Rambles on a Spring Day

Out in the countryside visiting family’s property this morning, I took my dog for a lovely bit of a ramble. We walked through the trees into the clearing. Whenever I pass through that opening and enter into the clearing, I feel like I’m entering a portal to a magical realm. The sheer beauty of it always amazes me.

The entrance to a magical realm

By my feet were the blue periwinkle flowers, and as the clearing opened up before me, I saw to my right the white narcissus with their yellow centers and the daffodils. These sunny flowers celebrating spring.  The forsythia shrub has blossomed and the yellow flowers are a startling yellow against all the green vegetation, they are very beautiful and a different shade of yellow than the sunny daffodils.

Beautiful forsythia

Forsythia blossoms

Continuing along the front of the grassy clearing, I paused to enjoy the magnificent large crabapple tree. The blossoms have just begun to open and I hope that when I am here again soon, I will be able to see it in full bloom.

Crabapple blossoms

My dog, Charlie and I rambled back out onto the driveway and I took a picture of the wooden post fence that my father has built to protect a garden bed along the driveway.

Wooden post fence

Cutting fallen trees into suitable lengths, my dad put each post upright to create this fence. I always admire it, there is something about it that makes me feel happy when I see it, maybe it’s the rustic charm.

Sun through the trees and fleeting moments

We continued up along the driveway and as I looked to my left, I was touched by the beauty of the landscape with the sun shining through the trees. I took a moment and just breathed in and savoured the moment. Today is a lovely day and I am grateful that my dog and I are able to enjoy it.

A slower weekend, after the busy-ness of last weekend when we had a family gathering for a birthday and eleven of us came together to celebrate and share a meal. It was wonderful to see my family who live far and had come down to visit, and catch up again with the family who live closer too, and also to be able to join in the celebration of the birthday, a treasured moment.

It’s moments like this that I appreciate so much. I take pleasure in small things and quiet simplicity, my heart capturing the fleeting moments that mean so much to us, and together will make up my lifetime.

Wildlife Encounters on a Beautiful Winter Day

A walk on a beautiful winter day.

This winter in my corner of the world has been very mild. Yesterday I decided to take my dog Charlie and drive to my folks’ place in the countryside to visit for the weekend so we could enjoy ourselves walking on the trails, and also spend some time with more of our family who were joining us for lunch.

As I was driving along a country sideroad, a coyote appeared from the field on my right and ran full tilt across the road in front of my car. I braked and slowed a little, and the coyote continued running into the field on the left of the road and disappeared as I kept driving on. Charlie was most interested. The colour of the soil covered snow on the side of the road, the coyote blended in so well in that scene as he was crossing the road. I had an impression of seeing the look of determination in its face as it ran full tilt to cross the road, and I wondered if it was just ensuring that it crossed safely or if it was chasing a prey animal that I hadn’t seen.

Then a little later, just on the country gravel road that my folks live on, I saw a group of wild turkeys with black bodies and pink heads.  They couldn’t decide if they would go to the left or the right side of the road, so they all were milling about across the centre of the road and then a couple of them were jogging (do wild turkeys jog?) up the middle of the road.  Charlie felt he had to give them a few loud barks to let them know they really shouldn’t be on the road or blocking our way.

 I eventually managed to continue on, and as I was driving up the hill just before the part of the road that my parents’ property is on, I reflected how lucky I am, to have these wildlife encounters. And I felt extremely blessed and filled with gratitude. I felt that I was given the gift of seeing the coyote and the wild turkeys, to make me happy yesterday. My time in the countryside and seeing wildlife always helps me to replenish my well spring of energy and fill me with a sense of hope and renewal.

Before our family lunch, my dad and I took Charlie out for a walk. It was beautiful and sunny, around zero degrees census or a little below. That is actually not as cold as the temperature would normally be on a winter day in February, most years it can be quite a bit colder. We dress warmly in the wintertime, and combined with the sun, that made for very pleasant walking conditions.

I hate to slip and fall on icy patches, so I wear ice crampons over my boots. Many of you who also live in colder climates that get icy in winter, will be familiar with what these are. They are rubber things that slip over the bottom of your boots, and they have pointy studs on the bottom that can grip into the ice.  They are indispensable for winter walking as far as I’m concerned, and they give me so much more confidence to walk my dog when it is a little icy out.

