We all need a holiday........whether you have a busy family life, a busy working life, or a busy social life! But, with life being too 'in the fast lane' for most of us, constant demands financially, physical demands on us with work, perhaps emotional demands with family....whatever pulls you away from being 'centred, calm, grounded' in your life, precisely what I say, WE ALL NEED A HOLIDAY!
So, I fully understand that financially this is not always viable and possible for many of us. I know all about this, recently taking our first family holiday for 5 years! Money just hasn't been there, and we've really had to bust our guts and go without to get this family holiday happening, yes we made it, we did it!
So what is a holiday?......I don't just mean time out, a week off work lazing about the house, socialising, doing the gardening, whatever you would do if you had a week out of your working routine, I mean time 'away'. Be it by the sea, in the mountains, in a city, in nature, hot or cold, whatever rocks your boat. In January 2017, we embarked on a family holiday, mum (me!), dad (husband!), and 3 boys under 10yrs (one being a 2 yr old full of character and mischief), flying to Gran Canaries, nice safe destination for family of 5. It was perfect weather for the kids, safe resort, nice beach, ahhh, some winter sun to switch off and sooth the soul!
OMG.....TLC....R&R and any other abbreviated words associated with 'getting away'. For full ease we opted 'All Inclusive', not my usual style but with kids pestering you for ice creams every hour, wtf.....we thought it prudent! Wise thinking and something I would definitely do for future holidays.......oh, and now there will be more, got the taste for 'true switch off time'! The best part for me, a beach walking distance, ocean, crashing waves, sand beneath my feet....nature nature nature!
A little insight for you...........Day 1, in fact only 2 hours after leaving Jersey, we lost our 2 year old in the airport, don't ask how this happened as you seriously couldn't make it up, like 'i lost my homework because'.......anyway, after the longest 4 minutes of my life, running up a terminal (300 yards away, past exit to train station and road for taxis!), running in the direction a member of the public pointed towards, I seen two little feet run around a corner, me shouting his name and running like a mad women from 'one flew over the cuckoo's nest'. A very kind man grabbed him for me, the little monkey was laughing and playing thinking this was a funny game, at that point I could have shook him, thankfully I was in full public view with every member of the public staring at me like I had two heads.....that feeling when the adrenaline and cortisol in your body hits peak and simmers down, tears burst out, crying and shaking, my word, what a start to our family holiday, thoughts of 'why are we doing this, its going to be a mission' came to mind! Saga over.....we all took deep breaths and very thankfully left the airport for our overnight hotel stay, all 5 of us!
After the stress of Day 1, and Day 2 travelling to our destination, it was as early as Day 3 that something changed within me.........after a couple of meditations and breathing sessions down the beach, on my own, very early on in the holiday, it certainly done the trick. My husband went for a wander the first morning we woke, coming back saying he'd seen someone meditating on a rock down the beach....'uh huh' I thought, my kinda rock, obviously I went to find this rock straight away which became a regular ritual for me. Wondering down this beach for timeout on my own each day was such a beautiful thing, seeking my rock of solace, call me a hippie, call me purple (personally I like to think of myself as rainbow coloured, an open soul, with a pinch of crazy and a sprinkle of stress....yes I do look after a family so stress is part of my life, and I am human!)......so this 'rock' was my perfect escapism. A rock with meditative energy, hearing and breathing in the lapping waves, it was happy to be my little space away from 'busy and doing'.
So with my meditation and pranayama practise (yogic breathing exercises, the specific one I do for calming and balancing the nervous system is called Savitri), feelings of connection to nature and the earth, to myself, as we are all one and inter-connected, was starting to ground me. I could feeling my nervous system easing. On dipping my feet in the cool sea for further grounding and reconnection, not only to myself but to 'life' itself, it was opening my heart and filling my cup!
