinking, cheese loving image until it refused to serve me anymore with a vengeance.  While my main goal was to heal a rash, I’ve also gained so much hope!  If I can feel this much better in less than one year from some non-perfectly practiced dietary changes, imagine what will happen with more refining over the next year.  And then the next!  And the next!

I first discovered Vaastu while listening to a Yogahealer podcast years ago, where Cate Stillman interviewed Sherri Silverman. I had already been working as a Commercial Interior Designer for over a decade, and while Eastern Sciences such as Feng Shui and Vaastu were never a priority while working with commercial clients, I personally took interest in them. I had been teaching yoga and self-studying Ayurveda, so learning more about Vaastu provided an even more seamless cohesion between all my personal interests and profession. 

In my self-study of Vaastu I have learned, as with most sacred ancient traditions, a teacher that understands the lineage needed to truly practice and teach it authentically and accurately. While I haven’t taken that next step yet, this article aims to serve as a starting point to those new to Vaastu. In the end, I will list my favorite basic resources, as well as the teacher and University passing on the full teachings of Vastu/Vaastu Science and Technology to those looking to further their studies.

Vastu vs. Vaastu

Before we dive in, it’s important to understand the difference between Vastu and Vaastu, as they are often used interchangeably while they have completely different meanings. Vastu is the ancient scientific term that refers to unmanifested energy. When that unmanifested or subtle energy becomes a form, it is then Vaastu. So, with just one “a” it is referring to unmanifested space or pure consciousness and with two “a”s the manifested space or stuff (alternatively: “material world”). While we can specifically relate this to architecture and building science, it can also relate to mathematics, music, quantum physic, and more! The ancient seers acknowledge that every space is a living organism with its own energy field (Vastu). This energy field has a spirit, that when manifested into music, art, building, etc., is then Vaastu.  For the simplicity of this article, I will mostly be referring to the manifested form and space (Vaastu). 

Vaastu vs Feng Shui

Many are familiar with Feng Shui, and the rising of Vaastu is often lumped in with it. While there are some similarities, there are many differences. Vaastu is much older than Feng Shui and is where the principles of Feng Shui came from. While the origins of Vaastu go so far back its beginnings are untraceable, Feng Shui dates to 3000 years ago when monks crossed the Himalayas from India, through Tibet, and into China with the ancient knowledge of Vaastu that gradually evolved to Feng Shui. Both practices aim to bring the optimal flow of energy in the space.  Feng Shui looks to provide balance of flow by the placement of items within a space, while Vaastu creates this balance by forming the space through precise measurements or very specific architecture. So, while you can easily incorporate Feng Shui principles into your environments, a real Vaastu structure can only be constructed based on specific dimensions found in ancient texts. 

Vaastu Architecture vs. Vaastu “fixes”

There are Vaastu consultants that have misinterpreted or simplified texts and offer “fixes” to structures that aren’t built and designed by a Vaastu architect. While this may serve the structural spaces aesthetically and functionally to bring greater harmony into the space, know that it will not be a real Vaastu structure without being built from very specific guidelines by a Vaastu Architect or Consultant trained in the authentic Sthapati tradition.

Cardinal Directions – Brahmam in space with the five elements

Just as Ayurveda has us look at our body and mind in relation to the five elements of how we digest life, Vaastu does the same with space. In Vaastu we look at the five elements in conjunction with the cardinal directions. There are life-supporting energies in all directions and the support for each type of activity performed in each space will depend on the energy naturally present in that area/directional zone.Life-supporting energy is generated in the Brahmastan (center zone of structure) and radiates out as the pre-manifest form of elements, which settle in the various directional zones.Activity and location in these zones must be in alignment with the natural flow of energy.

Below is an example of the Vastu Purusha Mandala representing Brahmam in space.  You will see his head at the northeast region representing the water element and the base of the spine at the southwest region, representing the earth element.  Northwest is the Air element and southeast is the fire element.  Energy enters through the Bahmasthan or center of the building and should circulate through all of these areas.

In Vaastu, as we look at the five elements in conjunction with the cardinal directions, we can discover how the elements are supported by our spaces.  As with our body and mind, the interplay of these natural elements can help or hinder the support of our activities within our environment. Referring back to the Vastu Purusha Mandala above, we see the space element in the very center representing Brahmam itself, pure consciousness, where the energy is brought in and should circulate throughout. The water element is at the northeast region at Brahmam’s third eye and the mouth is the most sacred zone for spiritual activity. The earth element at Brahmam’s base represents stability, while movement between masculine and feminine energy and transformative qualities of air and fire are on either side of Brahmam’s solar plexus. We can translate this image to our homes, offices, and each individual space within them, by finding out which direction they face and how energy flows or is blocked by walls, furniture, etc.

Where to Begin

Remember that this is just the very basics of what Vaastu is and how to start thinking about it in relation to your own spaces. While you would need to hire a properly trained Vaastu Architect or Consultant and most likely build your space from scratch to have it be a true Vaastu structure, we can still learn from the qualities that are created in various areas of our environments as it relates to the Mandala.

Begin by figuring out how your space sits on the earth. Does it line up with the cardinal directions or is it on an angle? Where is north, south, east and west? 

From there, start to think about what rooms are where in relation to the elements.  Start with the northeast corner.  If this area is said to bring in spiritual energy, is it being blocked by walls or objects?  How can you find greater clarity in the northeast?  Is the southwest portion of the space wide open and allowing for the flow of energy to escape?  How can you create more grounding and stable effects in this area?