We walked along the snow, at first sinking down into it with each step, which made for a good cardio workout! Eventually the snow we were walking on was hard on top and we were able to walk on the surface. During our walk we saw the footprints of rabbits, deer, and coyotes.  

Although I have been very much enjoying this winter, I’m hoping for an early spring. The days have been getting longer and it is lovely to have some more daylight in the mornings and in the late afternoons and early evenings. I continue to enjoy my winter walks and will keep getting out on the trails as much as possible. The lovely walks feel invigorating and as always, they renew my spirit.

5 Ways to Take Exquisite Care of Yourself During the Holiday Season

The festive season is usually such a busy time of year. Now, with the pandemic ongoing and Christmas fast approaching, I thought I’d share with you 5 Ways to Take Exquisite Care of Yourself During the Holiday Season.

1.       Sit down and enjoy a cup of tea or your favourite soothing hot drink. Yes this may seem obvious but some of us begin skipping it during the day at this time of year when we can really use a few minutes rest.

2.       Have a bath and in the running water put a few drops of your favourite essential oils. I love using a combination of spearmint and lavender. If busy you doesn’t have time for or doesn’t want a bath, try just soaking your feet after a hectic day. Sitting on the side of the tub and soaking your feet in water with your favourite essential oils even for just 5 or 10 minutes can do wonders.

3.       Try a guided meditation. Many people find it easier and a more accessible way into meditation by listening to guided meditations. There are many free ones on the internet. Start with any that resonates with you and you feel drawn to. Even just a five minute guided meditation break can make all the difference.

4.       Write a gratitude list of 5 things you are most grateful for this holiday season. This can be combined quite nicely with the first item on the list, sitting down and enjoying a cup of tea or soothing hot drink.

5.       Write an affirmation for the day that will help you to get through what can be a hectic rush. Write it in your journal and or then where you can see it throughout your day such as on your phone, or on a post it note that you stick somewhere really visible to you. It can be something as simple as a reminder to yourself of what Christmas and the holiday season is really about. Or that you are in control of the food that you eat. Choose whatever works for you.  Here’s a blogpost with more on using affirmations  https://www.fionaharbour.com/blog/2021/7/17/give-affirmations-a-chance

 Practice any or all of these five tips and it will make a difference. Nurture yourself with loving kindness and compassion. And above all else remember to be kind to yourself.

Starting a Morning Routine

Having a morning routine has been a life saver for me at times throughout the years and is always a reliable way to ensure that I am starting the day off “right”. My version of right, that is.  Each person can tailor their morning routines to what works the best for them and depending on how much time they want to spend on it. A morning routine is the pattern of things that you do when you wake up in the morning, and it includes your tasks, habits, rituals etc. which can set you up to start the day off the way that you like to.  It can leave you feeling balanced and grounded, and morning routines have also been known to increase productivity, and reduce stress even later on, during the workday.

Meditation, prayer, a gratitude list, affirmations, visualization, journaling, a daily planner page/schedule, these are all good options for choosing what to incorporate in one’s morning routine. There can be other activities, habits, or rituals that you feel will work best for you. What is working for someone else, may not be the right fit for you, so you can try out different options and combinations of the activities and habits and find a “routine” or pattern and order that suit you and your lifestyle, goals, and needs.

As I love to spend time outdoors in nature, and walking with my dog, who of course also loves and needs the exercise, I incorporate a walk with my dog into my morning routine. Affirmations, mindset work, and meditation are also part of my routine. And before I plan out my day time schedule, I take a moment to write down at least three things that I am grateful for. On weekends or a day when I have time for a longer morning routine, I also incorporate some journaling. I remain flexible and do what works best for me, and don’t admonish myself if I don’t adhere to all aspects of what I had planned.

Here are two sample morning routines, for you to use as examples only. You will need to try out different habits, rituals and activities and combinations of them, and play around with the timing to find the pattern that suits you and your chosen lifestyle the best.

Morning Routine Sample 1:

Meditation, Affirmations, Gratitude journaling: total time approx. 20 – 30 minutes or whatever suits you.

Walk outdoors or workout.

Morning Routine Sample 2:

Gratitude listing (list 3 – 5 things that you are grateful for), visualization mindset work (visualize yourself achieving your goals), meditation or prayer: total time approx. 15 – 20 minutes or whatever suits you.

Plan out your schedule for your day while enjoying your morning tea/coffee/hot water with lemon/smoothie or whatever your favourite morning drink is.

