In the next few weeks, we will be looking at a fundamental piece of what we are all about here at Goddess Living. That is the RENEW, REFRESH, RESTORE commitment.
We talk about our place in the world alongside men in true partnership, we talk about our rights as women and we talk about a lot of other things that are related to the specific challenges of living as a woman in the world these days.
We also talk about taking care of ourselves. We even have a whole Goddess Living Membership dedicated to feeding you with tips and practices to do that very thing.
But what underlies it all that, we women need to fill our cup! To do what it takes to really RENEW the body, REFRESH the soul and RESTORE the mind.
We’ll start with RENEW the body...
We have all heard the saying… mind over matter, but what if matter (our body) over mind is even more important!
Here is the truth… People with more sedentary lifestyles have a greater risk of anxiety and depression, as well as lower self-esteem (mind things).
If our body is communicating to our brain that we are sedentary or weak, that can create those underlying feelings of depression or anxiety, insecurity or uncertainty.
On the flip-side, moving and building strength, which then gets passed along to the brain, gives us a subtle sense of happiness, confidence, and positivity.
Our brain evolved partly to help us move. For our ancestors, movement meant the ability to run away from things trying to eat them and run toward things they could eat. In fact, one evolutionary anthropologist theorizes that we developed the capacity to think into the future because we needed to plan our movements.
So when our brain has no movement to oversee, we suffer. In fact, our brains actually reduce capacity when we’re more inactive, removing cells from areas like the hippocampus. I don't know about you, but I need ALL my precious brain cells.
"Moving is at the heart of the way we think and feel. If we don’t move, our cognitive and emotional abilities become seriously compromised."
~Science journalist Caroline Williams
At our Getaway last year, we practiced movement doing everything from belly dancing to walking… in a forest, around the property, to the dining hall, through a labyrinth and stretching.
All practice on how to incorporate movement into our daily lives.
We also took advantage of bodywork and other learning designed to RENEW our bodies which were provided by independent holistic health professionals who were there to support our wellness. AND, we also had plenty of downtime to relax our bodies and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
These are all skills and tools that we must develop and integrate into our daily lives.