You can even start to look a little deeper into the elements represented in each direction. For instance, it could be auspicious to have a master bedroom or office in the southwest corner as the earth element is prominent there. The stability of the earth element is important for supporting the head of the house. Then if we look at the Northwest, we might see this as a good place for a guest bedroom. Since the wind element is prominent here, guests should not feel the need to overstay their welcome! While the water element in the Northeast will support creative and spiritual practices, the fire element in the Southeast then becomes a supportive place for a kitchen or high-energy area. 

We can also start to think about these directions in each individual room of our space and how we layout our furniture to support such activities.

Vaastu Resources

This article only touches the very basics of Vaastu, so here are some resources for going deeper!

Vastu, Breathing Life into Space by Dr. Robert E. Svoboda

Vastu, Trancendental Home Design in Harmony with Nature by Sherri Silverman

Jen Jones Architecture – Authentic Vaastu Architect While these are great resources to just get your feet wet with Vaastu, I will direct those interested in learning to bring true Vastu Architecture to the world to the American University of Mayonic Science and Technology.  At AUM, you will learn the full lineage of teachings of Vaastu Science and Architecture. 

The intention of this writing is to serve as a reflection of the process I have been going through in discovering how I can help with inequality and systemic racism in the world. It is not to tell anyone that they should have the same process, rather serve as a point of discussion on different ways to move forward and be helpful. While there is a lot of information to discover in order to understand what racism is and its history, I haven’t found much on how to support real change after that. And while it’s super important to do the work to learn about and acknowledge systemic racism, that alone will not move us forward.  

Following the murder of George Floyd, my Instagram feed became flooded with the things someone like me should do. Many posts said I needed to speak up, because if I remain silent, then I am part of the problem. Many other posts said I should not talk, because this isn’t about me. So, then I thought to reach out to my friends of color and see what they would expect from someone like me to help the situation, until I saw a post instructing me not to reach out to my Black friends during this time because they do not want to hear from me.  

My social media algorithm also started shedding light on the Yoga and Wellness industry being white women dominated. As a long-time student and teacher of Yoga, I knew deep in my heart that this was very true. I’m confident that myself and my Yoga and Wellness colleagues want to help the decolonization in Yoga and Wellness and use our knowledge to expand to different communities, but I’ve found it very confusing to navigate the best way to do that. Especially when I’m told that my whiteness and Yoga body is such a large part of the problem. Does that mean I need to exit this field and way of life I’m so passionate about to give space to other voices, or use it to the advantage of the greater good by exploring ways to expand my knowledge and purpose to be even more helpful?  

I really wasn’t sure what to do in such a thick situation, so I froze. I knew freezing was the path for me that would cause the least amount of harm. This freeze didn’t mean I lied dormant, rather I refrained from putting my thoughts/words about racism in America into the world until I did some deep reflection. The world of Instagram seemed to be telling me I was racist by being me, so I needed to look at that.  

Looking at the start of my personal process in hindsight, I see it is aligned with the idea of correcting the microcosm to affect the macrocosm. We are all subtle vibrations on this earth, so the whole of us all feel the collective disharmony of our earthly vibration. How we individually react to the disharmony can either create a greater conflict or more consonance.  So rather than getting overwhelmed trying to fix the vibration of the entire planet I have been looking at how my own personal microcosm has been affecting the macrocosm in this order:

• Self
• Circle
• Community

This first step of my process has been deeply reflecting on my own Self.  What are my beliefs and where did they come from?  Are they still true?  

During this reflection, I did uncover some helpful information about my beliefs. I remembered a time in my early 20’s that shifted the way I lived with Racism. During this time, through volunteer work, I witnessed how systemic racism has kept generations of a family in their situation of poverty and provided little to no education or a way out. When “the system” is how many are taught to live, how do they disconnect and still manage to survive?  When I realized this so many years ago, I gave up on trying to help. During that time, I decided that those families wouldn’t want to hear ideas or solutions from me and that black leaders needed to step up, inspire, and offer solutions to help families move out of poverty. I have held on to that belief since then, so my next step is to analyze if it is still true.  

I am still in this step. Discovering that I had this belief for so long was huge. Now I’m working to figure out if I do have a voice that can help, and how to use it in a way that creates greater consonance. Perhaps the first step is just writing about it as I am here…

This is where the second step comes in, reaching out to my Circle. What are my family and friend’s beliefs? Start sharing and listening.  

This will look different for many of us depending on our own world experiences. Maybe there are people in your circle who have opinions that aren’t in alignment with your own. Since we all have unique life experience that supports our opinions, get curious about where conflicting viewpoints come from, rather than getting defensive to prove why our own opinions are the right ones. Be humble and ask questions when you feel resistance arise. 

While learning to share my experiences and listen to others in my circle, I had something powerful pointed out to me by a friend, who happens to be a Black Yoga teacher. She told me to stop taking all the things I’m seeing on Instagram so personally. While I really do know that the important topics and movements surrounding people of color are not about me, the many posts generalizing all whites to be racist are very triggering. With this realization, I’m now aware of when I’m getting triggered and can look into the reasons for why. In going through this process, I’ve been able to release some of the things that trigger me to move forward in a more balanced and less defensive way. 

Reiterating what I said before, be humble and ask questions when you feel resistance arise. We all just want to be heard, and as we continue to be more open to deeply listening to each other, our awareness expands in new ways to create more consonance among our circles.  