You may be able to find an extra 20 minutes in the morning which you can spend on your new morning routine or perhaps you choose to wake up an hour early and go to sleep earlier the night before, in order to spend time on a longer routine. I hesitated to list the samples because it is ultimately up to you to find what works best for you, what is do-able and will meet your needs. It is better to do even just a few minutes of a morning routine than to have such a long one planned that you aren’t able to do it and  you end up skipping it all the time. You could also start off just incorporating one new habit or activity into your morning at a time in order to get used to doing it regularly. Then perhaps a week or two later add in the second habit or activity etc. Or if you are the type of person who prefers to just start doing the full morning routine that you have planned out, and that is how you are motivated, that works well for some people too.

If incorporated regularly as part of your day, a morning routine can benefit you by helping you feel more balanced and grounded as you go about your day. This also benefits our loved ones as we are able to be more fully present when we are with them. It can also reduce the stress that may crop up later in our work days. Morning routines give you some time for yourself, and will help you re-connect with your inner essence. The most important aspect is that it shouldn’t be another chore but is something to be truly enjoyed and is for you to savour the bliss of the moment.

And if you have never written or used affirmations in your daily practice before, and would like to find out more, you may also like: Give Affirmations a Chance

Colour Meditation

When it comes to meditating using colours, there are a few approaches that come to mind. One is to look into yourself, for example, into your heart, and see what colour is in your emotions there right now and to meditate on that. Another approach could be to choose a colour and meditate on that colour, visualizing it and objects that are that colour as you meditate. Some people study the association between chakras and colour, and some attribute certain qualities and properties to each specific colour.

As you know, your choice of colour to meditate with, will impact your mood and emotions. Using colour in your meditation practice also can provide a new focus and refresh your practice in different ways.

Here is a very simple colour based meditation that could be a starting point for further explorations.

Breathing slowly with deep slow breaths that begin and end in the stomach, say the following words to yourself in your heart.

Breathing in, I am calm

Breathing out, I am grounded

Breathing in, I am present,

Breathing out, I am at peace.

Focusing on your heart,

Feel your emotions that are there.

Now visualize the colour of them in this moment

See the colour of the emotions in your heart and how you feel right now

Continuing the deep slow breaths, enjoy the beauty of the colour as it reflects your moment

What does this colour symbolize to you?

Is the colour changing or is it staying the same?

How do you feel right now?

Watch the colour of the emotions in your heart as though you are viewing a beautiful object.

If your emotions are changing as you sit with your feelings, the colour may be changing.

If you desire to be more relaxed and calm, the colour may change somewhat but be accepting of any colour.

Enjoy the beauty of it, the nuances and subtleties of it.

Sit with your deep, slow breathing and enjoy the visualization of the colour, allowing it to envelope all of you throughout your body, until you feel ready to open your eyes.

If you feel moved to do so, you may want to make a visual representation of the colour or imagery that you saw, using paints, markers, pencil crayons, or whatever art medium you choose. You can also choose collaging and cut and paste images from magazines of objects or scenes that are that colour.

And you may also like my blogpost on: Four Ways to Strengthen Your Intuition

Art as a Healing Tool: The Health Benefits of Creativity and Mindfulness

Back when I was a university student studying art and art history while holding down multiple jobs and volunteering, I was pleased to find that my creative activities helped me to de-stress. My roommates were surprised that even during exam time, they could find me in the evenings sometimes sitting and working on knitting a cushion cover! Or cooking my dinners from scratch, which is a creative activity for me that not only helped me save money and prevented me from gaining the famous freshman fifteen, but helped to relax me. Knitting, drawing, painting, doodling, photography and even my performance art, video art, art installations, and acting classes and writing, were all creative outlets that supported me in my mental health and well-being.

Knitting

Decades later as a middle age woman with a full time career and also my own blog and business, I creativity and mindfulness activities are still my favourite way to destress. My activities have grown to include gardening, walking in nature and forest bathing, baking, writing poetry, and writing guided meditations, as well as journaling and listening to music while doing crafts. Watching a movie or show can be fun but for me is not a way to relax and bring myself back to a balance. When I want to replenish my wellspring of energy and reset my balance, I choose from the creative and mindful activities.

