Things to Inspire You
This beautiful poem which I have been reading at the end of my events and some classes has touched so many people. I often get asked for a copy so here it is for all to enjoy.
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Breathe by Becky Hemsley
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She sat at the back and they said she was shy,
She led from the front and they hated her pride,
They asked her advice and then questioned her guidance,
They branded her loud, then were shocked by her silence,
When she shared no ambition they said it was sad,
So she told them her dreams and they said she was mad,
They told her they’d listen, then covered their ears,
And gave her a hug while they laughed at her fears,
And she listened to all of it thinking she should,
Be the girl they told her to be best as she could,
But one day she asked what was best for herself,
Instead of trying to please everyone else,
So she walked to the forest and stood with the trees,
She heard the wind whisper and dance with the leaves,
She spoke to the willow, the elm and the pine,
And she told them what she’d been told time after time,
She told them she felt she was never enough,
She was either too little or far far too much,
Too loud or too quiet, too fierce or too weak,
Too wise or too foolish, too bold or too meek,
Then she found a small clearing surrounded by firs
,And she stopped…and she heard what the trees said to her,
And she sat there for hours not wanting to leave,
For the forest said nothing, it just let her breathe`
~ Becky Hemsley ~
Moon Milk Recipe
Moon Milk is always a popular option at the end of my retreat evenings. Mugs full of warm oat milk laced with deeply nourishing herbs and spices send my yogi students off for the best nights sleep.
It contains turmeric a lovely inflammation soother, cardamom believed to lower blood pressure and aid breathing and cinnamon which is a super spice with anti bacterial, gut health boosting and cancer fighting properties. Nutmeg is a natural sleep aid and ashwagandha, an adaptogenic root herb, is a friend to the nervous system and particularly great at easing you to sleep. Ginger helps speed up your digestion so all the goodness gets into your system quicker and the whole mix helps sooth a racing, restless mind. So much goodness in one little drink.
I’ve been asked a lot for my recipe so here it is. Based on a lovely recipe from @bonappetitmag - enjoy!
Tip: make a batch as it keeps well in a sealed jar for you to scoop a heaped spoonful out each evening.
Serves 2:
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground ashwagandha root powder
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
Milk of your choice
Honey to taste
- Warm the milk
- Stir / whisk in the mix (ideally cook the milk and mix in a pan for 10 minutes on a low heat)
- Add honey just before serving
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Recently we have been looking at Santosha the Niyama that asks us to find contentment and gratitude in ourselves, to stop looking outside ourselves or looking to distance goals to bring us happiness. The following two poems have struck a chord in class so I share them with you here x
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Trading Places by Becky Hemsley
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If one day we swapped places
I was you and you were me
I wonder what it is that both of us
Would actually see
I wonder if you’d notice
How your smile lights up your face
How when you walk into a room
You brighten up the place
I wonder if you’d see the way
You always make the time
For those who seek you out because
You’re patient and you’re kind
And maybe I would notice
How I always stand my ground
And how I lift up those I love
When they are lost or down
Perhaps I’d notice how
I’m quite content all by myself
And how I’m always there for others
When they ask for help
And if you felt your patience
And if you could see your smile
If I could help myself
And feel my kindness for a while
Then maybe we would understand
We cannot be defined
By all that we fixate on
In our mirrors and our minds
Yes, if we both swapped places
And had someone else to be
Perhaps we’d come to realise
There’s so much we cannot see
And maybe in the moments
You were me and I was you
We would see why people love us
And we’d learn to love us too
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Your Home / You're Home by Erin Hanson
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If there’s one thing that I may tell you,
Let it be: You are your home,
Your body is the only house
That you will truly ever own.
Maybe it’s got some broken windows
And there are tear-stains on the floors,
Maybe you lock the things you wish weren’t
Behind its many doors.
But there is wisdom on its bookshelves
And a laugh to light the rooms,
There’s a vase upon its table
Where the love you’ve grown all blooms.
Dreams sit on the mantelpiece
Next to kindness and your trust,
Where you use them all so often
They have no time to collect dust.
So please don’t look at mansions
With that envy in your eyes,
There’s more that makes a home
Than its appearance or its size.
Your body is your shelter
So you deserve to love it all,
Don’t let the world stand round outside
And tell you how to paint your walls.
How lucky that you have somewhere
To protect you from the night.
And if there cracks left from the past?
Well then they just let in more light.
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