As these sometimes uncomfortable, but helpful conversations continue for me, they start expanding my awareness of the subject out to my Community: Where does my community fit into this all? City, neighborhood, work environments, social circles.

Expanding our awareness of our communities will also look much different for many of us.  While some of us may live in environments that have a lot of diversity, some of us don’t, and that is okay. Whatever place you live in, explore the history of how your community came about and the reasons why there is or is not diversity. I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which I’ve heard is one of the most racially segregated cities in the country. As I’ve lived here half of my life and visually see the truth of the segregation, I am now acknowledging how ignorant I have been to it. Since I don’t see active racism in myself or my circle, I have lived in a way as though it doesn’t exist, even though segregation is very apparent as I drive across town. The process of this acknowledgment is the first step to create greater consonance with myself, in my community.

As I look at my diverse home and online community from a Yoga and Wellness perspective, I’ve discovered black woman-owned, local Yoga studios, as well as many awesome Yoga and Wellness pros online that are people of color. I’m not sure the right action of this discovery is to infiltrate my whiteness into these studios and online communities, but I’m excited to listen and share their beautiful voices. As we look past ourselves and circles, we will find more diverse and unique voices that represent the whole rather than just individuals. This will create more consonance among our Yoga and Wellness communities.  

While these discoveries in my Self, my Circle, and my Community are super helpful, I’m now trying to figure out the next steps. What are the actions that can be taken to progress toward greater harmony in the world? What actions can White Wellness leaders take?   I’m realizing quickly that there is no order or start to finish in this reflection. It is constant.  My steps here are just to open the conversation, let the world know that I want to help and that I’m prepared to step up. We all come from different areas of the world and have completely different life experiences. We are feeling the collective pain of the terrible events that surfaced the darkness of our history.  As divided as the world feels now, I’m optimistic that the majority of people in this community share the common sentiments of creating equality, Yoga, and Wellness opportunities for all humans! 

Many of us are always striving to find more balance.  Balance in physical, mental, and emotional health, work/life balance, balance in getting all of the things done, yet still having time for fun, relaxation, and sleep… 

As I continue my search for more and more balance in my life, I’m finally starting to get comfortable with the fact that the journey of finding it is actually the destination.  I’ve been getting more balanced within all the imbalances, trusting that they will teach me new ways to recalibrate.  It’s super exciting!  

But with that said, as exciting as the journey through imbalance can be, it’s important we keep learning to refine our days and habits toward more balance.  While there are many things that we must do within each day, and many other things that we wish we could also fit into that 24-hour cycle, we must look for ways to group things together to be most efficient and effective to achieve the greatest balance. This is where task batching becomes essential.

What is Task Batching?

Task batching is a planning process that groups together similar activities.  It can be applied in your career life as well as your day-to-day actions.  The process of task batching can make your large amounts of “to-dos” more digestible, improve your attention and efficiency while reducing errors.

Task Batching vs. Multitasking

Task batching is not to be confused with multitasking.  While batch tasking together related activities that are done individually and in an effective order, multi-tasking has us jumping around to several different tasks at once that are not necessarily related.  

At the beginning of my professional life in the early 2000s, it was deemed important to know how to multi-task.  The word was encouraged to be used on resumes as it showed potential employer’s that I was capable of juggling multiple things at once.  Though it is sometimes impossible not to multi-task in careers and personal life, it is no longer encouraged.  New research is showing that multi-tasking can bring down productivity by 40%! While it may seem like the multi-tasker is being super productive, they are likely doing it less quickly as their attention shift causes more distractions and mental blocks, which will actually slow them down. Recent studies are also showing that heavy multi-taskers brain health is declining, since constantly juggling different tasks makes it harder for them to focus, retain information, and complete the tasks at hand.  

So, in a nutshell, we need to learn to do less multitasking and more task batching to be more productive, successful and maintain better mental clarity.

Task Batching Examples

There are a variety of unique ways, we can start to think about task batching throughout our days. Here are a couple of general examples that will apply to most of our day-to-day lives:

• Rather than checking your texts, personal email, and social media multiple times throughout the day, set aside a couple of times specifically dedicated to mindfully checking, responding, and/or update these.  You will find your response time is better and your overall communication is clearer.
• If you feel like you are always cleaning, pick some time one day in the week to dedicate to organizing, vacuuming, and laundry.  Dishes can be more difficult to do once per week.  Think of cleaning up the dishes after you eat as part of the meal and overall digestion.  

Better yet, we can even start to add in health habits by batch tasking:

• Create a morning routine of a healthy morning ritual of scraping your tongue, followed by hydrating with warm lemon water before you do anything else.  With consistency, this will likely stimulate regular bowel movements, which will give you lightness and clarity as you start your day.
• Instead of stressing to squeeze more body movement, exercise, mindfulness, and/or meditation throughout your day, put them together as one delicious practice at the same time every day.  There is no lovelier way to be still and observe your energy than after a good workout or movement practice!

Batch Tasking in Creativity

If you are anything like me and most adults, you are great at getting caught up in the daily grind. Your “to do” list is never-ending. You are super productive and always looking for more things to learn, ways to grow, and goals to accomplish.  At the end of the day, you might feel good about all that you were able to get done, but something is missing…

Are you taking the time to be creative?