It was Day 3 I had some revelation, epiphanies, eureka moments, my shoulders had softened (don't think shoulders should be worn as earrings, as they say in yoga.....shoulders down and relaxed!), my mind was clearing and the fog lifting. On Day 1 I had started reading 'The Fire Starter', by Danielle LaPorte. If you've never heard of this book, then you need to bring it into your life. I was lucky enough a friend gave me a copy for the holiday, big and fat, I did think 'should I be bringing this with me'.....so pleased I did! Only a few chapters in, and boy, was I feeling ignited by the words which flew off the pages, immersing themselves into my consciousness. Wow, this book is a game changer, I could feel it in my bones, I felt excited about the future, not overwhelmed which was my daily feeling prior to our holiday. Ok, so with the book in mind and its message, I am not far off with my working life, the book is about following your passion....for me, teaching yoga, meditation, essential oils, basically teaching all the things I am passionate about, leading my working life from the heart is with me already. The book was resonating with me and I could see that I was already dipping my toes in/on the right path.....but, dipping my toes is where I am going 'wrong', or not fulfilling my full potential.
We all struggle with 'stuff', I have the passion, but in the past I've gone about it politely/quietly, waiting for people to come to me and leaving the door open for them. It was either self doubt or a case of just struggling to put myself out there, asking for help or even asking for the monetary exchange I am worthy of for what I offer, often making little money and seeing my work as a hobby......my life has very much been 'looking after myself, finding it hard to reach out, struggling on my own just making the best of it, and I can see that plays out in my business life, as I see it play out in my relationships. I am getting better in my old age of 40 'odd' years!, but its not enough to be really success and 'go get it'. Ok, so time is a little limited for me with a toddler being the youngest of my 3 boys, very much doing my work (like this blog), at 10pm up to midnight, struggling at the moment with time to devote to my business. I trust this will change, but I want change sooner rather than later! I am on fire now.....
The yoga area of my work flows beautifully, I must have been a yogi in a past life (no ego intended with that statement!), as it flows through my veins, I breath it, I can do it in my sleep, it comes with so much ease.....I love it. I do want to grow more with it, and that is something I realised with the holiday 'escape space', so many ideas, but much of this is down to time, a growing family, whom all very much need mummy right now. My classes and workshops are happening as far as I can push for the moment and a certain amount of acceptance is needed for that.........patience! Its in the post!
I wanted to be a mother and have a family, so they need to be at the top of the mountain for me. I am slowly growing with my workshops and longer classes and that makes my heart expand. Its my essential oil side of my business which is where I am not fulfilling my full potential. I have the passion, I want it to grow, I want, I will, I am.......my oils are used most days, DoTERRA oils which are unadulterated and ingestible, being able to use in food/culinary and some of them for health boosting reasons......so, they live by me every day, assisting in my body's and my children's bodies own innate healing ability, boosting our immune response with everyday ailments and issues, I love these oils as much as I love yoga.......Im a great teacher, a great communicator, I have confidence....all this is a recipe for great success, so what is blocking me!? Again, is it the old story of time!? Social media is definitely not easy for me, I try, and I learn on my own (much gratitude for all I have learnt on my own, I'm doing great!), but with the right person/guidance/learning this can be easily overcome, which is going to be my mission for 2017, reaching out for help, bringing people in to get my website on top form, linking social media, getting into live classes for the oils, and having yoga/meditation videos for yoga. My oil experiences are something to be shared, the healing assistance essential oils have stimulated in my own body blows me out the water every time.....I will be writing a blog about my essential oil experiences, as this piece of writing is quickly becoming less than 'short and sweet' (nearly over!).
The point of this is to share my confirmation of how important holidays are, after not having one for 5 years, the benefit has been profound, having the realisation I was totally burnt out beforehand which I couldn't see as my brain was so overwhelmed and fatigued.....the headspace to see things clearly, the creativity of ideas, for these moments alone when you have been zoomed out of your 'goldfish bowl' and can look at your life and how it is going, its absolutely priceless. With a holiday we can grow, see our full potential, come back home refreshed , renewed, so you can travel along the path you are already on with new vigor, or change path if need be......unless we take ourselves out of our routine and everyday life, how can we have reflection to know if we are living life to the full, and living to your full potential if thats what you desire. Do yourself a favour, it could be camping for a week in Europe, a cheap last minute deal somewhere, anywhere, turn off your mobile phone, have a break from cyber space.......JUST BOOK YOURSELF A HOLIDAY, YOU DESERVE IT!
Namaste :o)