Peace of Mind & Body for The Highly Sensitive Soul

 

 

Trying on old templates ... 

This old newsletter template was speaking to me, so we are going with it :) I've definitely undergone a bit of an excavation, transition and return to parts of myself that has been a long time coming. Some of you may know that I have a background in music, used to make sculptures, enjoy making stained glass and singing poorly in the car.   Art, music, writing, poetry, individuality ... are the things that make life so much more beautiful and interesting.  In the years of offering this work it became clear, especially after the self-care interviews in 2018, that people are longing to do the thing they used to love doing (before the phone got in the way). So much of the healing work is about about finding your true self, your true voice, your true gifts and actually making time to be a steward of them - whether you are an artist, a healer, a musician, a bread baker, a shop keeper, an assistant, a barista, etc -- you have an opportunity to offer connection, joy and meaning to your life and those around you.

 

Sure, presence is a part of it, but, so is passion and a surrender into what it is that you are ready to embrace and let go.  I will pause the little philosophical rant there so I can also get to share two things that I'm really excited to share with you, especially if you secretly (0r openly) love writing, art, music, dance, poetry and seeing that come together through community. 

First, if you love writing and if you do not yet know who Lori-Lyn Hurley is, I would like to introduce you to her here and also encourage you to consider joining her writing circle that starts next week.  I'm excited to be in the group and I believe in her so much that I really wanted to share her work online.  One, you can learn more about her and her heart on her website and Instagram.  She's recently made some great posts on how our creative voice can contribute to our health and here is a little something she recently shared about The Constellation Room: 

"You already know how to write.  What you're missing is a room.  The Constellation Room is a writers' circle for women ready to trust their own voice again, not perform someone else's version of it. Season One, Memoir as a Mirror opens with live gatherings, weekly prompts, and a simple rule that changes everything: before we critique, we name what's working. What we love. Every time. Three ways in, from a self-paced course to a small live circle to one to one mentorship. Come as you are. Leave with pages that sound like you."  

 

 

The current Constellation Room has been an amazing experience so far - a warm and welcoming community where it feels safe to write and share - and ever inspired by Lori-Lyn warm, grounded and uplifting guidance.  There will be more seasons to come, so consider connecting with her on IG where she has a strong presence (and shares her offerings). 

 

 Living Mandala Art Exhibit - Gallery Opening 

 
 

 

Second, this morning was a little different as I got to head into WUKY with a co-conspirator, Melissa Bright to speak about a little creative art show project we've been cooking up this past year. This is the first art show I've co-curated since The Tarot Show in 2016, so, it was really lovely to return to the process.  I think my favorite part, hands down, is how it brings people together and creates a container of time in which people are crunching and creating towards a shared purpose.  I love how everyone comes together with their own special gifts be it as a n artist, writer, project manager, "peopler", organizer, or, idea maker.

It's an art show in celebration of the meditative arts and titled after a small personal philosophy that's surfaced through my work and life that I refer to it as The Living Mandala ... which is that we really all just little cells in a vast body of the cosmos that's much like a living, breathing mandala ... and how we really fall into place  ... into flow ... when we honor our given gifts and places in community -  we dance with the universe most gracefully when we surrender to our own personal rhythms of authenticity and into the arms of the world around us  -- I personally have learned and love to say how "the key to health is being yourself", and this will look very different for everyone.  

 

We may live in a "copy and paste" world these days, but, this is not our nature as humans.  The goal is to be our true selves together.  To create what you love, to connect more, to find your place in community and to show up honestly (which can sometimes even look like disappearing and going within). Your gifts do not have to be loud or flashy, and not everyone is terribly original and that is okay. In fact, it's beautiful. The quiet voices, the ones who don't clang are sometimes the most powerful and moving.  It's the steady energy of earth, sometimes the peaceful space holding of water, the quiet whisper of idea making air, or the slow burn of a community building fire. 

It's when we try to contort ourselves that we lean deeper into illness and so much of my work is about helping people break free from the bindings, social conditioning and "shoulds" they've picked up over the years.  Our element, our nature, our true selves get out of order, out of sorts. 

However, one thing that I find can help us return to ourselves is time ... space to reflect ... courage to show up and connect ... and a honoring of who you really are.  Your passion, your voice, your creativity, your care, your thoughtfulness, your ideas, your space holding ... your greatest gifts and strengths.  The Living Mandala is us showing up as us. This came to heart in a Sunday group study while staring out into the shapes of a relatively generic pastel rug in contemplation of some stories and meanings ... because apparently rugs are really inspiring and conducive to creative ideas, life philosophy and thinking. At least for the healing and design minded?  

It came to me because it aligns with my everyday encounter and understanding of healing ... and those I get to work with.  My  personal work in the world (I think maybe) is to help people remember, find and create space for their most authentic self, who they are, who they love, what they love, what their body and mind needs, what their heart and spirit needs. It's about courage, authenticity, patience, spiritual awareness and self-compassion.  Also I'm an advocate for boundaries, self-advocacy, discernment, presence, and a resilient heart that refuses to live the mediocre lie that we are all supposed to look, act, be and do the same things.  I believe in wonder, synchronicities, listening to your body and a Higher Power.  I also believe in actively holding conversations with God and paying attention to when you're being tapped on the shoulder or winked at.  

Some of the purpose here extends ... to write, speak and idea share, even though I need to learn to better edit (wish me luck) ... and at the root of all of this (why Nourish came to be) is a goal to help you unearth your desire, your craving, your purpose, your gifts.  It's to help you finally make space to break through the noise and embrace enough "boredom", combustion, surrender and fear to finally create in this wild world over over-consumption. 

