Last post of #Blogmas2023 and I’m here to wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you have a wonderful New Year.

Remember it’s only a Sunday Roast, don’t get overwhelmed, it’s only 2 days the shops are shut, and in a week’s time routine starts again. Don’t get stressed, enjoy the food, laugh a lot, play some board games, watch the film’s old and new, and relax.

See you in January 💖💖💖💖💖

It’s no secret that for the last 2 years we’ve been on a journey, through grief and battling mental illness, and lots of physical mobility issues, and in this time, we’ve retreated and stepped back from social lives, events, clubbing, and instead choose things that feed the soul.

We had already been walking as mobility allows, and camped, then wild camped, embarked on a car camping journey too as this is friendlier on hips and current health issues. With this we gained a greater respect for the quiet, the slow, the peace, in fact it’s quite addictive. And while it fixes the mind and it really does, it’s a shame the body isn’t so easily fixed.

Instead of racing around and being in soul sucking crowded places, we are taking time to see the changing of the seasons, embracing the windy walks, and orange colours (while they last) the raging rivers, and general stillness of the woods. Here it feels more authentic and genuine, than brightly lit shops, and blaring music, creating a stimulation overload, no wonder we get depressed. I used to dread the cold, the dark, feel low in mood and most of all stressed out.

Now I’m actively doing what the seasons and our ancestors used to do, embrace these dark nights and read books, play board games, try some crafts. Or get outside even in the rain, knowing you can soon get home and warm up again with hot water bottles and blankets. Take this quite time of the year to slow down, take stock, make hearty batch cooked foods, instead of racing to the next holiday of the year. Midwinter was a time to feast and be with those you love, giving each other blessings that we know Spring will come soon, and the dark nights and cold can’t last forever.

To help me enjoy the slow seasons more and gain more skills, I bought this book, which has crafts for each season, recipes, foraging tips and so much more. If like me you bring in most of the outdoors in, with found feathers, leaves, sticks and stones you’ve found that represent the seasons, this book is for you! So cut some Holly, bring in some Ivy, dehydrate some oranges for Christmas tree decorations, and live a slower pace.

It’s nearly half way through Adriene’s 30 days of Yoga Camp found here and this time instead of doing it daily as I did with Revolution, it’s more fluid, more natural approach this time round. So some days I don’t have time, or I am too tired and that’s ok.

And while it has been a more gentle flow into it, I do find myself wanting to do it daily when life doesn’t stop me, ie we are away, and there isn’t room to do it. It’s somehow turned into my favourite time of the day, now often the last thing we do at night before bed, and I tell you my muscles feel so relaxed afterwards.

It hasn’t obviously cured my chronic pain, or fixed limitations, but it has fixed my mind more, and gives me focus. So I’m not trapped in a cycle of sitting there in pain and hyper focusing on it. And a little stretching and gentle movement can only keep arthritis at bay, but that’s good enough.

The mantras, and meditation that goes with these are restorative, empowering and mindful, something we all lose in the dash of life, it’s nice to step back, take a slower pace and enjoy the journey for once. I had always rushed my physio, or exercise wanting to get done, to move into the next thing. Now I’m like it’s done already?? So as today’s mantra is Go with the Flow, I’m going too, in all matters of my life.