It was a very recent and important realization for me that I was missing a creative outlet in my life. While I was excellent at getting things done, task batching away personally and professionally, I still felt a deep sense of lack. As a kid, I would write, create art, dance, make music, or just simply be silly and free. That is what we are supposed to do as kids!  It’s hard to keep that going into adulthood since we have so many responsibilities. How is it possible to have time to do it all?

We must task batch creativity!

If you have kids, this will be harder for you in one sense, since they probably make you generally busier, yet easier in another sense because you can get creative with them. Join in whenever possible on whatever creative thing they are doing!  

If you don’t have kids around, you will have to get more creative about task-batching creativity.  

One example of where I recently task-batched creativity into my day is in my meal preparation. Since I was already making food anyway, why not batch task it into an art project? This creativity starts when I’m at the grocery store. While I usually have certain staples that I eat throughout the week, I let my intuition guide me to the colors and textures of produce that I am drawn to on that particular day and season. Then as I’m preparing the meals, I have fun with colors, shapes, and layouts. Here are a few examples of my task-batched healthy food and creative art project.

Since I’ve never enjoyed cooking and meal prep much, task batching in creativity as art to my meal prep has been a game-changer! The meals are made with more love, since I’m having more fun preparing the meal, and therefore I digest it better! The best part is that I now have a little daily art outlet that doesn’t take any additional time out of my day since I’m already making my food!

Other simple ideas for batch tasking creativity into your day could be the following:

• Doodle or color before meditation to focus your brain.
• Write before you go to sleep. Don’t think too hard about what you are going to write.  Just let it flow intuitively. It could be like a journal entry, a poem, or sometimes it might turn into a “to do” list. Whatever comes out is okay. Think of it as a brain sweep to clear the mind.  
• Turn on your favorite upbeat song and dance freely before your workout. This could be your warm-up for your workout, or it could be your workout.
• Sing in the shower! Okay, this is technically multitasking but a very acceptable form of it, in my opinion! 

These are just my ideas for task batching, but you may have completely different outlets for creativity. Let your mind run wild of all the things you wish you had more time to do and find tiny ways to incorporate them into your daily tasks. This is task batching at its finest! It can make your large amounts of “to-dos” more digestible, improve your attention and efficiency while reducing errors. It also helps you feel more deeply balanced between the pressures and pleasures of life’s journey!

I’ll preface by reflecting again on my meandering path.  I’m finding I seem to do things in unique and perhaps inefficient orders…  My ex and I adopted cats, then bought a house, then got married.  Through my divorce, I enrolled in YHC, became a Certified Yoga Health Coach, and then figured out I needed more personal healing before I extended my coaching further.  Rather than getting hung up about both of those order of events not being ideal, I’m focusing on making the most of it through finding trust in my meandering path.  In this current personal healing journey, I’m grateful to have found myself enrolled in the Living Ayurveda Course!  

In one of the recent live calls for this course, we went deep into the process of making ghee, with wisdom and instruction from one of the awesome course mentors, Sarita Rocco.  If you are unfamiliar with ghee, it is clarified butter that comes from the middle eastern culture, can be ingested in a multitude of ways and has so many healing properties.  You can find out how to make ghee in Kate O’Donnell’s, The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook.   In the live Living Ayurveda call with Sarita, she stated the importance of going into your ghee-making process with a calm and steady mind, good intentions, saying mantras to fill the ghee with good energy, and that it will in turn feed you with exactly what you need.  Our assignment that week was to make ghee and report the results to the Facebook forum.

The day I decided to schedule in making ghee was a busy day.  I had a lot of things on my to-do list but was excited to take some time to make my own ghee from scratch.  As I returned from grocery shopping I had about 30 minutes to make my ghee before my next commitment.  According to the directions, that was enough time.  I started the process, ambitious to squeeze this task into my busy day and mark it off my list of things to do.  

I watched it bubble, my heartbeat with excitement, I tried to remain calm to infuse it with more steady vibes.  I watched it closely as it started to turn golden. It was beautiful and perfect as I started internally questioning what I should do next. There was a ping in my heart that told me that it was ready, but I was uncertain, so I waited.  It started to grow darker gold and I continued to watch and wait… I went through that process a few too many moments. All of a sudden, it turned dark brown. I quickly turned off the heat and my heart sank as an aroma similar to burned popcorn entered my nose. I let it cool, still hopeful, but as I poured it into the mason jar later, it was indeed full of burned matter.  

I ended up throwing it away, sickened that I wasted four sticks of organic unsalted butter, and took the chore of having to deeply scour the pot I burned it in as a karmic event and lesson.  I reflected back on Sarita’s wisdom of what intentions we are putting into our ghee.  I found it funny and ironic that I overscheduled my day to the point of burnout and then burned the ghee.

After recovering from the burned ghee incident, I was ready to retry a week later.  I bought more butter and made sure I had ample time in my schedule to put calm and nourishing intentions into the ghee.  I re-watched the course video, reread the cookbook for directions, and entered the process with a nervous curiosity rather than the ambition of my first attempt.

As I watched it bubble the second time my heart still beat with uncertainty, but I remained curious and trusted that I would know when it was ready this time.  I watched it closely as it started to turn golden.  I waited for the ping in my heart that told me that it was ready.  It started to grow darker gold and my heart led me to turn off the heat.  I smelled a slight scent of burnt popcorn, my heart dropped, and I walked away feeling defeated by the ghee once again.

Later as I returned to the cooled pot, I poured it into the mason jar just for fun, to see what it looked like.  While it didn’t have the burned chunks of the prior batch, it was a brown mustard color.  Rather than throwing it away, I hid it in a dark crevice of my pantry to deal with later.  Out of sight, out of mind.  