There are many articles and books written about the health benefits of creativity and mindfulness and people have been becoming more aware of this. Creative and mindful activities including art and meditation but also many other activities, can help with your mental and physical help, pain management, stress related health issues, etc. If done with other people, they can also be ways to reduce loneliness and connect with others which is in itself something that can support better physical and mental health. By keeping us mentally alert and helping with stress, creativity and mindfulness activities can be good for people of any age looking to start learning a new skill. These activities can stimulate many different parts of the brain and positively affect your cognitive function. It’s never too late to take a pottery class, or learn to crochet or take a painting in watercolours class outdoors in nature.

Art is a healing tool.

Taking action is an important part of making a change or starting something new in your life, and whether you are more interested in enjoying creative pursuits through art appreciation or in creating something yourself, it is good to make a choice of how you will start and take the next step in your journey of creativity and mindfulness. Decide what your start and next step will be, when you will do them. Schedule them in and watch them be achieved. Even if you are just calendaring in a 20 minute music appreciation session every evening when you will listen to music, or you decide to write in your journal every morning for 15 minutes, or perhaps it’s a weekend activity for you, by scheduling it in and routinely keeping to it, you will be able to begin to enjoy the health benefits of creativity and mindfulness.

Forest Bathing

Also read my blogpost on gardening as an act of creativity and mindfulness: Gardening is Creativity and Mindfulness.

On My Bookshelf: Mindfulness Books

Here are a selection of some of the books on my bookshelves that are focused on mindfulness. Some of them I have had for decades and others are more recent to me.  They are all favourites, and I hope that they resonate with you as well.

Peace is Every Step. The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life. By Thich Nhat Hanh.  

A Path with Heart. A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life. By Jack Kornfield.

The Miracle of Mindfulness. An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation. By Thich Nhat Hanh

Savor. Mindful Eating, Mindful Life. By Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung

The Yoga of Drawing. Uniting Body, Mind, and Spirit in the Art of Drawing. By Jeanne Carbonetti.

Guided Meditations, Explorations, and Healings. By Stephen Levine.

Thankful: On Gratitude and Giving Thanks

This weekend is Thanksgiving here in Canada. At this time of year many of us think about the things that we have to be grateful for as part of giving thanks to the universe.  It is so important to take time to do this.  Feeling and expressing gratitude has health benefits both physical and psychological, not to mention spiritual. Health benefits include better sleep, and a more optimistic outlook which is linked to a strengthened immune system. 

It increases our self-esteem as it balances the resentfulness we may sometimes feel if we compare ourselves to others. It also open us up to more relationships, because expressing gratitude can help us to foster new friendships. It strengthens the relationships that we already have. And feeling and expressing gratitude can increase mental toughness and our resiliency.

This year I feel particularly thankful for the health and wellness of my family as so many people have struggled during the pandemic including with their employment situations so I really feel grateful. I am giving thanks for having a safe place to live and to be able to support myself and have enough to eat which so many others in the world do not have at this time. And I’m grateful for my loved ones including my human family and friends and my dear dog, Charlie.  

You can give thanks in prayer, in your journal, through art, through writing poetry and many other ways. What are some of your favourite ways to give thanks? Let us know in the comments below. And here is a poem that I wrote to give thanks.

I AM GRATEFUL                                                                                                         

Feeling the gentle breeze

And hearing the wind rustle the leaves

Shimmering greens in sunlight

Feeling the connection

The circle of the Earth

Of life

Of nature

I am the earth

I am the wind

I am the trees

Living in the moment

I am here now

To enjoy eternity

A bird calls

An insect whirs

I am grateful

For this moment

You may enjoy this related post on expressing gratitude, it’s about writing a thank you letter to your body.

http://www.fionaharbour.com/blog/2017/4/8/thank-you-letter-to-your-body

And I have a free gift for you. It’s a 7 page PDF on FINDING YOUR VOICE:  Five ways to find your authentic voice before writing, public speaking, or other activities of self-expression. 

With this 7 page PDF you will learn ways to:

* Attune to your authentic self

* Express yourself more easily

* Prepare for your creative challenge

* Become unstuck or unfrozen

* Enter a state of flow

Receive the password to my Free Resource library so that you can download your free gift 7 page PDF on Finding Your Voice: 5 ways to find your voice, before public speaking, writing, or other activities of self-expression, and also download other free resources.

You'll also receive my Inspiration newsletter with updates on my latest blogposts, creative work and processes, guided meditations, resources and transformational journeys.

