Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 ‘‘Summer of Love’’ peaky sneaks.

Sufi Heart bags for Rose Quartz Crystals at the Summer Of Love yoga and creativity workshop 12th Of June “021. On my events page.

Playing with Sufi heart images for the ‘‘Summer Of Love’’ Yoga and Creativity Event.

Hridaya Mudra- compassionate heart gesture. i little snippet of illustrations for the ‘‘Summer Of Love’’ yoga and creativity event. Come and play with us.

Hi there creative, movement medicine, community

I’ve been thinking that it would be a little remiss of me not to write something in Mental Health Awareness week 2021. The theme is nature…. however I have written a lot about nature, how good it is for you, being out there in the green and by the sea, bare feet in the grass and souls on the stones or grit in you toes.

Are we born anxious or is this something that becomes us through experience? Are we born with feelings of low mood or is this something that comes about through outside activity coming inwards. Is it our nature to feel this way or is it adaptive.

I for one think its adaptive. I was not good at looking after myself when I was younger. Heady days of being very wasted when out at night, in clubs or pubs, left me very vulnerable. Luckily I had an awesome group of mates. We all looked after each other, never leaving any event without each other. My nature at that time was disruptive to my being. I liked chaos it was in my nature.

As time has passed on and many years later I have adapted my nature to looking after myself in more ways than one. Its taken a long time to embed a ritualistic way of living in the morning. Meditating on waking, writing the morning pages, then listing my gratitude and saying a prayer of thanks to mother divine and reciting the lords prayer- its the only one I know off by heart LOL. Turning depreciative talk in my head to lines of love. Seeing the best in things. Knowing things happen for a reason. Being sober. Teaching and doing yoga and my artistic bones. And loving my mum more. All things to ease the anxiety and low mood.

Born with artistic bones in my body lends itself to sensitivity. Im glad I have that in me. It feels like a blessing I used to shy away from. The fact that I’m easy to cry, feel things deeply in those artisic bones. Better to feel everything deeply than not at all. Definately nature. Now I am more tender to that side of myself, helping me no end with feelings of anxiety and low mood.

Anxiety still comes to me, rushing thoughts, racing heart, sweats too. Each time I know it will pass. I have cracked my heart open like an egg with golden surprise. It wanted it to close then I found yoga again thanks to an angel that landed in my life and my heart blossomed once more. Spiritual nature? Saving me. Hand reaching down from the sky, picking me up, cradling me for a while, popping me down once more and giving me a gentle nudge. Seeing me on my way.

Yoga practice and teaching puts us in touch with our true nature, bringing us back to the breath. The breath, the breath always the breath, easy and a natural gift each one as we inhale and exhale. Easy and hard at the same time to remember the quality that it embues in the body.

So what is your nature that you nurture. Are there things that come naturally to you? Speaking your truth. Singing loud. dancing, writing? Whatever your jam. Get it on a knife and spread it thick. Are there bits of your nature that you could change if you felt the need. One small step at a time? One little thing a day, taking you to steps down a path. Possibly one you have never trodden. Soon you will be looking back and seeing how far you have come. Maybe you will never look back? Is it your nature to be able to let go easily, or do you cling on tight attached like a koala hugging a branch.

If you fancy a change in your nature or embodying, nourishing what you love even more, why not come and move your body and get creative in my first in real life event. I am combining the two things that definately are in my nature. Possibly yours too. We know that yoga and creativity can ease mental health conditions as can walks in nature. Being together, sharing space is also one way of doing this. I personally am delighted that this can happen again.

At the ‘‘Summer of Love’’ yoga and creativity workshop I am holding we will be looking at love, connection, mudras and meditation. We will be cracking open our hearts, a teensy bit of our insides to be brought to the outside with the idea of interoception- the lesser known sense. Come and join us for some fun and proper getting together. As you can see I have been working on illustrations for the event being held on the 12th Of June. Full details are on the events page right here on my website. Check it out.

Maybe it’s not in your nature to nourish your newness. That’s a lot of ‘N’s’ innit. However I dare you to email me back for a chat or to join us for the afternoon on the 12th of June. I would LOVE to have your AWESOME sauce there. It would be such a welcome addition to the succulent recipe of yoga and creativity.

Until the next time…….

Big Love

Cass