Weeks later, I checked the course forum on the other member’s ghee making shares, too ashamed to share my double failure.  There was a share from another member questioning her mustard yellow ghee, and a response reassuring her that it was an acceptable color.  I was about to heat up my dinner for the night, so dug back in the pantry to try out my ghee.  It gave my dinner a deep richness and I couldn’t detect an overcooked or burned flavor.  I felt deeply nourished and grounded after this dinner and am continuing to use it on my food.  Every meal I ingest with it, I’m brought back to the exciting curiosity I brought into making it, followed by the mistaken disappointment.  I remember Sarita’s wisdom of what we put into our ghee, being exactly what we need.  I’m comforted in knowing that the uncertainty I put into this ghee is now feeding me with the trust I need in the process.  Not only the process of making ghee, but also the process of my meandering path.  Every success and failure has a purpose to get me deeper in alignment to thrive.

So, what does all this mean for Yoga Health Coaching and Easeful Living?  

Easeful living is not the end of the path, because there is no end to the path.  It is a habit to constantly practice.  It’s recognizing the wisdom that is in every moment.   It is acknowledging the lessons that are everywhere through the ups and downs of making ghee, as well as the ups and downs of making a life.  Trusting these ups and downs and that each experience is feeding you exactly what you need is easeful living.  

I’m optimistic my third time making ghee will be a charm!  Whether it’s brown, yellow, or golden, I trust it will be exactly what I need.

While it’s super exciting that more of us are making this connection, as we progress in different ways on our self-growth paths, it’s important that we understand how to align our intuition with our intelligence.  Especially when it comes to our daily habits!  Following intuition or intelligence alone is a recipe for deep misalignment in our body, mind, and spirit.

To understand how to align intuition with intelligence, let’s review what each means individually.

Intuition is our ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.  It’s a deep knowing.  Like our cells have this information in them already and it just needs to be uncovered and reactivated with our connected awareness.  It’s following our hearts.

Intelligence is the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.  It’s taking information into our brains.  As we take in knowledge, our minds process and make sense of it on a conscious level.  It’s using our brains.

What happens when we have one without the other?

Letting our intuition lead us by only following our hearts, without any intelligence to back it up, is not always the best idea.  If we take a moment for personal reflection on this matter, I’m sure many of us have some kind of tragic story of letting our intuition guide us in a “feel good” moment or moments, without using intelligence to support it.  Whether it ended in money problems, tumultuous relationships, or maybe even a health problem, simply following our hearts without using our brains can lead to heartbreak.

If we are only guided by our intuition, we can get stuck in a pattern of doing what feels good in the moment, while not making the mental connection if it is truly good for us.  Think of an addictive pattern you have or have had.   As a former smoker, I would follow my heart, understanding that my nervous system would relax at my next puff, ignoring the intelligence that I was also absorbing toxic chemicals into my body with that puff.

Another, more general, example is when our habits are guided by what “feels good” in the moment.  While what feels good in the moment might vary from eating a pint of ice cream all the way to scrolling through Instagram into the late-night hours, those are not actions that are truly good for us if we back them up with intelligence. Our hearts often can get feeling good at the moment confused with the deeper desire.   If we look at the intelligence behind the desire of eating a pint of ice cream, we may discover that we need more grounding and comfort.  We can instead try a warm bath or a calming tea to fulfill this desire.  Connecting intelligence to the desire of phone scrolling in bed might reveal a need to quiet and settle the mind.  Practices such as meditation, journaling, or light and inspiring reading would be a more aligned way to accomplish this.  When we find our hearts guiding us in ways that bring these temporary “feel good” moments, this is a great opportunity to stop and look for the intelligence that connects with following our hearts.  What deeper desire leads your heart there and what knowledge can lead you into true fulfillment of that desire?

Now, what about intelligence without intuition?  Letting only our intelligence guide us, trudging through life by thought alone, and doing the “right thing” will set us up for a life without deep fulfillment. Perhaps we or someone we know have had some type of mid-life crisis where we became completely unsatisfied.  We thought we were always making the right choices and doing the right thing until one day it all falls apart in some way.  This can also express itself in money problems, relationship problems, or health problems.  Simply using our brains without connection to our heart’s desires can lead to mental breakdown.

If we are only guided by our intelligence, we get stuck in our ways at an intellectual level by not connecting the knowledge in our brains to the deep inner knowing of our hearts.  Think of a time you thought you were doing what was right according to your knowledge.  As a formally married woman, using my brain well led me into a marriage that seemed perfect by intelligence alone.   While finding a good companion with common interests was enough to satisfy my mind at the time, ignoring the intuition that my heart wasn’t expanding led to the ultimate breakdown of the relationship in the end.

More examples of being led by doing the “right thing” in our daily habits, could be of those driven by the multitude of knowledge available for achieving extreme health.  There are so many new health trends and so much information available these days about what is the “right thing” for our health.  HIIT workouts, nutritional powders, ketogenic diets, infrared saunas, veganism, etc!   Many people attain and understand this varying health information on an intellectual level and follow strictly without connection to how it’s really making them feel.