To receive the password to the free resource library so you can download your gift please visit

http://www.fionaharbour.com/finding-your-voice

Enjoy! Giving thanks, peace, and gratitude,

Fiona

Fall Forest Bathing in Rural Ontario

I took a picture of an oak leaf….

I love this time of year. As September turns into October, without the sluggishness of the heat of summer to slow me down, I feel more energetic and enterprising. I love walking outside in nature with my dog, and also just being outside, even if I’m not walking or working but am just “being”.

As my time continued at the countryside property in rural Ontario, Canada where I visited family recently, I took a picture of a lovely oak leaf, you can see the veins in it. I took a picture of magical looking mossy rocks that always conjure up vague notions of other fantasy worlds of fairies and elves in my mind whenever I see them. Another picture is of the carpet of periwinkle interspersed with the occasional goutweed. The dark grey clouds rolled in and I took a picture of them above the trees. Another picture, also a landscape, was taken after I had returned home and it was sent to me, reminding me of all that I was now missing. The beautiful landscape and fresh air.

magical looking mossy rocks…

carpet of periwinkle interspersed with the occasional goutweed…

I’m back at home now and looking at the photos, I’m reminded of the term forest bathing also called shinrin-yoku.  In Japanese Shinrin means forest and yoku means bath. You can just be outside and soak up the atmosphere of the forest, the smells, sounds, the air. It is good for the soul. If you live in the city it is vital to your wellbeing to get some time outside in nature and is so great for stress management and reconnecting with your soul and inner core essence.

The dark clouds rolled in and I took a picture of them above the trees.

A lot of what I do out in the countryside or in the large park settings close to my home is forest bathing, I’m not always walking briskly or working. Sometimes I’m walking slowly, ambling along and just being. On one recent day out in the countryside my mother, Charlie and I were out for three hours. We ambled slowly, looked at the trees, collected seeds from the Siberian pea shrub for me to plant at my own home, took cuttings from the lilac shrubs and planted them elsewhere, tied up a honeysuckle shrub that was drooping, walked down and had a look at the linden trees,  and then just generally soaked up the atmosphere. For three hours. Our “work” and walking did not take the three hours, but still three hours passed. It was a joyous and happy time and I felt all the better for it.

Charlie enjoying his shinrin-yoku (forest bathing).

To enjoy forest bathing, you don’t have to be working or doing a project, although if you live in the countryside you know there is plenty of work to do all the time, and you don’t even have to be walking or on the way somewhere. You just have to go outside and soak up the atmosphere, it’s about reconnecting with nature through all of your senses. Occasionally pause on your walks or during your busy work and soak it all in. You will feel better for it.  I certainly do.

In the evenings now I look out and see my dog, Charlie, lying on my deck or in the grass in the backyard, even as it gets dark outside. With the cooler weather he is more comfortable, and being a dog with a thick coat makes it challenging sometimes for him to be out too long in the summer heat. But these fall days and evenings are just right for him, and he lies outside looking the absolute picture of contentment. I learn a lot from him and his wise attitude as he also enjoys “forest bathing” or just soaking it all in.  Just “being” while you are surrounded by nature. Ah, bliss.

Ah, bliss…

Notice Your Thinking

Photo Credit: Jeremy Goldberg at unsplash.com

When meditating it is best not to judge or feel discouraged if your thoughts come into your focus. Notice them, acknowledge them, and let them pass.

This is also a helpful approach as we go through our day. When a thought that you feel is overly negative or unhelpful or that you don’t want to focus on for whatever reason, comes into your mind don’t try to not think it, just notice it, acknowledge it, and let it pass

You can be aware of your thinking and acknowledge it without judging yourself. You may want to say to yourself “oh, there’s that thought again”, or just one word to describe the thinking, if you are being judgemental or overly critical, such as just saying to yourself the word “judging”.

If the thought is that you are having cravings for junk food and that you should go and buy some, for example, again, don’t try to fight the thought, just notice and acknowledge it. To acknowledge it you may choose to say the word “cravings” to yourself or keep a post it note near you where you make a tick each time you notice these feelings. And after a few days of noticing and making ticks on the post it note, you will likely see the number of ticks lessening and start to feel better about this aspect of your thoughts.

Noticing the thinking, and acknowledging and naming it, and then letting it pass without judging ourselves or trying to prevent it, is the key to lessening its power over us and its grip on our conscious focus.