To live in flow. 

 To trust your intuition. 

To remember who you are and be stubborn enough to fight for her. 

"Nourish" is not just about food and what you put into your mouth. It's about what you allow in through your eyes, ears, skin, time and focus.

And that's the work. 

I am not an art teacher, or, a writing instructor for such things ... I only help people create the systems and structures and space in their lives to be able to do the things.  I help them feel physically and mentally clear and well enough to no longer feel burned out, exhausted and overwhelmed, but, I am not a creative doula.  Which is why I find the work of Lori-Lyn and other artists in the world so incredibly beautiful and exciting to me ... and the need for beautiful creative classes (like Lori-Lyn's) is so vast and necessary now more than ever.

It's one thing to finally create time and space to do what you love or to have the energy to do so - and it's a whole other journey to do so with the intention and commitment to usher your way into actually creating something to completion, or  to share out in this big world with gumption.  

Sue, I've seen clients write books and make amazing art during our time together, but, that's because they already had it in them, they just needed to find the focus, time and fuel.  They already had the follow-through, courage and ambition that allowed it to pour out of them once they looked at it and honored it.

However, sometimes -- more often at time --  we also need the teacher to help us create the actual thing.  The person who is prolific in their creative magicianship ... who offers you a container where they will show you how to be more like them -- this is the "room" that Lori-Lyn shares.  I don't know about you, but, I have a lot of ideas and piles of writing and unwritten books.  This is something that I personally struggle with and have for decades (like my biggest creative block ... to take it seriously and give it the time it deserved).  I love and admire and adore creative people who really follow through and offer their art into the world in full form. 

SO, I'm so happy to get to join Lori-Lyn's circle ... because I trust her and love how she shows up in the world. She is amazing with follow through!  She is a queen at creating something through to completion and offering it up to the world.  And while I may fall off the wagon again, the fact that I have a playroom to look forward to this season where I can connect with other aspiring writers brings me so much joy and anticipation.  It just feels right. 

So, all that said, I hope you'll consider joining too, or maybe just drop by the art show for some inspiration from one of the 60+ artists (next Friday). Here's a short blurb I wrote up about it as well as the interview from this morning.  Thank you to WKYT and all of the amazing artists who have had the courage and tenacity to make the show what it is!  The dance troop (my fav), Movement Continuum, will be there. Eric Sutherland will be sharing a poetry reading, Pete Wallace will share hand pans and Lisa Hall and friends will share some Celtic and Appalachian music.  I can't wait and hope to see you there. I may be running around in the background, but, if you're there and want to say "hi!", please do!  

About The Living Mandala:
While we are living through challenging times it's so important to choose to be a light in the darkness. This September we plan to gather in collaboration and celebration of the visual arts, spoken word, music and the power of community.  Mandalas and labyrinths inspire us to find our center as individuals, as a collective and as a whole. Sharing your gifts can be one of the most moving acts of positivity, connection, potential and peace. When hearts and minds gather in the spirit of love, art and collaboration we shine a light, we become a transformative force in the world today, we become the living mandala. 

And if you feel like going down memory lane with me ... here is what I found in a very old newsletter this afternoon when I decided to use an old, warm, worn template that feels more authentic to my voice - the voice I left behind when I shifted my instagram to be brighter and cooler as it was what people liked.  Not what my heart saw. Do I regret it? Maybe? I just stopped posting, editing and writing.  It became boring and sterile when it became for business. So I quit!  So don't be surprised I start posting random photos of the perfect velvet crease on a vintage pink tufted couch (which I may or may not be sitting upon now, haha).

Okay, anyhow, here is that latter half of a newsletter circa 2013, when I also still loved taking photos for the sake of photo taking, the love of a moment and how the light hits just right:

This winter has allowed me some much needed space to dig deep and listen. 

I have had a fair amount of solitary time, and so I have spent much of it reading about perfumeries, archetypes, and plant medicines. I have also been writing on my blog, chicken scratching in notebooks, and writing old time letters to family and friends. I also take lots of photos.

All of the photos in this newsletter are from my Instagram, which I most welcome you to follow! 

 

 

Another thing I have realized in this time is how much I love working with people and how much I cherish my client relationships. Though my practice is about and for you, the time we spend together is actually quite healing and balancing for me as well. It allows me to be who I am more fully and that means so much to me.

Thank you for this.

I began my practice in hopes to offer our community natural methods of healing and transformation through client self-empowerment.

 

A peek into my days as an apprentice!

 

 

Above is an image of some fresh Kava Root (Piper methysticum). Not all Kava roots are heart shaped, though it would be pretty sweet if they were!

My teacher and I chopped and blended over twenty-five pounds of Kava that arrived from Hawaii that day...dare I say with a very scary cleaver, that I look forward to becoming more comfortable using.  

Kava root can help bring a big sigh of relief when you need it most...it's a skeletal muscle relaxant that helps to reduce pain, anxiety, and nervous tension. 

I especially like to have it on hand when I know I may encounter potentially stressful time periods, such as around the winter holidays, or tax season for that matter.

Ginormous cleaver aside, it was total treat to make kava tincture, as it was one of my very first herbal allies! You can see more images of our Kava tincture making process here. 

 

Big love,

Nishaan
 

   


 

 

 {nourish your body, mind, heart and spirit}