As we learn new information and take different steps, exploring new habits to achieve greater health, it’s important we also listen to our intuition.  For example, while a HIIT workout might be nourishing for one person because of their sturdy build and sedentary lifestyle, it could be depleting and cause injury to another if they are already burning the candle at both ends mentally and physically.  Perhaps Yoga would better serve the latter of the two.  When we find ourselves only using our brains to guide us by doing the “right thing”, this is another great opportunity to stop and listen for the intuition supported by using our brains.  Is the knowledge we are using to guide us truly fulfilling us by connection to our heart’s deep desires?

Our intuition supports our intelligence and vice versa.  We have constant opportunities throughout the day to align the two, simply through our daily habits.   From the moment you wake up, all the way until you go to bed, start to take inventory of whether your heart or head is leading you to your automated actions.  How do your habits evolve once you start taking inventory to align intuition with intelligence?

When we learn to align our intuition with our intelligence, that is where the magic happens!  It’s where the heart connects with the head!  On a physical level, we see the middle of this connection at our throat.  At an energetic level, it is the throat chakra (vishuddhi), the purification center of how we express ourselves to the world.  When we are living through the connected head and heart, or aligned intuition and intelligence, we are living and speaking our divine truth in the world.  And as we learn to live and speak our divine truth, we will find deeper nourishment and fulfillment in our lives and the lives we touch.

2020 has been a challenge in so many unexpected ways, yet I’ve seen beautiful optimism from those around me. In the beginning of the year, I heard the “glad game” being played in different ways. Some enjoying time off work, others might have looked at travel plans being cancelled as a time to come home to themselves, while others found optimism in time with the family.  The “glad game” had to continue all summer. Without the normal summer events, gatherings, weddings, and such happening, we had so much more time to explore the beautiful nature around us or start that home improvement list that we’ve been putting off. I made it my goal to submerge myself in some natural body of water weekly. It was so wonderful!

Now, as fall and soon winter roll in, the “glad game” has become more difficult. Outdoor activities get more limited as the weather gets colder. We may have thought things would have gotten better by now, but they have instead got even more uncertain. Family gatherings and traditions are getting cancelled for safety. There is a collective energy of dullness, frustration, and hopelessness. We don’t have as much control over our life and livelihoods as we once thought. The “glad game” is getting very hard to play.

When things feel out of our control, it’s helpful to realize what you do have control of and make the best of it! The most important thing we have control of is our day-to-day actions and our daily habits. To make the best of what we can control, we need to deeply analyze our daily habits, and be honest with ourselves about which habits are hindering or helping our health. The habits that are helpful to our health are called acts of self-care. Self-care can be as simple as eating and sleeping regularly, and as indulgent as an Epsom salt bath with essential oils followed by 20 minutes of meditation. If you are reading this, you most likely know how your daily habits affect you and are already on a path to building more habits of self-care. You understand that it’s a lifelong journey that ebbs and flows with your life. Sometimes we may have to dial back self-care habits that take time and/or money back to simply survive, while other times we may have the opportunity to add in all the self-care rituals! My new favorite self-care practice is learning to go with the flow and be easeful in whatever situation life presents to me.

So how does this acknowledgement of self-care habits put us back in the “glad game” as the world and this holiday season isn’t as magical as we may want it to be?

Look back to holiday seasons past and all the parties and obligations. While some might still be happening, there are probably many things cancelled. Normally this time of year is a struggle for many to maintain their healthy habits with all the temptations around. The late parties, eggnog, and snacking build up and send our health into a downward spiral that we typically won’t acknowledge until the new year.

This year, we have a head start! We won’t have to detox and diet in the New Year, because this year has given us less opportunity to overindulge. With fewer unhealthy choices to make this year, there is less temptation to load our bodies with toxins of alcohol, sugar, and sleep deprivation. Fewer options for celebrating outwardly provides more opportunities to celebrate inwardly by dialing in our self-care habits at the end of 2020 and feel great going into 2021. This will build strength in our mind, body, and spirit to continue on a balanced path. With greater strength and balance we can take on whatever uncertainty life gives us moving forward with grace and stamina.

This is what I am focusing on to stay active in the “glad game” through the end of the year and beyond. I hope you join me!

Why am I stuck?

I’m still stuck because, while I’m tongue scraping, having regular and healthy poops, moving and breathing every morning, eating rhythmically throughout the day, oiling well at night, and being easeful through it all, I’m still drinking alcohol somewhat regularly – Truth bomb!

Now if we look at the kaizen approach, this “regular” drinking has improved over the years. It started out well over a decade ago, with a minimum of two drinks per night, complimented by cigarettes. I am pleased to say that, seven years ago, the smoking naturally went away, and the nightly drinking habit was brought into my awareness. A combination of doctor recommendations, along with a five-week intensive yoga training on the other side of the world, made me realize that it was not normal or healthy to drink half a bottle of chardonnay every night.

Fast forward seven years, I’m still kaizening the drinking. I prove to myself annually that I’m not a “real” alcoholic by giving it up for Lent, yet the only thing that gets me through Lent is knowing I will be able to have it again. While I’ve gotten the drinking down to only a couple of nights per week or less, I find it amazing how I’m able to ignore my natural intuition if I don’t want to drink on the nights reserved for drinking.

Naturally, I’ve been frustrated with my lack of evolution, as I still have mild inflammatory responses giving me physical symptoms (loose stools, adult acne, dandruff, SI joint stagnation, not launching my habit evolution course, negative self-talk, etc.), so the other month I took some functional medicine tests that brought to the surface some food sensitivities to gluten and dairy. Though this seems super basic, I needed a test to tell me I was sensitive to gluten and dairy for me to fully let them go. The recommended protocol after the functional medicine tests was a 21-day liver detox. During this time, I had some fasting days along with clean eating days, and obviously – no alcohol. It went very well!  My bowel movements became regular and healthy, my skin cleared up, and my energy was awesome.

