Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Mid-Week Balance--4 May 2011



This edition of Mid-Week balance is all about really listening to, connecting with, and demonstrating compassion for yourself. Several of the posts are body-image related, but there are some other takes on self-connection as well. Enjoy!

Sui of the cynosure blog (also RVXN.org) is one of my new discoveries this week (thanks to Mara of Medical Marzipan). And I had to include this powerful post exploring what it looks like to really love yourself. This is not a short post, so take some time with it. Get a cup of tea (or coffee), create some quiet space, and make sure to savor each line of this exploration: "What Loving Yourself REALLY Means"

Jen Gresham's Everyday Bright is one of the blogs that I read routinely. Even though I love the career I'm in, I often get valuable insights from Jen's writing. Her post this week just jumped out at me. We so often hamper ourselves with the "I can't do X until Y happens" storyline. In this post, Jen invites us to become aware of the ways that we diminish our own dreams and then take some concrete action: "How to Live a Lottery Lifestyle"

Anna Guest-Jolly at Curvy Yoga is a yogini who is bringing a message to the world that yoga is an inclusive, accepting, body-loving practice. Since I believe strongly in the principle of Health at Every Size (HAES), and the idea that our relationship with food should be a process of listening to our bodies, this post was a home run for me: "Seven Ways that Waving Goodbye to Dieting is Awesome"

Dave Navarro's Rock Your Day blog provides "ass-kicking inspiration." His work is another new discovery, so I'm still getting familiar with his writing. However, this post is so hand-on, so practical, & so empowering, that I really wanted to pass it along to you: "How to Train Yourself to Be in the Mood You Want"

Saddhamala at the Wildmind Buddhist meditation practice blogs gave us a lovely exploration this week of how easy it is to get overextended. In this exploration, she invites us to be mindful of when we say yes, and give ourselves permission to say no. I appreciate the reminder that how I use my energy IS under my control, and mindfulness of this can help me be a more compassionate, engaged person: "Mindfulness and Energy"

I hope that this collection bring you some inspiration and also provides some good tools as you move forward in your self-care journey. Any other favorites for the week? Please share below!