While many people are getting swept up in the anxiety of these uncertain times, I am staying grounded and remaining positive…Not because I am naturally that way, but because I have been using the following Taoist principles every day!
The good news is that you can use these same principles *without* spending a lot of time on the computer because I know you are maxed out on screen time like the rest of the world.
So let’s get right to it!
Taoist Principle 1: Slow Deliberate Movement
Spend 20-30 minutes a day doing the slow deliberate movement, which means you are very present with your movements, and actually feeling the energy move through your body as you breathe and move!
- This could be taking a very slow walk through your yard, feeling each footstep as it lands and lifts on the earth.
- Or a slow stretch routine that allows you to really feel into the meridians in your body (meridians follow the muscles and tendons; trust you are feeling them even if you don’t know where they are).
Taoist Principle 2: Make a Magical Food
Since you are eating more these days, why not put a little magic into your food?
What does it mean to put magic in food? It means to set an intention before you prepare a meal, for example: “My intention for this meal is to make something that makes me feel lighter, happier, and less worried today.” That would be a great intention for a breakfast meal!
Then as you make the food, sing or hum or add some extra spices that excite your food.
As you eat your food, chew slowly and deliberately, and as you take in the nutrients of your food imagine also taking in the nutrition of your intention.
This is actually the perfect time to do a cleanse, so if you would like some guidance with that. It’s Spring, you’re stuck at home for another 3 weeks or more, why not do a 10-day cleanse?
Make a bone broth, what could be more grounding, centering, and amazing for your immune, vitality, and libido than a bone broth…. Never made a bone broth? Well now’s the time my friend!
Taoist Principle 3: Develop a Daily Gratitude Practice
While times are challenging, and there’s no doubt the sense of security you felt two months ago has vanished, or at least shifted, this is a golden opportunity to take inventory on what’s working for your health happiness, and well-being, and what is not.
Make a list of each, and without worrying about what is not working, place the list of what is going well in your world in front of you each day and read it out loud, feel free to add to it as the days pass. Simply sit and feel a deep sense of gratitude for each item on your list until you feel a lightness in your entire nervous system.
Taoist Principle 4: Awaken Your Sensuality
Spend 5 minutes each day in total devotion to each one of your 5 senses.
Spend an entire minute tuning into what you can hear inside your body, inside your room, and outside.
Spend an entire minute tuning into what you can smell.
Spend an entire minute tuning into what you can taste.
Spend an entire minute tuning into what you can feel with your fingers – run them over your body, and focus on the inner elbows, wrists, and thighs.
Spend an entire minute tuning into what you can see, squint your eyes so your vision is blurred a bit, and take in the textures, shapes, and colors
Taoist Principle 5: Tune into the Moon
Look to the sky at night and notice what is happening with the moon is it waning or waxing, full or new, take notes on how you feel in your body and in your mental state with each passing day of the moon as it shifts through its 4 phases.
Then send it to me in a month’s time! I would love to see how your mood changes with the moon.
Taoist Principle 6: Take a Shamanic Power Nap!
What’s a Shamanic Power Nap???
It’s when you lie down flat on the ground, you can place a pillow under your knees and a small cushion under your head if you like. Place one hand over your heart and one hand over your navel and breathe deeply as you listen for an intention to bubble up from your heart. Usually, one word or a short phrase, like “peace,” “wake up energized,” or “trust the unknown.”
Then tell your body to breathe deeply until you fall into a restful sleep, and set an alarm to wake you up about 20 min after you go out.
These are some of the SIMPLEST ways to stay calm and connected to your own pulse during a challenging season. It does require you to actually DO these things though. Start today, pick just one and try it on for size.
Lots of love,
Willow XO
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