I’ve been off the detox for a few weeks now, but have carried over the gluten and dairy free clean eating part of it. But guess what I have not carried over?

That is right – the drinking…

While drinking is not a part of my regular schedule anymore, I still think about it often and plan when I’m going to drink next. Though it has only been once per week or less, my detoxed liver and body are speaking louder than ever.

The other day, I had done everything right habit-wise. I was leaving a private yoga lesson and remembered I had to stop at the grocery store for some bananas. While I was there, it felt as though the force took over me and caused me to buy a bottle of red wine. Knowing that I had already had my earlier, lighter dinner and still had time to drink and go to bed early, I decided that I would have two glasses of wine when I got home.

I will do all the healthy habits AND drink wine!

So, I did it. I was to bed by 9:30 and had all intentions of waking up at 5:30 to have my morning sadhana and go to work for my 11am shift.

How did it really go?

I woke up at 2:30am (this was a common thing in my 20’s when I drank regularly) with a bad headache. I chugged water to hydrate myself, and then, laid in bed breathing with intention into my awful headache. I don’t think I ever fully fell back asleep because my mind was loud with negative self-talk. I had the Identity Evolution worksheet and Cate’s voice in my head, “I’m the type of person who ignores her intuition and numbs all the goodness that is inside of her because she is so weak.” Or “I’m the type of person who is so damaged and such an addict that it will always take over the wealth of knowledge I have invested so much time, money, and emotion into.” Eventually, I somehow fell back into a lucid sleep. I woke up at 8am (when my beautiful morning practice should have already completed), headache still strong, and wanting to throw up from the alcohol consumption. I needed to take a shower, but was too queasy, so I opted for an epsom salt bath. The negative “I’m the type of person…” phrases were still rampant in my mind. I knew that they weren’t helpful, so I decided to switch them up, focusing on the actual facts and things that were happening in me rather than beating myself up for being weak.

Here are the facts.

“I’m the type of person who feels like crap and doesn’t do things that nourish her the next morning when I consume two glasses of wine the night prior.”

Okay, but why am I doing that?

I am doing that because, “I’m the type of person that desires deeper connection so badly that I try quick, but ineffective routes to get there.”

Getting better, but still negative.

How about, “I’m the type of person who is very ungrounded and needs to be very careful as to not do things to further unground myself.”?

Close, but how will I do that?

“I’m the type of person that is so connected to my infinite flow of energy, that I must always prioritize nourishing self-care practices to cultivate the connection more wisely.”

There we go!

That Identity Evolution statement is where I will work from moving forward.  Rather than seeing myself as a helpless addict, I now see the facts through the negativity.  I have a lot of energy and desire deeper connection to it.  That is super exciting to acknowledge and I look forward to listening to my intuition in those moments of needed connection!  I have a strong feeling that my intuition will lead me to dance, journal, self-massage, breath work, or meditation over drinking!

What does your negative self-talk say? Write it down. What positive/affirming Identity Evolution phrase can you turn it into, to initiate real change?

I know my new phrase “I’m the type of person that is so connected to my infinite flow of energy, that I must always prioritize nourishing self care practices to cultivate the connection more wisely.” will pop into my awareness every time the force creeps in to buy or consume alcohol. I’m excited to acknowledge any other future negative self-talk I have moving forward.  This will be my new way to trigger a habit to create a new Identity Evolution statement.  Deeper Identity Evolution will be the reward!

Our environments are so important. Especially our homes. They are the place for us to nourish ourselves and our loved ones through work, rest, and entertaining. When I talk about shaping our environment for self-care, I am not talking only about specific self-care actions such as salt baths, breath/movement practice, or self-massage. I’m also talking about optimizing your entire environment so that every action you take throughout the day, you feel like you are completing an act of self-care, whether it be preparing a meal for the family or vacuuming the rugs!

I found myself sensitive to my environment from a young age. My childhood self was always rearranging her bedroom furniture and deeply analyzing how she could use her 10’x12’ space more optimally. While I had wallpaper that permanently set the color scheme, I made the most with it and fantasized about what I would do differently to update it.  This sensitivity followed me everywhere. Every store, restaurant, dentist office, or friend’s house I’d go to, I would constantly visualize in my head how I could make it better. So naturally by the age of 14, I made the decision that I was going to go to college for Interior Design.

Many people I meet think my personal spaces are shaped so well because of my Bachelors Degree in Interior Design. While I’m sure that helps a lot, my years of education and practice focused on much more technical aspects of designing interiors.  I believe anyone can create a more nourishing and supportive environment for themselves regardless of their technical training, how much space they have, or what budget is available! Here are some quick tips to begin.

Start small

Does just starting to read this cause any tension or feelings of overwhelm in your body or mind? Depending on our living and family situation, this could send your mind in a million places at once — things to go through, stuff to get rid of, rooms to clean, things that need updating, resistance among family members…

Slow down.

One thing at a time.

This is where we can bring the microcosm vs. macrocosm concept to your spaces. While the macrocosm could be your whole entire house, the microcosm could be one room. While the macrocosm could be a whole entire room, the microcosm could be a desk. While the macrocosm could be the entire desk, the microcosm could be a drawer. Start at the micro-est microcosm to begin. In fact, even if you don’t feel overwhelmed reading this I would still recommend this process, as it will give the best overall order from the inside out, just as we look to do in our bodies and minds.

Examine form vs. function

Good design is mastering the balance of form and function.  We want the overall form of our spaces to look good and contain the item’s we want in them, yet we also need to evaluate the function of the space and the purpose each item serves within it.

Decide what stays and what goes

Whether you decided to start in the microcosm of a room or a drawer, this is essential! Do this thoroughly, as the more blank the slate, the more room for transformation and support! This can be a fun but also emotional task. This is where we go through our stuff and analyze it. Does it have a function and/or do you like the form? Does it have special meaning? Is it bringing positivity or negativity into your mind-space? Sell, recycle, repurpose, or donate the items that don’t serve a purpose, have special meaning, and/or bring negativity to your mind-space. Think about it as a detox to your environment. A sacred offering. Turn it into a ritual performed seasonally, adding smudging with sage or palo santo to the process. Just completing this process can be the most beautiful act of self-care!

Discover the function of the space

Once the purge is done, take some time to contemplate how you want the space to function. What is its overall purpose and how will that purpose lead you to greater self-care? Once again, maybe you are just in a drawer or maybe a whole room. If you are at a drawer, analyze what contents best support you and how they can be organized. Depending on what was purged, maybe you find a better way to organize the contents, or maybe you find a completely new use for this drawer. This goes the same in a room. How has the room hindered your self-care in the past, and how would you like it to function differently in the future?

Look at how your spaces serve multiple functions. While a bedroom’s main purpose might be for you to sleep every night, might it also be where you practice your nightly foot massage? Where is a convenient space to store your massage oils and comfy old socks to encourage this routine? Maybe your living room is a great place for your morning breath body practice. How can you store your equipment for this and maybe even create an altar that also translates to a decoration for others during “normal” living room use? It could also be as simple as moving your coconut oil to the bathroom counter to remind you to oil pull after you scrape your tongue. As you expand your attention through each microcosm in each of your environments, discover how they can support you toward greater nurturance to yourself.

Analyze existing conditions

Once you discover how you want your space to function, take a moment to analyze the existing conditions of that space; mostly structural, but also decorative. The existing conditions might help or hinder the space’s function, but also give a more specific path on how to accomplish what we desire to bring to the space. This might seem discouraging, as I’m sure we all have conditions in our environments that we would love to change with more time and money. Rather than getting hung up on what we are not able to change, we can see these existing conditions as a creative endeavor to work around!

As a designer I have always been passionate about working with existing conditions. There is nothing more fun to me than making bright teal countertops or an outdated sofa look acceptable by updating what surrounds them (granted they are still functioning well) and look at them as a fun design “quirk.” This is also the most environmentally friendly way to design, as it’s not creating unnecessary waste or lessening air quality with new materials, glues, paints, etc. Sometimes we must see the form as preceding the function. As we analyze our existing conditions, ideal or not, we find a clearer path for how to uniquely set up our optimal self-care environments.

Identify your design language

This is the fun part where we get into the forms our spaces take. We want the forms (furniture, fixtures, equipment, accessories, décor) in our spaces to support and serve the function, yet also find them pleasing to our eyes. Think about what types of forms draw you in by identifying your design language.

We each have our own vocabulary and use certain words and expressions to communicate our truths. This is the same for design, but rather than communicating with words, we communicate with the Elements of Design; space, mass, line, texture, pattern, light, color, and form. Start by looking around your spaces to see what areas or items catch your eyes and warm your heart. Start to consider why it draws you in. Is it the color or patterns or maybe the quality of the lighting in the area? What kind of patterns or texture support you? This process is how you discover your unique design language and how to use form to encourage your quest for self-care.

Work with the Principles of Design

While some of us might have more of a minimalistic and simple design language, others might feel theirs is vast and eclectic. Either language is good as long as it’s supportive to you! Let your unique language invite creativity in as you learn to use the principles of design to combine the forms in your space!

Many of us may already have a “knack for design” and naturally do this, but some might not see it as easily. Either way it can be learned if there is intention and interest. The principles of design allow us to compare our forms through balance, rhythm, emphasis, scale, proportion, unity, variety, and harmony. While there are entire books written on the Principles of Design alone, we will just briefly discuss them here and how they can support our life of self-care.

As you look at the functional forms in your environment to support your life of self-care, how do they harmonize together? When we look at balance, we see if the forms feel like too much/not enough or are too heavy/too light in any areas and we can adjust as needed. Emphasis, scale, and proportion can be looked at similarly with items size and prominence. If too much attention is drawn to an item because of its size or color, what can we add around it to harmonize that? Rhythm and variety invite us to look at the specific items, patterns, and colors of our space and forms and how to find unity among even the most contrasting of items. While I have an eclectic style myself, and my space has a variety of color, forms, and patterns, I get a kick out of analyzing, arranging and adjusting based on the Principles of Design in order to create harmony!

I hope this finds you inspired and ready to have fun in creating your optimal environment for a life focused on self-care. As we create spaces that function to support self-care, by using forms we love in our spaces, we can bring in more consistent awareness to our practice. As we build our environments to nourish us optimally toward loving awareness in everyday tasks, our existence becomes an act of constant self-care even as we maintain our busy lives and schedules. While having an Interior Design degree or working with an Interior Designer are helpful to create your most optimal environment for self-care, these are simple things anyone can learn to accomplish it!